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This is Jon's account of the day-by-day events of the ride. Mouse-over the small images for the caption and click the images for larger versions.Day 67 - Wed 9 July - Derby
125.9km, 22.8 avg, 216m climbed
We got away before first light as I was determined to get to the bitumen before the traffice started. I parted with Dad at the Windjana Gorge T/O where he was headed. I made the massive boab by nine and had second breakfast. Pushed on fairly quickly and, besides a couple of earthmoving road-trains for the roadworks, did make it to the sealed road without a vehicle passing me from behind. A shout of joy was in order at the feel of bitumen under the tires, too bad the first bit was only for a grid and there was another few kays of rough detour road before the sealed road started for real. Single lane bitumen was pretty scary with traffic screaming towards me, generally reluctant to move off, so forcing me to on quite a steep and slippery verge. A moderate tailwind pushed me up to about 30km/h, so the side of the road was not a very nice place to be and I had a test of will with many drivers trying to stay on the bitumen. The boabs here still have leaves and nuts, which is a bit odd for us, but pleasant. I faced quite a queue to get a spot in the caravan park then enjoyed great heaps of fresh salad. I never realised I would miss fresh food so much and didn't realise I had missed it until I was standing in front of it in the supermarket with a thrill running through me.
I spent the afternoon wandering around and chatting to a number of interesting people camped in the park. I'll use the extra couple of days this week to coordinate the Broome presentation and media and work on the website. The final challenge will be to ride from Derby to Broome in one day (226km).
Day 66 - Tue 8 July - Lennard River
63.7km, 18.5 avg, 231m climbed
Lots of downhill today with the road in generally good condition, but still the occasional rough bit and plenty of dust. We met Yoshi, going the other way. He was very enthusiastic and exciteable and exceptionally pleased when I gave him a bottle cage to replace a broken one. We did get to meet Paul, the guy riding for sustainable living (www.adventureforsustainability.com). Both of these guys are 23 and riding right around Australia, but in different directions. Yoshi is doing it the hard way, against the wind the whole way. We rode with Paul from the last creek to here.
Day 65 - Mon 7 July - Inglis Gap
50.4km, 14.7 avg, 347m climbed (Jon)
We farewelled Philipp and Valeska who were staying to check out the Gorge and took the very bumpy road back to the Gibb. Several vehicles passed us at high speed, leaving us with choking mouthfuls of dust with the slight headwind. The Gibb was in reasonable condition after we turned off, giving us a chance to cover a bit of ground in good time. I was reflecting on a conversation I'd had with Emelie last night and needed a bit of space so I let Dad go ahead. It was nice to be alone on the road for a while, thoughts interrupted only by the dusty-as-hell passing vehicles, which are dustier, faster and more frequent on this particular stretch of road than they have been. After really pushing it, standing up and pedalling hard on a long climb a series of cars passed me, lifting masses of dust as I was already heaving to get enough air. I decided there was no reason to travel longer on further on these dirt roads than necessary. I've seen enough gorges for now and so much of the stunning scenery is right next to the road, such as this creek where we're camped.
Over another pass I started on a beautiful sealed downhill section and got up quite some speed. I saw a crossing at the bottom, but having been through a few quite shallow ones already that day I was feeling too lazy to do the whole routine and just hit it at speed. It was deep. I was going too fast. My front panniers are too low and wide for that. My real wheel must have lifted off the bottom, slowing down so fast and I went for a swim. Me, the bike and all my gear went right under the water and skidded along the bottom. My bar bag acted like a bucket, scooping up a couple of litres of water, which I didn't discover until I'd already been thorugh and dried everything else out, allowing plenty of time for my papers etc to soak up all the water sitting in the bottom. Drying single ply toilet paper in the wind is not fun. Thankfully my clothes and sleeping were in their own dry sacks ands stayed dry and the food was mostly sealed.
Dad went off to see Lennard Gorge. I dried everything out, filtered some water and moved on. At the Lennard Gorge turn-off I noticed tracks for at least two other bikes, one that looked like it was from a trailer. I know another guy is coming this way with a trailer promoting sustainable living and would love to catch up, but I'm planning to go straight through to Derby, so might have to miss out. I will try to get our presentation, media and web things organised from there to take the pressure off of Emelie and free me from such duties when I get home and back to work. It will be good to leave some attractions unseen here to one day return and experience together with Emelie.
Day 64 - Sun 6 July - Silent Grove Campground
Rest at Bell Gorge (~20km unladen)We rode out to the Gorge carpark, arriving about 9am. The ride is much rougher without panniers to soak up the shock. We walked through to an impressive waterfall and, like everyone else, got our feet wet on the way down to the large swimming hole below the falls. One guy took a couragous (or idiotic) shortcut over the edge. This waterhole is different to the others in that the sun falls on most of it, burning all unwary swimmers splashing about in the rather cold water.Dad swam across and rested under a ledge across the water while I tried, unsuccessfully, to scale the waterfall. Smooth rocks, great volumes of water, a deep overhang and gravity all working against me. It was nigh on impossible to find new handholds once under the fall too, with water filling my eye sockets if I dared to look up. When we decided the water had chilled us enough we had a bite to eat and clambered up the side of the gorge, following the ridge downstream to check out more waterfalls and stunning rock formations. Eventually we came to a T with another gorge entering Bell so we had to climb down. This was a bit hairy without ropes, but we found a fairly stable and safe route. At the bottom we crossed the water, keeping our feet dry this time and climbed up the other side and back along the ridge. While out we met some of our Broome welcomers out on holiday. They invited us to join them and their travel companions for a drink so we did. Their companions will be in Broome when we get there and very kindly invited us for dinner when we do.
Back at the campground we met Philipp and Valeska, Austrian cycle tourists that have been following our tracks for days, laughing at Dad's frequent ventures into the sand on the edge. They're an amazing couple - check out their website at www.2-play-on-earth.net.
Day 63 - Sat 5 July - Silent Grove Campground, 10km S of Bell Gorge
38.3km, 14.6 avg, 165m climbed
Made an awesome damper in the metho stove for breakfast, with very little wasted flour or fuel. We turned one of the pots into an oven by stacking both pans on top to insulate it. We put the damper into a greased and floured tray and held it off the bottom with a few stones. Twenty minutes later, voila - perfect damper with no burnt mess like we had when trying to cook it directly in the pot. We were reluctant to put the dry pot on the heat until now for fear of damaging it. It seems that we have managed to anneal it, so it is very soft and susceptible to damage, but it fits inside the other pot which is still hard so it should be okay.Imintji store was a strange oasis with green grass and music playing when we'd seen neither buildings or lawn for a while, but it wasn't as well stocked as we hoped with no metho or nuts - lucky we'd got extra fuel at Mt Barnett. We did get the essentials though and even picked up some fresh stuff. We spoke to a few people from a tour bus stopped there for morning tea - they were quite interested.
The ride here was quite rough and the crossings rather deep, but we rode through this time for a bit of fun, still taking my non-waterproof front panniers through first. We aim to make a day trip of visiting the Gorge tomorrow, leaving our gear here. Se spoke to a bird enthusiast in the afternoon and invited him for dinner of battered barra with apple and cucumber salad. He helped us identify the real pretty little bird we've seen as a Rainbow Bee-eater.
Day 62 - Fri 4 July - 10km E of Imintji
62.2km, 17.6 avg, 273m climbed
We checked out Adcock Gorge in the morning. Saw some new birds, a catfish and a water monitor. The road in and out was fairly rough, but otherwise the could be mistaken for thinking the road was sealed for several kays at a time. Some new mountatin ranges have come into view - quite impressive. We crossed a range early in the day and have dropped about 100m lower than we've been in a long time. We continue to prove that campfood doesn't have to be boring with fishcakes for dinner with chilli-lime sauce. For the first time there was some traffic after dusk - five loaded cattle road-trains heading east.
Day 61 - Thu 3 July - Philip's Range Lookout
23.2km, 13.3 avg, 141m climbed
A big day, but not in riding. To access the falls and swimming hole at Manning Gorge we swam across the river then walked about 4km. I climbed around and over the falls and Dad had a bit of a splash around in the swimming hole. When we were content we made our way back, stopping to talk to some other travellers on the way.We dropped in at the roadhouse again then rode to Galvan's gorge. I swung from a rope and bathed under the waterfall while Dad had a look around. Then we rode up here to the lookout. We had apricot chicken for dinner with fruitcake and custard for dessert. Dad's back was causing him grief last night, severely limiting his sleep, which is fitful at good times. I'm finally able to rest on my right side again without major discomfort in my shoulder, which was troubling me since the accident near the Threeways.
Day 60 - Wed 2 July - Manning Gorge
56.5km, 16.3 avg, 176m climbed
The road was actually good enough in some sections to notice the wind, which was generally behind us. Only had one quick break to scoff some muesli bars before the Mt Barnett Roadhouse where Dad used the payphone to call his wife for her birthday. We've pushed the past few days to make sure it would happen. The roadhouse was much better stocked than anticipated, but priced as we expected. I succumbed to the demands of my tastebuds and bought a $6.50 pack of biscuits - gone within half an hour.We re-planned our itinerary in the afternoon to make sure we have time to see the features we really want to see and so Dad can be in Derby next Sunday to call Macca on Radio National. With only two weeks left the trip almost feels over, but there are to be many more highlights yet, I hope.
Day 59 - Tue 1 July - 20km W of Gibb River Stn T/O
71.1km, 14.9 avg, 293m climbed
We set out shortly after sunrise to a 10% descent. Quite refreshing at 55km/h and 12°C. We battled our way through about 30km of very rough but level stuff after the Kulumburu turn-off, broken by a few hours of rest by the bank of a very alive creek, cooking up a rice dish and some fried bread. We spotted some beautiful little birds, flitting over the water to grab insects then returning to a branch and bashing them against it. We witnessed one of them drop an insect in mid-flight and flip about backwards and catch it only a handspan below.In some heavy sand Dad took his first spill of the trip, somehow managing to land with his head against a blown car tyre on the side of the road - probably the only one for 50km. He was alright though - at least it wasn't a rock or guide-post. There was quite a lot of water flowing there - much more than we'd anticipated. Traffic has been fairly steady at about 30 to 50 vehicles per day, with no movement at night.
Day 58 - Mon 30 June - 10km E of Kulumburu T/O
78.5km, 14.3 avg, 506m climbed
The first six kays were hell. There was a choice of (very) severe corrucations in the middle or deep, soft sand on the endges and sometimes both right across. For compensation we had about 30 kays of predominately good surface - smooth, hard clay with just a few small stones and some larger, embedded ones for interest. It was about 11°C when we left camp just after 6am and got up well into the thirties by the time we came to some good short climbs which were steep, but sealed.After the climbs it was up and down for the rest of the day, making it quite enjoyable. The last 10km were pretty rough. We filtered a heap of water yesterday and some more this arvo. We haven't used a tap since El Questro. We're camped on the top of the Gibb range and after dinner we were standing around having a chat, gazing at the sky. There was what seemed like a flash of lightning and we both gave a "what the..." and spun about to see a large, bright orange meteor streaming across the sky, travelling for perhaps three seconds before fading out.
Day 57 - Sun 29 June - Durack River
64.2km, 13.8 avg, 513m climbed
A long patch we expected to be heavy sand has been filled with gravel so was a lot easier than expected. We did have a fair bit of sand elsewhere though and some heavily corrugated sections where for up to 1km at a time there was no way around. I'm sure we could do well over 100km on a sealed road for the same effore. The breeze was quite gentle today, so the dust tended to hang over the road for longer. At one stage a hole convoy of trainee army drivers passed through, giving us a break while the dust settled.After battling with the elements all day my tent is a sanctuary and the music helps save me. They give me an escape. Determined to have pizza we tried making an oven out stones in a dry part of the Durack riverbed. It was really quite beautiful with a big flat slab over the top and a chimney built up, getting the fire really going. After a few minutes of preheating, we heard some of the stones begin to crack. We made a fair prediction of what was to come - the top cracked and the whole lot collapsed into a neat pile on top of the fire. So instead we toasted some bread on the flames and had our cheese unmelted.
Day 56 - Sat 28 June - 21km W of Home Valley Stn T/O
55.2km, 14.7 avg, 540m climbed
The road into El Questro was quite a grind and the idea of facing another 600+ kays of it had be down, but The Gibb on this side is quite a different story, with a clear path through the corrugations generally availabe. There was plenty of rough stuff though and sand, big rocks and small rocks and lots of (mostly dry) floodways. I was really having fun, pushing it hard, pretending I was in a mountain biek competition, even throwing in a few jumps.The traffic started up around 9am and was fairly steady at about 1 per 5 minutes for most of the day up until about 4pm and then nothing since we stopped. The steepest bits of road (there were a few) are sealed which is quite a relief as 12% is hard enough with full traction, let alone with the rear wheel jumping and slipping on stones or sinking into sand. The mighty Pentecost was only ankle deep where we went through, though a bit deeper for the four-wheel-drives. Many of them stopped to photograph the crossings - some dropping someone across then going back to do it again. I guess this is their justification for owning a 4WD. We had mobile reception for a while and my cousin's wedding was on, so we listened to the ceremony - a bit strange to do in the middle of nowhere, but we were grateful for the coincidence.
We managed to get plenty of bread at El Questro so we will probably have flour left over when we get to the next shop. Oh well. We will be out of most things though, which is good. While stopped for the ceremony another cyclist passed going in the opposite direction on a cheap bike with a back-pack and one water bottle. We'd heard about him from some other travelers that spoke to him near the other end of the Gibb, so if he managed to get so far like that we shouldn't be too concerned.
We met a very friendly tour operator from APT and some of his passengers while stopped at the Pentecost. Later in the day, when they were returning they pulled up and waved us over. The driver was determined to do something for us, so we took a tin of pineapple and some biscuits and cake. He also psyched up his passengers who were very receptive of us and keen to give. Thanks Len!
Day 55 - Fri 27 June - 1km S of El Questro T/O
14.9km, 11.8 avg, 110m climbed
Again, waiting most of the day for the wheel, we did some washing, I got into the Chinese lessons and dad got out his sketch book for the first time. The wheel came in around 2pm. There was a bit of a mixup with the details - we could have probably had it two days ago. The spokes are different in length to the front or old rear and to mine, but otherwise it looks good - probably stronger than the old one, even though it has 32 spokes instead of 36, with an assymetric rim and eyeletted spoke holes. We had no idea what the total cost ended up being, as it actually had to be sent by courier. It was almost dark by the time we left, but we were determined to get moving again.Back across the creeks for wet feet and a crunchy chain. We'll corss the Pentecost tomorrow, then the Durack later in the week and then should have dry feet except for possibly on some side trips. Dad's light batteries went dead and the spares diddn't work, so we were limping a bit on the corrugated road. We'll have to give everyting a thorough charge. I lost a water bottle some time over the past couple of days so bought a special El Questro one and left the old rim with them as a souvenier. We made first page in the Kimberley Echo paper.
Day 54 - Thu 26 June - El Questro Station
Rest at El QuestroHanging out, waiting for the wheel. We visited the popular public bathing spot called Zebedee Springs. It was nice enough, but quite crowded. It closes to the public at noon, I imagine for the exclusive use of special guests from the Station. I did some work for the website and presentation. I thought the station would have a projector and audio gear, but they don't, so it was voice only, thankfully with audio equipment there courtesy of a live performer. It went okay, inspiring a number of people to make modest cash donations. A few people also picked up the cards for visiting the website later. The staff at the station have been very kind and helpful.
Day 53 - Wed 25 June - El Questro Station
25.1km, 12.4 avg, 173m climbed
We had mixed conditions with some freshly graded sections and some heavily corrugated strips and Short stretches in sand on the side paths. We visited Amalia Gorge, but the water was too cool to make us want to swim. We did talk to some really nice people there though. We made our first more-than-ankle-deep creek crossings. They weren't too bad - just carried my front panniers across, finding a shallow path then returned and pushed my bike through. Wet shoes are a bit annoying and wet chain plust dusty road is pretty rough on the bike, but all should survive. Emelie had arranged for us to do a presentation here, but arrived too late to organise it so will do tomorrow night instead. Hopefully Dad's wheel will come in. The lovely folk here are providing us with accomodation gratis and were expecting us thanks to the work of Emelie - I love you! Day 52 - Tue 24 June - 3km W of Emma Gorge T/O
50.3km, 13.4 avg, 377m climbedThe first 20km was on sealed road back to the Gibb River Rd turnoff. We were riding mostly uphill and into a strong headwind, but that's not actually a bad combination - not nearly as annoying as on the level into a headwind, because you expect to go slow up hills anyway. This was our first day on "The Gibb" and the condition was actually pretty good. The tyres we put on are great (Schwalbe Marathon XR) - soaking up the bumps and feeling confident on a loose surface - much more comfortable on the unsealed road than the Gators that I took off.
I got my feet wet on the way into Emma Gorge, which had a pretty rough road. We saw a black-necked Jabiru on the King River, kindly identified by a tour guide who stopped the bus on the bridge to tell his passengers about it. The repairs to the panniers seem to be holding up okay. Emma Gorge was amazing with water falling from 30m on three sides of the gorge into the crystal clear water of the swimming hole. Warmer water filtering through the rocks on one side made for a welcome contrast as I paddled around under the waterfalls.
The wind has worked in our favour, clearing most of the dust from our path. There has been quite a bit of traffice over this section, perhaps one vehicle every 3 minutes on average through the morning and early afternoon.
Day 51 - Mon 23 June - To Wyndham and back
67.5km, 17.3 avg, 535m climbed
We organised for a new wheel to be sent from Perth to El Questro via express post and contacted the internet cafe about the thumb drive. We spoke to a couple of tour groups which gathered aroudn us and the bikes in the park where we were stopped. I replaced the hooks on my panniers with hoseclamps and we posted back some more stuff. In the hot early afternoon we rod up the the Five Rivers Lookout, close to 300m of climbing over 4km with many sections over 12% gradient. Quite a challenge with the bikes fully loaded, but we got to the top in reasonable time, enjoying the very wide view then descending shortly before dark and returned to where we started the day.The road is sealed and varies in condition, though the moderate climbs over the trip distracted us from the surface condition that would be annoying on level ground. We had a slight tailwind into town, but very little during the big climb or on the way back. We've heard a lot of birds calling and seen some of them. The nearby Parry's Lagoon is an internationally significant wetland with very diverse birdlife. We also heard roos or wallabies bouncing through the crackly grass alongside us at night. The call of the brolgas is quite unique and even their wing noise is impressive as the pass by. We were lucky enough to find the rest area empty tonight so got a chance to bathe.
Day 50 - Sun 22 June - 25km S of Wyndham
81.6km, 19.6 avg, 387m climbedDad flew in the morning while I did some more web stuff. Really need to put in more effort to meet our objectives in that arena. I will do more media stuff and some presentations enroute. We left town after lunch. About forty kays out we discovered Dad had a broken spoke on the rear, non-drive side. Perplexed as to why this spoke should be broken, particularly as it is double butted and new at the start of the trip, we had a closer look and discovered, much to our horror that the rim is cracking from the spoke holes outwards - bugger! We will have to get a replacement ordered when we get to Wyndham.
We dropped the extra water we were carrying, I took some extra weight and we set out again. Originally planning to get to the famous Five Rivers Lookout in time for sunset, a fierce crosswind over much of the trip held us up and by the time we reached The Grotto we had to admit defeat. We'd heard there was quite a climb to get to The Grotto from the main road, so we took off our gear at the bottom. In the process I discovered one of my rear pannier hooks was broken off and the others were all cracked! And we're still on sealed road! We checked out the remarkably deep waterhole and returned to our gear in the last of the daylight. I put our only spare hook on the completely broken one and we continued another few kilometres to a suitable camp here - a rest area. I just discovered I must have left my thumb-drive in the internet cafe in Kununurra. We spoke to some people here that are going into town tomorrow then along the Gibb and they kindly offered to pick it up for us and leave it at El Questro Station/Resort. Thanks guys! Now to try to organise a wheel for there too.Day 49 - Sat 21 June - Kununurra
Rest in Kununurra.We changed over to our new tyres, and put the new chain on Dad's bike. I spent some time on the net and we sorted out groceries for the coming fortnight without shops. Also met a couple of Dutch guys who are heading down the Gibb River Rd on their pushies tomorrow.
Day 48 - Fri 20 June - Kununurra
32km W of Sullivan's Creek Rest Area to Kununurra20/06/08, 7:30am to 1:00pm (NT) / 11:30am (WA)
92.5km, 22.4 avg, 47.5 max, 291m climbed
Mushrooms breaking through the bitumen. The strength of nature is a wonder to behold!
I had a fairly rough sleep in a table drain, too lazy to get up and shift the tent and level the ground properly or to move the rubbish back rustling and flapping in the wind. Not far along the road I noticed mushrooms breaking through the bitumen at the road's edge. Nature offers some incredible forces and I wanted to photograph this so I stopped even though there was nowhere to lean my bike, laying it on its side in the grass. When leaving I heard a tink, tink, tink in my front wheel, which I ignored at first thinking it was a piece of grass. Then I wondered what I did with my earphones. Down to mono now, one of the buds getting wound well up around the hub and breaking the lead.
The ride to the border was easy enough. The small office and street lights there are powered by a rather substantial array of 150 solar panels (~25kWp) with a generator just in case. We had to throw out one onion and a few cloves of garlic - boohoo! Another traveller had told us that the quarantined food went back out to remote Aboriginal communities in the NT. That might be the case if it were surrendered before the border, but the stuff siezed there gets chucked in a pit to rot. There were signs advising of quarantine conditions all the way from Katherine and perhaps even before, so hopefully not much goes to waste. There was only a small garbage bin on hand, so its promising.
WA gave us a pleasant welcome with a strong tailwind, the appearance of some plantlife new to us and some superb vistas. Kununurra is a pleasant town with very green, clean grass and, so far, friendly locals. We collected our bike parts from the post office, not without some difficulty thanks to my name not being clear on the parcels (I should have checked the spelling the store had). We got two tyres and tubes and a set of spokes for Dad's front wheel, but there must have been some confusion over the chains as we ended up with only one! We will have to try tomorrow to source a second one or just take one of these as a spare and cross fingers.
Having our lunch in a local park where quite a few aboriginals were also relaxing, one of them approached us and offered a Boab nut he'd carved, for free since it was cracked. We had a nice chat with him and Dad offered one of the Black Cockatoo feathers he picked up a few days ago in exchange, which he graciously accepted. He and his current wife carve the nuts and walk 18km into town from their home in Gugulugunugan (?) every couple of days to sell them. The Boab tree is wonderful invention for the survivalist it seems, offering food in a number of food groups and abundant water, as well as serving medicinal purposes and offering heavy shade with their substantial trunks.
We saw Geoff and Felicity again in the visitor information centre, seeking a town map, as we were. They had been told there was a service station at the border so yesterday had gone 70km beyond the last rest area. They found that there is actually no service station and the rest area has no water, so they rode another 45km into town in fading light for an incredible total of about 230km, almost all in daylight on one of the shortest days of the year. Amazing! We are not likely to seem them again as they're sticking to the sealed road. Thanks for the inspiration and lovely chats guys - good luck!
We went and saw the editor at the local paper in the afternoon. He was really friendly and supportive, taking our story and photo and giving us the number for the local radio. He said they do quite a lot of stories like this too, but it didn't seem to dampen his enthusiasm.
Tomorrow we will work on the bikes, try to source a chain, update the website have a look at nearby Mirima NP and stock up with food and fuel for almost two weeks!
Day 47 - Thur 19 June - 32 kms W of Sullivan's Creek Rest Area
Big Horse Creek to 32km W of Sullivan's Creek Rest Area19/06/08, 6:10am to 7:00pm, 6h 28min
138.4km, 21.3 avg, 36.0 max, 234m climbed
Riding in the early morning has a lot going for it.
I was tired and grumpy today, having slept poorly last night and awoken early. I found after 50km that my brakes had been rubbing, which is probably why it felt like I was going up hill and Dad just rode off ahead. I trued my wheel and adjusted the brakes with the axle sitting properly in the drop-outs. The misalignment still a hang-over from our first of second day in the Territory. At least the flies were minimal. We had rice for first lunch today, a welcome alternative to bread or flat bread.
Dad and I had a minor dispute about the way I receive other peoples' opinions - an ongoing issue of mine. He left before me and I didn't see him again until the next rest area, 66km further on. I took the opportunity to just set my own pace and practice Chinese out loud, stopping in the shade of a bridge for middle lunch and a break from the intense sun and heat. The road was bad, but the scenery nice and I think my lessons are going well. At the next stop we spoke to a few interesting people and heard that the Katherine Times article did get published. Two of the fellow travellers, also bound for Broome were particularly friendly, sharing icecream and coffee with us as well as good conversation. I learned of The Hotzone, a journo's tale from the real people in various armed conflict throughout the world. Something I may follow up on later to further my understanding of that horrible aspect of mankind.
We resolved our dispute in part and had a interesting dinner of honey, sweet potato, potato, onions, cashews and carrot to try to use up as much fresh stuff as possible before the quarantine checkpoint tomorrow. We took the potatos from someone else now well across the border.
Day 46 - Wed 18 June - Big Horse Creek
7kms W of Victoria River RH to Big Horse Creek18/06/08, 7:30am to 5:30pm, 4h 54min
98.3km, 20.0 avg, 39.0 max, 234m climbed
More nice scenery coming out through the valley. A few short stiff climbs and gentle ups and downs all day made things interesting, though overall we shed more height than we gained. The birds have been quite entertaining, abounding in great variety and number. Surface was once more quite frustrating, though I paid little attention, concentrating instead on my Mandarin lessons. We had a nice sunset over the Victoria River, with pre-dinner entertainment courtesy of crazy cockatoos perched on the very tip of vertical branches in a tree near our table.
This is one of few places we've camped that has toilets. Unfortunately someone must have emptied his or her chemical toilet into the pit though, which was awful when I tried to use it, the acrid fumes feeling my nasal cavity felt like they were eating through to my brain. I would seriously prefer the wholy human stench to that terrible assault. Just now I had a minor nosebleed - the first time I've ever bled from the nose with out taking a hit to it. What are we doing to ourselves?
I took some minor sunburn on my arms and back this morning, wearing a white short-sleeve shirt while my jersey dried out a little. No real problem, but I'm sure I notice an extra thirst each time I get a burnt - could be related to the digestion of all that fat from last night too!
Day 45 - Tue 17 June - Victoria River Resthouse
62 Mile Rest Area to 7km W of Victoria River RH17/06/08, 7:10am to 8:00pm, 5h 4min
100.0km, 19.7 avg, 51.5 max, 341m climbed
Jon and Steve posing at the top of the Escarpment Walk.
We dropped a lot of altitude (for here) through the day. Generally very scenic with red sandstone cliffs. We saw Geoff and Felicity again at the roadhouse where they were camped and we waited for things to cool down. They do not have any lights for their bikes so only ride during daylight. They also don't trust the wildlife or cattle so only camp at designated spots. They were iffy about the water at the rest areas throughout the outback. Combined these factors have contributed to them doing some massive days, well over 200km. After a good chat we ducked down the road to the Escarpment Walk, a 1.5km trail up the less steep side of one of the cliffs to a relatively flat top with 360 degree views available with a walk of a 100m or so in each direction. We waited there for quite some time for the harsh sun to drop, revealing the contours of the surrounding area with deep shadows, then the rich colours of it's dying light - a near full moon rising opposite for dramatic effect.
We picked our way back along the trail in the moonlight. We did actually have lights with us, but given the strength of the moonlight their use was hardly warranted. A few km further on we took a sandy track down to the river to set up camp. My bike is a long way from ready for sand and after a few failed attempts I finally managed to fall over with a foot clipped in, landing on my left side this time on fairly soft sand, only my (still mildly sore) right shoulder troubled by the impact.
We recently started carrying oil instead of butter, since it is meant to be liquid, so we took advantage of the abundant water available for cleaning and had deep-fried battered salami, peas and mashed potato for dinner with banana fritters for dessert. I might put on some weight yet!
The natural beauty here is astounding, the wind minimal and the road smooth, with a few hills. A really great day!
Day 44 - Mon 16 June - 62 Mile Rest Area
5kms NE of Katherine to 62 Mile RA16/06/08, 8:30am to 7:30pm, 5h 39min
109.7km, 19.3 avg, 33.5 max, 393m climbed
A beautiful snake decided to cross in front of us. It's great to see the native wildlife getting about their business.
We got food and fuel for the week and sent a 6kg package of unnecessary stuff back. My SD card with Mandarin lessons and a nice letter was waiting at the post office for me - thanks Emelie! We got away from Katherine at about 11:30am. About 15km out we met a hitch-hiker, John, recently arrived from Thailand and on his way to Broome he was down to his last 20mL of water which he said was hot and tipped out in front of us. We gave him a couple of litres and an apple. The chance of him getting a lift here are not as good as many other people because there are often aboriginals on their way to or from town by foot along the road and the travelling public seems to have a general apprehension of these guys, and hence anyone they see along the road.
Spoiling ourselves with fresh salad sandwiches for lunch, we had cut up most of the salad when a couple of women from nearby station pulled in to eat their fish and chips. One of them had been working here since February and swore she wouldn't go back to SE Qld. The other was on her way to start work with the cattle. They offered us their surplus food they would have otherwise chucked out so we had first and second lunch in one sitting.
In the evening we spoke to another Aussie cycle tourist, Geoff, seeing Australia over a year or so with his wife. It is not his ultimate goal to have things simple, but ironically he has managed to keep it that way even moreso than Glen whom we spoke to in depth yesterday.
Was a good ride this far. We had a bit of a headwind at times and more ups than downs, but the beautifully finished road made for qutie a pleasurable afternoon and evening. It was quite warm at 34 degrees during the day, but was easily bearable while moving.
Day 43 - Sun 15 June - 5kms NE of Katherine
Katherine Gorge to 5km NE Katherine15/06/08, 5:00pm to 6:30pm, 1h 24min
24.7km, 17.6 avg, 37.0 max, 111m climbed
Day 42 - Sat 14 June - Katherine Gorge
Around Katherine & to Katherine Gorge14/06/08, 11:00am to 8:00pm, 1h 56min
35.3km, 18.2 avg, 34.0 max, 131m climbed
I really wanted to get out of the caravan park and into the internet cafe as soon as it opened, but enthusiasm cannot totally conquer fatigue and my concentration repeatedly waned as we went through all of our gear, weaning out the unnecessary stuff and ensuring we have all of the necessary stuff. I shifted the solar panel back onto the rear of my bike, the front bracket having now served its purpose. I gave my handlebars an extra layer of bar tape. Also fixed the annoying squeak in my headset and picked up a protective case for Dad's phone, then got onto the updating - a very slow process with the technology at hand. The internet cafe very courteously allowed me to stay back after hours to finish what I was doing. Thanks a bunch! Meanwhile Dad fitted his new rack and arranged a locker at the transport depot to hold the box of stuff to be sent until the post office opens again on Monday he cut the broken bit off the end of his tent pole to get it all working properly again then picked up some food for the weekend.
Yesterday we spoke to a journalist for the local paper. While interested he wasn't overly enthusiastic because there are so many people doing the same sort of thing pass through Katherine on their way to or from Darwin or on their way around.
We have booked a double canoe for half a day paddle up the gorge tomorrow. Neither of us have paddled much before so it could be interesting just keeping up with the current, let alone actually going anywhere.
More than 3500km behind us now, though we expect the remaining 1500km to be somewhat more challenging.
Day 41 - Fri 13th June - Katherine
4kms N of Mattaranka to Katherine13/06/08, 8:10am to 5:30pm, 4h 27min
106.7km, 23.9 avg, 41.0 max, 215m climbed
"Cutta Cutta" means many stars and is a reference to the sparkle given off by the rocks in this cave of the same name - "the NT's only limestone cave open to the public."
It was hard to get moving early, but we eventually managed to get away. With the right dose of motivation and tailwind we made halfway with only a short stop and the caves about 30km out of Katherine by 1:30. With a tour starting at 2pm and usually going for an hour we thought we'd be pushing our luck, but the operator agreed to go a bit quicker than usual and let us out early and we were on the road again before 3. I took in my beefy headlight which proved quite handy as the main lighting in the cave was down and the guide's torch was quite dull. The guide seemed quite appreciative to have it there, but I managed to get it back to get away.
We made it to the PO at by 4pm courtesy of a nice tailwind strong enough to counter even the moderate hills. Traffic picked up dramatically after the RAAF base and we were grateful to move to the beautiful bike path for the last eight or so kms. Dad's rack was there, but the SD card Emelie sent last week with my Mandarin lessons was nowhere to be seen. We booked a canoe trip in the [Katherine] Gorge for Sunday, did some washing, got takeaway for dinner and went to bed. I really wanted to go to bed before all of that, but I bet that happens to everybody!
Day 40 - Thur 12 June - 4kms N of Mataranka
7kms S of Larrimah to 4km N of Mataranka12/06/08, 8:10am to 11:00pm, 4h 54min
102.7km, 20.9 avg, 38.0 max, 172m climbed
Bitter Springs. Beautiful, clear water at the perfect temperatue to relax indefinitely in an almost undisturbed natural setting.
Larrimah was a source of amusement, with a number of places offering tea as a main feature. There is obviously some competition going on, with one place advertising "Famous Devonshire Teas" and another "Aussie Style Teas". We didn't have any tea, but dropped off some rubbish, picked up a loaf of bread and refilled water. There were more "WWII attractions" some possibly worth looking at. At our first lunch stop, a couple of Belgian cycle tourists, headed towards Brisbane, stopped for a chat. They've done China and SEA and will finish this bit of crossing Australia before heading for NZ the last of their twelve month tour.
Nearing Mataranka we decided we should follow the signs and check out the famous Rainbow Springs. After a few kilometres into a headwind we got to the info board and discovered the Springs were closed from the 10th to 13th for upgrades. Back the other way I picked up some bread while Dad scoped out a caravan park near the other springs. It was full, but we went to the springs anyway, which was well worth it. We relaxed in the beautiful water for a couple of hours before cooking up some dinner and heading out of town to camp in the "clear" space under the power lines. Good idea Dad! Setting up the tents I heard a loud crack followed by cursing from Dad's direction. He'd damaged one of his poles. We tried a few different things, but decided the best solution would be to ignore it for now and to cut off the damaged bit when we have a minute. We're going to have to move pretty quickly tomorrow to make the post office in Katherine before 5pm.
Day 39 - Wed 11 June - 7kms S of Larrimah
27kms S of Dunmarra to 7km S of Larrimah11/06/08, 6:40am to 11:30pm, 7h 25min
157.4km, 21.2 avg, 33.0 max, 137m climbed
Oil spill in the sky. When you can't find anything interesting on the ground look to the sky.
Our longest day yet and this time with no tail-wind of note. Course stones in the road surface and that annoying rippled effect were a real drag on morale. Almost 10km of smooth surface around 9pm really helped to lift the spirits. We stopped at the Hiway Inn from about 11am until 4pm to avoid the oppressive heat, now with added humidity. The landscape has finally begun to change with many full sized trees now, some scrub and even green grass. With this comes more insect life of course, which is a bit of a hazard at night - flying at the headlight mounted on my handlebars. I'm glad its not mounted any higher, or those that miss would be hitting me in the face instead of the chest. There have thankfully been fewer flies.
A very flat day, the crosswind was relentless during the daylight hours, but backed off after sun-down.
Day 38 - Tue 10 June - 27 kms S of Dunmarra
37 kms S of Elliot to 27km S of Dunmarra
10/06/08, 7:30am to 9:40pm, 5h 18min
113.1km, 21.2 avg, 35.5 max, ? climbed
Monument to an Engineer on the Stuart Highway. These sorts of attractions are spaced along this long relatively uninteresting road.
Some very hard rough kays today. Crosswind, pretty warm and getting ever more humid, the sweat now staying on our skin. Surface has been quite rippled in many places, taking a lot of concentration to try to stay on the best bits, though this is barely any better. This sort of surface knocks a couple of km/h off our speed for the same effort and really beats away at the hands, feet and bum - really quite demoralising.
We stopped in Elliot to call ahead to Katherine to try to sort out some spares and replacements for the Gibb River Rd. We tried calling the Katherine store several times and eventually learned it has been closed for about a year. Another store stocks some bike parts, but they were too busy to measure spokes for us so we ended up ordering the stuff from Epic in Brisbane. There is no express postage service to the NT so we had the stuff sent to Kununnura, WA, where it should arrive in 7 to 9 working days, hopefully the Friday we arrive, but we'll have to deal with it if it's later - we might be forced to relax in Kununnara. We got tyres more suited to the Gibb, a nice set of spokes to rebuild Dad's front wheel and a couple of replacement chains.
We stopped for dinner around 7pm and Dad's stand finally broke. I'm suprised it lasted so long. We were aiming for Dunmarra for a shower and to rinse our clothes, but just got too tired. We want to be Mataranka in good time on Thursday and and Katherine for the post on Friday.
Day 37 - Mon 9 June - 37kms S of Elliot
Banka Banka Station to 37km S of Elliot09/06/08, 9:30am to 7:00pm, 5h 20min
114.0km, 21.3 avg, 46.0 max, 305m climbed
Landscape typical of Barkly Tablelands, though starting to see more substantial trees here
Today seemed like a tough day, possibly due to leaving late, maybe the heat, maybe riding into the sun all day. The crosswind was quite a drag, coming far enough behind to help us for a few kms, but generally a nuisance. We met a Japanese cycle tourist at Renner Springs. Halfway through a six month circuit of Oz he was having a tough time with his front panniers in a backpack because his front rack had broken. He is unlikely to find a suitable replacement as he has a carbon fibre fork with no bosses to take a normal rack and his English is not good enough to explain what he wants over the phone. It looks like his rear rack will go soon too. His spokes have been going, tyre is worn right down and he's lost the light for his dynamo. With just one bottle cage, the rest of his water was further testing his rear rack. We gave him the details of a bike shop in Katherine and pointed out what we saw to be potential problems before leaving. He will be in Katherine on Sunday and we will on Friday. We tried to think how we could help, but unless we meet up with him and wait there until the shops open on Monday there is nothing else to be done.
We're bush camped tonight amidst the spikey grass which seems to poke through my shorts then break off. There isn't room for my tent, but I cleared enough for my mat and set my tent up with the cleared bit in the middle - it works. My mat, a replacement Emelie brought up a bit over a week ago, no longer holds air. It keeps it in long enough for me to get to sleep however and that's good enough. There's no reason for it to have a hole, so I guess it's the seam or valve. It's only a cheapie.
Day 36 - Sun 8 June - Threeways to Banka Banka Station
7kms N of Threeways to Banka Banka Station10:30am to 6:00pm
69.7km, 22.4 avg, 45.5 max, 203m climbed
Looking North along the old Stuart Hwy at Churchill's Head. There is no absolutely flat land anywhere we've been.
A replacement helmet came along at 10:30 thanks to the Outback Caravan Park in Tennant Creek, donating one of their helmets meant for their hire bikes. It was delivered to us by a chap on a Harley, on his way from Adelaide to Darwin for a pizza. I had expected my shoulder to stiffen up overnight based on past experiences, but it actually feels alright, with the pain no better, but no worse than last night. I have, however, taken to waving with my hand rather than my whole arm. The front solar panel bracket took some minor damage, but otherwise no obvious problems with the bike. One of my water bladders, which was full in my right rear pannier now seems to leak. One pack of our biscuits seems to have absorbed a lot of the impact energy! Had to re-patch my tube where I patched it yesterday - it musn't have been clean and dry enough to take properly. I changed back to the Gator while I was at it - may as well wear it out. Dad found a broken spoke on his front wheel, which has slightly longer spokes than the spares he has for the rear and shorter than those I have for mine. He managed to get one to work okay, but we will be ordering a set for a rebuild before the Gibb.
The surface has been good with an ever-so-slight tailwind aiding us up the many gentle rises. We had a cooked lunch at Attack Creek, talking to a couple of motorbike tourists headed south, including a very enthusiastic middle-aged Japanese man and a similarly enthusiastic Aussie who'd built his own, rather cool motor bike trailer. After lunch we took a winding detour of about 15km along a stretch of the old Stuart Hwy. It was the most interesting bit of road we've been on in quite a while with relatively stiff climbs and descents, curves and sometimes both at once. It was beautiful to see grass and even trees growng on the road surface - reassurance that Gaia will reclaim the spaces we eventually leave to her.
We had hoped to go somewhat further, but I was buggered by the time we got here. We're camped
at a caravan park attached to a working cattle station of about one-and-a-half million hectares, employing about 30 people and exporting live cattle, tens of thousand at a time, to the Phillipines. It is clearly a very popular spot, booked out during our time there, with a couple of tents and about 50 caravans and motorhomes.
Day 35 - Saturday 7 June - 7kms N of Threeways
Tenant Creek to 7kms of Threeways3:30pm to 6:00pm, 1h 47min
35.8km, 19.9 avg, 35.0 max, 55m climbed
Tennant Creek's first rain in six months
We had intended to go a bit further to be able to make Renner Springs by tomorrow night, giving us another day up our sleeves for The Kimberley. I spent the morning trynig to update the website, but the library was only open from 10 to 12 and the first PC I tried had serious issues. Dad stocked up on groceries and we had some lunch, involuntarily shared with a local dog, before settng out. It rained overnight and sporadically through-out the morning, opening up on us for a few minutes as we departed. We stopped to have a look at the historical telegraph station on the way back to the Threeways. Dad inspected while I patched my rear tube, the Gatorskin no match for the streets of Tennant creek. I thought it a good opportunity to try one of the heavy-treaded folding tyres we've been carrying with us. There were some issues getting it to fit with the mudguard, but we sorted it out.
Out on the road North of Threeways Dad was talking to me with me behind and just to the left. He had his head turned slightly towards me, but I couldn't make out what he was saying so I moved to go up beside him, telling him "on yer left", but perhaps too quiet and too late. I think I expected a gap to open up, but it didn't and my front right pannier grabbed his left rear, throwing me off course. Exactly what happened later I'm not sure, but analysis of the scene and damage suggests my handlebars turned backwards, I went off into the gravel, dropping the bike, landing on my head, right shoulder and right hip and sliding, separate from the bike for a couple of metres. The helmet is cracked through and the shell, already embrittled by the sun, is now virtually useless with a dozen or more additional holes. I have light grazes on my right ankle, knee and forearm. My gloves protected my hands fairly well with just a couple of grazes on the back of each hand, and the helmet certainly saved my head from plowing the rather hard road base. My shoulder and hip have a definite ache, my shoulder hurting immensely, but not unbearably, when I lift my arm above my head.
We're not yet sure of damage to the bike or gear in my right side panniers, but decided to set up camp here to think about how to get a replacement helmet and check over everything in daylight tomorrow.
Fri 6th June - Tenant Creek
Day 34 - 41 Mile Bore to Tennant Creek
06/06/08, 6:30am to 1:00pm, 5h 0min
99.2km, 19.8 avg, 38.5 max, 227m climbed
The Outback's reward to the early riser
06/06/08, 6:30am to 1:00pm, 5h 0min
99.2km, 19.8 avg, 38.5 max, 227m climbed
The Outback's reward to the early riser
Regrowth
Quite a level ride with the surface not bad and a gentle to moderate gusty tail wind, at times coming across us from the left. Turning south for the ride into Tennant Creek this turned into a seriously challenging headwind, making for a nearly two hour slog to cover the 25km. I had a good rest and long chat with Emelie. I really was quite buggered. In part from the wind and the consequiteve long days and in part from having about a 3km sprint today to try to liven things up - sick of the same scenery and steady pace. For days we've seen nothing but grass and spindly trees in various states of recovery from fires.
Along the road we turned off to have a snack under one of the disused radio repeater towers. The driveway had a rather steep section perhaps 20m long and I dropped onto my small chainring - the first time in weeks. The added grunt was too much and my chain came apart! Fortunately, well practiced in unclipping in a hurry, I managed to stay upright. I suspect reusing one of the original pins was a bad idea and and this time joined it with a proper fancy pin, giving it an overdue lube while I was at it.
We've been a bit dubious about Dad's rear rack, so we took the plunge and ordered a Tubus rack we'd spotted in a store in Rockhampton. We thought it would be pricey, but it was laughably cheap, almost certainly by mistake, still coming in at well under the RRP with the added $35 for postage to Katherine.
Thur 5th June - 41 Mile Bore
Day 33 - Wonara Bore to 41 Mile Bore5:30am to 6:10pm, 6h 39min
157.4km, 23.6 avg, 38.5 max, 139m climbed
And Beyond
Shortly after setting out, the sun still well hidden below the horizon, we heard a road train slowing behind us, still at least a kilometre back. He eventually drew level with us and actually came to a stop just ahead of us in the middle of the road. 54m long, over 100 tonne load, who-knows-how-many horsepower halted in the middle of road. I began to ride up beside the behemoth, but before I got to the front it set off again. We fumbled around for one of our UHF handsets and asked if everything was alright. All was well - the driver thought we were police pulling him over with our flashing lights and all the reflective patches on our gear. There's peace of mind for those concerned about us riding in the dark.
We spoke to a lovely couple on Harleys at the Barkly Homestead where we stopped for a morning snack. I had a chat with the bloke about the solar panel and choice of batteries. While Dad spoke to the lady about the ride and Plan, with which she was familiar.
The wind got nicely behind us from there to the first highway rest stop, though was fairly calm thereafter and not so directly behind me. The flies are driving me a little crazy, but not really worrying dad too much - he used to work in fly country.
Dad had decided he wanted to carry eggs on his bicycle. I was a bit dubious, but after first lunch today I'm all in favour. He made a fantastic quiche in the coals left by someone ele's fire - making up the mix in one of our little aluminium frying pans and closing it with the other, tied together with some wire I was carrying for just such an emergency.
There are roadside shoulders appearing regularly now, the first time since the Qld border.
It was quite cloudy today which is unusual for us, but gave us a beautiful sunset at the close of our longest (by km) day yet.
Wed 4th June - Wondara Bore
Day 32 - Avon Downs to Wonara Bore
5:00am to 5:30pm, 6h 56min
152.0km, 21.8 avg, 44.0 max, 304m climbed
5:00am to 5:30pm, 6h 56min
152.0km, 21.8 avg, 44.0 max, 304m climbed
Escape from the heat and the flies. Its too cold for the flies, but perfect for us
The road surface wasn't too bad - some course and some fine. The route was generally level, but still some noticeable pulls, ever so slight and downhill cruises. We made it to the first rest stop, 65km by 8:30 which was a good feeling. There we met a nice couple from Brisbane. The gent used to work in the air-conditioning industry which I have quite some exposure too through my work. He and his wife were kind enough to take the newly found solar panel for us to post from Tennant Creek, which was certainly a relief. Later, in the heat of the day, we decided to try a tip I read on another Outback cyclist's blog - resting in the storm drains which pass under the elevated sections of road. What a great idea! It seems it's too cool within for the flies - instant relief for us from the heat and flies and you actually hear the traffic less there than within 100m of the road above ground. Dad managed to catch some winks, but I was left admiring the wasp and swallow nests and thinking about our next meal - chocolate and peanut butter wraps! Hey, we need the energy...
We set off again around 3:30pm and got here, another forty kms with enough light to find a clear level bit of ground. Over this leg the changing plant-life, birds and sky have been a fine source of entertainment. A shooting star in the North a few minutes ago lit up the sky green giving the whole area a bizarre glow lasting a second or more and fizzing out like fireworks. The effect of fire on both the bush and roadside rubbish became quite obvious today. Fortunately the bush makes a quicker recovery.
The road surface wasn't too bad - some course and some fine. The route was generally level, but still some noticeable pulls, ever so slight and downhill cruises. We made it to the first rest stop, 65km by 8:30 which was a good feeling. There we met a nice couple from Brisbane. The gent used to work in the air-conditioning industry which I have quite some exposure too through my work. He and his wife were kind enough to take the newly found solar panel for us to post from Tennant Creek, which was certainly a relief. Later, in the heat of the day, we decided to try a tip I read on another Outback cyclist's blog - resting in the storm drains which pass under the elevated sections of road. What a great idea! It seems it's too cool within for the flies - instant relief for us from the heat and flies and you actually hear the traffic less there than within 100m of the road above ground. Dad managed to catch some winks, but I was left admiring the wasp and swallow nests and thinking about our next meal - chocolate and peanut butter wraps! Hey, we need the energy...
We set off again around 3:30pm and got here, another forty kms with enough light to find a clear level bit of ground. Over this leg the changing plant-life, birds and sky have been a fine source of entertainment. A shooting star in the North a few minutes ago lit up the sky green giving the whole area a bizarre glow lasting a second or more and fizzing out like fireworks. The effect of fire on both the bush and roadside rubbish became quite obvious today. Fortunately the bush makes a quicker recovery.
Day 31. Tue 3rd June
Camooweal to Avon Downs9:20am to 4:00pm (NT) / 4:30pm (QLD), 4h 13min
77.1km, 18.3 avg, 29.0 max, 211m climbed
Welcome to the NT
They're not kiddingWe had hoped to see ourselve's in Monday's Mt Isa paper, but had no luck getting a copy. On the way out of town dad was on the phone (handsfree) and I was riding in front. We'd gone a few kays before he could tell me the turnoff to a waterhole he wanted to see was just outside of town. It was worth the ride back. It seems so unusual to find a body of water in a place like that, but apparently this one flows year round, with abundant birdlife and signs of other animal movement along the banks.
We stopped for first lunch some time mid morning and were swamped with flies. Almost drowned in them. Perhaps I exaggerate, but when they're crawling around your ears and eyes, returning with seconds of swiping them way, a dozen seems like a million. Packed up and ready to leave I found my rear tyre very flat. The cut in the tyre sustained in Rockhampton had eaten a hole in the tube. We patched the tube and attempted to stick another patch to the inside of the tyre. While the glue is unlikely to hold, the pressure from the tube should keep it in place. I had minor issues with the brakes after having the wheel out - normally easy to adjust, but a bit of a pain on a (very) loaded bike.
A strong crosswind made for hardwork through most of the day. While grateful it wasn't straight at us, we still couldn't believe how much of a headache it was giving us.
It's quite normal to see bits of tyres, bolts, brakes, suspension, chain, load straps, lights and glass on the road, often embedded, but we were lucky enough to find a working 40W solar panel. First Dad attempted to strap it to his rack, but it was too big and his rack too floppy. He managed about a kilometre before deciding it was too much of a hassle. I tried it on mine and it was fine - giving me a double deck solar array, sticking out about a metre behind the seat post and the full width of my panniers. It was stable enough, but the leading edge pressed into the back of my thighs. We figured if we carried it far enough we should be able to sell it or get someone to send it on for us.
Tomorrow we're going to try getting up super early and ride in too shifts to avoid some of the wind which seems to be strongest through the middle of the day.
Day 30. Mon 2nd June
Rest Day in CamoowealEmelie's car hire rules prevented her from taking it into NT, so we sorted our gear and repacked, did a bit of work on the bikes and ate a lot of good food. I sorted out some photos for the blog and tried organising some more music for Dad, accidently deleting my chinese lessons in the process. We met a group of motorcyclists, headed for a race near Alice. I think they're crazy and they thing we are - that's the way it goes.
All that stuff (except the gas bottle) was packed onto Jon's bike for the ride to Tenant Creek, which they expected to be a 4 day ride without any shops selling food. Steve carried a similar amount.
Day 29. Sun 1st June
73km E of Camooweal to Camooweal9:30am to 1:20pm
73.0km 25.1 avg, 39.5 max
95m climbed, 1% max
Pre-ride preparations for the day - we camped on the old, decommissioned highway. It was unusual to have a car (Emelie's hire car) in presence at one of our bush camps.
Fairly easy day with just one break. A gentle tailwind hleped us most of the way. There were some course stones in the otherwise excellent road surface, which had me pushing pretty hard to keep up with Dad. I also discovered later that it looked like my brakes had been rubbing slightly since doing the patches in Mt Isa. We had been hoping to use Emelie's hire car to visit Lawn Hill National Park, but the locals confirmed what Shaun had said - the surface was rough gravel and really only suited to 4WD vehicles, so we relaxed instead.
Sat 31st May
Day 28 - 5km W of Mt Isa to 73km E of Camooweal10:10am to 7:30pm, 5h 15min
112.8km, 21.4avg, 37.5max
233m climbing, 5% max (pulling onto road)
Emelie put the flowers she received from the proposal in a bowl of water in the fridge so they would last longer. Unfortunately, someone turned down the temperature of the fridge and the water froze...
Shaun accompanied us on his bike about 15km out of town before heading back into town to help Emelie with all the tasks we'd given her to complete and groceries to get. She had some dramas getting the hire car after the office had closed, but managed in the end and caught up to us not long after dinner. We had a slight tailwind complementing the gentle rise for the first 20 or so kays, with a caravan or truck passing us every couple of minutes. Beyond there the road levelled out, the breeze died down a bit and so did the traffic. The road surface was quite good most of the day. We stopped in at the WWII memorial at about the 45km mark, which actually turns out to be nothing to do with the war really, but a history of the Barkly highway, which was interesting nonetheless. A portion of the original road is preserved alongside the new one, which was cut through in 1994.
While dad napped at this memorial I started looking at the Mandarin phrasebook Emelie had brought with her. It gives me a different angle to the audio lessons, and I think should be quite helpful.
We made pretty good time all day, doing the first 2 and a half hours without stopping - probably possible due to the sausages we had for breakfast - though they seemed to make me very thirsty all day.
We were intending to stay at the rest area halfway to Camooweal, but figured we may as well go further - just ride until Emelie caught up with us. We made aonther 15 to 20kms then camped on the WWII road. Teryaki chicken for dinner, pre-cut and marinated by Shaun and given to Emelie before she departed. What a champion!
Fri 30th May - Mt Isa
Day 27 - Rest in Mt IsaFinished typing up the blog in the morning then went for an interview with the local ABC radio to be aired on Monday.
I was reminded how difficult it is to shave a full beard with a disposable razor, but managed to clean up in time to get to the airport. Shaun was wonderfully helpful in helping us sort things out, sharing good coffee with Dad and driving us around.
I'll leave Emelie to describe her arrival at the airport and the events of the afternoon.
Who says chivalry is dead?! Jon proposing to Emelie at the Mt Isa airport. Note the "Will you marry me?" sign on the ground
There was a pool at the caravan park which we thought, given the air temperature, would be lovely, but turned out to be bloody freezing. I guess due to evaporation, with the air being so dry and the wind so fierce. Shaun took Dad around town to modify his rack and for a quick tour around an open cut mine. Silver, lead and zinc are the major resources here and the town is really part of the mine, not the other way around.
We had fresh kebabs for dinner, thanks Shaun! and planned out food for the week ahead. We had some concerns about whether or not we'd be able to get metho for our cookers in Tennant Creek, given the stories told to us by other travellers, but figured we could ask the store before leaving Mt Isa and get extra if necessary.
Thurs 29th May - Mt Isa
Day 26 - 18km West of Mt Isa, into Mt Isa and around8:10am to 2:30pm, 2h 4min riding
41.0km, 19.8 avg, 44 max
234m climbing, 5% max
Relatively uneventful ride into Mt Isa. Spent the day running around getting cleaned up, hair cut, suit, ring, flowers, teddy, photo, name card etc for the proposal. Also got some new grip tape, and extra bottle cage and replacement bearing cones for Dad's rear wheel, groceries.
Stopped at the tourist information centre I waved down another cycle tourist, heading out of town in the direction we'd come. His name was Gill. Well into his retirement he had ridden around Australia and Asia, flown back to Darwin and was on his way back to Brisbane. Remarkable and well worth talking to for knowledge of the road ahead, particularly watering points and his reassurance that road train drivers are the best drivers on the road. Dad feels a bit better about carrying his stool around, seeing that Gill had a recliner on his trailer. We did a photo shoot and quick interview with the local paper outside there after plucking a thorn from my tyre and patching it in a couple of places.
We caught up with Shaun from the rest stop near Winton at the caravan park in the evening, making burgers and having a few drinks and a good chat about Mt Isa, the mines and all things good in life. I borrowed his computer and typed up the blog well into the night so as to be free to spend time with Emelie on Friday.
Wed 28 May - 18km W of Mt Isa
Ride Day 25 - 5km SW of Cloncurry to 18km W of Mt Isa28/05/08, 7:50am - 6:00pm, 5h 14min riding
103.2km, 19.7km/h avg, 63.5max
672m climbed, avg 2%, max 7%
There is water about, mostly it's underground, but Cloncurry has this dam. The birds really seem to love it.
We've survived what is most certainly the most dangerous leg of our trip, yesterday traversing the ranges between Cloncurry and here, with roadtrains in both directions, innumerable caravans and poor or no shoulder in several sections, with many bends and crests giving roadtrains little time to manoeuvre. It culminated in the following close call:
Coming over a rise and accelerating down the other side around a gentle bend I grabbed the lip balm from Dad to keep my lips luscious and slipped past in front of him. Mucking around with the cap, I didn’t notice a roadtrain coming the other direction, which would normally put me on full alert, eyes to my mirror. The first warning I had that there was another road train travelling in the same direction as us was the side of his trailers in arms reach from me and inching closer as he passed, trying to avoid the load of the vehicle bound the other way. The point came where I decided the culvert, even at the speed I was doing (probably around 35-40km/hr) was a more comfortable place to be than the side of this truck, so I made the plunge. Somehow, in spite of this drain being barely wider than my wheel diameter and half as deep, I managed to enter it and shoot back out without coming off, buckling a wheel or breaking my forks. I came back onto the road a few metres behind the last trailer and we pulled over when all was clear to check for damage and my nerves. All of this came to pass in not more than five seconds. We would normally slow down and pull off in this circumstance, but we were not aware of truck behind us as the bend and crest had muted the noise and concealed the vehicle from our mirrors, had I been looking. Dad was alert enough to slow and try to move off, but was first obstructed by a guide post in the ideal line and loose gravel on the edge limiting his ability to shed enough speed to enter the culvert safely. He managed to stay clear though and witness my attempt at the halfpipe event. I should emphasise that these circumstances are now highly unlikely to arise again, with few hills or bends on roadtrain routes for the rest of the trip, generally wider shoulders from all reports and lower traffic density.
The road from Cloncurry to Mt Isa has it's share of hills and bends. This is one of the better sections. You won't see the worse ones, because I only try to only have camera out when it's safe to.
We're camped now in a barren grassland, once grazed, but nothing left now but the red dirt, termite nests and calls of crows, roadtrains shifting out the last of the cattle through the night, bound for greener pastures or the slaughter I know not. Its about 7am now and the sun is lighting the horizon, but not yet making an appearance, the days shortening as we approach winter and sunrise shifting as travel west, now just about as far as possible in this timezone. We've covered more than 600km in the past 6 days and today we will pull into Mt Isa for a rest, departing Saturday for the last 200km to the NT border.
Tues 27 May - Cloncurry
Ride Day 24 – McKinlay to 5km SW of Cloncurry27/05/08, 10:30am - 10:00pm, 4h 43min riding
114.8km, 24.3km/h avg, 49.5max
295m climbed, avg 1%, max 6%
Just the right circumstances for termites it seems - a real termite metropolis.
We seem to be getting a bit of a reputation with the road train drivers in this area. We spoke to one at the Roadhouse over breakfast and he said he'd seen us a few times now. He was quite impressed with what we were doing. We've been getting waves and the occasional friendly toot from just about all of the big rigs now. One fellow shook his head at us, but can expect support from everyone.
Tailwind behind us again most of the way. The road out of McKinlay was in pretty poor shape with cracks opening in the bitumen, up to 50 metres long and 50mm wide, snaking up and across the lanes, probably formed from subsidence of the road foundations, never designed for sort of loads handed to them. Safely navigating these tracks and an increased volume of traffic took a lot of concentration, so while the day wasn't particularly exhausting physically, it was still very tiring. The rough and often narrow shoulder and two-way traffic persuaded us to get off the road quite a few times, which was a little annoying, stopping from fairly high speed onto a soft and stony edge to be swarmed with flies, then pushing off, getting up speed and ridding ourselves of flies before having to do it all again just down the road. Not far out of town a vast plain of termite nests began to appear, continuing on both sides of the road as far as we could see amidst short wiry shrubs and tufts of sharp dry grass scattered about in the flat red dirt.
A tip for remote area travellers : phone reception is better when standing on a cement mixer.
At lunchtime by an orphaned cement truck tumbler, where we had pretty much the last of our food, we were averaging over 26km/h. The road into Cloncurry is quite undulating however and the wind was across us. We stocked up in town, bathed with a rag and folding bucket in the public toilets before they were locked, cooked up some bacon couscous and salad and headed out of town to camp. We're about 3km off the highway at a dam. The last km was quite rough gravel with soft bits, which wasn't the nicest to travel on at night before the moon had risen. It is mild enough here and free from night insects, so we slept in the open with just groundsheet, mat and sleeping bag. The waterbirds also provide a much nicer ambience at 50m than roadtrains would if camped closer to the main road. A few hoons visited us soon after setting up, but they were harmless to us and soon bored themselves and left.
Monday 26 May - McKinlay
Ride Day 23 - 18km E of Kynuna to McKinlay26/05/08, 7:50am - 2:00pm, 3h 44min riding
94.2km, 25.1km/h avg, 39.5max
162m climbed, avg 1%, max 3%
Fuel truck driver catching a rest alongside us. He came in about midnight and wakes just before dawn, departing in the opposite direction to us.
The wind was finally in our favour, almost directly behind us most of the way. On the smooth surface 35 was quite sustainable for me, with smooth tyres running at over 100psi. On this surface Dad had trouble keeping up, with his slightly wider tyres running at around 80psi. The situation was reversed on a rough surface, though at lower speed. Tyres really can make a big difference. There was no food supplies available in Kynuna, as the chap at the roadhouse reminded us “this is a roadhouse not a grocery store� and that we would have to go to Cloncurry if we wanted anything like that. So we got a hot breakfast and had a stack of sandwiches made up to go, the cook looking after us with a few apples from their fridge. In McKinlay we found the same again, so there was no option of continuing beyond as we had food and fuel enough only for one meal. We stayed for dinner and will have breakfast before we go. They've got a few things like biscuits that we can cobble something up to make it through the day on top of the last of our rice.
It can be a long way between sources of shade. That red you see is actually dry grass, not earth as you'd expect from aerial photos.
On this stretch sources of shade are generally quite some distance apart so we have to go to some effort to have a break, today pushing through the culvert and about 50m of sharp grass and Spinifex, the tyres sinking in the soft surface for meagre shade under a spindly little tree crawling with ants only too eager to explore my bike when leaned against it. We weren't stopped for long, as the flies seem to get the word out there's something interesting around and swell in number with each passing minute. It's quite difficult to outride the little buggers with a tailwind, but a flick of the shirt coming down to a creek crossing or with a passing truck eventually leaves all but the most cunning behind - those little buggers finding a sheltered spot behind our glasses or between my ear and helmet.
I'm very much looking forward to seeing Emelie now, spending a lot time thinking about her and us during the day. She is flying out to visit us at the end of the week. This has been the longest time we've spent apart and while I'm sure its good for us it is hard nonetheless.
Little McKinlay where we're stopped is famous for the Walkabout Creek Hotel, used as a prop in the opening scenes of Crocodile Dundee and the nearby Cannington Mine which is noted as the richest source of silver in the world, used for the Olympic medals. Besides the Hotel, the roadhouse where we had dinner and a bush nurse station there is nothing here.
Sunday 25 May - 18km E of Kynuna
Ride Day 22 -23km NW of Winton to 18km E of Kynuna25/05/08, 8:10am - 6:00pm, 5h 40min riding
123.9km, 21.8km/h avg, 35.5max
193m climbed, avg 1%, max 2%
Things are tough here, including the plants. Just about everything we touch tries to grab on, except the fine dark soil, which we could sit on without marking our clothes.
The cross winds persisted in the morning and throughout the day we passed through two rest stops that I'd either forgotten about or weren't shown in the Camps book used as a reference for sources of water. The first of these had a water tank and no signs or anything to indicate it wasn't for drinking, probably delivered to the site. We could have left Winton with a few kg less if we'd known, but no real problem. The second one was a decent sized rainwater tank, taking the water from the roof of the toilet for toilet flushing. The was a ridiculous warning sign indicating not suitable for drinking, cleaning or even bathing and all the taps had been removed and the strainers on the tank glued and/or screwed in place. So it was lucky we didn't know this one was here or we would either be short of water, or would have had to undo the fittings to the toilets. At the first stop we spoke to a few travellers, one pair stopped to use the toilet, and another pair of older couples stopped to camp. The first pair consisted of a gent from Mt Isa, towing a trailer for someone else and a somewhat self-righteous hitch hiker taken along to keep the first guy awake. The driver was quite interested in what we were doing and gave us his number and address in a caravan park, offering use of his computer for updating the website and just about any tool you can dream of for repairing the bikes or panniers or whatever we needed. Hopefully we don't need the tools, but use of the computer will be very convenient. Thanks!
We passed through an unusually rocky stretch, even more barren than surrounding area, though greener atop the rocks than elsewhere.
The road was quite rough with a narrow shoulder for the first stretch. We are running quite shy on fuel now and food is getting a bit lean. As far as we know the next place only has a pub, but fingers crossed we can get some grub. We had mashed sweet potato on pancakes and tomato and vegie soup for dinner, then I slept, sans tent, on the concrete under the newly erected shade structure at the second rest stop. It was great to be able to see the stars all round. Some time in the night a road train bearing cattle pulled in, and from then on I woke every so often from the cattle stamping their hooves or bumping into the rails, this somehow disturbing me more than the roar of passing roadtrains.
Saturday 24 May - 23km NW of Winton
Ride Day 21 - 68km E of Winton to 23km NW of Winton24/05/08, 8:05am - 7:30pm, 4h 22min riding
92.5km, 21.1km/h avg, 30max
101m climbed, avg 2%, max 1% (??)
Sunrise over my bicycle.We stopped at an rest stop for an apple and a bikkie and some caravaners who'd heard us on the radio earlier in the morning came over for a chat. We also had a lot of friend toots and waves and one farmer shouting from the window of his ute across the fenceline “I heard you on the wireless!� and giving a big wave. I guess we must have come across well. We hope to have the recording on the website before too long. The NNE wind persisted, really knocking us around early on, but giving us a bit of a boost on the last leg into Winton as our direction changed and we arrived at 12:30. Had a decent five hour break, but sleep eluded me. The publican at Tattersals imparted a lot of geological knowledge of the area to Dad and let us have a shower (in which we rinsed our clothes) and fill out bottles with the hot and stinky Winton water. We've stocked up with food for three days ahead and water for two and a bit, which is the most we've carried yet. We had spotted dick for dinner on a dusty side road, which wasted a lot of fuel cooking the sausages and made quite a mess, cleaned up with dirt and a tourist brochure to save our water for precious stinky water for drinking.
Friday 23 May - 68 km East of Winton
Ride Day 20 - Longreach to 68km E of Winton23/05/08, 10:30am - 9:50pm, 5h 42min riding
112.8km, 19.7km/h avg, 40.5max
249m climbed, avg 1%, max 10% (drain)
Time for a quick break off the road. The wind was fairly knocking us around. I don't know how they managed to keep this shed wheel side down.
We dropped by the ABC studio before leaving and did a recording. The interviewer, amusingly, works for the council, the information centre and the studio. Should air tomorrow (Saturday) morning. Everyone at the studio was super friendly. We weren't in a hurry to get away as we thought we'd have a tailwind, but we must have misjudged because by 2pm we'd covered just 40kms with wind coming obliquely into us, blowing us back and towards the near side of the road. In those conditions the passing roadtrains have an incredible effect on us, the turbulence battering us about ferociously for vehicles moving in both directions. We rested for a couple of hours by the side of the road, clearing a patch of stones to set up my tent to escape the multitude of flies. Dad simply used his buff over his face, but it didn't stop the ants from biting his armpits. The wind had disappeared by 4pm and we set out again, stopping around 6 for dinner of sweet potato with almonds in a spicy coconut sauce. We hit the road once again and pushed on another 25km at a good pace. The suitable place to camp had freshly weaned lambs bleating miserably across the road so we moved on. The grass is very spiky so we need to cover another 15km to find another patch of clear ground. We were just checking the site with a torch in my hand and I must have disturbed a small bird in the grass at my feet, with it fluttering out and flapping about within arms reach. I put out the palm of my hand and the crazy thing landed on it for about a second before fluttering off to a new patch of grass a few metres away.
The terrain is very open here. Fairly flat and dry. The road has been straight with a good shoulder and generally good surface. Riding at night helps avoid seeing a lot of the roadkill, which over many of these stretches can get quite despressing. This morning feeling like a real battle scene with the raging wind, thundering road trains and dozens of mutilated carcasses strewn about and distorted in very imaginable way, in varying states of decay.
Thurs 22 May - Longreach
Day 19 - Rest Day in Longreach22/05/08
A numerical summary of our ride as far as Longreach
Actually managed to stay off the bike today, which meant I covered a good few km on foot to and from and around town. I did tweak a few things with my bike though, wheel bearings, handlebars, brakes, lubed chain and greased cables, tuned rear derailler. Dad inspected his wheel bearings and discovered both cones were damaged. Fortunately I had brought spares as the stores here don't stock such a thing. The spares aren't quite the same, but they work. Also picked up a spare quick-release skewer which keeps the rear wheel in place, since Dad has to pull his very tight to stop the wheel slipping forward when he pushes hard and you can't go anywhere with a broken one. I picked up a cheap inflatable pillow to replace my buggered one and got to the internet cafe by about 10:30. I was there until closing time at 5pm, trying to get the website updated, but getting only as far as Comet. The owner of the place was quite interested when we spoke to her, very heavily discounting the charge for internet access then later making a donation on our website. Thanks!
Dad isn't very fast at typing and doesn't trust computers, but decided to have a shot at typing up his journal for posting on the blog. He had about half done after three hours, typing into an email as I had suggested. When he tried to save a draft however, it was revealed the session had timed out, prompting him for a password and going back to a blank email when he signed back in. He was annoyed to say the least.
We spoke to some of the Ulysees bikers on their way through from south to the AGM in Townsville, which will take place under a 90x90m tent - the biggest in the southern hemisphere apparently. The only requisite for joining the club is a bike or trike and more than 40 years breathing experience. Gram and Pop are members also, and every one I've met has been really friendly. Potato salad and corn for dinner, the preparation of which impressed a number of onlookers, gathered for the sing-along. The new battery setup seems to be working very well, giving us a much greater useable capacity. One of the fancy chargers we got to charge the battery packs for Nick and Dad's lights doesn't like the higher input voltage, but we can avoid using it by making out own packs out of individual cells that we can charge with a normal charger, saving a lot of complexity and a little weight.
Wednesday 21 May - Longreach
Ride Day 18 - 27km W of Barcaldine to Longreach21/05/08, 7:10am - 1:00pm, 3h 40min riding
84.3km, 22.9km/h avg, 33.5max
172m climbed, avg 1%, max 2%
We made Ilfracombe in good time, with its extensive roadside machinery display. There was a slight headwind most of the way with a good road on the Barcaldine side and almost what you would call corrugated road on the Longreach side, as if they'd sealed over a corrugated dirt road without grading it first. Dad wanted a bit of a rest in Ilf but I wanted as many consecutive hours out of the saddle as possible so I left him to have a nap and powered into Longreach for a shower, some food and an attempt at a nap there. The friendly operator of the caravan park on Ibis street kindly granted our first night of accommodation gratis, and while cramped the atmosphere was really good, with a friendly chat with other guests over complimentary “smoko� morning and afternoon and sing-along at night. The other guests were generally friendly and very interested. A few of them provided interesting tails of the roads we faced ahead that they had behind them. We had pizza at the pub for dinner, but the noise got a bit much in the wind up for the State of Origin so we walked back. Dad listened to the game on his little radio while I had a good chat with Emelie.
On the way into town we passed the Qantas Founder's museum and the Stockman's Hall of Fame, which are major tourist attractions for the area, really helping to keep the place running, but Dad had been before and I'm all Wikipediad out at the moment and we had enough other things to sort out.
Tuesday 20 May - 27 km W of Barcaldine
Ride Day 17 - Jericho to 27km W of Barcaldine (say "bar-cold-'n�)20/05/08, 7:05am - 7:10pm, 5h 33min riding
115.3km, 20.7km/h avg, 33.5max
155m climbed, avg 1%, max 3%
The moon was still brightening the sky when we arose in Jericho, the sun yet to show itself.
Colder than ever at 3°C when we set out, this time I kept my gloves dry, which helped, but not much, and put Nick's buff, which he left behind, over my ears and nose. I was somewhat more comfortable than the day before, but not what you would call cozy. There was a phenomenal amount of road kill on this stretch, dozens of roos per km, plus eagles and even crows. If there are signs for humans indicating dangerous stretches of roads there should be for animals too on this stretch. No doubt it's because the countryside is relatively uncleared here so there are roos in abundance and the nicest grass is always at the road's edge from the run-off. The birds have evidently been unpleasantly interrupted mid-feast. We passed a gent whose responsibility, it seemed, was to keep the roads clear of the mess, as we witnessed him hook into a fresh carcass and hurl it off the road. It was fairly still and cool for most of the day, though the sun was hot from the moment it peeked over the horizon, giving strange us a real temperature polarity between the shaded and exposed parts of our bodies.
Go Labour!
We made good time into Barcaldine, covering the 90km before 12:30 without a tailwind, simply by keeping the breaks relatively short and pushing quite hard. A fairly good surface and level terrain helped too. We had good rest in Barcaldine, the first time I've had a "power nap", dozing off flat on my back on a concrete bench in town in just my sarong with a bottle under my head and music in my ears. We checked out the future site for a monument to the controversially poisoned Tree of Knowledge, which is a landmark associated with the formation of the Labour Party in 1891. A young girl passing by on a push scooter as we packed up reminded me we're in the country, politely asking my name and about the bike and why I had so much stuff - not something you're likely to get in a big city in Australia or probably anywhere. Leaving town we saw a Hema Map Patrol vehicle parked outside the grocery store. Not having a map of the region beyond, we staked out for twenty minutes and pounced on the driver when she returned. She was a distributor however and wished not to intrude on the turf of the retailers. She assured us the BP down the road would have what we were after and she was right. We pushed on again into the twilight, with the only real remarkable feature of the remaining kilometres being the difference in air temperature as we passed through the numerable floodways. It was cool, but bearable on level ground, but dropping less than a meter into these crossing the air was damn cold. I guess on such flat ground with the air as still as it was, the cold dense air really settles into all of the hollows like water in the cracks in your hand.
Monday 19 May - Jericho
Ride Day 16 - 35km E of Alpha to Jericho19/05/08, 7:20am - 5:40pm, 5h 0min riding
92.3km, 18.4km/h avg, 34.5max
296m climbed, avg 1%, max 4%
Dad chatting with Snow near his store.
It was 5°C when we set out, with the pain in my ears and hands distracting me from that on my bum, which I'm sure just needs a chance to heal properly. It had been obvious the battery setup wasn't working very well, with the 14V setting of the solar regulator only letting the 14.4V pack take a very shallow charge, so when we rolled into Alpha, the first priority after stocking up on food and actually having something decent to eat for breakfast, was to sort find someone with a multimeter to adjust the setting on the regulator. You'd think the shop advertising "solar" would be useful, but mechanic down the road was a lot more use and very friendly and helpful. It turns out however, that the pot in the regulator circuit which I reasoned was used to set the charge voltage was glued in place and the head snapped off when I tried turning it. We investigated the effect of shorting it out, but couldn't notice any effect, so decided the best thing was to bypass it altogether, using it only as a battery level indicator and letting the characteristics of the solar panel and battery pack sort themselves out. The typical charge voltage for the pack is 18V and at that voltage the current provided the panel is quite low, so the risk of catastrophic damage is quite low, though we can expect a shorter life out of the batteries than if they were charged with proper techniques. After picking up some bread and pies from Snow's Bread and Pies we had a good chat with old Snow outside, still working at eight-something, and still enjoying his pies, which are pretty good I must say. He had been in Alpha for quite a while, we eventually established; his hearing on the bad side of not so bad, and got a lot of pleasure out of making people smile. It was him or one of the show staff we spoke to later that had also made the sad observation that while everyone in the city is eager for a chat, no-one is game to start a conversation. I've noticed this too, but can't put a finger on why it is. I guess it's related to being so physically close to people - wanting to have private time or space or expecting others will want there's - everyone is shy to strangers in the city.
Moving onto the caravan park for a shower and some laundry, the manager had heard about us on the radio and kindly granted us use of his facilities gratis. It was the first shower we'd had in three days and just about all of our clothes were dirty, so we got cleaned up, sorted out some lunch then ran into a couple of guys who were travelling with the show, down to use the laundry facilities also. At first they told us we were crazy and it was dangerous, almost being abusive, but they warmed to us and we had quite a good chat about a number of world issues important to us, including foreign aid, scandals and corruption. They had seen us coming up the range in the night before and with all the flashing lights going off though we must have been police or RTA and got quite freaked out, which might help explain why they were a bit hostile towards us at first.
28km of dead-straight road out of Alpha.
Out on the road again we continued for 28km without a bend, only slight undulations in the road concealing the bend at the end and the town at the beginning. Not far out we passed a massive python skittled on the side of the road, a change from the dozens of roos, but no more or less pleasant. We had a few long, very gentle climbs with an incredibly clear sky. It was quite still in the morning with a slight breeze in the afternoon, barely enough to dry the multiple layers of wet clothes strapped to the back of our bikes. Stroganoff for dinner, minus the mushrooms, camped next to the showground at tiny Jericho.
Sunday 18 May - 35 km East of Alpha
Ride Day 15 - 33km W of Emerald to 35km E of Alpha18/05/08, 7:40am - 8:20pm, 6h 36min riding
106.5km, 16.1km/h avg, 47.5max
871m climbed, avg 2%, max 9%
We'd really hoped to be able to get some food and special stones in Anakie, but no luck.
We got moving after a bit of a delay, short of food for breakfast, having stuffed around in Emerald and forgot about stocking up. It was bloody cold getting away, pushing into a strong headwind that plucked long strings of snot from my nose like worms from their hole, with nothing I could do about it other than turn my head as they broke to avoid making a mess of absolutely everything. We had planned to stock up on at least bread in Anakie and perhaps do some fossicking, but the store was closed, in spite of the advertised opening hours. This was a bit of a disappointment to not only us, but a dozen or so other tourists that pulled in while we were cooking up some bread to help us through the day. We briefly spoke to some of these people that stopped, some showing great enthusiasm for what we were doing, then filled our water bottles, rinsed some clothes and set out again. We hadn't really expected to get anything in Bogantungan, but were disappointed to find this to be the case, cooking up the last of our rice with sugar, sultanas, milk powder and red lollies for an energy packed snack to carry us over the Drummond range - the greatest climb of the whole trip conquered with barely a sweat, given that it was after dark and getting down in temperature again by that time.
Yesterday we tried swapping saddles, as Dad had found his too narrow after a few thousand km on it, and mine seemed to have sagged, making me tend to slide into the middle where it is far too narrow to support me properly. We seem to be better off with one-another's but will have to see. I also lifted my handlebars a little to reduce the pressure on my hands, but there is some interference with the gear cable from the new shifter that I expect to cause some problems. I might be able to fix it with different grips. This issue arises from riding a bike too small for me, which is something you can read about in the posts made in the week before departure. Drivers were quite friendly, and there were more than usual, with many big single axle trailers and vans headed for the Alpha show which commences in a couple of days time. The fog line disappeared today, leaving just the broken line edge. Not sure if this is a sign of the road quality we can expect from now on or if it's peculiar to this shire or this stretch of road. Good tailwind for the last few kilometres, pushing us down off the range and a few km beyond, but the morning headwind and the climbing really took it out of us and we had to pull up here, short of Alpha. Curried lentils with roti for dinner, which actually turned out really well, all cooked on our little metho stoves by the roadside.
Sat 17 May
Ride Day 14 - Comet to 33km of Emerald8:30 - 6:30, 4h 8min riding
77.3km, 18.6km/h avg, 34max
268m climbed, avg 1%, max 7%
Rainbow over horizon on Nick's final day. The clouds look threatening, but we stayed dry.
A great rainbow presented itself to Nick and I this morning as we waited for Dad to pack up and complete his phone call. Birds also danced playfully on the fence to the park, posing for the perfect photo with the sunset behind before taking flight or turning away when I put the camera on them. Dark clouds loomed over the Eastern horizon as we set off, with lighter clouds all round, giving us the expectation that we'd finally have a real downpour, or at least a shower. A few kilometres down the road it seemed like it might deliver, with a few drops splattering us. We thought it wise to cover our panniers and pulled over to sort it all out. Dad has his sleeping bag on the rack which had to be bagged, plus his bar bag, so we were stopped for quite a while. We set out again and there was hardly another drop of rain. It had obviously been raining where we were going though, as the road was wet. Through a fairly long stretch of inactive road-works there was a thin film of clay across the road, which had a peculiar effect on traction on the fog lines as we discovered one at a time, opting to ride one side or the other and not cross over in a hurry. We crossed the 1000km mark on the road into Emerald, a significant achievement in itself. Nick arranged for a flight back, leaving a couple of hours to sort out a bike box and pack up his bike and go through all gear to make sure we were covered for all needs in his absence. We managed in time with what seemed like the second Olympic sport we've invented on the trip, disassembling a bike and all its racks and mounts on a timer.
Nick and his bike in the process of being stripped down. Looks like a mess, but he managed to get it back together at home with no problems.
We took the opportunity of being in town to sort out a few other things. I decided the lead-acid battery just wasn't going to work with the solar panel. The charge/discharge characteristics for such a small battery aren't compatible with the panel and our chargers, so I grabbed a couple of 7.2V NiCd hobby car packs and wired them in series in place of the old battery. I was reluctant to use NiCds because of the environmental impact of cadmium, but they can handle such a thrashing that it was time to stop mucking around and just live with the fact that not everything can be perfect in every regard. Stopped outside the information centre after Nick had departed we spoke to some other travellers that had seen us on TV the night before, satisfactory evidence that the story actually aired. The two of us departed into a strong headwind we hadn't yet faced on the trip. With a late departure from Emerald and then the headwinds there was no way we were going to make our planned destination without being completely exhausted. We found a side road to duck down, across a grid where the traffic wouldn't disturb Dad's sleep. We pulled up in a gully next to a barbed wire fence. Obviously an active grazing area, with cowpats adding interest to setting up camp.
Dodgy sandwiches for dinner, without enough energy to cook anything. Had a bad sleep with the wind flicking my tent fly against some stiff grass, my improvised pillow giving me neck problems, and dreams disturbing me into early morning. 56 cars passed us between 8:30 and 9am, but the traffic dropped off the other side of Emerald, as did the shoulder of the road.
Fri May 16 - Comet
Ride Day 13 - Duaringa to Comet16/05/08, 6:40am to 7:20pm, 6h 47min riding
126km, 18.5 avg, 47 max
601m climbed, 1% avg, 7% max
A road-train tips its load onto the stockpile.
The coal is then be loaded by a conveyor across the road onto one the coal trains
The coal is then be loaded by a conveyor across the road onto one the coal trains
Even though there were really no severe hills, there was very little level ground today which made it quite a grind. There was also a slight headwind at times, adding to the effort of what is our longest day yet.
We rode around Blackwater looking for food, and after covering about 4km in circles stopped for groceries at the Woolwort (the "hs" was nowhere to be seen).
I had no real problem with my calf today, which was unexpected, but great nonetheless. I did get to have a hot shower and nice rest at the free camp in Duaringa last night, so that might have had something to do with it.
We've seen quite a bit of coal equipment being moved back and forth and the loading facility as pictured. We also travelled along rail tracks that are in the process of being duplicated, in some places affecting the road.
At dinner Nick announced his intention to head home. He misses his family too much and can't enjoy himself while thinking of them. I think this speaks very highly of his qualities as a father and husband and hope he has made the right decision.
We had chicken and cashew curry for dinner with veg and it took a bloody long time to clean up, which is something we are going to have to work on. We will have to sort out some of Nicks stuff tomorrow to make sure we've got everything covered without him. He is going to investigate options for getting home in Emerald.
Thur May 15 - Duaringa
Ride Day 12 - Rockhampton to Duaringa15/05/08, 9:30am to 7:20pm, 5h 45min moving
117km, 20.3 avg, 58 max
643m climbed, 2% avg, 8% max
Wide loads such as this dragline bucket tend to persuade us to have a short break off the road.
And didn't the sun come out in force today! When we stopped for an extended lunchbreak the colour of the outside of Nick's right leg and mine made it blatantly obvious there is to be no messing with the sun out here.
On the first boring stretch of road a police car passed us with the lights going. Given the activities in this area, we considered it pertinent to take head and shift of the road. Soon after the wide load escort passed us, followed by the wide load itself, the massive steel scoop shown in the bucket, intended for use on the draglines which carve up the countryside to access coal.
Coal trains kept us company throughout the day, three or four engines lugging 80 cars piled high with the black stuff towards the coast and others passing us, empty, on the way back to the fields.
Before leaving Rockhampton we swapped our damaged lead-acid battery used with the solar panel for a new one, the only Battery World had in their warehouse. I took the opportunity to check out the discharge curves, but didn't take enough notice before making the purchase, or perhaps I wouldn't have.
In the early afternoon my bike started squeaking like a mouse and I wondered if a wheel bearing had gone. Fortunately it checked out just to be the rubber seal on the rear hub rubbing on the hub intermittently. It's a poor design, with nothing to positively keep it in place. Will probably have to pull it back periodically when it becomes a problem.
There was a good margin outside the fog line all day and the road surface wasn't too bad except for through a couple of sections of roadworks where the freshly layed bitumen played games with the stones, our tyres and our mudguards.
Don't let anyone tell you the terrain is flat heading west. I somehow had it in my head that it would be, but I learnt today.
My left calf started playing games in the afternoon, twinging just below the knee at the start of each downward stroke. It might be my cleat position, though they look symmetric. Possibly my seat is too high, maybe not in the right position. I have stretched and will see how it goes tomorrow.
Satay veges for dinner, with powdered coconut milk. Yesterday I discovered my blow up pillow doesn't hold air so I don't expect a good sleep tonight on bunched up clothes.
Wed 14 May - Rockhampton
Ride Day 11 - Rest in Rockhampton~10km around town
The nicely planted streets of Rockhampton's business district
While I was typing up Gympie to Raglan, Dad was out having the new bracket welded, with one of the staff from a local workshop generously donating his time and skills to get us sorted out. There was still a lot of work to be done to get it all sorted out and we didn't lie down until 1am, rising at 6 to repack and hit the road.
Tue 13 May - Rockhampton
Ride Day 10 - Raglan to Rockhampton9:30am to 5:00pm, 3h, 22min moving
68km, 20.5 avg, 40 max
160m climbed, 1% avg, 3% max
The three of us posed with one of Rocky's Famous Bulls.
It was a pretty relaxed getaway, knowing we only had 55km to Rocky. The road was very flat, with a generous margin most of the way. There was a slight tailwind initially, but it soon swung about. I picked up a stainless curtain rod from the roadside that was to become part of a bracket to mount the solar panel on the front of my bike for the next northbound leg.
It was disappointing to see the amount of litter by the road, with long stretches looking like an actual dump, with only the creeks clear, presumably because the rubbish has been washed out to sea.
We stopped at one of these creeks, strewn with lovely lillies for me to take some photos. I braved the descent down the embankment and got a few snaps of the flowers, some ducks and a circling hawk before climbing back up. When I mounted the bike I clipped in my right foot before noticing my left rear pannier was quite loose. I twisted about and gave it a good push. "That was a silly thing to do" I thought, sprawled on the road 2 seconds later, since my clipped in foot prevented me from countering the push. Fortunately the approaching car was some distance off, but the look on the driver's face suggested it gave her a good fright nonetheless. Sorry ma'am.
I had another, similar incident on the bridge into Rocky North. The curb is quite high on the old bridge we were taking and, stressing a little about the traffic, I drifted into the curb, with my left front pannier grabbing and pulling my steering into the curb. I wrenched the other way, into the traffic, thankfully where there was a gap. Dad couldn't slow quite fast enough, running into me from behind, but we both stayed up right and got back on track and off the scary bridge without injury or any major damage.
We picked up some extra water bladders for the long hauls ahead and asked around for suitable steel for the solar panel rack. Dad tried to find a compact, all-in-one, simple solar battery charger that he could use with his phone in case the main one failed, but didn't have any luck. We also looked at gear cassettes, since Dad's is nearing the end of its life, but there was nothing appropriate available without a two day wait. BBQ for dinner.
Mon 12th May - Raglan, Qld 8:15pm
Ride Day 9 - Bororen to Raglan7:20am to 4:40pm, 4h 27min moving
102.8km, 23.0 avg, 49.5 max
518m climbed, 2% avg, 6% max
We made good pace setting out with quite level, smooth road and an itermittent tail wind, pulling up at about 30km with an average speed greater than 25km/h. This was the first time we spent all day on a major highway - the Bruce in this case. There were a heap of wide loads, presumably related to the mining activities - some massive tyres and earthmoving equipment, but also some prefab houses. Some of these big guys persuaded us to leave the bitumen, though there was generally plenty of room outside of the fog-line with normal traffic. It almost seemed like we were trying to invent a new Olympic game with the red reflector bumps though. They're not always the same distance from the line, so the two people following spend a lot of time trying to dodge them, or in Nick's case - trying to hit them.
It's 21°C tonight, compared with the 12°C to 14°C its's been on other nights over the last week. We're stopped at an abandoned fuel station tonight, having continued 20km past our planned stop to make tomorrow's ride in to Rockey shorter. We should arrive around lunch time and will have to try to get some media organised and do something about the damaged solar panel bracket. Cabonara for dinner.
Our campsite out the back of the abondoned servo in Raglan
Sun 11th May
Bororen, Qld 8:15pmRide Day 8 - Rosedale to Bororen
6:40am to 4:20pm, 4h 15min moving
76.9km, 18.0 avg, 47 max
569m climbed, 2% avg, 10% max
We had not only our first, but second and thrid flat tyres today, courtesy of 25km of gravel with some very sharp stones and tyres run at lower than the recommended pressure. A friendly woman at Lowmead Hotel gave us a loaf of bread and advice about the road ahead. On one of our maps the road from Bororen to Meadvale via Lowmead looked short and straight-forward, but she advised us that from there it was gravel in all directions. When we checked out the other map, the road we ended up taking wasn't even marked. I guess I should have trusted the path I'd layed out on the GPS...
I did a few more Mandarin lessons - which I brought along to keep my mind busy on the road. Its a bit annoying not being able to see the transcripts while listening, - I suspect that would be a wee bit too dangerous. As it was I was repeating the name of some Chinese dish and drifted into some loose sand, leaving Nick's bike and mind in intimate contact at rest about 2m further on. No harm done though I left the earphones out for a while after that. Spag bol for dinner, with no special guests this time, besides the stuffed toy I picked up in Bororen this morning.
Amusing sign on the tackle shop in tiny Bororen
Sat 10th May
Rosedale Qld 9:00pmRide Day 7 - Bundaberg to Rosedale
10:30am to 4:20pm, 3h 29min moving
64.2km, 20.8 avg, 50 max
404m climbed, 2% avg, 7% max
Jenny and Arthur accompanied us out of town on their bikes which was nice. We went through town on the bikepaths and through the botanical gardens. No problems today and I think the 'rest day' did real good, in particular getting the bikes running much better. We actually found time to have a rest today during the middle of the day and still get here before dark.
The road surface wasn't too bad today - the shoulder could have done with fewer ripples. The traffic was fairly light.
Nick encountered his first live snake on the trip, though he was quick enough to lift his leg and let it pass between his bike and Dad's without incident. I had a mildly amusing incident with a green frog and a toilet at a rest stop and another (I hope) came to check out our dinner of salmon mornay.
