This week's Bike Overnight story was penned by Louise Sensi (left, in red and orange jersey) of the Clare Valley in South Australia. Louise writes beautifully about a winter cycling-and-wine-tasting trip she and Kerstin, the "Swiss Mountain Goat," made in the wine-abundant Barossa Valley.
"Leaving the car behind is a fantastic and slightly self-righteous sensation," Louise writes. "In Auburn we leave the southward-leading rail trail and strike out on a secondary road for another 7.5 miles west into Saddleworth. The road west quickly takes us up and over the hills that define the Clare Valley, and beyond those hills the rolling sheep pastures stretch out in a seemingly infinite fashion.
"... The hills grow perceptibly as we broach the lip of the Barossa Valley itself, and what else to do here except stop for lunch at a bakery and then escape a passing weather front by sampling the fine wines of Torbreck. I am quickly won over by their Grenache, but it is a Muscat called ?the bothie? which is packed into our saddlebags -- its smaller size and weight making it today?s winner."
Louise goes on to describe a riding day that dishes up a little bit of everything, weather-wise. Then, finally: "With the rain front mercifully crossing our path while we were happily sipping, the wet roads and quickly darkening day find us pedaling somewhat harder towards our hotel in Tanunda. We arrive, 58 miles from home, with numb fingers and toes to a less-than-warm reception by hotel staff; I suspect this impression has much to do with the much more enthusiastic reception we often experienced while traveling by bike in the States.
"I have to admit that I initially thought we should have spent this evening camping, in the true spirit of outdoor adventure. But with the heater switched on and a big bath full of steamy hot water waiting, I am very glad to leave the rapidly dropping temperature outside and slowly and deliciously defrost my happy but weary body."
The next day, content but tired, the pair pedals towards home.
"The wind and cold team up against us again; I tuck myself in behind the Swiss Mountain Goat and try to stay with her. The kilometers steadily click over, but we still must stop to refuel, this time with a traditional Swiss snack, ?Schoggi und Brot,? or chocolate and bread. Take a stick of really good quality chocolate and a fresh bread roll; using a (hopefully) clean finger, make a hole through the center of your bread, insert chocolate, and eat! It?s all about quality in Switzerland, and this little surprise package can be a quick gourmet delight if the quality is there.
"We are still 15 miles from home when the short days of winter start to bite. Riding out on these country roads at night is unsettling; there is no street lighting and the roads are narrow, rolling, and currently undergoing roadwork."
Learn how the story ends, and read more about Louise and Kerstin's gustatory adventures, at BikeOvernights.org. There you can also scroll through our archives of posted stories and Photos of the Week -- including this week's image, which comes from the July 30, 2012, post by Byron Rushing, Atlanta to Stone Mountain Park.
BikeOvernights.org Photo of the Week, 09.14.12.
Top 3 photos by Louise Sensi; bottom photo by Byron Rushing.
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BIKE OVERNIGHTS is posted every Monday by Michael McCoy, Adventure Cycling?s media specialist, and highlights content from BikeOvernights.org. Previously, from March 2009 through January 2012, Mac posted weekly at Biking Without Borders. He also compiles the organization's twice-monthly e-newsletter Bike Bits, which goes free-of-charge to nearly 46,000 readers worldwide.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/09/wining-and-dining-in-australias-barossa.html
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