Plan A - Get to bed early to be well rested for getting up early and big days ride. This plan started off well, with a home cooked early dinner, and head to bed by 9 ish. Then around 11:30, Will's phone rings, and one of our children needs some assistance. No drama, all good, but then a restless night, waiting to get up. Plan A foiled.
Plan B - Have shit sleep, get up early, feeling sleepy and grumpy, ready for big days ride. Never mind, we're up now, the wind is blowing, not quite the direction it is supposed to be, but it might turn. We managed to have bacon and eggs, before getting packed and on the bikes by eight, with very few chats to slow us up. First job was a quick ride around to the jetty, and more of a look around town. It really looks like a nice little town. Then, onto the day's work, as we hit the highway.
The pink top is to cheer me up, and keep the flies away.
Port Neill hard a gun too, nice to know they were ready.
That is the jetty, and where the ferry to York Peninsula used to leave from.
Looking back towards Cowell. It looks like a nice place.
It still had the stupid dick shoulder (SDS), but the traffic wasn't too bad yet. The wind seemed to be going ok, from our back left shoulder, and lightish, and there were a few hills. After just over an hour, we'd done twenty kays, and had a very quick stop for a snack, and we both mentioned how hard we're working. Then we noticed that the wind was actually a westerly, and getting more WNW. Poop, I think the weather people should go back to school and learn to get it right.
Look at that SDS. Ugh!
The next twenty plus kays was all uphill, with the wind blowing strongly at our left side. The SDS was deteriorating, now with corrugations on what little shoulder we had (CSDS). Some of the dirt roads were better than this. It got so bad, I was coming up with other names for the CSDS that were not acceptable for publication. About five more kays, saw us duck off the road into some tree cover to escape the rain that had just started. We whipped out the blue tarp, got our jackets on, ready for the downpour, but then it stopped. So we carried on, still in our jackets, but soon got so hot, we had to stop again to take them off. Ride some more, and it drizzled huge drops, but we just kept going. There was lightening in the distance, and we could see the storm ahead of us. Luckily, the wind was blowing it away to the east, at about the same speed we were managing up the hill. We stopped for first lunch, at a rest area, one of two for the entire distance), after 45 kilometres, in view of the Iron Duke mine site. It was a nice view, but I have to say the rubbish around was unpleasant. There was a huge bin there too.
We're ready for the rain, but it's not ready for us.
Too hot in these jackets, bugger it, they're coming off.
Pretty view of the Iron Duke mine. They have rehabilitated a fair bit.
After first lunch, we had some nice downhill action. We'd got up to 217mtrs, from sea level, and according to Google maps, only had one more descent uphill to go, then it would be downhill for the last 50 kilometres. I was doubting. But we'd broken into the sunny skies, it was pretty warm, and we were now pumping along at 30kms per hour. Much better. The scenery was really nice too, with woodlands and scrub all around.
Now that's what I'm talking about! Down, down down.....
At last we could see the final ridge we had to get over. It looked a hell of a lot worse on the elevation graph, than it did in real life, thank god. So at the 60km mark, we hit the top of the ridge, at 205mtrs, and my phone rang. Huh, how funny. I did stop to answer it, as the view was nice, and we were enjoying the anticipation of our huge downhill run to come. Nothing serious or important, so now off we goooooooooooo.
The last hill done, now it's roll, roll, roll......with some light pedalling.
Saltbush city......hmmmm, sort of like a song....Nutbush city limits....la la la
Forty plus kays an hour for about five kays, before the road levelled out more, and we could happily ride along in the mid twenties. The woodlands had turned to saltbush plains, similar to the Roe plains across the Nullarbor. We took another short break around the eighty kay mark, to rest my toes. They were getting a bit sore in the shoes (Seems to be around this distance for me, but getting longer). After a banana each, and sharing out our last Barley Sugars, we took off for the final 30kms. The riding was better, even though the wind was still challenging, the decreasing gradient was a plus.
At this speed, I hope we don't catch that bloody thunderstorm...
Actually could be over Whyalla, which is in that general direction.
With only 12kms to go, we had to take another break. We were both flagging a bit, and we'd turned more to the east, and the wind had turned also, making it a head wind. Ugh! So we found a nice tree to sit under and have second lunch. Shoes off to stretch the toes, and get psyched for our final run. You could see the city in the hazy distance, the road was dead straight, and slightly downhill.
Second lunch.....always good. Nice shady rest under an old tree.
Away we go, into the wind, as the SDS disappeared, and the traffic increased. It had been pretty good all day, and of course, there has to be one complete tool to leave a lasting memory. A small rigid truck, speeding along, passed within a foot of us both. "Holy shit!", we both shouted at the same time, arms flying up in abuse. That was the closest call yet. That driver was either a complete arsehole, or moron, or both. Did he do it on purpose, or was he just tapping on his phone, or fast asleep? There was a huge semi coming behind him, who moved right over into the other lane, and gave us a toot, as if to agree with our cursing and gesturing.
Luckily, the final kilometres went smoothly, with a bike lane appearing on the outskirts of town. We road about 6kms from the outskirts to the caravan park, which is two kms from the centre. Very spread out, and the biggest centre so far. We've booked a cabin for two nights, to wash and do all that stuff, before heading towards Adelaide. Not to mention the crap weather tomorrow. So we rested a bit, showered (oh the bliss, the bliss) and walked in to find a pub and some dinner. Both pubs are old and a bit dodgy, and they don't have a proper kitchen or chef. So it was horrible pre-cooked, heat em' up meals, that filled a gap. Never mind, we'll find the shops and cook a good meal tomorrow, with lots of veggies.
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