Billy's Bike Camp Part 2.

This is a slightly blurred photo of the road leading up into the hills, around the last signs of people. Not long after this I headed off the sealed road and up a forestry road, which at first was nice and mellow, but I knew would get steeper before long. How steep I wasn't aware, as I had never gone UP the last bit, only down it once. Up is much harder than down. Anyway, not much to say about all that, except that I started to feel the 50km on the road bike and all the other riding to get there about the time the sun started going down, while pushing my bike up the "track". First time ever I have cramped while out exercising - it hurts!

I managed to keep shuffling forward slowly, and even rode a few sections, but it was quite dark in the trees by now, so it wasn't fun, however MUCH better than pushing my heavier-than-I-remembered-at-the-start-of-the-ride bike. Finally, in the way it always does, the finish line apeared from nowhere, and I rolled into the picnic-come-campsite on top of Nebiso. There was just a bit of light left on the horizon - this is roughly what it looked like.

The city down there is Toyota, where I came from, prettier than I imagined. It was a bit chilly and windy, so I quickly changed out of my sweaty cycling clothes, wrapped myself up in my sleeping bag and tucked in to dinner - a non-cooking feast...
Wonder if I brought enough food...

It's getting dark earlier and earlier here these days, so after watching the sunset, eating and setting up my tent, I found it was only 8 oclock. I stayed up looking at the stars for a while (much clearer than usual - I think I was above half the smog) I started to get cold so crawled into my little tent somewhere between 8:30 and 9. I went to sleep reasonably well only to wake up in the middle of the night with a sore hip - my 13 year old Thermarest had finally given up the ghost. It got a bit uncomfortable after that and I tossed and turned until about six, when I got up.


My litte tent - better than I thought it'd be.