Coles Bay to Bicheno: should I go...

Saturday October 31, 2009, 39 km (24 miles) - Total so far: 240 km (149 miles) 

I considered two alternative goals for today. Ultimately I want to be in St Helens tomorrow, so my options are to take a short day to Bicheno and a longer day to St Helens tomorrow, or continue beyond Bicheno and stop at a camping place for a short run into St Helens.

Edit: This was a mistake - when I later realised I had lost a day somewhere it turned out to be here. I should have gone on to St Helens today.

Forecast is for northerly winds, sea breezes, and an afternoon thunderstorm.

I set out from Coles Bay earlier today in the hope of making good progress before the wind came up. But after cruising easily to the turnoff, as soon as I turned north the wind started to build, and it became quite a slog to complete the last 12 km into Bicheno.

Stopping at the bakery to refuel and ponder my strategy, I met Stan, an English tourist who had experienced a rim failure, and was trying to arrange transport to Hobart for a replacement. He was staying at the nearby backpacker and was keen to have some company. I needed little convincing to join him and stay the night.

Besides, at Coles Bay the previous evening I had watched Collectors, one of my favourite TV programs, which featured a segment about a motorcycle museum in of all places, Bicheno.

So after checking in to a double room at the backpacker (I hate dorms), I wandered off the the motorcycle museum and inspected an eclectic collection of classic and modern British, German, Italian and Japanese motorcycles, with a fine example of a Kawasaki 900 Z1 taking back to my younger (and wilder) days.

A bike of particular interest was a cafe racer special 'Noriel', a Norton Featherbed frame with an Ariel Square Four engine, and most everything else hand-crafted.
Later I spent a few idle hours wandering around the town, a busy little place on a holiday weekend.

Mine was green...

Fine machines all...