In Need of a Manicure

So after 3 days of waiting, B rolls in. But by then I am a wreck! Emotionally exhausted, not coping with the 5 am jump starts from a dark tent, followed by 8 hours of labour and not enough food. Not to mention I am desperately in need of a manicure, my cuticles are torn and bleeding... So regretfully I exit the volunteering life and travel on ahead, while B joins the ride (finally!) and wiles away an easy 81kms down the east coast of Tassie to meet me in Bicheno.

While riding through Elephant Pass, B stopped at the Elephant Pass Pancake Parlour where he noted that they had gluten-free pancakes! He didn't bring me one however..... :( OK it probably would have been cold and squished by the time it got to me....

While in Bicheno we went on a Penguin Hunting Expedition. We saw many, many penguins, up close and personal, one even made a break for it running between my feet. But alas all the photos failed, due to the low lighting, no flash conditions. You'll just have to believe me that they were all exceedingly cute.

The next morning B continued on - riding along the coast, and I hopped a bus to Hobart to hire a car and meet him back up in Swansea where we had a two day stop.
Swansea was also the first place on my list of gluten-free restaurants - The Ugly Duck Out, and I was keen to try it out.

I think I ate every meal there for two days: breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I still hadn't worked my way right through their menu. It was a little pricey and I got gluten-ed once (although the chef did apologise profusely, citing a busy lunch and perhaps not cleaning the grill properly).

On the no-ride day we went around to Coles Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula and took in the Hazards.

It began as the Holiday from Hell...

I arrived in Launceston on time, after a relaxed (and short) flight from Melbourne.
I was there a day early, as a volunteer, to help get things organised and for a special dinner.

Well, they'd lost my form, so they didn't know I was coming on the Friday flight, they didn't have a name badge for me, and the "special dinner" turned out to be rice and steamed vege - you know those frozen tiny cubes of carrot, peas and corn? They weren't ready for a coeliac. they weren't ready for me - so much for feeling like a valued part of the team (and paying extra for food to boot!)

But these things happen, so I met my team members (they didn't know I was coming either), found a tent, and got settled in for the night.

B was catching the boat that night, so I sent him a romantic message and waited for the next day to arrive.

Around 9am the next morning, B sent me an SMS. He'd missed the boat, so was going to be 24 hours behind us and the bike ride was going to be moving on around the coast at 70kms per day. (I'm not sure why it took him 12 hours to send me an SMS to me and admit to me that he'd missed the boat. I can only guess as to his anxiety, and which was worse, missing the boat, or having to tell me that he'd missed the boat?)

The next night the riders arrived at Pipers Brook, and B managed to get on the boat. I took a photo of the sunset he was missing.

The next morning, the riders left for Branxholm and B arrived in Devonport.
I waited in Scottsdale at lunch for B to roll in, no sign, and no response from my SMS's.
No B at camp that night, and still no contact.
The next morning, the riders left for St Helens.

After 48 hours of not hearing from him, I was fearing the worst, in a terrible state and in at the St Helens Police Station getting them to check hospitals, bus lines etc trying to track him. No-one believed me when I said he was likely to try to ride from Devonport (near on 300km) with his full back pack and end up sleeping by the side of the road.

After assuring the police that he wasn't trying to get away from me, that I wasn't a stalker, they diligently called through hospitals, back packers, bus lines etc, etc, all to no avail.

Just as I was getting ready to quit the ride to catch a bus back to Launceston to hire a car and start driving the roads looking for a dead body, he rides into camp. He had been sending me SMS's, but none of them had been getting through, and he didn't realise.

And yes, he did ride from Devonport to St Helens in two days, with a full backpack and slept by the side of the road in a sleeping bag, 27 kms east of Launceston. He did take the time to do some sight-seeing on the way, and stopped for an echidna experience as well. (Echidna's are my new favourite animal - closely followed by platypus.)

Back from Tassie

I'm back!

Here's a quick summary of the last 3 weeks....

Launceston - arrived 9 Feb
Pipers Brook - camping - B missing
Branxholm - B still missing
St Helens - Filed Missing Persons for B. (B turns up)
Bicheno - Penguins
Swansea - Coles Bay
Triabunna / Orford (Great pizza!)
Sorrel / Richmond - Scottish Festival
Hobart - Cruise Derwent River, Pub Tour (Great Indian!), Bruny Island
Dover - The End of the Road
Huonville - Airwalk, hang gliding, Jet Boat (Great seafood!)
New Norfolk - Gordon Dam, Something Wild
Queenstown - hills!, Great Western Railway
Strahan - Gorden River Cruise, Hells Gates, Sarah Island
Burnie / Stanley - The Nut, Dismal Swamp
Beauty Pt / Launceston - Platypus / Seahorse / Hang Gliding / Penguins (Great pancakes!)
Sheffield - Murals, Cradle Mountain
Devonport - Sail home......

Monday 5 March - back at work.....

Details and photos coming soon.....