The day started for me quite late with packing every thing, buy some rice, cookies and others stuff for the next days and having a big breakfast at TJ’s, as I could put my tent for free on their camp ground the last two nights. I also filled my two spare water bags with nearly 2 x 8 liters of waters.
So in the end, I was ready to leave with 22 liters of waters, 2 liters of Coke (my personal doping agent) and plenty of food. The bike should be around 70 to 75 kg.
Just before leaving I met again JohnO who was friendly and gave me his “snake life rescue kit” as some precaution for the next days. Don’t suck the poison out (you will poison yourself in the mouth) but use a compression bandage.
Then I passed at the Family on the way out to say good bye. We “dealed” that they would be contacted from station in the north. If not, they would call for help.
The ride started quite well. It took some 55km towards the state border called the “Warri Gate”. Just before, there was a last little ramp to climb up (20 meters?) and giving the feeling of arriving on a plateau. “Gate”, because there is a two meter high fence to prevent wild dog (originally because of rabbits). It is the longest fence on earth with a length of 5614km (from Jimbour, Queensland to the Great Australian Bight). So after “Victoria” (Melbourne) and “New South Wales” (Sydney) I changed to “Queensland” (Brisbane (Cairns)), the last state I have to ride.
The first kilometers were then ok, until it started to be sandy… Yep, sandy and windy from the front. I had to push the bike over three times 30m, but it was more or less ok. Unfortunately, the copy of the more accurate map I had got from Kathy wasn’t precise and nearly misslead me to a detour.
So there were 55km to the gate and 50km (35km of sand) from the gate to Naryilco were I should able to fill up with water and find a place to stay. Arrived there, I asked if the women had got Kathy’s message and what I was doing. She was very brief: I could have some water from the rain tank and sleep “over there in direction of the exit”. And I was hoping for some more friendlyness… anyway: I had water and did arrived so far. So I built up the tent and cooked some rice with olive oil and olive-paste, which I had bought the 2nd day… hmmm really fine. But I had no energy more. Just was looking for sleep.
But the images of big eagles flying around me and the dead but alive looking snake on the “road” will be unforgettable!
The day in numbers:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/78474060
