“Busted flat in Baton Rouge , waitin’ for a train.
When I’s feelin’ near as faded as my jeans.”
Janis Joplin 1943-1970

Sometimes a song just jumps out of the shadows and into your head. There is no stopping it, no getting rid of it, no stopping the urge to hum it and no respite from the only lines you remember.

It was mid-morning and the fog had lifted enough to see the track more than a few metres ahead. Janis was banging around in my head, at least until I nearly rode off the leaf covered track and into a tree. That smartened things up a bit.

We were riding the Old Beechy Rail Trail in Victoria, a 40km mountain bike trail along the disused rail corridor. Camped at Gellibrand we were riding out and back towards Colac to avoid logging work that had closed part of the trail.

The morning started a little above freezing and stayed there for most of the ride. The fog was like soup for the first hour and then lifted enough to admire the view across the ranges. Janis was back to replace the fog.

There were minor creek crossings and lots of climbing to reach the 103 mile marker on the train line. Great views on either side of the track and a few startled kangaroos who jumped out in front of us. Anyone would think they had never seen a bike rider before. Actually, we didn’t see any other bike riders either.

We did come across two local women walking their dogs along the trail, wrapped in long down jackets, beanies and scarves half covering their face. The women that is, not the dogs; they were au natural.

We slowly warmed as the sun hit the trail and we enjoyed the ride and the views.

What goes up must come down, so we certainly enjoyed the return mainly downhill run, although my frozen toes didn’t seem happy. Back in Gellibrand we raided the General Store for coffee and apple pie and later wandered around the old train station and small town.

“Feelin’ good in Gellibrand, waitin’ for a train.”
Apologisies to Janis