Friday update

Rain..... There is not much else to say but RAIN!!!!

We woke up to clouds but by the time we packed up it was drizzle rain and it has been like that all day. We left Pimba and pretty much all we have done is drive to Coober Peady. Stopped for a snack along the way. 

We missed the turn off to the first caravan park we wanted to stay at so we are closer to the town. Still a nice little walk into town tho. We did walk in the rain and had a look around. The op shop was closed so that was a miss. We checked out the price of fuel for the morning and what time the bakery opens, so we are set for tomorrow. I think we are going up to Marla. Not sure yet. Weather will be a factor. 

Mum found a nice opal in a shop (we went into have a look for fun!) she had very good taste.... 5 thousand dollars.... Lucky dad stayed outside with the credit cards!! 

It cost to have a shower here, .20c for 2 minutes... Didn't mind paying it was hot! Water to fill the tanks tomorrow is also for a fee. .20c for 40 litres of water. Guess its all part of living in the desert. 

Not much else to report. 

Update from the road

A few busy days on the road. 

After the ride finished on Friday and we said our goodbyes on Saturday morning, we packed up our gear and moved on too! We headed down the road back through Hawker (stopped for morning tea) nothing much new to report from here it was still as I remembered it from a few days ago. After that back on the road to Quorn, we didn't see much of Quorn when here last week due to the rain so it was nice to have a walk around and see what was there. Just a small country town really. Brought a Quondong pie (nothing to rave about here either). 

Sitting having lunch and I said to dad, the gas bottle is leaking can you hear that? No he couldn't (but being a bit hard of hearing I was not surprised) anyway, I walk over to the car to investigate and sitting on the bike rack between the car and the van is my bike and the back tyre swing like mad.... Yep! My tyre had a puncher. God knows why it decided to wait until it was secure on the back of the car and had been driven.... Not ridden.... 80km down the highway to give way! Oh well my first job at Port Augusta is now set. 

We decide to spend two days at Port Augusta, mainly to do the washing and find a high pressure hose to clean the bikes. After fixing the tube mum and I head off for a ride. We find a great track along the water which spits us out way on the other side of town. We head out onto the highway to find... And as we turn the corner there is it.... The biggest car wash you have seen. We pull in and wait for a bay to be free, all while getting some storage looks from car drivers. One guy even said, 'I've never seen such dirty bikes' mums like " they are clean compared to what they have been" anyway $4 dollars gets them nice and clean. 

We take a tour out to the arid lands park and a walk up to the Flinders look out, another Flinders thing for dad. Tick. Nothing much else at Port Augusta. 

Monday we head off about 9.30am we are fully set up and coffee in hand at 11.15am oh yes! A hard days travel indeed! We went to Point Lowley, a very nice free camping spot. There is an old, but still Woking lighthouse here. We had a nice walk around before lunch. This is another Flinders spot so dad had some reading to do on all the little sign posts. After lunch mum and I headed off for a ride. Along the emergency exit road (as Point Lowley is also a gas and crude port) not a bad road compared to some we've been on. Did take a few spots slow due to the loose rocks on the road. The back on the main road up a massive hill.... Just big enough to get down into some low gears and the heart rate up again after the big ride. 

Tuesday we moved a bit further down the track to Port Gibbon. Not a pretty as last night but still a beach view. After set up mum and I had time for a quick walk on the beach before it was too cd to sit outside. The other campers had a bonfire ready for the night, so after dinner we went to be social for a bit. Not too long tho.... I'm still needing to get used to all the GreyNomad talk.... Killer watts, so many litres per 100km... Boring.... 

Wednesday we moved again, turned away from the beach so mum won't have a beach view now until Darwin.... We head a bit north. Iron Knob! Just a little kick town next to an iron mine... A post office/general store a few houses and the free (donation) park. Cold oh so cold when we got there.... Boiled three jugs for the solar shower and has a quick shower before tugging up. Mum went for a walk, I decided dad needed looking after. 

Thursday, that's today. We went back to Port Augusta, so we have done a loop road back and now we are on the Stuart Highway for the next 3000+km until Darwin. 

We did shopping and fuel and water and rum at Port Augusta just so we have enough until Alice Springs.... We think anyway! We need to be in Alice next Thursday so we should be ok. 

After leaving Port Augusta and turning north, boy did the country change. I think it might be a long drive if that's all there is to look at.... Desert, desert and a bit more... We have stopped for the night at Pimba, just off the highway and 5km from Woomera. 

Mum and I went for a ride into Woomera, if you haven't been, there is nothing there. A few old rockets, a museum and we only saw two other people... GreyNomads.... Said it all really. 

Actually it was kind of creepy! All the houses looked lived in but no one was home and no one was out in the yards.... I had visions of cameras following our every move and people getting inside and locking themselves in so they could not be seem. A bit of an X-Files moment indeed. 

Anyway we are settled in for the night and tomorrow we head to ???? OMG I forgot... Somewhere north of here. 

Stay tuned and I'll let you know. 

Outback Odyssey 2013 Day 14

Day 14

Last day
Rawnsley Park to Blinman

94km

Well almost to Blinman - We did 88.05km. The turn off to Alpana Station is on the way to the pub and we'd had more than enough riding by the time we got to the turn off. 


We started the day dry and cold.... 

OMG so cold! Riding along out of Rawnsley Park this morning, knowing it was col! Some other rider rides up along side and said "did you know it's 1deg?" FFFFF?..... NO I DIDN'T 

THANKS FOR THAT!!! Now I'm even more cold!!!

We had decided last night at dinner with Janie to take the highway this morning as it would cut a bit of the hard stuff out and make the day a bit shorter.... So we through. Yes it cut a hard part out but it still was just as long. 

It was only 10km on the highway, and then the Mawson trail came back onto the highway anyway. Down the track a bit further it headed onto the old telegraph line and this was the first bit of dirt for the day. I didn't have the heart to tell mum and Janie that I did not want to do the dirt, but we ended up having a really great ride. Through the track was morning tea.... (Yep even on the last day it was the same old crappy fruit cake!) if I never see a bit of fruit cake again it will be too soon! 

Anyways, down into Wilpina Pound to get back on the Mawson. Now this is where the serious riding started. We have been told every night but the (expert) on the Mawson "that tomorrow you are in for some serious riding!) I am so glad I don't have to hear that again. But there was some great single track today and more of what I thought the trip would be. We didn't expect there to be so much highway and farm road riding. (All be it that we took the highway option a few times) 

So today I had to walk a few hills! There I've said it... I had to walk....

The first hill (steep rocky decent into creek) was a down hill walk... There was no way in hell I would even think about riding it... It was hard enough walking down it. Some fool rode right passed mum as she was 1/2 way down. (Something to prove). 

Along the way there was a few more bigger hills I did have to walk. One cos I lost it at the top of the hill and could not get a good lead up to go down and then did not have the speed to get up the other side. This was after lunch and I was feeling a bit fragile. Must admit I had a few tears. But pulled myself back together after I got up the next hill of equal hillyness.

Part way up one hill the front wheel kept (popping mono's) so I decided it was time to get off.... You should have seen this hill. Even riders who'd done the Mawson and who where marshals walked it. I was so pleased with myself that just aft the first big rise I got back on and made it the rest of the way up the hill. It was quite a long hill. A car even stopped 1/2 way down and told us we were all amazing, he said it was hard enough in a 4WD!

Anyway after lunch and my little crack, (I think this was due to being totally frustrated with the lunch today... We just rode 60km of hard riding and we get to lunch and get 1/2 a sandwich!!) I mean really, riding 60km on the highway is hard enough, but the country we rode through some of it you can even get a car into! And we get 1/2 a friggin sandwich, a muffin and an apple! It's like Bike SA have said here give us your hard earned money and we will give you fruit cake every day and a lunch that would keep an active 10 year old fill for 20 minutes!  ....we had about 15km on the dirt before the last 20km on the highway again. I was so happy to see the highway, not for the want of riding on a smooth surface (ok yes for the smooth ride) but for knowing we where almost at the end.... 

12 days of riding with two rest days has been great, could do it again.... Not right this minute! It just all the other crap we had to put up with along the way which has put us off doing an organised ride again. 

Tonight we have met up with dad again and now will spend the next three weeks getting back to Darwin. No real plans as to where or when, just have to be back at work on 17th June. (Yuck)

So just some facts for you all. 

12 days riding
We covered 900+km full tally yet to come. 
Coldest day 1deg at 7.30am 
We had 4 different tents (all wet) before we cracked it and got rooms provided. 
We have had no flat tyres (the only thing done to the bikes was mums brake cable)
I won the windmill game by thousands.... Ok ok hundreds. 
I think we have only see 5 kangaroos alive and hopping..... Countless dead and more you could only smell. Three dead emus. 
And loads more amazing stuff. 

Outback Odyssey 2013 Day 13

Day 13

Hawker to Rawnsley Park

91km

But another detour around the mud.... So we did 84.77km

Another dry night! So nice to be walking up in a dry bed.

Not as cold this morning and no rain, so glad for no rain! 

However we did get told at breakfast that we would spend the day on the highway due to there being about 30km of sticky mud. We did not mind this, I don't think we needed any more mud. 

So we head into Hawker for a look around before hitting the road. Not much to Hawker. And it was 7.30am so nothing open anyways. 

We head off down the highway with a cracking pace, some very nice down hills.... Some very nice down hills indeed. I got up to 52km/h at one stage.... It funny how quick the Km's go by at 52km/h. It was just down the Korda at 15km we stopped for morning tea... Any guesses as to what it was? 

Back onto the highway for another 27ish km. then a right hand turn onto a dirt track. We all kinda had to confirm we were in the right place as some heard highway all day others heard only til lunch... Anyway about 1.5km down the road was lunch. The 1.5km was a bit hard cos it was into a head wind. We'd had a tail wind most of the morning. 

Lunch was a strange mix of mashed pumpkin and potato and something on flat bread... I picked mine from the chicken box... But I didn't get any chicken. Oh well! 

Aft lunch was hard HARD.... 3 hours to ride 28km..... All dirt road all up and down hills into a 40knot head wind.... Fun I tell ya... FUN! 

Some amazing pictures to update you with when I upload them. So we peddled on and on and on.... You get the picture. 

Afternoon tea was at about 70km. We stopped to refuel and then back onto the highway for the last few Km's. The highway did not seem as easy this afternoon as it did this morning. But I guess the 40knot head wind might have had something to do with the tiredness of the legs and bums. 

Rawnsley Park is a massive place. We are in a cabin again tonight so we will be dry in the morning. 

One more day of riding. 90ish km again tomorrow. 

Ill come back later and update you on the nights events. 

-------////------///---------////-------///-----

And so the night dragged on and on like normal. 

Weather tomorrow, down to 6 overnight but a sunny day forecast.... We shall see what happens.

Outback Odyssey 2013 Day 12

Day 12

Quorn to Hawker 112km

Ok ok freely admit we did not do 112km today... We took the detour and only did 93.97km.... 

Yes I can hear you all now... "What slack bums they are" 

If you saw the mud (MUD) we had to ride through you would know why we took the short cut up the highway rather than more dirt (mud) this afternoon. 

The morning started off with a little tour of Quorn in the van as it picked us and bags up from the hotel we got put in last night. Overnight there was a lot more rain, it woke me at one stage. When we got back to the camp site it was still drizzle rain. And this did not stop until after morning tea. 

We had an extended stop at morning tea for mum to have a new brake cable fitted... (Kinda need these to be working for some of the down hills she thought!) So after our vegemite sangers (not fruit cake) we headed off in the drizzle again. Not too far down the road a little bit of sunshine poked through... Just a little, then it was gone.... But then not too far it popped out again and it started to clear. It's amazing what a little bit of sunshine did to brighten our moods again. 

The road today was (well should have been) reasonable smooth.... Yep it was... Apart from the mud... The mud was all before morning tea, there was portions after morning tea but the bad stuff was early in the day, which made it a hard day. 

Somewhere between morning tea and lunch there was a point we stopped for a few nuts and I heard opera... Thinking I must be dreaming, I waited for mum to catch up who was riding with her other new best friend Fiona. Fiona said it was the wind and she had heard it before... I'm like it sound like opera to me, mum agreed. As we rode closer it go louder and as we turn and head up a steady hill there is a van parked with two massive speakers blasting out opera. (Mums asleep and I can't check but she knows who it was) this was a nice little addition to the day. 

The lunch stop seemed to be forever away, 64km from the start so poor mum and I are starving (as Ben would say... sstttaaaavvvvviiinnnnggggg) by the time we get there. Then we took the highway into Hawker. 

After the drama of last night we are in a little cabin tonight, so we will be dry in the morning. No one really seems to know what the weather is doing - even tho we get a weather report every night with dinner and the dragging on that is all the dinner talk. 

Last night at the ride briefing we got told by the guy who is paid by the SA government to surveyt the Mawson track, that he had not even been on part of the Mawson track that we should have rode today. (This was the bit we missed after lunch) And tonight that he did not know about the state of the road today as he did not know the council had been out and graded the road which meant the 15mm of rain made it boggy! You would kind of think that someone would go out and look at the road the day before so they knew the condition of it before sending 125+ riders down it. Even with the amount of rain, they would have had an idea. 

Tonight we have been told the ride won't open before 7.30am tomorrow so they can go and have a look at the road... Mind you the road is never open before 7.30am just some riders are far too keen and head out early. (Each to their own)! 

Anyway we carry on with just two more days of riding. Two 90+km days. 

Stay tuned for more tomorrow. 

Outback Odyssey 2013 - the saga continues

Day 11

Second update.... 

So as I sit and write this update it is poring down with rain and I am sitting in a hotel room, mum is in the room next door (hopefully sleeping and with no smoke coming out her ears) after the daily update below, mum and I settled in for a few games of take two, another lady who stood close by was dragged and in and we taught her how to play. This was very nice. 

Again the nightly briefing dragged on and on and on..... We skipped sweets as it was only fruit salad and ice cream and it far too cold for ice cream! 

We walked back to to toilet truck and brushed teeth and headed for bed. While the drizzle of rain continued. 

Settled in (not quite) mum as she is getting into bed steps in a puddle of water! 

Upon further inspection there is a small river (OK that might be a bit over the top) but there is a lot of water in our (deluxe) tent! 

Mum cracks it... Walks back up to dinner hall and brings back with her the event manager. "Yes he can understand our frustration" um no sorry I don't think you do.... After my spat the other night and tonight we have totally lost it at this guy! 

He said "hold tight ill make a few phone calls and ill be back" while he is away old mate from the tent truck comes to have a look and wants to know where it's leaking in hope he might be able to fix it tonight. Both mum and I are like... "We are not sleeping in this tent, you need to sort something else out!"

The event manager comes back with a car, by this time mum and I are fully packed ready to go. 

Bags are loaded into the car and we are off. 

While driving the event manager tries to make nice again and can understand our frustration. I'm again about to loose my top. He is arranging 'hard top' accommodation for us 'where he can' for the rest of the trip. 

We had already said that we would not be back to do a Bike SA ride and in all good conscience neither mum or I would recommend a trip with them.  

Let see what tomorrow brings shall we. 

Outback Odyssey 2013 Day 11

Day 11

Melrose to Quorn 71km

76km..... We had a detour out of the mud onto the highway.

After waking up nice and warm in the back of the van, I did not even put my jacket on before breakfast. Breakfast was a walk into the town hall and just as we got back the rain started to come in. And then rain jacket came off and did not come off again until shower time. Boy was it cold and wet today! 

I am sure it was warmer when I got out of bed to when we got on the bikes. 

It's been almost comical to see Bike SA staff fall over themselves to talk and be nice to mum and I after my little spat the other night. Mind you.... Morning tea was exactly the same AGAIN! But smart thinking mum got a nice bun from the bakery in Jamestown yesterday and we had that. 

Lunch today was 1/4 chicken and salad... A little hard to eat at the top of a windy cold hill with no forks. There was a detour after lunch away from the mud. The directions given were not that crash hot, but we mag angled to find our way down to the highway and into Quorn. We have had another great day of riding. It was 24km before we struck a little rise in the road and 39km before I had to change gears. Such a change from the last day of riding. We did have a few nice little hills before lunch, but once on the highway away from the mud it was again pretty flat, I think this is the reason we got into town at 1.35pm. 

It took another hour in the line up to wash our bikes down. 

We found our tent.... Until we got to Melrose the tent where set up in order.... Melrose saw them all over the shop and today.... We are in the middle between 3 and 4 and next to 4 is 17.... We are tent number 30!

We had to go down to the truck to get the blankets for the bottom of the tent, only to be told by the truck driver. "Try not to get them wet, it makes it hard to carry" .... MAYBE just MAYBE Bike SA could give us a dry tent and we would not give them back wet blankets in the morning! Like I already said, it rain all day on the ride today and its very overcast sitting here this afternoon? 

There will be a storm of mum and me if there is a wet tent in the morning for us! 

Then we head down to the shower truck... A lady tells us as we walk in the guy running the truck has turned the temp up today 'cos it's cold' ..... HELLO it's day 11.... HELLO... OMG I sound like all I am doing in whinging.... But for fuck sake, it's cold and people (other people besides us!) have been complaining about the showers since day one! 

We are sitting in the semi warm hall checking maps for tomorrow and having a drink. 

It's still an hour and 1/2 to dinner, so I am sure I will have an update for you later on the continuing saga of this ride.  

Outback Odyssey 2013 Day 9 & 10

Day 9 

Laura to Melrose 57km....

Yep... if we hadn't taken a wrong turn after morning tea. 

After the saga of last night and the (deluxe) tents being set up just 5 meters from the toilet and shower truck and me loosing my cool with the event manager and the volunteer co-ord. I was so mad that the night ended in tears.... and yes there where all mine because I really don't think Bike SA really care about the people paying big money to do this ride and the fact we are very unhappy with the service that has been provided. 

The tent (the original leaky one) was moved down to the other end of the camp ground, but next to a guy who snored all night. Now know that Bike SA cannot do anything about guys snoring... but a bit more room between the tents might have helped the noise. But it seems as a general rule that Bike SA don't really care. One of my other issues that I spoke to them about last night was the morning teas and having the same boring 'black and gold' fruit cake every day. He said, "well the logistics of organising things like that is hard".... I wish I'd thought of it sooner.... I have cooked for more people than this at RAAF and Army bases, it really is not hard to do something different for morning tea. FFS, its a matter of bad planning but of inconsiderate planning. You could have easily said morning 1 and 3 we have fruit cake and morning 2 and 4 we have bun loaf and then on the next set of day have some thing different again. A savoury slice of biscuit, a cup of soup and a bread roll at lunch... Something to replace the energy we have expelled in the mornings ride. 

OK - moving onto the better part of the ride, the actually riding itself.  

Today was positively warm.. well compared to the last few days, we did start the day in our rain coats but it was only about 45 minutes into the ride and we stopped to take them off, we also did not have to put them back on. The day was great, and I even thought at some stages... "boy that sun is actually warm". 

Today was a lot of up and down... who am I kidding... that hole ride has been all up and down! But today there did not seem to much flat. Again spectacular riding, I still have only walked the one hill, mind you there was a few today I thought about getting off. But I made it through. 

Today was back through the Wirrabara forest and the Peach Tree Hill Cutting, there was a nice little down hill run into Melrose. We rode today with a lady call Janie, she is also in the (deluxe) tents and her phone and watch got wet on the first night. But it as really nice to ride with her and the night before at Laura, dad came to collect our washing so it could be done and cleaned and DRY before we got to Melrose. Dad also picked up Janie's washing, so when we got here her's was done to. This made coming into Melrose very nice. 

We also arrived into Melrose to a Beef Stew and Dumplings cooked lovingly by DAD. This was super nice not to have to line up and wait for an hour between soup and main meals and then again for sweets. Dad has also given me a new pair of warmer socks so my toes where nice and warm last night. 

Day 10. Rest Day Melrose. 

Had a bit of a sleep in this morning and work up dry and warm, (in the van) even tho there was a bit of rain last night. We have been told by a few different people today that the weather is about to turn bad again... Fingers crossed they are all wrong. 

We went to Jamestown for a drive and I found a hairdresser and had a good wash and dry... I love a country town... she washed my hair 3 times and dried and ironed it... all for $35 bucks. If it wasn't so cold, I could live there and have my hair done twice a week. We went to the Stone Hut bakery for lunch and got a nice pie. 

This afternoon we have cleaned the bikes and had a small walk up the hill at the back of the van park to the lookout. We are in the warmth of the van again tonight and Dad is again on cooking duties. Only 4 more riding days. 

Please keep your fingers crossed that is dry and warm for the rest. 

Outback Odyssey Day 8

Day 8 

Spalding to Laura - 80km

I forgot to check the bike computer, but I think the distance was pretty spot on today. 

We woke up to another cold morning and a walk a million miles from the camp site to get to breakfast. Normally the walk would not bother me... But when it's cold! And people keep telling us its not cold yet! Sorry, when you live in Darwin this is cold. 

Coming out of Spalding was a nice ride again on the side of the old water channels. Through a million gates, but it was nice that everyone held gates open and waited for you if not too far behind. Two of the gates we had to lift our bikes over the top as the guy with the only key was somewhere else.... This could have been arranged better. They knew they had 125 or so riders coming through these gates today, they could have been arranged to be open and closed again when the last person went through. 

Yet another fail from Bike SA!

Don't even get me started on morning teas....

The riding was great, lots of little ups and downs and one big up! But again amazing country to be riding in. I got some good pictures today of some off stone buildings. 

Coming into Laura we found two second hand shops... We did have a quick look in one, but Dad was waiting to pick up our dirty washing to take to Melrose so when we get there tomorrow we will have nice clean and dry clothes. Dad is even doing some washing for a lovely lady called Janie, she has been amazing on the ride. She too has had a crappy experience with the (deluxe tents).... 

And again tonight we had to walk 1/2 way back through town to get to dinner. We did not stay after dinner as we have had a rather crap afternoon with Bike SA and the whole tent saga. So needless to say the angry letter mum and I have been penning since last Sunday got another few pages added to it tonight. 

The outcome of me ending up in tears twice in an hour was our tent being moved down the paddock. I mean come on who sets up (deluxe tents) 6 meters away from a truck that has toilets and showers in it. Two nights ago we got set up near it and all we heard all night was toilets flushing and doors slamming and people walking up and down the steps. 

Tomorrow we are off to Melrose. And then a rest day. Dad has a plan of things we are doing so we will wait and see what that is. 

Fingers crossed for a dry night and a good ride tomorrow.