Our decision to ride less far yesterday, and make today a longer day to Miena was the right one. The weather was calm, it was a bit grey in the morning but sunny the whole afternoon, and most importantly: the wind had calmed down a lot. It was a long and tough day however: 88km with a lot of climbing. We ended in Miena above 1000m asl, and climbed 800m net - but with the many up and downs, have definitely done well over 1000 vertical meters.
 |
| Some impressions of the B&B grounds; this is the view from the front of the guest house we stayed in |
 |
| It's an active shearing station, these sheep were being prepared |
 |
| The old, traditional shearing shed |
 |
| Just a view |
 |
| A small lake at the farm's grounds; there should be platypus in here, but we didn't see any - the water was too choppy. What you can also see a little bit from this picture: lots of autumn colors. Suddenly in the last few days, colors have started to change. |
It was a truly wonderful day! We're so happy we chose to come via the Midlands. The scenery is just incredible with moments, the roads so nice for cycling, and there is hardly any traffic. People say "there is nothing there" but that is exactly what makes it so wonderful! Between Bothwell and Miena, for more than 60km, there is indeed nothing; only a few houses left and right, and farmland, bush, grasslands, hills/mountains, lakes, ... Incredible!
 |
| We saw so many sheep today, we almost started to act like one... |
 |
| View to kill |
 |
| The views along the road were incredible today; a few more such shots coming up! |
 |
| What can you say... |
 |
| Two pieces of Santos enjoying the lunch break |
 |
| Another wonderful view |
 |
| And the best of all, at the Steppes |
 |
| The first, small lake |
 |
| Almost in Miena, and the late afternoon sun makes for beautiful light |
We arrived in Miena around 5pm, as planned, and checked in for the night at the Great Lake Hotel. A hotel indeed, as it will be close to freezing here at night (because of the altitude) and our camping gear is not suitable for these temperatures. This hotel, as the name suggests, is located very close to the Great Lake, and the sunset had a magnificent display in store for us. Another really wonderful day, by far the longest and toughest day of this tour but also one of the very best we've had!!!
 |
| The car park and part of the hotel/pub where we stay, with the lake in the background and the incredible sunset |
 |
| This is basically the view from our room! |
