Day 74: On two wheels again

Maria had another Morris gig today, so I loaded the bike onto the bike rack and drove up to the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve again. This time I parked outside the gate that gets locked overnight and cycled in - I really couldn't face driving over all those speed bumps again. The first 3 km was a gentle uphill to the main parking lot and it wasn't too bad. I was taken aback by the masses of people at the start of the trailway but I managed to get through the crowd, past the families and I was soon on emptier road. I passed a couple of hikers, and met a number of cyclists on their return journey and then to my surprise I had the road mostly to myself.

The sun was warm on my back as I reached a long (slightly-wiggly) straight, lighting up the whole road ahead. I made a note of how it would make a nice photo but didn't feel like stopping yet. The rest of the trip up to the hatchery went remarkably well considering I'd biked in to work all week. I had little trouble with the hills, unlike the time Andrew and I came up to Hydraulic Creek for our little photo walk. From there it was mostly downhill towards the picnic area and then the last km on gravel paths through old-growth forest. I made my way up to a viewpoint over the reservoir and then cycled back.

I stopped at the wiggly straight, which was now in shadow so I was kicking myself about not stopping to take the photo earlier but I tried it anyway. And I was pleased to find it worked, capturing the essence of the road as it passes through tall second growth trees. A lovely way to spend a couple of hours, flower spotting, taking in the river and enjoying the air. I felt I was beginning to re-discover the love of cycling I had as a teenager.

A canyon of trees