Today was a rail trail day. I thought all of my traffic days were over and this would be plain sailing. However, there were a few things at play.
Firstly, last night there was 30-40mm of rain and then early this morning there was another 20mm. The trail was also meant to be quite rough with plenty of creek crossings. That all meant that the track would be soft and there’d be plenty of mud and more water than usual.
It started near where I wanted to camp last night. I’d dodged a bullet because it was a quagmire. Off I went …
After a few hundred metres, I stopped to chat to a farmer who was happy as Larry about the rain but she warned me that the creeks were already up.
I didn’t have long to wait. The first crossing was short but really fast flowing. I waded across to check the depth – just above the knees. I lifted the bike and took my time. There was a drop away a couple of metres downstream and a whirlpool where I didn’t want me or the bike to end up.
It was fine but halfway across, I slipped on a rock and bent my big toenail back. Gee it hurt. Don’t do it. It really really hurts. It bled a lot too. That’s not a great start.
The trail was pretty rough and soft, but really, it was just plain boring. It was everything I hate about rail trails all in one. I like rough trails because they are usually backed up by fun and fantastic scenery. As well, some rail trails make it easy to get from A to B with a good surface when the scenery isn’t so spectacular. This one today, was the worst of both worlds and gee it was tedious.
About 5kms from Goomeri, I got off the trail and onto the road. I’d had enough, and I’d do the same later for the last part into Murgon.
Today must have been national Attack John Day on the magpie calendar. There would have been 20-30 persistent attacks. Most were close to towns or farms. One magpie even followed me for 200 metres from the centre of Goomeri. It only attacked if I turned away. At the end of the day, I was sick of these damn birds.
I had an amazing pie for lunch at the Goomeri Bakery and a sandwich and cold drink in Murgon, then it was time to hit the last part of the trail which was delightful. It was sealed and wound though some fantastic country on the way to Wondai.
There was one last magpie attack in Wondai though, followed by another night in accommodation – there were big storms predicted today too.
I went into town for some dinner and had a free light show on the way home, courtesy of a big storm just north of here.
