Cycled Podolševa to Varpolje (near Rečica)
19th May 2008
After a great night's sleep at Majdač we rode through Solčava uphill along the Savinja river to Logarska Dolina - a beautiful short, flat valley with tall mountains around it.
The Savinja river begins in Logarska Dolina as a small creek, and we followed it for the rest of the day along it's long descent through the upper Savinja Valley. It didn't take long for the Savinja to grow from a fast flowing creek to a fast flowing river. It had been lovely weather all day, but around Ljubno it started to rain again. We hid from the cold rain in a petrol station (of which all in Slovenia are named "Petrol") and bought some food and, most importantly, a good road map. The only map we could find in Australia was a 1:500 000 that covered most of the region, so a local map with the camping grounds marked was a vast improvement.
After the rain eased we continued down the valley to the nearest campsite, which was in a small village near Rečica. The guy there offered us a place in the campsite's hostel for an extra euro each above the camping cost, so we took that. It felt a little like we were guinea pigs for the hostel, because it was a bit dodgy (it didn't seem quite finished) and we were the only ones there, but it was comfortable and warm. There we ate, drank cheap wine, and were generally quite merry.
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Distance: 85km
Cycled Brezno to Podolševa
18th May 2008
We woke early and did the final 20 or 30km to Dravograd by morning tea. We followed the main road along the river for the most part, but towards the end a sign sent bikes on a detour along some quieter roads. There were a couple of climbs along this route but they were short and no problem. The route along the river Drava between Maribor and Dravograd is quite beautiful and doesn't have too much traffic.
In Dravograd we found a cafe that did terrific cakes, then continued along the river meža (more of a creek) through Ravne na Koroskem, Prevalje, Mežica, and Črna. In Črna we had some pizza (the cheapest eating out of the trip at €3.50), then asked the locals about the road we had chosen to Solčava, and they said if we were in good condition we could make it. It turned out to be the hardest part of the entire trip.
For the first few kilometres we followed a creek up a gentle climb, then we hit a very steep dirt road, and a lot of rain. It was wet, cold, and very hard going. We even pushed the bikes for about half a kilometre. It took about 2 hours to go about 13km to the top of the pass. I think the climb was from around 500m to around 1400m. It was very beautiful, but, exhausted and cold in the rain, we didn't have an opportunity to appreciate it. This was followed by a very steep downhill, which was just as hard because our exertion had been keeping us warm. We finally made it Podolševa and hid from the rain under the eaves of a farmhouse.
When the rain settled we were given directions to a guest house, Majdač, a few kilometres away. The woman there was incredibly helpful and for €40 we were fed a wonderful dinner and breakfast, and all our clothes and shoes were dried. There was also a terrific view of the Kamnic alps which we had just crossed.
May 18th audio update
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Distance: 43km
Plane Tallinn to Vienna
Train Vienna to Maribor
Cycled Maribor to Bresno
16th and 17th May 2008
We had a bit of trouble packing the bikes for the plane because the bike boxes we'd managed to acquire weren't big enough, but the flight was otherwise OK to Vienna. There we met a Canadian dude who, for a month long trip, had two small panniers and a handlebar bag. We felt a bit ashamed at the amount of gear we had. He had no wet weather gear (apparently the best way to assure good weather) and wasn't intending on camping, though.
Vienna was a comfortable city for cycling, and we did a bit of tourist work before going to bed in our rather comfortable hostel. The next day we caught the train to Maribor in Slovenia before starting cycling towards Dravograd. Getting the bike on the train in Vienna was easy - prepay, and the bike goes on.
We started cycling at around 2pm after grabbing some fruit from the fruit stand. It was an easy fairly flat ride up along the river Drava. Although it was uphill the incline wasn't noticeable. The road had very little of a shoulder but the cars gave a wide berth and it was an easy ride. The only mishap was when Millerine braked suddenly to avoid running into a couple of chooks (yes, there were domestic chooks running across the road) and I ran up the back of her. I bent my front pannier rack but it was easy enough to bend back into shape.
There are no campsites in the area and with the steep river bank any useful campsite is hard to find. We ended up freecamping in the only comfortable spot we could find, which was in the town of Bresno beside the river.
May 17th audio update
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Distance: N/A
As I awoke the next morning from uneasy dreams I found it had turned into monstrous weather. It had rained 25mm overnight and my somewhat beautiful campsite had become waterlogged. I had gone to bed planning to do one more day of riding, aiming for Wauchope (pronounced "war-hope") where I would catch the train and be in Coffs in time for Nats. However it was raining heavily and the forecast was for more rain, thunderstorms and flash floods up the coast.
Since it was around 75km to the nearest useful station and I didn't fancy a day of riding along the highway in heavy rain I piked and caught the train from Taree.
Still, it was a good introductory trip for me of two and a half days riding. The second day was the highlight, and I highly recommend a ride through Myall Lakes, although many might prefer to take the proper road rather than the shortcut along the closed road.
Things I learnt:
- Don't skimp on panniers. My vaude bags are OK and not at all cheap shit, but the rain covers are a bit annoying. I would be happier to have paid the money for the fully waterproof ortlieb bags.
- Staying dry can be hard work. It's easier if you just wear clothing that you can get wet but will keep you warm.
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Distance: 65km
I awoke after around twelve hours sleep to find a beautiful sunny morning. Since my plan was visit relatives in Forster I let Tom go on his merry way and took it fairly easy in getting going. Spending a bit of time at the beach and giving my things a chance to dry. If you're ever around Booti Booti I can recommend camping at Rhe Ruins campground. It's a nice NP campground with a beach and good facilities.
Forster was only about 15km away, but within Forster itself there are a number of hills. The people I was visiting lived right at the top of these, so I felt I deserved the tea and hot crossed buns that awaited me there. Their verandah had a lovely view of the beach and I would have been happy to stay, but the view became that of a dark imposing storm making it's way towards me. In a bid to defeat it I jumped on the bike and headed towards Taree, but it wasn't long before I was riding in steady rain. It was still a nice ride along the river though. I stopped in near a place called Darawank for lunch out of the rain.
I had a bit of trouble with the rain covers on my panniers, so riding along the highway was slow going. My vaude panniers keep everything dry, but raincovers can just be a pain in the arse in heavy rain. They fill up with water, fall off, and generally don't always behave as they should. However Pacific Highway has a big shoulder and it's not a bad place for a cyclist. A little boring and heavy traffic though.
Anyway I made it to just past Taree to a place called Cundletown and checked in to a Caravan Park on the Dawson River. It was one of the more scenic camping spots I've had, even though it was in a Caravan Park.
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