June 22: Aussie Girl Power!
I’ve never stayed with a Bunk-a-Bike host without my bike before. But when I reached out to Ingrid Curtis asking if I could use her place as a home base while waiting to be reunited with Adventure Baby, she readily agreed, even offering to let me leave my gear with her while I went to Sydney and back by train.
With her off from work today and me still without my beloved bike, we decided to take a spin around Melbourne on her two motorcycles, giving me a chance to familiarize myself with riding on the left-hand side of the road.
Ever since arriving in Australia, I’ve been keenly observing other drivers turning right into the farthest left lane, driving clockwise around round-a-bouts, and looking over their right shoulders first when turning. Rhys Rogers, the biker who picked me up at the airport last Monday, advised me that “right is might,” driving home the importance of avoiding oncoming traffic when turning left.
When Ingrid and I first left her home today to check out the route to the warehouse where I will eventually pick up Adventure Baby as well as the service center that will be looking over the bike to make sure it is road worthy, my heartrate spiked every time I encountered a vehicle coming at me on the right, thinking I was about to have a head on collision.
However, by the time we made it to the cute little beach town of Altona for lunch I was more focused on how great it felt to be on a bike again rather than what side of the street riders were traveling on.
With the wind in my face and the sun on my back, I took in the grey-blue waters of Port Phillip stretching out into the horizon, the far-reaching white crescent-shaped sandy beaches, the rustic brown pilings of the Altona Pier, and the beautiful blue sky above.
After a delightful meal at a beachside café, Ingrid and I stopped on the way home to pick up a few groceries before heading back to her home for the night. I’m so grateful for the support shown to me by Ingrid and other bikers during this time of uncertainty.
