Banks Peninsula

Wetlands
We're still here so we rented bikes and headed to the Banks Peninsula.  The ride was mercifully flat and breathtakingly beautiful.   Since words fail me, I've attached pictures; they don't do the area justice.  The birds alone made the ride worthwhile.  But the trip did have some serious hiccoughs.  The bike paths were gravel and mud for much of the way with cattle gates seemingly every 100 yards, slowing us to a snail's pace.  For about 5 miles of the 25-mile ride, the air was cloudy with gnats that clogged our noses, eyes, throats, and airways.  And then there was the magpie that took a dislike to us and for about 200 yards recurrently divebombed our helmets.  We finally decided the bike path was not a viable option and switched to the highway, favoring potential death by semi to choking to death on bugs.  When we finally reached Little River, we aborted our planned return ride and took a bus.  We couldn't face it again.

Defunct railroad and the start of the trail of gnats

Train station in Little River (closed 1962)

Heading into Little River

Sun dog (parhelion). 

From our hotel room

Comments

Anonymous said…
Looks amazing. I learned a new spelling - 'hiccough'!
August 28, 2019 at 9:42 PM
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