Melbourne

Well I have made it to Melbourne where I have recooperated for 2 weeks. I've mostly bummed around, helped clean up at the church I was staying at and fixed up my bike. I've been staying at Ebenezer Bible-Presbyterian Church and going to the church and its branch in the city, the City Gospel Fellowship. Today off home, gee how I've missed it and not missed it, mixed feelings, however looking forward to seeing people.

Well the trip from Mildura to Melbourne was flat out as I was pushing hard to get more rest time. I lived off sausages and bread and now consider myself to be somewhat of a sausage connoisseur. The butchers which sold the best sausages in Victoria were only slightly better than at home but maybe there is a limit to sausage taste. I tried some cashew, chicken, spinach and fetta sausages...interesting.

Anyway in this section of the trip I camped under a bushy tree on a town edge, was chased after by a reporter, saw a town with the main railway down the middle of the main street, got the most abuse of my whole trip in 1 hour, whooped my speed record (65.4k) scaring myself half to death and broke my bike again.

This time I was flying down some windy hills and got stuck in high gear going up the next one. As I struggled to move I tipped my bike numerous times trying to pull it over. A guy stopped to help me as numerous cars queued up behind him, slowly getting angry. As I tried to take off again my chain bounced off the chain ring (bit that pulls the chain), but part of it stayed on putting enormous force on a small section causing it to bend. After pulling my bike over to a driveway (driveways in the hills here are shared by numerous houses) I foolishly resorted back to trying to sort every out in my own strength. I rang one of my friends in Melbourne a couple times then rang my parents to get a taxi truck. In the meantime a couple cars had gone up the driveway including a landcruiser with a trailer. As I finished talking to my parents a guy walked down the driveway to see what was up. I told him my chain ring was stuffed and he asked where I was going to. Turns out he and his family were moving to a house right there and their old house was right next to Kilsyth the suburb I was going to. Once again God has bailed me out even though I bailed on him. How faithful is he!

I saw the biggest willi-willi on this section too, bout 100m high, no joke. Also now have the title of Fly-Killer Extraordinaire after averaging 1000 flys a day in certain regions.

Literature of the month:

Romans 8:26 We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

The Grits - song lyrics, My Life Be Like
"It's times like these that make me say,
Lord if you see me please come my way.
Leavin bread crumbs for when I stray
Rely on sacrifice and the price you paid
Feel me like a fingertip
Sometimes I fall I slip
Got a heartfelt desire be more like you
Trying not to quench your fire by the things that I do

My life be like, oooh, aaah"

On pain and suffering
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it" - Helen Keller (Born blind and deaf)

"I walked a mile with pleasure,
She chatted all the way,
But left me none the wiser,
For all she had to say,
I walked a mile with sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she,
But oh, the things I learned from her,
When sorrow walked with me!"
Robert Browning Hamilton

"We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pain: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world" C. S. Lewis

Country South Australia

Well since my last post things certainly did happen. I spent 2 days in Ceduna doing minor repairs. I met another Aussie guy going from Geelong to Perth and helped him fix his rear wheel. When I went to check on my repairs I had left to set (Magic Metal epoxy, does wonders) I discovered I had snapped a spoke behind the sprocket and without the tools to fix it I rushed back down to Sportspower (who had the tools, we had just used them on the other guys bike) but it was already 6:30pm so my hopes weren't high of them being still open since they shut at 5. But low and behold one of the ladies who runs the shop was talking to her friend out the front 1h and 1/2 after they closed! Coincidence? As if, Thank God.

Anyway about 150k out of Ceduna after I had left this town called Wirrula (the town with a secret according to the council signs, its the snails I tell you, they have billions of snails, 10 on every wild oats stalk, the picture doesn't do justice) I broke a spoke and five minutes later another behind the sprocket (the bit the chain grips for those not bikies) on the rear wheel of my bike. Since at this stage in time I didn't have the tools to fix it I was stuffed. So I prayed, got my UHF out and read Psalms (helped me think my situation wasn't half as bad) as I tried to convince truckies heading East to give me a lift. Three hours later success, because I only had line of sight radio I only had 30 seconds on so to convince a truckie to help me out. So when I finally got round to asking this one truck he was already passing me, he slammed on his brakes quite literally and backed up to my bike. A Maori fella named Pete jumped out and together we spent half an hour unpacking the truck to fit the bike in. I felt bad for taking up Pete's time but he didn't seem too worried. Five hours later I was in Port Augusta.

I spent 4 days in Port Augusta fixing my bike and spending time down at the church. It was especially enjoyable apending the time with the fellas from the church. I left on Thursday morning with a shocking head wind and got only 35k camping next to the railway line (got honked every time a train went past). Did a few more the next day camping 10k south of Port Pirie behind some blue metal piles in a parking bay. Then I rode and camped at Spalding.

As I rode into Spalding I rode up to three fellas sitting outside the pub having a beer. I asked whether there was a caravan park in Spalding, they said there wasn't but to ask the lady in the pub if I could camp out the back. The pub owner let me camp for $5 and buying a drink (Stones Ginger Beer, 7/10). Anyway as I was about to take my bike round the back I had a quick chat to two of the three fellas. After I had set up camp round the back I decided to be a lazy bum and buy tea at the pub, Fish and Chips was only $9.90 (turned out you got unlimited salad with that too). The meal was huge and very tasty and as I was halfway through one of the three guys came inside to talk to me. He said his mates had told him I said I was riding to spend some time with God and I was from Armadale (they didn't know where Kelmscott was). He used to live in Roleystone and reminisced on the area with me, also talking about how he used to be a full on Christian with a sad tinge to his voice. Anyway he told me the two Christian guys he knew in Perth and it turns out he knows someone from my church, Steve for those of you from my church who may read this. So I talked with him for a while and he rang Steve to tell him while I tried an Aussie Cider (6/10).

Yesterday camped in a decent rest area (even had bins) and rode down hill pretty much to Morgan today, might head off or might not. Also gotta look into catching the ferry cross the river.

And on this note I'd like to complain about the low quantity and quality of parking bays and rest stops in South Australia most of which don't even have bins. For all their signs on fatigue and driving such as "Fatigue is Fatal", "Drowsy Drivers Die" and "Only a galah, drives too far" they don't provie people with places to stay. Often it is more than 50k between parking bays. So in mocking of Transport SA (equivalent of Mainroads WA) I have written a short poem:
Only a galah
Says don't drive too far
When all there is, maybe a bar
Before you get too far

To finish up I'll once again put some literature up:

Sol by Nathan
The camera cannot see
With one large dead eye
The beauty and magnificence of sun
In final throes of day

The machine cannot record
The mighty Sol
Moving past the horizon
Under hand of mightier God

I'm only human, He's only God by Keith Green
I'm only human--He's only God
I'm only selfish--He's only love
I'm only proud--He's only God
I'm only dying--He's only life
I'm only stupid--He's only wisdom
I'm only nothing--He's only all
Help!

Part of the lyrics of The Beautiful Letdown by Switchfoot
It was a beautiful letdown
The day I knew
That all the riches this world had to offer me
Would never do