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... and while my body is sighing the biggest sigh of relief I think it ever has, a part of my mind is still clinging to what was. I came home to a seemingly endless pile of phone messages, text messages, instant messages, email, snail mail, phone bills, rego bills, NRMA bills... for someone who's been living life at an average of about 18km/h for the last month, it was like I was thrown into the front seat of a car doing 250km/h and my brain didn't like it. I just wanted to tell everyone to fuck off and leave me alone until, I dunno, 2015 or so.

But things have slowed down a bit now, and I'm seeing that not all I found was lost the moment I stepped into the plane to come back to Brisbane. Certainly I have some catching up to do, some of which will no doubt frustrate me (read: problem phone bills) and I've got the root canal tomorrow, but there still is peace, even here in this now strange-seeming land where everyone is climbing over the top of each other to reach the top of something I don't really think I care about anymore... maybe this is just readjustment to the "real world", or as I hope, perhaps it's something more permanent.

I have a lot to say about the ride... once I work out how to get my journal off my phone I'll post it all up here, but for now it'll have to rest. I'm interested to see how many pages it will make in total *grins*

But yes, I'm back, alive (for the most part) and kicking (with one leg anyway, and not very high ;) ) And I don't look like Igor anymore *chuckles* (yes, between the swollen face from the gum infection, the limp and a crinked neck, there was a resemblance there!)

Well, I return from the wild! Not from Tasmania (not till Friday) but I'm back in the relative civilisation that is Hobart.

I can't remember where I was when I last updated... Deloraine I think. Wow, long time ago. Internet's not such a big thing out there.

From Deloraine, my stops have been:

• Gowrie Park
• Cradle Mountain (woot! Much updatage when I get back about this!)
• Rosebery
• Strahan
• Queenstown
• Lake St. Claire
• Miena
• Bothwell
• Mt. Field National Park
• Strathgordon
• Mt. Field National Park (again, because there's only the one road leading to Strathgordon)
• Hobart (didn't have time to update - sorry!)
• Tahune Forest
• Hobart: tonight and tomorrow night.

All up I've covered around 1,700km so far. I've got a hurt ankle (not too bad) two very sore legs (that will survive) and a gum infection (yay! I've been on painkillers and antibiotics for the past week! And what's better, I get to have root canal therapy on my birthday!!! (for the record, I wish the Gods would listen more carefully when I give them my birthday wishes!!!)) Fortunately, I haven't needed painkillers since this morning, although the area between my lip and my eye is a bit swollen... yeah, fun.

Medical problems aside, it's been an amazing ride, possibly even better than I'd hoped.

Tomorrow, as the big finale, I tackle Mt. Wellington. At 1270m, this is gonna be a bitch... I've already ridden up the first 430m on my way through to the Huon Valley (going to the Tahune Forest) and while it was a long, slow ride up there it was certainly not unrideable, but the real mountain doesn't start until after that... yeah, it's gonna be a bitch. But I'm planning an early start, I'm only taking some warm clothes and some walking shoes (and a whole heap of water and snacks!) and worst case scenario, it's about 12.5km from Fern Tree (where I rode to before) to the top, and I walk at about 5km/h... so even walking the entire way up, it's 2 1/2 hours. I'm planning on riding at least some of it though ;)

And then Friday I fly out. Plane is booked, picked up a bike box today, found out the deal with the shuttle bus out to the airport... really not much left to do.

Well, time to go find some dinner! There will be a HUGE series of updates when I get back (and can finally get them all off my phone!)... it's going to make quite a book, I think *grins*

(only 10 minutes online)

I'm in Queenstown, just arrived from Strahan via the scenic railway - they carried my bike on the return bus. No, I don't count that in the mileage I've done :p

Off into the wild again tomorrow... Lake St. Claire. Gonna be a huge day, 95km with a whole heap of uphill. Early start for me *rolls eyes*

I probably won't be online again until late this week/early next week... I don't think they believe in computers out there.

See you soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRACIE!!!

I didn't think I'd be able to get on to wish you a happy birthday, but as fate would have it I have a (very, very slow) net connection! Woohoo! Happy birthday, m'dear *hugs* I hope you have a good one :)

I survived Cradle Mountain! Spent the night before last up there, went for a walk around Dove Lake in the afternoon after riding up from Gowrie Park in the morning. Big hills!!!

Cradle Mountain was awesome - it was one of the big things I wanted to see in Tasmania and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest.

Now in Strahan, going on a cruise up the Gordon River tomorrow and catching the scenic railway to Queenstown on Monday.

Today was wet. Very wet.

Okay gotta go! I hate not being able to update properly - my mobile's got page-long entries for every day - but unfortunately that's how it must be for now.

All the best, all of you :) I'll try to do more of an update in Queenstown!

In Deloraine tonight. Seems like a nice town :) Small, with a smell of history about it.

Uploading some photos. Nowhere near all that I've taken, but the net connection's too slow to upload them all right now.

Tomorrow will hopefully involve a bit of a side trip to go see some caves... then on thursday I will ride up Cradle Mountain... dun DUN. I had to book a cabin because the hostel was all full... $150 (ouch!) but it's the one place in Tassie I'm not game to wing it and just plan on camping somewhere. Ah well, it's not like there's a choice in the matter - I NEED to see Cradle Mountain, and it's the only choice for it.

Anyway not sure how long this net connection's going to hold out for, so I'm out of here!

Well I'm in Launceston today. Arrived last night, having a day off today and leaving to head... west, somewhere... tomorrow. Haven't quite worked out where yet, but I doubt it will be much of a ride.

The mobile problem has been solved!!! Well actually it's been botch-fixed because of the FUCKNUCKLES at Crazy Johns... their "national roaming" actually only works in two places in Tasmania. Fuckers... I'm really pissed off about this. When I originally signed up I told them outright that I was planning a trip to Tassie and that this phone was being chosen specially for it, and the only reason I agreed to sign up was that I was assured that for an extra cost, I'd have full access to the Telstra network. Then it's only once I get down here that I find that's not the case at all. Anyway what I've done is bought a telstra pre-paid card. This comes with a new phone number: 0458 182 635. I will be using my normal number until I leave tomorrow, then will be using this until I reach Hobart.

Also got my bike fixed today - woohoo! One new brake disc, plus a couple of new spokes. God damn Tassie's a bitch as far as spare parts for bikes go - I've only found a real bike store in Hobart and Launceston. Let's hope everything's mechanically settled down now...

I can't work out how to transfer my updates from my phone to the PC (grrrr!) so I'll just have to summarise. Also because this net cafe SUCKS they won't let me upload photos.

Okay, the route so far has been:

Day 1: Brisbane to Hobart
Day 2: Hobart (no riding)
Day 3: Hobart to Eaglehawk Neck
Day 4: Eaglehawk Neck through to Port Arthur, round and back to Eaglehawk Neck again
Day 5: Eaglehawk Neck to Orford
Day 6: Orford to Coles Bay
Day 7: Coles Bay (16km of riding plus a 2 1/2-hour walk to Wineglass Bay)
Day 8: Coles Bay to St Mary's
Day 9: St Mary's to St Helen's (plus a 24km ride to Binalong Bay and back)
Day 10: St Helen's to Scottsdale
Day 11: Scottsdale to Launceston
Day 12: Launceston

All up I think I'm up to around 550-600km so far.

Have booked my plane ticket for the 20th, so it's settled now. I just hope I can get everything I want done (haha, okay well the bits I REALLY want anyway ;) ) before then. The plan is to head from here out to Cradle Mountain, through to Strahan, then back towards Hobart, heading first a bit north to the Great Lake and then west out to Strathgordon before returning to Hobart. Then if time permits I'd like to go down to the Huon Valley for a couple of days, plus of course the second-last day for Mt Wellington (and hope like hell the weather's good).

It's gonna be tough to fit it all in, but I'm trying!

On a side note, does anyone (mainly Jen here, not sure if anyone else knows her) know Tatia's (Garnet Winddancer) current email address? I tried emailing her for her birthday and the email bounced :(

Well, gotta go! Time's nearly up!

... because again, I'm not at a computer where I can upload photos, and I've only got a few minutes left.

So I'm in St Helen's tonight. Everything's been going pretty well, the ankle's still holding up... today was boiling hot (think I heard something about being in the low 40's???) to the point where the tarmac was melting on the road in a few places. But lots of water, lots of energy.

One thing that HAS gone wrong is that I found out that the reason my roaming on my phone isn't working is because there are only two places in Tasmania that it works. NOT happy... basically I'm only going to have signal in Launceston and Hobart, maybe one or two other places. So don't trust text messages to get to me *sighs* Should have gone Telstra... I'm going to have a big shit-fight when I get back and try to get out of my contract. Arseholes.

But apart from that, all's relatively good. Planning on being in Launceston in two days.

More then! Hope everyone's well!

so i'll be brief.

* In Coles Bay at the moment, got here yesterday. 115km into screaming headwind - ouch! Going to Wineglass Bay this afternoon, ride out tomorrow.

* Have a hurt ankle, but think it's getting better - using an ankle brace. Apart from that and an accute lack of fitness, I'm surviving okay.

* Have no mobile reception at the moment, carrier roaming isn't working for some reason. Going to try to sort that out today.

* Having fun, but have moments where I think I'm crazy and just... well, yeah.

Okay, gotta go!

( Firstly... )

( At the Brisbane Airport... )

( At the Hobart YHA, last night... )

( And at the net cafe, today... )