Saturday 27 April 2013

Day 119 (Bush to Mining Site (on way to Karratha))

April 30 (Tuesday)
Day: 144km
Ride time: 6hours 44minutes

This morning the heat woke me up nice and early. I must of had my tent set up on an area of wild cattle, as the bush reeked of some type of urine. This made it hard to stay comfortable in the tent. I was really amazed at how hot the sand was beneath me, feeling just like an electric blanket all night.

I took for to the next roadhouse around 30km away and for 150odd planned for the day. I managed to bump into the Irish couple again at the roadhouse which I think now woul be the final time I'd ever see then again. I manage to convince them to come down for a swim in the river close by. They were at first fearful for crocodiles but after getting the heads up that there's none around the thought of a refreshing swim couldn't be passed.

This was great. I swam for a good 30 minutes before packing my gear up and going further. I filled up my water, carrying 18litres which I expect to be enough for two days until the next roadhouse.

The riding was hot and hard but as normal I was expecting this. On my map was a camp area 119km passed the roadhouse so I kept my eyes open for it. Around 108km I saw a sign for a rest area. I thought to my self that it was a little close then expected, but I hadn't seem any other rest areas and the probability of two next to each other would be slim. I also had no motivation to go further and then turn back if I couldn't find one.

This rest area was directly next to a mining site. There were huge machines driving by and factory sounds going off in a distance. I was surprised to not see any other travellers at this rest area, being the only one in 200km, yet figured the mine must of deterred them.

It was about 6pm, I set my cooker up and started reading my book. A little while later a Polish/German couple came down to get a photo of the mining site. They informed me there was a rest area ten km's down the road and there were a few campers around. I had all my gear scattered so had no plans on getting on the bike to go further up. All I hoped was that the mining work wasn't 24hours and that the machines would stop at some point.

I was wrong and they went all night. I had a pretty dismal sleep. The sleep is possibly the most under recognise difficulty of this trip. The heat wakes you up first thing in the morning, a combination of ants and mosquitoes bother you for some time in the night and an elevated heart rate provides difficulty sleeping during the night.

Tomorrow the plan is to Karratha!









Day 118 (Bush camp to Bush (on way to N)

April 29 (Monday)
Day: 209km
Ride time: 8hours 40minutes

I'm laying in my tent absolutely roasting. The air isn't extremely warm but the sand beneath my tent is. I keep moving my ground mattress around to let some of the heat escape underneath it. It's like an electric mattress on full blast. Big contrast to last night as I was actually shivering, because I slept with our my sleeping bag.

I must admit at least this heat is sidetracking my loneliness. Pulling in tonight was very hard mentally, knowing I am so distant from any human contact. I have been on my own for a lot on this trip but the feeling is only getting deeper. I feel that the great time I had with the Germans have also contributed to this great feeling of being alone.

Overall today has been a heavy mental challenge. Doing over 200km my body was pushed to the limits and at many times experiencing heavy pain. The sole thing that kept me going was my mental strength. So many times I could of stopped for the day but my determination to get as far as I could kept me going. I can assure you my bum is in serious pain now, sitting just under 9hours in the saddle.

There was a park bay area around 140km into the ride. I thought this would be a good place to see other travellers and also fill my water bottles. Thanks to the kindness of two French travellers last night I was able to fill all my bottles for this morning. I was confident this could get me to the next roadhouse, being roughly 240km away. The weather today was extremely hot and I consumed a little more water then expected. I must admit this must still be a lot less then other cyclists, as I only consumed 4litres of water over 150km of riding (roughly 6hours riding).

I bumped into the older Irish couple that are riding from Perth up to Darwin again. I have a lot of respect for these two, not only for the great effort they've done so far, but also their kindness and openness to other people. They had bought me a fish burger the other week and I am still in appreciation to this kind gesture. They told me about another traveller they met who rode around this part of Australia a few years ago and is now revisiting it in his car. They said they were going to meet him 20 odd km's further up the road.

I took off from the Irish couple as they were resting from the heat. They seemed to think I was crazy but physically and mentally I don't seem to be to phased by this heat. I can certainly understand why they are suffering, having only arrived from sub zero temperature in Ireland a month ago. They must be in torture!!

As the water in my bottles was getting low, and I didn't want to dig into my reserves (which also taste heavily to plastic from the bladder) I kept my eyes open for rest areas which might have other travellers (preferably grey nomads with 100litre+ water supplies). I saw a car parked in the bushes and pulled in. By chance it was the older fella the Irish couple were talking about. I suppose this isn't too much of a coincidence, for why would any random person be parked in the middle of the bushes 200km from any services.

This guy was a true journey man. He is from U.S.A and travelled for 24months around Australia, going to all sorts of remote places. He used one of those bikes that are like mini cars, where you sit in them and he had a trailer attached behind it. He reckons he could pull 80odd kg behind him, I did notice he exaggerates a bit though. He told me a few interesting stories and also some pointers if I ever run out of water. The biggest one was drinking your own urine, apparently actually being quite good for your body. Something I will be keeping in mind in case of emergency.

He offered me dinner as he was cooking some up for the Irish couple. I would of loved this but I still wanted to ride another 60odd km for the day. The more I rode today meant the easier it is tomorrow.

I just kept pushing until I hit 200km. There were a few open bush areas around the 190km mark but I wanted to hit 200km. I also wanted to get under the 30km sign posts to the next roadhouse, as this way in the morning my brain will be content knowing it is within 20km range to the next service for more water. It is little goals such as this that keep my morale going and make the trip more bearable.

Being alone now I sort of wish I had of camped with the others. Not only would it have been great food but also good company. What makes this loneliness even worse is that the moon isn't even showing. It is nowhere at all. Very strange, as a few days ago it was in the sky whilst the sun was still setting. I find when I'm alone in the bush and I look at the moon I feel like I have some type of company. Perhaps this is because I know that at some place where friends or family might be the moon would also be shining above them. This is another one of those physiological morale boosters that keep me going.

Time for rest - 156km planned tomorrow.















Day 117 (Canarvon to Bush camp)

April 28 (Sunday)
Day: 142km
Ride time: 5hours 43minutes

This morning was great. I had brekky with a few other campers and enjoyed some free local fruits. A few French people are here and have been job hunting, but all they keep receiving is free fruit! They palmed a bit of it off and I was more then pleased to eat it up.

The ride felt very easy compared to when I pulled into Canarvon. The heat was there but it felt bearable throughout the day.

I pulled into the free camp area earlier then I expected. As soon as I pulled in I drank a litre of water within minutes. This was a lot, compared to the three litres I drank over the 150km, or just under 6hours ride time.

It feels weird being at the same camp site that I was at with the Germans only a few nights ago. There a few other campers around so it doesn't make the isolation feel as bad.

Now to make up a nice dinner (bake beans and cous cous) as I prepare for another big day tomorrow. The birds are very active also making the solitude more bearable. Another beautiful night in the bush!












Day 116 (Bush camp to Camarvon)

April 27 (Saturday)

The Aboriginal centre was closed today so we didn't end up getting a chance to see it. My German friends dropped me off at the caravan park and we said out farewells. This was hard as not only am I aware that I won't have company for another few weeks, but also that it will be a long time before I see these two great people again.

I stocked up down at the supermarket to get all my bits and pieces before I shoot off tomorrow morning. I also went over my bike for the final time, making sure all the screws are tight and everything is up to scratch. I gave the chain a goo clean and everything a good lube. I also did some reparations to my tent as I have been concerned over small holes economy larger. Last thing I want is a nest of ants crawling in my tent whilst sleeping..

I was very surprised as I was again in tied by the park managers for dinner. They are really impressed by my journey and in particular the cause I am supporting. They have not only put a small donation in they have also given me a whole lot of pointers to get the story more out to the public. I explained to them that I'm not great at selling things, in particular something orientated around my self. I realise this is something that needs to be improved as the potential for fundraising is a lo higher than I realise.

I contacted a few papers from further north and received good feedback from the Pilbara echo news paper. Hopefully a few more do a plug and donations can rise. I also contacted a community centre to see if they were keen for a community BBQ where donations could go towards the charity.







Day 115 (Coastal area Exmouth on way to Canarvon)

April 26 (Friday)

We have headed back towards Canarvon today. It was hard to leave, for all three of us, as this place has been absolutely beautiful. We went for one last swim and then head back to a free camp area half way to Canarvon. This is actually the same camp ground I will probably camp at for my next leg on the bike. In a sense its been good to check it out, but I also like keeping surprised so to give me more eagerness to keep going on the bike.

It was a very fitting send off tonight. Not only did my friends make a great dinner with fresh local sea foods, but we also had the pleasure of a nice bright full moon directly above is. Apparently along the Tropic of Capricorn the moon sits directly in the middle of the sky on two occasions during the year. That is not at the moment, yet it certainly looks close to directly above us!

Getting close to Canarvon tonight also means we will get into town early tomorrow. This is good as I want to check out the Aboriginal cultural centre before I leave, and having time I can also get my stuff ready before leaving early the next morning.











Day 114 (Exmouth to Coastal area)

April 25 (Thursday)

We decided to go to a national park area along the coastline to camp tonight. It is a great set up here with toilet facilities available at each different camp site. In total tere is nine or so camp sites. As it is a busy holiday period we had to get in nice and early with the ranger to book our spot. There is no power on site but this hasn't bothered any of us.

We had a look through the different sites and really enjoyed the day. This landscape was unbelievable. This day is something I will remember for a very long time. There was one particular spot where it was a sort of gorge, containing a river running into the sea. After hiking around I convinced my German friends to jump in the water with me. This was extremely refreshing.

It is Anzac Day today I soon realised Essendon vs Collingwood would be playing. I tried explaining to my German friends the game of AFL and also the significance of this particular game. Being German, and also quite older, the topic of wartime heroes was something out of the ordinary for them to talk about. I couldn't find the game on the radio and was a little annoyed. As we were driving my friend tried again and to my good fortune it was on. They went snorkelling some more whilst I spent my time listening to the second half of the game. I can tell you I was very happy, and I think a few travellers close by could also tell.













Day 113 (Exmouth)

April 24 (Wednesday)

Today was great. I didn't so much and that's perhaps what I loved most about it. I went into the small town of Exmouth and utilised the local library. I ordered a new tyre from NSW and arranged for it to get sent to Port Hedland. The tyre was very good value and put me in a great mood to find it so cheap, and also arrange for it to get sent roughly 900km away. After going over the map I've figured this should have plenty of time to get there and a local caravan park has kindly offered to hold it for me.

I was also pleased as the town has a brumbys bakery in it. I figured this would mean left over bread out in skip out the back. I was correct and managed to score two big pizza breads. I did a bit of reading for the rest of the day and waited for my German friends to come back. I must note the amount of wildlife around town here. There seems to be a lot of emus just casually strolling through the streets and also a few small kangaroos, possibly wallabies. The sunset here is also incredibly beautiful. It is made even more beautiful as the moon is also as bright as anything and it just so happens to be close to a full moon. We are roughly a few hundred km's north of the Tropic of Capricorn and have noticed the transition of sunset and moon rise is becoming quicker and quicker.











Day 112 (Exmouth to Coast area)

April 23 (Tueday)

Today involved more swimming and relaxing. We went to the coastal area just outside of Exmouth. My friends are doing a whale shark tour tomorrow so I will be hanging back to catch up on a few things. The tour sounds great but something I will have to push aside to when I have a budget for travel.

Day 111 (Coral Bay to Exmouth)

April 22 (Monday)

Today we snorkelled and had a great day. I must admit I slept for a lot of it. My German friends are great cooks and take much pleasure in making me as full as possible. Perfect weather and a great feed makes for perfect resting. I still can't believe my luck to meet such great people who are so easy to get along with.













Day 110 (Carnavon to Coral Bay)

April 21 (Sunday)

This morning I packed my gear and stored it with the caravan park managers.

A fellow camper at the caravan park lent me his snorkels, promising me that they will be very beneficial over the next few days. I can't wait..

We first stopped at the blow holes, which is situated around 70km outside of Canarvon. This was a very interesting site. The landscape meeting the sea was something very different. From a distance it would appear like a desert scape crossing paths with the ocean, yet on closer inspection you see it's a type of flattened volcanic rock surface. Nonetheless it is a very impressive sight. I sat in this spot, watching the water squirt through with great pressure out of what must of been a long funnel through the rocks. It is situations such as this that feed my environmental hunger. It is as If my mind is craving natural ecological formations, and when I sit and marvel at such a presence my mind is in a state of nirvana. It lasts for a few minutes then it reflects on environmental degradation, and why human beings can act in such ways when we are surrounded by so much natural beauty. I especially wander why when these environmental systems are the very core of our life. I realise others may have not yet reached this particular understanding and think what I could possibly do to better this gap that exists. I'm not a preacher and am not very fond of preachers, but in terms of environmental behaviour and practices I think preaching is not an applicable term. It is real and proven (compared to other matters that are preached) beneficial (and necessary) for human development, also every other form of life.

Something to feed my thought for a little while to come.

Pulling into Coral Bay was a surreal feeling. It is such beautiful scenery, and the water still being crystal clear with only having the moon light above. All three of us jumped in for a swim before setting up camp.