Reunited with My Bike
I went to pick up my bike from a friend's place where I'd left it. I hadn't seen it in a while, but thanks to them taking care of it, some beautiful flowers had bloomed on it.
Back on the Pedals After a Break
When you take 2 or 3 days off, cycling really gets tough. I felt that, but I had to keep moving forward, so I slowly started pedaling again.
The distance to Newcastle from where I am is 181 km—just under 200 km. But since this area is still part of the greater metro, there's a lot of traffic. Sydney can be pretty nerve-wracking to ride through. So I took some detours to avoid the busy roads. Ended up going pretty far out of my way.
An Unexpected Steep Hill
While taking that detour, I came across this. It was a really steep hill, and cycling up it was seriously tough. That was a bit of a mistake on my part.
After going about 10 km from there, I realized I didn't have any food with me, so I quickly stopped at a convenience store to buy some bread and water.
The Indian guy working there was incredibly kind. He gave me all sorts of things and said, "Let me know if you need anything" and "If you're staying around here, you can sleep here if you want." He was so thoughtful. Such a good person.
Camping Spot North of Sydney
Tonight's campsite is here. I went a bit north of Sydney, but it still feels like an urban area. There was a spot nearby that looked good for camping, so I decided to sleep here.
Taking it slow. As long as I keep moving forward little by little, that's good enough.
