Commuting

Whenever I am asked if I am enjoying working in Darwin, I reply, "My bike ride to work is amazing!"

And it really is.



The journey only takes about 10 minutes.  After riding to the end of my street, I turn down a gravel track through the bush to the hospital.  As Jason says, "You're practically mountain-biking!"  Huge trees tower over the path to the left, and fronds of native grass brush against my legs.  There are two wooden bridges crossing the creek.

I travel east in the early morning and west in the evening, so I'm always heading towards the rising or setting sun.



One Friday afternoon during the wet season I road home through a thunderstorm.  It was a truly impressive storm.  The lightening was so bright it hurt my eyes.  I'd decided to take the bush track home because I thought I'd be more likely to be struck by lightening along the main road.  But I hadn't really thought it through.  One of bridges was in flood and I pedalled frantically across hoping I wouldn't be swept into the open jaws of a crocodile.

Much of the path was flooded too. At some parts the water was so high that my pedals were submerged at their lowest clip.

I hadn't considered the big open clearings between the trees until I raced across them perched upon a lightening rod.

I arrived home sweaty, spattered with mud and feeling extremely alive.  Jason laughed at me.

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