Firstly, yesterday was a good day not to ride. The weather was appalling, it rained until after lunch time, and it blew it's butt off all day. Basically, we sat in the cabin, reading and drinking coffee until we were starving (we had no food), and had to go to the shops. We had to take the bikes, as it was a 13km round trip to the shopping centre, in the wind. Then we just read some more, and cooked ourselves a delicious dinner, of steak and salad. So much better than our last dinner. We also did our washing, but basically, we lazed about.
This is what the weather is doing, even on the camera lense.
Shopping adventure in Whyalla....Will is in his only clean clothes.
This morning, we got up a bit late, but we weren't worried, it was still windy. After brekkie, a couple of coffees, and re-packing our gear, we left the cabin just before ten. We rode down to the foreshore, and had a better look about the town (we hadn't really missed much), before hitting the highway.
The kids are ready, where are we?
A bouncing pillow. Shame Will had his shoes on, or he would have been bouncing.
We loved the Whyalla high school, it reminded us of something from the movies.
The foreshore! Check out the palm trees, that wind is good for us today.
It is not a very indearing town, very mining and industrial. Kalgoorlie/Port Hedland.
The first 12kms were a bit busy and we had the SDS (stupid dick shoulder) but to help, they had two lanes. The traffic was super busy, with about 5 vehicles per minute. Luckily for us, the weather gods had it going today, with a tailwind of about 20-30km/hr. With this, we were screaming along in the high twenties, going up a slight gradient. We didn't even notice!
SDS, but two lanes is a bonus.
The old battleship Whyalla, it is at the visitors centre on the edge of town.
Both wearing the yellow that attracts flies, we were super happy with the wind again, because the little pests couldn't stay with us. Even when we stopped for some food, the wind blew them away. At one stage, Will asked me to keep an eye out for cars, as he wanted to get a picture of an Aussie made Bushranger APC, coming towards us. I moved out into the middle of our side of the road, with my eye on my mirror. Suddenly, the car behind the APC, pulled out to overtake, heading straight for me. I took evasive action to the edge of the shoulder, behind Will, waving my right arm wildly, to gain the attention of the stupid lady trying to kill us. She didn't even blink. God knows what the APC driver was thinking. We'd done 38Kms in an hour and a half, and felt like we needed some food, so stopped for a couple of peanut butter rolls and then carried on. As we got back out onto the highway, the traffic increased a bit more, but so did the shoulder. It was actually pretty reasonable.
What the hell is that to my left? A reasonable shoulder?
Look at a this idiot, can't you see me in my bright yellow top? The flies don't miss me!
A needed break from the stupid traffic. Peanut butter should do it.
We were both getting tired of the constant traffic, but knew we only had about 15kms to a back road we could take to Port Augusta. At around ten, joined the Eyre highway again, and had another brief stop at the Lincoln Pass Tanks for an apple and a nut bar. Will is addicted to these little things. I just eat them cause they are there. Traffic here as getting ridiculous, and we were powering on to get off this highway. One more freaky close call, by a road train, who had no oncoming traffic, a clear view, and didn't move over, oh yeah, we were back to the SDS. Ugh! Just in time, the turn off appeared, and we couldn't get off quick enough. The road was really rough, sealed, but rough, and more hilly ( well hardly), but we didn't care. There was no traffic.
Nice, a bit better than that first one we saw, 1986....
Another quick break Jen, then we can find that back road.
The Lincoln Gap tanks, we've seen them before.
Let's get off this road....
Yay the back road. It's bumpy, but quiet.
I think I've lost enough weight to be allowed over this one.
This was the back road to town, the road to the Army base, and the airport. Over the last 17kms, we saw maybe four cars. It was bliss, even with the wind now a crosswind. We also saw some emus. Finally we spotted some water, and found our way across the Spencer Gulf, to the shopping centre. We bought some food for the next two days, some drinks for the night, then back across the gulf to the Big4 caravan park. We were told some of the competitors from the Australian Solar Challenge, would be in tonight too, I hope we see them. Tomorrow, we are looking to get to Mt Remarkable National Park, about 50kms south. A nice camp spot we stayed at in January. Today was a great day riding, even with the zombie drivers who have no idea.
Great views, and peace.
The army base, are you sure, it looks like a prison.....
This is a weird house in a weird spot.
The pedestrian crossing. It is the old bridge. Rough as guts, but no traffic.
Our tent site out the back. Notice the protection above?
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