Day 3 - Bright to Omeo

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Bright to Hotham
The morning was warm, but not yet uncomfortable so the ride up the Great Alpine Road through Harrietville was quite relaxing. Once past Harrietville the excitement began with a well-constructed, but very twisty, road all the way to the ridgeline. The devastation from the fires a few years ago is still the most noticeable feature of much of this section of the road. Swathes of dead trees line the roadside while a patchwork of grey and green rolls away to the horizon.
The last section of the road changes to a nice series of sweeping curves along the ridge and this is possibly more dangerous that the twisty roads earlier because there is such a great temptation to look at the waves of mountains in the distance rather than watching the road. I'm pleased to report that I was able to enjoy both the ride and the view without incident.
Mt Hotham to Omeo
The road from Mt Hotham to Omeo is mostly downhill (as you would expect) and mainly long sweeping curves that appear to have been created for my enjoyment. Once again the temperature rose towards 40C and the lower I got the hotter it became. Closer to Omeo some tight turns slowed the pace considerably until the town was suddenly visible in the valley below.
The last time I was here was on the Great Victorian Bike ride in 2003 and the long uphill section near Omeo that we struggled to climb on the first day of that ride was much easier with 650cc underneath me than it was with peddle-power alone.
Blue Duck Inn (Anglers Rest)
With the day not yet at its hottest, I turned left at Omeo and headed towards Anglers Rest where I'd been told about a very pleasant little pub called the Blue Duck Inn. This is a very narrow and winding road with occasional surprises like rocks on the road in the middle of blind corners and a couple of dead wombats waiting to catch unwary riders. By the time I reached the Blue Duck Inn I was ready for a break. A couple of ice-cold beers barely touched the sides on the way down. This was followed by the best Green Chicken Curry that I've tasted for a long while. After lunch I took off my boots and sat on a rock in the middle of the river next to the pub with my feet in the water trying to cool down so I could face the challenge of donning the riding gear again. As I sat there I was able to watch some trout lazily swimming up and down the rocky river-bed.
Omeo
Back in Omeo again I booked into the Omeo Caravan Park, with a campsite about 10m from the creek that runs along one side of the park. In a flash I had the board-shorts on and lay in the creek trying to escape the ever-present heat.

Technical Disaster
The extreme heat today is the most likely culprit in the death of the memory card in my camera. The card appears to have been fried and is no longer recognised by the camera. The only photos I have from the first 3 days of this trip are those that I've posted on the blog.

Distance Travelled Today - 204km

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Photos

Omeo
View from the Great Alipne Road

Blue Duck Inn
Serves ice-cold beer and an excellent Green Chicken Curry

Campsite by the creek
Omeo Caravan Park