When the closest gym is 262kms away...

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Without our daily bike rides, Kerstin and I were soon feeling grumpy and sluggish, our bodies and minds needing some movement, flow and positive energy.  So, just as soon as our new trail running shoes arrived on the mail plane, we laced up and headed out.

Fitting a run into a day that starts at 0430 and ends at 2030 sounds impossible.  But a commute of less than a minute means that once breakfast is sorted, usually by 0630, we can head home, put on some running gear and head straight out again.  And as we are already into weather that means you need the air conditioner on by 1030, running at dawn works out just perfect.  

Here comes the sun

It's a beautiful time of day out here, the early light brings out all the subtle colours of the landscape which are lost once the sun is bright and hot overhead.  We use the 'Rory loop' a five km circuit, using some of the old Barkley hwy, which is now pretty much just rubble, a route shared with us by Rory, the helicopter pilot.

We also use the "cricket ground" for speed training, as the surface was well prepared for the charity cricket match last month by the Station's own grader driver.  Last time we were out there, the brood mares and their young charges were also enjoy a spot of cricket.

On Thursdays we run out to the airstrip so that Kerstin can confidently complete the Strip report for the Aviation authority prior to the mail plane arriving on Friday.

Unlike running in the city, we don't have to stop to cross roads, or wait for lights.  Our stops are for gates, cattle grids or just to try and capture the sunrise in a photo.  The on Station road trains, loaded with six decks of Avon Wagyu just wave and rumble past.



The wind out here, facetiously called 'the Barkly breeze' often howls over this flat country.  Making bike riding a challenge, but when its not blowing, we still take Faith and Hope out for a spin.  When the outgoing mail bag is small enough, Kerstin and Faith will deliver the mail to the airstrip on two wheels.  With  9000km2 to play with, there are plenty of tracks to take a bike down.  The landscape being what it is, relatively featureless, getting lost is a risk.  Luckily the GenZ team were on hand to show us how to use Avenza maps, and it's offline GPS tracking.  

Where the bloody hell are we?




And Avon's wagyu are well known (apparently) for being a relatively sedate bunch, and don't seem to mind sharing their space with a couple of runners or riders.

 

And when the days are long, and your body and mind are tired, just roll out the yoga mat and entertain the galahs who swoop and laugh overhead.






Comments

  1. FrancieNovember 18, 2022 at 2:39 PM

    As always, fabulous pictures. Just catching up with these blogs as we were in Tassy from 24/10 till 3/11 then 'off-line' well-and-truly with Covid* for 10 days. * A little 'gift' from a couple of the 42 on our bus tour.

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