A Bright Long Weekend

Last weekend we took advantage of the Tuesday Australia Day holiday to spend a long weekend with our friends in Bright.  We made the four hour drive from Melbourne on Friday night and had a spectacular sunset view through the trees.
Beautiful sunset drive through the trees
Saturday morning Phil and Glenda went for a bike ride in preparation for their big 200 km ride the following day.  Meanwhile, John and I went for a walk along the Ovens River.  It was a beautiful walk through the canyon and the scenery was peaceful and spectacular.
Ovens River

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, something we don't do nearly often enough at home.  Sunday morning Phil and Glenda started their Alpine Classic 200 km bike ride at 4 am.  They road up Mt Buffalo and Falls Creek, making for a long day of climbing peaks.  
Lots of turns on the crazy ride
A peaceful morning in Bright
Maybe and I met Phil at 8 am when he passed through Bright and helped him fuel up for the rest of the ride.
Waiting in the morning sun
Taking a quick break 
Ready for more riding
Glenda finished at 3 pm and Phil finished a couple hours later.  Maybe thought it was an exhausting day, between the naps in the sun, the splashing through the creek, and the waiting for Phil to finish.
Naps in the sun
Splashing through the creek
Waiting for Phil to finish
 Phil was happy to finish, having had bad luck and an early retirement when attempting the ride the year before.  After a shower and a nap, we had a nice meal out to celebrate their success.
Tired Phil
The following day Phil drove me along part of the ride route, through Mount Beauty (which is not actually a mountain but a town), Bogong, Falls Creek, and back.  We stopped along the way and went for a couple walks, one up to Fainter Falls and another to see Wallace's Hut.  It was surprisingly cold at the top of Falls Creek (which is a mountain, not a creek).  It was a long enough ride in the car that I can't even fathom how long it must have felt riding the bike.  We ended our fun day of exploring with a visit to Bright Brewery for some drinks.
View of the mountains
Below Fainter Falls
Fainter Falls

Falls Creek
Wallace's Hut
Inside Wallace's Hut
On Tuesday we unfortunately had to head back to reality, and this little dog finally got a chance to sleep after all the excitement.





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