Day 424 | off to the coast again: Two Peoples Bay had a few more than the number subscribed

64 km | Heading west total: 15,213 km

The days of solitude are running their course. Civilisation beckons.

Down at the beach a loud generator is hacking its presence across this slightly shabby post-Easter campsite from about 40m away. It’s OK by me, at least I’m moving on but what sort of holiday is it to have that musical accompaniment to the daily vista of Paradise?

The day started quietly, tootling down a country lane and up into Porongurup National Park. An invigorating walk up Heywood and Nancy Peaks to check out the view. Well, “peak” is heading towards exaggeration, it’s granite country, more rounded hills where it looks as if the lava flows are more recent than the billion years this range has supposedly been around.

The park was swept by bush fire in January 2007 but the big trees are recovering well and the undergrowth is making an emphatic comeback.

No chance of fire today, the shrubbery is dripping, there’s an occasional spider web to put my face into, and the view . . .

Well, no views of the Stirling Range until later in the day, I’m up in the gloomy clouds with the gods. (If I was a god I wouldn’t spend so much time in the damp clouds, I’d be heading for the beach pronto, after all, that generator racket can’t last forever.)

Just more of those giant sized marbles balanced uncertainly on sloping surfaces that litter the granite outcrops up and down the coast.

There’s a goodly crop of huge karri trees that missed the forester’s cull, 100km further east than their mates, odd fire not withstanding they seem happy enough here in their serenity.

I am too.

Reminds me there’s plenty of walking up misty hills to be done when I finally get back to NZ. I start to get a little misty eyed myself thinking about it.

After weeks of riding up hills endlessly I’ve noticed where the downhill resides and have a great day zooming down from 400m or so elevation down to 2m above the high tide mark at an unusual pace, ie 40+km/hour at times. An afternoon of remote dirt lanes in fabbo condition.

For once I plunged off the edge of my detailed map and just had to follow my nose on a cross country. Most roads lead to Albany, except the ones I head down as there’s plenty more to fit in the schedule before that destination is reached.

Like the usual series of hills that seem inevitably to appear on proximating the coast. Not one, but two energy sapping climbs as that 5pm knock off time comes around.

The left pedal is losing its ball bearings and every now and again the metal jams tight and just wants to rotate with the crank, making hill climbing a dangerous proposition.

The front derailleur has also been out of action for the last 2 weeks and the middle chain ring, let alone the thighs, are both straining to get the Bob up the inclines.

In the end Two Peoples Bay makes up for it. Another fantastic 120° sweep of white sand beach with the sun heading down lighting up the pure waves as blokes catch multiple fish off the rocks and the kiddies ride a ridiculously dangerous wheel-less chariot over big bumps in the beach as it’s dragged by a speeding 4WD.

Perfect.

Except there’s this diesel generator with its incessant symphony not so far away.