2022-02-22 -37 144

Location

In a driveway in Myrniong.

Participants

Plans

I'm planning to take an early train out to Ballan, ride for an hour to the hash and back in towards Bacchus Marsh and take the train from there into the city.

Expedition

To continue the so-far 15 hash streak amongst my friends and me I knew I had to do my part and make a contribution. Can't rely on Matt and Rob for everything! So I planned this one the night before.

I got up at 5:50am after a somewhat sleepless night wondering which part of my walls I'd find a completely harmless but gigantic huntsman spider the next time I turned my light on (note to self: it's very difficult to confront irrational fears with will power alone, especially when trying to fall asleep). Amazingly, I'd left the house by 6:10am, enough time to catch the Ballan train at Footscray.

I arrived on time (thanks VLine!) and rode off into the sunrise east towards the hash. Last night I'd debated whether it was better to go east or west and I'd settled on east because I felt the mild headwind would be more than compensated by the steep descent from the plateau. And I was right about that. However, I hadn't factored in the very annoying sun shining in my eyes and in the eyes of passing motorists. Oh well.

I tore down the Western Freeway (Maaaaa8!), dodging glass and debris on the shoulder. A few trucks were pissed at me as the zoomed past, barely and unnecessarily adjusting the trajectory into the neighbouring lane. Soon I was up the off-ramp and inside Myrniong, a charming, blue-stoned town I'd never heard of, and heading hash-wards.

And there it was! Just inside a crushed rock, residential driveway. I set aside my bike and gingerly entered, a confused address excuse ready on my lips. But before I had taken more than a few steps my GPS had me at less than a metre and I was there. I took photos and skedaddled.

My return took me back onto the Western Freeway and some grand views as I descended the plateau into Bacchus Marsh. The only eventful incident was having to haul my bike up a steep embankment after I'd missed the turnoff. I got a potato cake, a dim sim and an Icebreak and easily made the train back into Melbourne.