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.