Day 51: Stanthorpe

Day 51: Tuesday August 30th
Stanthorpe 140 kilometres
I left Aratula just before 6. I crossed the range to the Mount Alford side and joined the Boonah Road, and began to ride into the pass. My legs were very tired from yesterday but I held 12kmh right up to the climb. I then had to walk 4 kilometres of very steep road, had a little down hill stretch, and then walked another 3 kilometres with a 17% slope, according to the signpost.

These were two extraordinarily hard climbs; I was dripping sweat walking at 3 .5kmh! I stopped briefly at Queen Mary Falls, then had a second lunch at Killarney. I settled on Stanthorpe as a destination, which was another 44 kilometres. Tenterfield was simply too far, and too hilly.

Google took me on a back country metal Road to Stanthorpe, and I got in around 7pm. One interesting aspect of this route was McKees Road: "Boggy when wet." It was only two kilometres, but it was still wet, and I spent a considerable amount of time digging mud out of the mudguards to allow the wheels to go round!

Aratula Dawn

Lake Moogerah

Beginning the climbing

Morning Mist and Burn-off Smoke

Guarding my front lawn

We'll see this again!

Now it will get serious!

At the beginning of the main climb in the National Park

The granite plug under the dead branch was towering over me a couple of hours ago!

A short respite past the first climb

And again!

Finally on the way down

At Queen Mary Falls

Following Google on Middle Road