Wine, bikes and freaky country towns

I have a cold or maybe its hay fever, I can't tell EXACTLY which.
But that does not stop me from having fun.

On Friday I got into a car with some buddies of mine and headed off to sunny Rutherglen. It was all in a good cause, wine drinking and bicycling. In fact I recall doing something very similar about a year ago...

So anyway, I was suffering from a sore throat/cold combination thing but was dealing with it through the powers of modern medical science (I may have been sitting in a spa gargling whiskey until one in the morning...). I was feeling on top of my game!

So I slept for most of the 5 hour drive, pausing only to have a pitstop and somewhere called Tarcutta (swear to god, its about 30 people and goat)(and a pub) and somewhere else called Holbrook (its got a submarine parked in the middle of the town. It really has).

We got into town around 6pm or so (having left Canberra after lunch) and settled in. There was a get together with the rest of the participants at a pub, so after discovering I had left my toothbrush, saving kit and deodorant in Canberra; I figured I may as well have a beer.
Interesting fact, cold and flu tablets don't necessarily mix well with beer, gin and tonics and vodka lemon and limes.
I mention this combination because Evie was driving up from Melbourne and arrived to find me in a pub 'smelling of beer' (her words). My friends ofcourse were keen to point out that I had been fretting as to when she would arrive and had, in fact, been drinking to steady my nerves (she didn't buy it...).

The next day saw a strong and persistent headwind for all the cyclists. I myself was unaffected being driving about the country side from winery to winery. It was a grand day all in all. The chance to be out in the open in a new environment, seeing the sights and meeting the locals.

The next day after a sterling breakfast, Evie headed back to Melbourne and I headed back to Canberra. Which brings me to a brief message on the value of sticking to the main roads (they actually get you to where you are going). The Hume highway is undergoing roadworks to double the lanes from about Yass to the border, roughly 400kms odd of works in various stages. People who plan the driving trips may think to themselves; boy howdy - I'd best avoid the highway for fear of being delayed slightly. Whereas I think; ah, the highway, plenty of traffic and places to stop for petrol and lunch.
Some people may even be dumb enough to recommend alternate routes through the back woods and some people may be lured into thinking its a good plan to follow this path.
We did...

2 things to report on this trip, firstly the Hay plains are flat, they are vast and flat and sit on the edge of desert. They are not somewhere I would ever want to be stranded. Secondly, many inland country towns in NSW close on Sunday. I don't mean some of the shops, I mean the entire town CLOSES on a Sunday. We drive into one joint in the middle of nowhere (lets call it Bumblescum) and the entire joint is empty. Its like a scene from a horror movie, totally empty streets with no life moving anywhere. All except one crusty old dude, who is leaving town. This dude is kind enough to inform us that the nearest petrol station is either 50km West or 50km East. Well at least we have a choice.
Thankfully no one ran out of fuel, though it was a close run thing and a 5 hour drive did turn into a 7 hour drive. So what the bloody purpose of avoiding the roadworks was meant to have been = FAIL.

On a positive note, we did have an adventure and really, really great weekend!!