The CrossingTyndale To Near New Italy
Cycles And Chapters
With two more 50 km days before the coastal taper, I left Tyndale before dawn, crossed the Clarence at Harwood and was served a Nutella and fried-banana recovery wrap by the support crew.
Two more 50-kilometre days. Then the coastal taper could begin.
I started from Tyndale at 4:35 am. It was still dark, but spring was beginning to make itself felt. The mornings were lighter, the weather was warmer, and two horses wandered over to the fence as the sky brightened.
That morning, I tried to capture everything going through my mind:
good morning all and welcome to day 117!
just 2 x 50k days to go and the coastal taper begins, and while it is dangerous to let the mental focus slip, there is a sense of a significant turning point hanging in the air.
perhaps it’s aided by the official start of spring, the lighter mornings, the warmer weather, the coming new moon and the spring equinox less than 2 weeks away, but my mind is full of thoughts about cycles and chapters. the mixed emotions regarding the end of this chapter, excitement about what the future holds, more fears to quieten, more comfort zones to step out of, more goals to achieve.
the one big lesson I’ve taken from this trip is that achieving anything takes vision, passion, belief and the ability to be in the moment more often than not.
for me that means setting an overall course and objective, having the willingness to commit fully to its realisation and then to simply handle things as they come along. not letting setbacks set you back, not letting plot changes affect the main storyline and not overplanning, overthinking or being overwhelmed.
step by step, adjusting each footfall to the terrain it is on, dealing with obstacles, hazards and detours as they occur and moving towards the finish line, relentlessly.
small steps leading to great achievements, and extraordinary things achieved by ordinary, average, everyday people like you.
The first sign put Grafton 33 kilometres behind me and Ballina 97 kilometres ahead. I kept north towards Maclean, where a large roadside Scotsman asked, “What’s Maclean the Scottish Town got under its kilt?” and pointed left.
I stayed on the Pacific Highway and crossed the Clarence River on the old Harwood Bridge. It had an opening span and wide water on both sides. I stopped for a selfie in the middle of it.
The country beyond was full of waterways, cane fields and long green verges. A sign put Woodburn at 36 kilometres, Ballina at 72 and Brisbane at 257. Then, two days after somehow walking straight past the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, I passed Banana Road.
After more than 30 kilometres, the support crew took lunch dessert to a new level.
One wrap. A generous spreading of Nutella. One banana, sliced and pan fried. Add the banana to the wrap, roll it, cut it and eat it.
Lunch dessert of champions.
It was absolute perfection. I may also have identified the origin of my type 2 diabetes diagnosis eight years later.
There were still two afternoon sessions to do. Traffic stayed busy on the highway. Later I passed more trees, roadside flowers and the last of the daylight.
Five sessions added 50.9 kilometres and took me from Tyndale to a point near New Italy.
One down. One to go.
Videos From The Day
A Busy Pacific Highway
Traffic passing beside the Pacific Highway during the lunchtime session on Day 117.
Open on YouTubeImages From The Day
