Beside the Sea

Myponie Road

We had appointments in Adelaide so I took the opportunity to take my bike in to the original point of sale and ask them about the finer points of getting the tyres on and off. Technically the bike shop was closed to customers on a Monday but they very graciously made an exception for me.

"It just needs patience and persistence," said Dave the bike shop man, as he coaxed my tyre to do the right thing. It all looked so easy when someone knew what they were doing. In no time at all I had new thorn resistant tubes all filled up with puncture sealing goop and I had even put the last tyre on myself and gotten it seated properly in the bead too. Which just goes to show that it's not necessarily easy but definitely do-able when you know the knack.

In the course of all this bike maintenance I discovered that the last bike shop must have broken a tyre lever while working on my bike, and had left the sharp little snapped-off pieces of plastic in the tyre to roll around and threaten the tube. In addition to which they installed the tyre on backwards which is quite difficult to do given there's an arrow on said tyre to ensure it's pointed in the right direction. Bad form, last bike shop!

With my fixed-up tyres I was all bursting to go for a ride, and on Sunday morning a small breeze ruffled the calm waters of the Spencer Gulf while little boats puttered out of the marina and bigger boats followed them, all of them seeking the best spot to fish or drop their crab pots. It was too nice a day to stay at home so out into the wild world I went to explore Myponie Road.

Take two on the road to Tickera, but this time I had backup organised in case of flat tyres and I planned to take the scenic road first.

Myponie Road hugged the coast from Point Riley to Black Rock and just begged to be cycled, so off I went to do just that. Point Riley lay a scant 3km from home via an unrideable beach and a rocky headland, forcing me to cycle 6km the long way round on a little gravel road with just enough sand and corrugations to keep me awake.

Straight ahead to the sea and turn right.

Huh. All that pedaling and the silos of Wallaroo are still right there.

The little boats that had puttered out from the marina while I had my breakfast were anchored in the coves and shallows along the shore, separated from each other by polite distances so as not to break fishing etiquette but close enough so that everyone could spy on everyone else's fishing spot to determine where the fish- and crab-related action might be.

The one thing Myponie Road does not have is ponies. Can't have everything I suppose.

Coming as I did with low expectations, Myponie Point Road delivered on a perfect cycling experience. Where other coastal roads huddle on the wrong side of the sand hills, Myponie Pt Road curled along the cliff tops and extended its fingers down to the beach at every opportunity. If other coastal roads bogged me with sand and rattled my teeth with corrugations, Myponie Pt Road kept me comfortably on my toes whilst allowing me to appreciate the wide reaches of ocean mottled with dark meadows of sea-grass, the ledges of seaweed along the shore, and the cormorants that decorated the pink nubbins of rock at the foot of the headlands.

If other roads gave savage ups and downs through coastal gullies, Myponie Pt provided comfortable downhill coasts and uphills that were politely challenging and ended with wide views of the Spencer Gulf and the fishing shacks huddled just above the high tide line.

Shack architecture tended toward the old and weather-beaten.

I took my time, stopping at the top of every point to take photos.

I ate my banana overlooking a cluster of fishing shacks where two kayaks waited patiently for paddlers.

I could have ridden along Myponie Point Road for ever but alas, no road lasts forever and Myponie Point was no exception. In what seemed like no time at all I reached Black Rock and had to turn my back to the sea and strike out across an ocean of wheat.

Goodbye, Myponie Road. I'll come back to visit you again.

I turned north toward Tickera, finally passing the point of last week's puncture with a shudder of puncture-related flashbacks.

Onward! The road to Tickera was quiet and fast: a brisk tailwind pushed me along and my fly net came into its own.

Tickera boasted absolutely nothing apart from a small community resolutely resisting any development lest they find themselves over run by tourists. I found the best picnic table in the world and settled in to wait for Roger.

If you find yourself in Wallaroo with a bicycle, don't hesitate to ride along Myponie Point Road.

You won't regret it.

Heart

Comment

Link

Today's ride: 25 km (16 miles)
Total: 897 km (557 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	6
Comment on this entry	Comment	0