ajft

  Today: 111km

With much prodding and cursing, Andrew managed to wake us all up around 8am — nobody seemed to be in a morning mood. Breakfast was a leisurely affair, quickly devolving into a hectic ride and a flat-out sprint for the last kilometre in order to get onboard the 9am ferry! Kath and Ricardo had driven down in the car and convinced them to hold the ferry for us — but only just — the guy on the gate waved us in like a formula one flag marshall, and the ramp was being lifted as we crossed it!

A very pleasant warm crossing of the heads, then disembark and up the hill to Sorrento for coffee to complete the waking-up process.

The rest of the ride back was enjoyable despite a gentle headwind most of the way. I got told off for pulling away up the hills at Mt Martha, but that's nothing new. We all stopped for another bite to eat in Frankston and I spotted a poster advertising the Tea Party playing in Melbourne tonight. Then it was up Beach road for the last 50km to home.

Andrew faded badly, eventually stopping in St Kilda to catch a train the rest of the way, leaving the remaining four of us to ride back to Fitzroy to sit around at Paul's and talk and drink more coffee. I was in danger of falling asleep in my chair by the time Kath and Ricardo turned up with the luggage, but managed to drag myself up and rode down to Richmond station to catch the train home — absolute chaos since the footy had just finished at the MCG.

After a shower and a nap, a quick visit to the supermarket was needed. I came home with a pile of groceries — it was the first serious shopping I'd done since before Easter!

Back home again, it was off to bed — warm, happy, worn-out and very comfortable.

  Today: 134km

Got up bright and early to ride around to Paulus', then to sit around with coffees for half the day waiting for Evanovitch to turn up — he did have a reasonable excuse, having been working until 3am this morning.

Eventually the six of us were organised and headed off, Riccardo was having trouble keeping up, the poor lad hadn't been on a bike for years and decided to come along for fun! We stopped at Hoppers Crossing to wait for Kathy in the car, he got in and the remaining five kept riding.

Dropped in on some friends of Evan's who are rebuilding an old wooden yacht at a boatyard down near Geelong, then pushed on to Point Lonsdale, arriving there sore, tired, and in need of warm clothing, since the temperature had dropped.

Kathy and Riccardo arrived, then Mat and Jo from their boat-building, so we piled into the cars and headed into Queenscliffe for dinner at the pub. Pub number one was way too expensive, $4 for a pot of beer, so it was off to pub number two. A filling dinner, a rambling conversation, the purchase of a bottle of port, and back to the house to sip and to sleep.

Where?

Hoppers Crossing, Point Lonsdale, Queenscliff