Friday 8 October 2010 – OMG! What a ride from Kangaroo Island to Adelaide. First an unexpectedly twisty road from Cape Jervis, then I had to navigate my way into Adelaide from memorised directions (as I have no GPS or any way of mounting a map onto my bike). Nevertheless, I managed to make it all but one street from the YHA before I had to pull over and check the map. I almost dropped to my knees and kissed the tarmac when I pulled up in front of the hostel I was so relieved to have made it. As soon as I got checked in I went off to the nearest bike shop and bought a set of panniers to re-distribute my luggage. Just as I was in a repacking frenzy my new room-mate, Lilly, arrived and obviously sensing I was on the verge of a melt down, took me off to the pub where, a glass of wine later, sanity was restored.

Sunday 10 October 2010 – I got an email from my brother yesterday saying that his good friends, Pete & Sue, lived in Adelaide and that I should give them a call. So I did and they invited me to come and visit them in their home in the Adelaide Hills today. They gave me directions which included the phrase “I hope you don’t mind bends?” OMG, that has got to be the twistiest road I have ever ridden. I missed the turn off to their house so Pete had to come and get me. And thank god he did as I’d have undoubtedly chickened out and left the bike at the bottom of the road if I’d been on my own. It was time to meet my nemesis – A DIRT ROAD! As he was leading I just had to follow and miraculously managed to get it up not only the dirt road but the hill that it became up to his house. We then had a lovely day exploring the Adelaide Hills in their nice comfy car. Getting the bike back down the dirt track was even more scary than getting it up there and left me pretty shaken as I got back onto the windy road home. I was going so slowly, even a cyclist overtook me! God, I really need to get a grip on my nerves – think I’ll go and find a nice empty car park somewhere and practice manoeuvres for a day until I get my confidence back again.