Melbourne, 11:38 AM

Bike is packed and ready to go!

Bin one (The soft stuff):

• Two pairs of clothes
• Toiletries
• Swimsuit
• Tiny ratchet set
• Itty bitty stove
• An array of nuts and bolts that would put a small-town hardware store to shame

Bin two (hardcore 😎):

• Camera + 35mm lens
• 14-200mm lens
• DJI Mavic Mini 2
• iPad
• Macbook
• Chargers
• Headphones
• Kindle
• Headlamp
• REI faux Camelbak backpack with 3L water

The Rack:

• Tent
• Sleeping bag
• Weight :'(

I think I have everything. At least, minimal everything. Really, really wish I got a smaller tent.

Alright. Now, to quote Pedro Pascal ...

Sale, 5:12 PM

It worked! Woo!!

I've made it to Sale, Victoria - about 3 hours out from Melbourne.

The bike ran more or less flawlessly. I did discover that I'm operating at the upper limits of Stylo's mechanical capabilities - It was a struggle to make 100 kph sometimes, and I also discovered that this setup has a very strong hate-hate relationship with hills.

Also, I think I may be operating just a bit over Stylo's standard weight spec - the Darche swag is 13.5 kg, my assorted gear probably around 10 kg, so around 23.5 kg, which is ... slightly over bike's weight limit, but whatever. I tended to get about ~95 kph on a flat road, or around 60 mph.

I'm going to head to a pub once I'm done with dinner, get some work done - the sun set around 4:50 PM, so it's getting dark quickly. I'll head to Golden Beach after this (about 30 minutes from here), where there's some free campsites on the beach.

Sleeping to the sound of waves has so many therapeutic properties. I can't wait.

In other news, I'm just about finished with The Martian, by Andy Weir (I know, I know, I've got a backlog of books which like thank god. Expansive reading lists are all part of a Healthy and Balanced Breakfast™, but this one was prompted by The Martian movie night at Selina St. Kilda, so I of course had to read it).

I'm on Sol 484, and Mark's on his way to Schiaparelli Crater. Holy crap, and I thought my setup was D.I.Y, Mr. Watney's setup is blowing mine out of the water - he just used L-brackets to support solar panels on the side of his rover.

Which, like, YAY! Fictional Martian solar panel saddlebags!

Tonight, following a few hours of work, I'm going to sit down and read up on some more Aristotle, and maybe some Lord of the Rings. I've never seen the extended editions before, though the soundtrack is ass-kicking.

Golden Beach, 9:38 PM

Oh my god, please no more night driving. That was ... incredibly cold. Driving at 50 mph through fog with "summer edition perforated leather gloves, on sale for only $99.99 AUD!" was ... nooooo thanks.

But, I made it. Golden Beach. I saw my first kangaroo! Actually quite a few of them, on each side of the road.

They're remarkably graceful.

I don't know why that surprises me. I think when I imagine two-legged jumping creatures I think of humans, and though there are a (very select) few members of our species that could be described as graceful, the rest of us ...

Anyway. It's late. I'm ... feeling a bit lonely, and a little isolated. I think it's mostly because of my arrival time. Should try transitioning into a morning person - early sunset and early sunrise may require a change in schedule.

If love is the answer, you're home.

I miss home.

Goodnight.