With The Wind

May 4, 2021

Cleve to Lock

Day 17 provided the fastest 77km we’ve pedalled on the tour so far. The average was 20+km/hr to cycle from Cleve to Lock.
Yes we had a driving tailwind.

It’s a shorter than average day as it is too far to push on to Elliston this afternoon.

The good news is that co-rider Ian has recovered from vertigo. He not only easily rode to Lock but he’s decided to push on a bit further and camp. Joel and I have found accommodation in Lock at the campground.

It was interesting to see this plaque explaining the Goyder Line. It’d also be interesting to know how relevant the line is nowadays.

Ploughed paddock of what appears to be almost 100% sand.

Massive wheat storage silos. We saw quite a few grain trucks moving grain from storage to the ports.

Ruined and abandoned farm house. This has been a common sight on the Yorke and Eyre Peninsula.

The bike friendly entry to the Lock campground

Lock campground. Fortunately the one cabin was available.

Today's ride: 77 km (48 miles)
Total: 1,498 km (930 miles)

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John SaxbyI've seen a few too many abandoned farmhouses in my day. One always wonders about the history there. Good photos, Graham -- sad, though.

Still wrestling with obdurate northwesterlies here on my day rides, so glad to hear that you had a tailwind. If, after your trek, you're still interested in reading others' accounts of the wind, you might enjoy Sid Marti's "Leaning on the Wind". It's an account of how the southwesterly wind has shaped the landscape, ecology and peoples of southwestern Alberta, over the past few thousand years. (The wind is the famous Chinook.)
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3 years ago

Graham SmithTo John SaxbyHi John, agriculture in area we’ve just cycled across is being noticeably affected by climate change, especially with droughts becoming more frequent and severe. Also marginal area cropping in the past is why some farmhouses were abandoned. There are probably economic/demographic factors too. For example amalgamation of small holdings into larger ones, and declining workforce needed due to mechanisation.
Whatever the reasons, seeing these formerly beautiful stone houses in ruin in this stark landscape is a bit sad.

Interesting you mentioned Alberta. One of my co-riders Joel was born in Canada and spent some of his childhood in Calgary.
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3 years ago