03/04/2022 Ups and Downs: Mount Barker

We're based in Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills for the next week or so, and with no pets to look after I decided to explore the area on my bike.  I didn't give a single thought to the words 'Mount' and 'Hills' which perhaps should have made me plan my route with a little more care than 'meh, I think I'll follow this road and see where it goes.'

On Friday I tootled along the shared path to the Laratinga Wetlands. It was all very relaxing: the trees provided dappled shade and sheltered me from the howling wind, little birds flittered and twittered in the bushes, and water hens paddled in the wetland pools.  When I finally left the wetlands and ventured out onto the roads I discovered that South Australia has a limit of 25kph through roadworks and if I pedaled really hard I could keep up with the traffic and catch my breath at the Stop-Go at the other end. I pedaled up all the hills, stopping for strategic 'photo opportunities' to catch my breath, and found a strawberry farm (but no strawberries) along the way.

It was most definitely a strawberry farm,

although strawberries were not forthcoming, merely black plastic and irrigation lines.

 

The strawberries were all being picked way over yonder and up the hill, which effectively discouraged me from paying a closer visit. 

Just past the strawberry farm I entered a wasteland of new development and lo! a bicycle path just begged to be traveled (and it was downhill, too!)

Ooh la!

On Saturday I headed out again, Friday having puffed me up with confidence in my hill-climbing ability.  While in this case confidence did not precede an actual fall, it did precede quite a lot of walking as I huffed and puffed up lots of hills, zooming down the other sides only to be reduced to walking again as the ugly forces of gravity came in to effect on the next uphill.  I had to conclude that a) my hill-climbing skills were not as well developed as I would like to think and b) I was not going to ride my bicycle on the Littlehampton side of the railway line again.

In between all the huffing and puffing I still had time to appreciate some quiet country roads;

enjoy unexpected little cut-through paths; 

and spend some time watching bees harvesting pollen from brilliant eucalyptus blossoms.

On Sunday I sallied forth to re-visit the wetlands, avoid hills, and discover all the bike paths that Mt Barker has to offer.  Mt Barker doesn't advertise it's bike paths, which is very upsetting when you discover them only after spending heart-stopping moments of terror on busy roads.

 

After spending the last five months in capital cities,  it was nice to ride out in the country again;

 

to enjoy the colours of the turning leaves;

 to drop by David's field where placid sheep (and one llama) ate hay in the shade;

and to meander down more quiet little lanes.

The (unused) railway came and went;

I sense a rail trail opportunity.

and as I came back in to town I was pleasantly surprised by a very congenial bike path which led me beside the railway right into the centre of town.

On Sunday afternoon I basked in the comfortable satisfaction of a bicycler who has been bicycling, and went downtown to buy a bun for our afternoon visitors.  While I was in Coles I was attacked by feral chocolate which insisted on jumping into my shopping basket and resisted all attempts to oust it.  Finally, beaten into submission, I had to pay for it and take it home.  I locked it in the fridge but, as is well known, feral chocolate merely cries louder in the dark and cold, so you will have to excuse me now as I go to put it out of its misery once and for all.