** Day 13 Walpole to Booner Mundak Hut **
After the crappy day cycling yesterday today was fantastic; it started with a some nice easy cruising next to the water followed by the usual climb up to the Valley of the Giants. There is a tree top walk which I’ve done in the past so wasn’t particularly keen. Walking around though, these Karri trees are huge, one was 18m circumference!
The descent from the Valley of the Giants is glorious, twisty open single track, with continual gentle rises. I would have loved to have gone back up (in a car) and do it again. It finishes with a few hundred meters climbing on sandy track to the hut, not at all hard.
A big part of the fun of these trips is the people you meet; ta hippyish couple and friend having just driven across the, two women from Denmark who are just hiking sections of the Bibbulmun Track between their cars to sleep in, the three retired Brits cycling doing it for the seventh time as Al Pyrenees training, a guy trying to do it going North in 10 days when he has no really idea what is coming with the pea gravel, a really fit father and daughter group, a mid-twenties women who gave herself 40 days from Donnely River. It is great to see the diversity.
Dinner:
Real Meals, Wilderness Stew. This was really good.
Campers Panty, Cheesy Chive Mash. Yum, get this one again!
** Day 14 Booner Mundak Hut to Jinung Beigabup Hut **
Pretty short and easy today, Denmark is still another 50km away so 55 was enough. The roads were agriculture gravel roads, a little bit of sandy hills and a few tracks around farms. Not the most exciting but OK riding.Looking forward to the coast tomorrow.
On the trail today we met a guy from Arizona who has done half of Tour Aotearoa, Sound to Sound and now the Munda Biddi. Nice holiday!
On the plus side, Stephen’s wife has been driving around while we’ve been cycling, happens to be less than 5km away and this hut is almost road accessible.Chocolate and wine are coming!
** Day 15 Jinung Beigabup Hut to Denmark **
Today was gorgeous, it started with some very easy highway side riding until we began to get close to the coast. The views were stunning. Green Pools lived up to its name with torquiese blue/green water. Even as a tropical Queenslander and managed to get in, briefly.
After then the path just follows the coast on a shared track with the Bibbulmum hiking trail, incredible views the whole way. The last few km’s is just a normal suburban bike path into Denmark but it’s fine.
I have always liked Denmark, sort of a mixed wine/food/arty/hippy town. The obligatory wine tasting was appreciated as was the massive delicious dinner at the hotel.
Sad as the trip is getting closed to ending, but my butt is happy! Tomorrow is the last day into Albany.
** Day 16 Denmark to Albany **
Today was wet, very wet, and very cold. Easy riding on good roads, brief highways and bike paths. Unfortunately the view of the water in Albany was just grey with more rain forecast for the week. Lucky we saw the beautiful Green Pools yesterday.
But most of all, FINISHED!
Now to relax and enjoy the beaches…..
