Through Balanda Eyes

A long weekend well spent

Well I have to say thanks Mum for the new set of panniers you brought up with you from Melbourne! They're great. I did want to make my own and now I'm determined to have a go at it. They are so handy!

We've just had a long weekend and went camping with family friends out at Tumbling Waters Van Park. The little Festiva was full up with 4 people and a heap of camping gear so I had a great opportunity to suggest that I ride my bike! Sam didn't like the idea of me riding on the Stewart Hwy but eventually gave in.

What a great trip. I left home at 6:30 on Saturday morning and arrived at 10:30 am before anyone else in our group. I have to say that I was physically not prepared for such a long ride (only about 65km) and was quite tired by the time I arrived.

It was an enjoyable camp, a great place for the kids to run around and there were plenty of other families with young kids so the atmosphere was very friendly. The managers of the park do their absolute best to make sure everyone enjoys their stay and really know how to be hospitable.

While I was lazing arround camp at some time over the weekend It dawned on me that We are about half way between Darwin and Mandorah! So on Monday morning when all of the chores had been done and the camp packed neatly away I headed off for Mandorah. There are no ammenities between Tumbling Waters and Mandorah but being a long weekend there was plenty of trafic on the road and I could always hitch a ride if everything broke down.

The ride was great. I had a tail wind most of the way and the road was in much better condition than I'd expected. Traffic wasn't a problem because most people were headed in the oposite direction on their way back to Darwin.

There were a few other cyclists on the road and I met up with a few of them at the Mandorah Beachfront Hotel, while we waited for the ferry to Darwin. What a great feeling it was to have ridden around Darwin Harbour! The view of the city from Mandorah is awesome and I felt as though I was visiting some exotic destination.

Sam, Mum, Dana and Glen greeted me when I arrived in Cullen Bay and took the panniers off me so I could ride the last 10km or so home, free of any luggage. I now feel invigerated and inspired enough to make it through the rest of this short working week, inspired and hoping to make plans for the next small adventure.