Harrietville to Myrtleford

Harrietville - Myrtleford = 57km via B500 and rail trail (ridden Sunday 1/11/09)
Cummulative total = 829km

Well Neil was optimistic that the ride to Bright would be a downhill whereas with my pessimism I thought no it would have a few bumps in it as there is no such thing as a proper downhill in Australia!!! I was wrong! It was a very gentle ride down to Bright - not quite a downhill where you don't have to pedal, more an assisted downhill going through a valley. Heaps of pelotons and individuals tackling to climb to Mt Hotham either as training or just as just a leisurely ride!!!
The weather is actually quite hot and we noticed that as we came down the hill yesterday, definitely in the 30's and since we have had very cold or more temperate weather the 30 degree days have 'hit' us.
We got to Bright and since it is a long weekend it seems that every man and his dog from melbourne has gone to Bright. At the information center we were inundated with people admiring Kouta in his trailer and they just bombarded us with questions! all we wanted to know what were the rail trail started so we could continue on to Myrtleford!
So here we are at the start of another rail trail and here is Neil posing for the camera!

Now our literature says that this railtrail is sealed which we thought was a little unusual compared to the East Gippsland Rail Trail. So we both become pessimistic and don't believe it is sealed all the way! Well it is to Myrtleford, we will see if it is sealed any further!
But as we ride along the trail is crowded with families and we are cycling along merrily and the sun is very hot and it is around 30 plus degrees and the legs are tired but are okay to keep going on the flat and we come across a blue tongue lizard sunning itself.
We get to Myrtleford and set up in the Caravan Park and a few ladies tell us that there is a snake here and it is heading in our direction! So put Kouta on the lead (as we all know what he is like with the wildlife!) and Neil takes one of the tent poles (to do what with it ... I don't know!) and one of the ladies goes back to get a shovel, meanwhile neil is just encouraging it with the long tent poles from not crossing the gravel road to our tent site and successfully he and the woman with the shovel manage to manouevre the snake away from the tent area. While they are doing this you can see the snake in the grass and it is a swift mover and you can hear Neil and the lady discussing what to do and neither had killed a snake before and I suppose you really only get one shot at it as it may turn on you. So by now the snake was out of the park and heading for the bowls club and a park reserve, still no ne knew what to do, park management was no where to be seen, Neil absolutley hates snakes and is petrified of them, the woman was just as apprehensive, no one had a mobile phone to ring someone! Eventually an old man comes out of the bowls club and asks what is happening and the woman has just taken a swipe at the snake with the shovel and seriously maimed it and the bowls club guy finished it off for her! WELL DONE TO THAT LADY!!! she is one brave woman!
I have been watching the grassed area where we saw the snake allllllll day!!!!
We have decided to take a rest day here tomorrow since it will be around 35 degrees and since we are a day ahead we will move onto Beechworth on Tuesday and Wangaratta on Wednesday.