Day 31 - Ethos of bicycle touring

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Gurney VC Rest Area (Lake George) - Goulburn  57km

It's a big title for today's recount of events on the road. We'll get to the big thing a bit later and start with Aristotle (Ancient Greek Philosopher). Amongst the many very smart things this guy said, he used the word 'Ethos' to refer to a person's character or personality, especially in its balance between passion and caution. Bicycle touring, I am sure, wasn't on Aristotle's list of studies. But today's, although relatively short, ride included so many aspects of why we enjoy travelling by bicycle so much.  And after yesterday, when Louise asked me, completely out of the blue, "do you still think this is a good idea?" I was desperate for some vivid arguments to support my strong answer "yes, of course!".

Crawling out of a tent next to the Federal Highway at 8C degrees, huddling together over a hot cup of instant coffee and a shared bowl of cereal with a spoonful of peanut butter isn't necessarily "Breakfast at Tiffany's" but it ignites our kindred spirit for the day ahead.

Improvised 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'

A pot-pourri of different roads will take us to Goulburn: 11km flying on the highway, 8km grinding mostly uphill on a gravel road (with the charming name Lucky Pass Road), 30km tootling on sealed minor country roads and the final 5km in anticipation into the centre of Goulburn. On the way we greet construction workers, we wave to sheep, cows, alpacas, we listen to frogs and barking dogs, we feel our feet getting wet when crossing Saltpetre Creek and we taste the sunscreen between our lips. When we stop for morning tea, sitting on a fallen tree log, biting into an uninspiring muesli bar, but with the sun in our faces and Louise humming the Banana Boat (sunscreen) jingle, I feel reassured that this is a good idea.  And half joking and half seriously I say to Louise "We are living the dream!". 

With passion up Lucky Pass Road

Once we reach the city centre of Goulburn, we find a peaceful spot in Belmore Park for lunch, with (clean!) public toilets nearby. We indulge in our our modestly filled wraps as if they were filled with caviar, the juice of the tomato dripping all over.  Then we head to the supermarket to restock our food supplies for the next couple of days. We high five when we discover something we need is on special. We move on to the caravan park, the fancy version, with hot showers and a camp kitchen. We set up the tent and sleeping gear (12 minutes), enjoy a quick shower (5 minutes) and start contemplating dinner plans. 

All of the above are part of the Ethos of bicycle travel and of course, there is so much more. You embrace the simplicity, the improvisation, the determination as much as you enjoy the little luxuries. You do it sometimes passionately and sometimes cautiously.  Talking about caution. As we slowly approach the flood impacted surrounds of Greater Sydney, we got our first reminder that there will be wet feet ahead.

Reason for caution

Wet feet ahead

And last but not least, big things appear! 


The Big Merino

Aristotle might have not approved on the aesthetics but he may have given us a tick for our bicycle touring philosophy today. 
Location: Goulburn NSW 2580, Australia

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