I set off earlier than had been my recent habit, and it was quite cold until the sun rose above the mountains. I cycled alongside Moose Lake, continuing east on the Yellowhead highway toward the Albertan border.

Continue reading “Alberta” →

My first morning on the Cassiar Highway, the sky was hazy with smoke. The trees were empty of leaves and branches, and coloured grey. Forest fires were very much in evidence!

Continue reading “British Columbia” →

I woke up early as planned and set off cycling not long after 3AM. This was the start of a very long day!

Continue reading “Alaska-Canada Highway” →

I packed up and rode into Fairbanks, then headed to Walmart. I needed a shopping trolley to carry all my stuff as I loaded up my bike with more food than I ever had before, in preparation for the Dalton Highway. This road goes to the Arctic Ocean (and back) and is 1600km long, mostly unpaved.

Continue reading “Dalton Highway” →

There was an airport shuttle service that was very simple to book online. It was even easy to add a bike to the booking for just 5 NZD extra. I was the only one on the bus that night, arriving at Auckland International Airport at about 2 AM.

Continue reading “Alaska” →

I set off from the hostel before dawn. There was a decent bike path running adjacent to the highway out of Wellington. I followed this for a while then, when it ended, rode on the highway, initially along the coastline.

Continue reading “NZ North Island” →

It was foggy when I started cycling, but that was soon burned away by the sun. I rode through mostly flat farmland and the occasional stretch of forest. The one spot where fog lingered was at Lake Ianthe. The lake blended with the fog which in turn blended in with the sky above, making it seem as though I looked out over nothingness.

Continue reading “NZ South Island Part 2” →

The flight went smoothly, and I arrived with my bike in Queenstown in the late morning. My bike was inspected due to New Zealand’s biosecurity laws, but was allowed through. The sniffer dog was interested in my backpack, which was searched, and they were satisfied he was just smelling the food I’d previously carried. I set up my bike outside the airport and rode off.

Continue reading “NZ South Island Part 1” →

I was now only a couple days from Melbourne but had a couple of weeks to kill, due to my rescheduled visa interview. I left the Hunt bikepacking route, heading south from Licola, out of the mountains. I rode to the town of Heyfield, where there was a supermarket. And a chip shop.

Continue reading “Melbourne” →

After a day spent sheltering from cold rain and snow, I set off the following morning. There was a strong headwind, and a light rain began as soon as I set off. These made it feel much colder than the 3°C it was in truth.

Continue reading “The Snowy Mountains” →