Round Australia by bike - Day 028 - Sandfire Roadhouse to Pardoo Roadhouse

Day:	028
Date:	Thursday, 16 August 2007
Accommodation	Cabin at Pardoo Roadhouse
Summary	Riding from Sandfire Roadhouse to Pardoo Roadhouse
Start Time:	8:30am
Finish Time:	2:00pm
Daily Map Kms:	137
Total Map Kms:	6,898
Map Kms To Go:	7,513
Map Kms ahead (+)/ behind (-) schedule:	-654
Daily Odometer Kms:	na
Daily Average Speed:	na
Weather:	Cool early.  Very warm and sunny later.  Strong easterly winds.
Nutrition:	Toasted sandwiches for breakfast.  Sandwiches for lunch.   Chicken Schnitzel for dinner.
Encounters:	Saw a nice big brown snake on the side of the road waiting to cross as I rode past.
Highlights:	None really.
Lowlights:	Leg started to get quite sore again over last 30km.
Daily Pictures:
Daily Podcasts:	Here
Journal:	I got up at 7:00am having decided to take it easy on the short ride I planned to Pardoo Roadhouse (137km).  I packed up, strapped my left thigh with the bandage I had been given by the St Johns guy, had some last toasted sandwiches for breakfast and said goodbye to Ken, the proprietor and his partner, before hitting the road. The strong easterly wind was mostly from behind and made it easier to ride gently and protect my sore leg.  I coasted along at a good pace on a bright sunny morning through the low grass and scrub-covered plains.  There were some long gradual ascents and descents, but nothing significant. The road paralleled the Eighty Mile Beach but again, although it was nearby, I never saw the ocean although, tantalisingly, after about 100km I could see a line of white sandhills to the right which probably marked the edge of the beach. I reached Pardoo Roadhouse about 2pm and got a Donga for the night from the guy who was in a really bad mood for some reason, swearing under his breath at some other customers in the shop, and quite brusque with me for no reason. I stopped every 30km or so for a break and to stretch my quads.  The pain in the leg was minimal early on, but got rapidly worse in the last 30km, causing my mood to go from optimistic to pessimistic.  Tomorrow will be the acid test, I think, as I have scheduled 270km to Whim Creek.  I pass through Port Hedland after 150km, more than I pedalled today, and the leg is now sore just walking around the Roadhouse.  If I’m in trouble in Port Hedland I will probably give the trip up.

Round Australia by bike - Day 027 - Sandfire Roadhouse

Day:	027
Date:	Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Accommodation	Cabin at Sandfire Roadhouse
Summary	Sleeping, eating, playing Minesweeper and Solitaire and helping to erect an awning at Sandfire Roadhouse
Start Time:	na
Finish Time:	na
Daily Map Kms:	0
Total Map Kms:	6,761
Map Kms To Go:	7,650
Map Kms ahead (+)/ behind (-) schedule:	-489
Daily Odometer Kms:	0
Daily Average Speed:	0
Weather:	Cool early.  Very warm and sunny later.  Strong easterly winds.
Nutrition:	Toasted sandwiches for breakfast.  Pie and pastie for lunch.  Toasted sandwiches for dinner.
Encounters:	None really.
Highlights:	None really.
Lowlights:	None really.
Daily Pictures:
Daily Podcasts:
Journal:	Just spent the day lazing around trying to kill time and hoping my sore muscle was mending itself with the help of some massage and stretching.  In the afternoon I helped Ken, the friendly and supportive owner of the Roadhouse, erect a temporary awning over the front of his prefab shop/office.  As he pointed out, that meant the day wasn’t a total waste.  I also managed to get a crepe bandage from a St John’s volunteer I discovered was stationed at the Roadhouse with an ambulance to respond to any local medical emergencies. I called Heidi at Scott Cycles in Karratha where I had arranged to get some new tyres to tell her of my predicament.  She told me her shop was open until 1:00pm on Saturday and that caused me to review my plans. I decided to ride to Pardoo Roadhouse (137km) tomorrow as a tester for the leg and, if it was OK, to resume my average 270km per day average which would get me to the bike shop about 9:00am on Saturday morning.  If the leg fails the test my option of getting myself to Port Hedland airport via Greyhound Bus and flying to Sydney remains viable for the next few days. Although I had been able to log on to wireless internet for a few hours each of the previous evenings, I was unable to tonight.  I must be on the edge of range and atmospheric conditions must need to be exactly right. I have been feeling withdrawal symptoms all day from not riding.  I have had this nagging feeling all day that I should be on the road and it seems unreal that I am not.

Round Australia by bike - Day 026 - Sandfire Roadhouse

Day:	026
Date:	Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Accommodation	Cabin at Sandfire Roadhouse
Summary	Sleeping, eating and playing Minesweeper at Sandfire Roadhouse
Start Time:	na
Finish Time:	na
Daily Map Kms:	0
Total Map Kms:	6,761
Map Kms To Go:	7,650
Map Kms ahead (+)/ behind (-) schedule:	-290
Daily Odometer Kms:	0
Daily Average Speed:	0
Weather:	Cool early.  Very warm and sunny later
Nutrition:	Toasted sandwiches for breakfast.  Pie and pastie for lunch.  Toasted sandwiches for dinner.
Encounters:	The little three vehicle convoy doing road-testing that I saw two days ago west of Fitzroy Crossing have caught up to me and are staying at Sandfire tonight.
Highlights:	None really.
Lowlights:	It’s beginning to sink in that my quest is most likely over.  After a day of no riding it is still painful to walk up or down steps or to bend my injured leg.
Daily Pictures:	Here
Daily Podcasts:	Here
Journal:	Just spent the day lazing around trying to kill time.  Dr Jon called the roadhouse twice in an attempt to speak with me about my injury and I called him back from a public payphone later in the day to discuss options.  He agrees that it is most likely a torn muscle and suggested some actions to hasten recovery although none is likely to achieve any miracles. I am still inclined to stick with my plan of resting for three days and then attempting to get back to riding my scheduled distances.  If the leg is too sore by the time I reach Pardoo Roadhouse, 137km away, then I’ll quit and get a Greyhound Bus to either Port Hedland or Broome and fly to Sydney. I’m pretty depressed about my situation and keep thinking back to those really hard days I put in to keep on schedule without apparent injury and wonder why this problem should have occurred on a relatively easy day.  I want to rewind the clock!  On the other hand, I recognize that I have been lucky to get this far without any serious problems and I always knew that luck would play a major part in the success or failure of this venture. It also saddens me to think of all of the people watching my progress who I know will be disappointed, particularly those schoolkids in Katherine and Kincumber. Anyway, I haven’t given up yet, and there’s nothing I would like more than to get going again in two days and go for the record.  My motivation will be intense, so long as the body holds together.

Round Australia by bike - Day 025 - Roebuck Plains to Sandfire Roadhouse

Day:	025
Date:	Monday, 13 August 2007
Accommodation	Cabin at Sandfire Roadhouse
Summary	Riding from Roebuck Plains Roadhouse to Sandfire Roadhouse
Start Time:	3:15am
Finish Time:	6:50pm
Daily Map Kms:	289
Total Map Kms:	6,761
Map Kms To Go:	7,650
Map Kms ahead (+)/ behind (-) schedule:	0
Daily Odometer Kms:	na
Daily Average Speed:	na
Weather:	Cool early.  Very warm and sunny later
Nutrition:	Snacks during the day.  Pie and pastie for dinner.
Encounters:	None really.
Highlights:	Managing to get to Sandfire Roadhouse ten minutes before they closed for the night.
Lowlights:	Damaged left quadriceps muscle to the point where I was unable to pedal with my left leg.
Daily Pictures:	Here
Daily Podcasts:	Here & Here
Journal:	I woke at 2:30am and prepared to leave extremely quietly.  The wall of the Donga were extremely thin and I had woken several times during the night to hear the guy in the next room talking in his sleep. I left at 3:15am in cool weather and pedalled south west out into the scrubby plains.  Off to my left I could see a small patch of reflected light in the sky which was probably the town of Broome.  About 4:30am the sky behind me began to lighten and an hour later I was treated to a brilliant red sun rising in my rear view mirror. I made reasonable progress, stopping every 40km for a snack and drink while it was still cool.  A pimple on my butt (I know, too much information!) was causing me considerable discomfort and at times I found it hard to sit comfortably while pedalling.  Around 100km I began to notice some pain in the front of my left leg just above the knee, but didn’t take too much notice of it as it has been quite common to get occasional niggles which come and go. The scenery was pretty much unchanging scrub on both sides of the road, although high enough that you couldn’t really see for any distance, even at the top of the many gradual ascents.  It was hard to believe that the Indian Ocean was only about 10 or 20 kilometres to the east.  I never saw it. As the temperature rose, I began stopping my frequently for drinks and snacks.  My sore leg muscle was gradually getting worse, to the point where is was quite painful to pedal, but I had no choice but to keep pedalling.  There was nowhere to stop and I needed to get to Sandfire Roadhouse before they closed at 7pm. By 200km I was in real trouble with the leg, which was painful to bend and to push on the pedal with.  My average speed dropped to around 15kph as I pedalled with my right leg with my left leg just going through the motions.  Even that was painful and I spent some kilometres with the left foot off the pedal and dangling while I pedalled with the right. My spirits nose-dived as I realised there was no way I could continue my quest with a leg this damaged.  I couldn’t imagine riding the 290km I had scheduled for tomorrow, let alone another 28 days.  In the short-term, my attention turned to making enough progress to get to Sandfire before they closed.  I was stopping every few kilometres to rest and stretch the leg and pedalling single-legged in between as the sun set and the road entered a vast open saltbush plain.  Eventually I reached Sandfire Roadhouse at 6:50pm, about two hours later than intended, after a very painful and arduous afternoon. The Roadhouse burnt down four months ago and has been temporarily replaced with a prefabricated shed from where they offer a limited range of supplies and sell fuel.  The attached caravan park and cabins survived the fire and there are some nice large tropical trees to provide shade during the day and the odd peacock wandering the grounds.  No grass, just red dust everywhere, and this little oasis is surrounded by a vast saltbush plain stretching in every direction like the sea. I got the keys to a cabin and a pie and pastie and some drinks for dinner, and retired to my cabin to consider my riding future.  I was very relieved to have reached Sandfire, but now was trying to deal the full impact of the injured leg on the balance of my trip.  There was no mobile phone reception, but I just managed to get some wireless connectivity for my laptop using the special aerial I was carrying and so was able to discuss my plight via Instant Messaging with Sharon. In the end I have resolved to have up to three days off in the faint hope that the leg repairs itself sufficiently to keep riding.  Losing three days will still leave me an outside chance of breaking the record, provided that the leg stands up to the rest of the trip.  This seems a bit unlikely.  If I had a similar injury as a runner, I would be taking three weeks off to allow the soft tissue repair necessary.  I’m not sure I will continue the trip if I have no chance of breaking the record, especially if it is painful to do so.  I can ride around Australia as a tourist another time.  The real goal of this venture was to see if I could break the record.  I was starting to believe that I could, perhaps unwisely feeling a little indestructible as the weeks passed and I made good progress, so continuing on at a leisurely pace does not really appeal. Sandfire Roadhouse will be an interesting place to spend three days.  There’s no TV, no reading matter, only pies, toasted sandwiches and some confectionary for food, no mobile phone coverage and only occasional wireless internet connectivity.  At least the time off will allow me to catch up on sleep.

Round Australia by bike - Day 024 - Willare Bridge to Roebuck Plains

Day:	024
Date:	Sunday, 12 August 2007
Accommodation	Donga (basic room in prefabricated hut) at Roebuck Plains Roadhouse
Summary	Riding from Willare Bridge Roadhouse to Roebuck Plains Roadhouse
Start Time:	7:00am
Finish Time:	1:00pm
Daily Map Kms:	127
Total Map Kms:	6,472
Map Kms To Go:	7,939
Map Kms ahead (+)/ behind (-) schedule:	0
Daily Odometer Kms:	na
Daily Average Speed:	na
Weather:	Very warm and sunny
Nutrition:	Big Brekky for breakfast.  Pie and pastie for lunch.
Encounters:	Ken and Val, the tourists from Singleton (back near the Central Coast) travelling in a campervan pulled up alongside me again today.  They have seen me about every second day since I left Queensland.  They are finishing their trip at Broome (30km from here) and wanted to wish me luck for the rest of my trip.
Highlights:	Opening my morning snack, which was supposed to be one of the very nice fresh chocolate chip muffins I had seen at the Roadhouse this morning, and finding that the very concerned lady behind the counter there had slipped in an extra one to keep me going.  A much appreciated random act of human kindness.
Lowlights:	None really.
Daily Pictures:	Here
Daily Podcasts:	Here
Journal:	I woke about 5:30am after another luxurious seven hours of sleep, packed and went in to the roadhouse for breakfast and to purchase some supplies for my relatively short ride (127km) to my target for the day, Roebuck Plains Roadhouse.  I decided to try and avoid dallying and get there around lunchtime so hit the road about 7:00am peddling west on a mild and very sunny morning. After crossing the Fitzroy River, the road was much the same as yesterday for the whole morning’s ride – long straight sections, mostly flat but with some gentle ascents and descents, dry-looking scrub and low trees on either side, sun beating down, and some controlled burning going on in some areas. I divided the ride into roughly 40km sections and, apart from a brief unscheduled stop to catch up with Ken and Val from Singleton who were crossing my path in their campervan for the last time, made good time and arrived at Roebuck Plains Roadhouse right on 1:00pm.  I checked in and was given a room in a Donga (prefabricated construction worker-type housing). I spent the afternoon catching up on some chores, washing and e-mails with the football on TV going in the background.  It was nice to have the feeling of some free time especially since it is probably the last time for the trip.  The ride this morning, though short, was thirsty work and I will have to make sure I carry sufficient fluids for tomorrow’s 289km ride to Sandfire Roadhouse.  There is nothing in between and it will be hot as usual.  The roadhouse here doesn’t have a great selection of food that is good for the road cyclist in hot weather, so I have stocked up on jelly beans, etc.  Having been told here that Sandfire Roadhouse closes at 7:00pm and, having recently been partially burnt down, doesn’t have much of a range of food either, I will aim to leave earlier than usual.  It seems like the next few days are going to be tedious for a number of reasons.  I have also had no luck booking accommodation beyond tomorrow night and may end up sleeping rough multiple times.  I’m almost looking forward to getting down south where it is still winter and there are fewer tourists and no mining boom.

Round Australia by bike - Day 023 - Fitzroy to Willare Bridge

Day:	023
Date:	Saturday, 11 August 2007
Accommodation	Basic room at Willare Bridge Roadhouse
Summary	Riding from Fitzroy Crossing to Willare Bridge Roadhouse
Start Time:	8:40am
Finish Time:	7:20pm
Daily Map Kms:	227
Total Map Kms:	6,345
Map Kms To Go:	8,066
Map Kms ahead (+)/ behind (-) schedule:	0
Daily Odometer Kms:	na
Daily Average Speed:	na
Weather:	Very warm and sunny.  Light easterly breeze.
Nutrition:	“Truckies Breakfast” for breakfast.  Sandwiches for lunch.  Stew for dinner.
Encounters:	About an hour after I left Fitzroy Crossing, a car drew up beside me and the front passenger asked me whether I was Dave Byrnes.  He was Jim, a long-time friend of my long-time running friend and more recently regular golfing buddy, Dave Cundy.  Jim was travelling with his wife Gaye with a camping trailer, and his father, Don, in a separate car and caravan.  They pulled over a few hundred metres ahead and we all had a cup of coffee and discussed our various travels.  Dave had told them I was riding through the Kimberleys and they had checked my website last night and found that I also planned to be in Fitzroy Crossing.  We actually stayed at the same resort, but they couldn’t track me down there.  It was an interesting and pleasant twist to my day’s travels and I was pleased they had taken the trouble to track me down. My second interesting encounter for the day was with a three vehicle convoy travelling in the same direction as me, at about the same speed.  All carried multiple flashing lights and signs and the front and rear vehicles were there to warn traffic about the middle vehicle which towed a trailer and stopped every 800 metres to automatically carry out a series of tests on the road surface.  The stop-start nature of their work meant that, for many kilometres (maybe 20) I kept on catching and passing the testing vehicle which would then speed past me and stop again and I would pass it and so on.  I wondered whether this odd little band was on a contract to test Highway 1 and their lives involved driving around Australia at 25kph.  Maybe I’ll see them again!
Highlights:	A good night’s sleep.
Lowlights:	Being verbally accosted at Willare Bridge Roadhouse on arrival by a truckie who complained that I was a menace travelling on the roads at night.  He agreed that I was well-lit, but said it was hard to work out what I was and he had almost mistaken me for a guide post and passed very close when a vehicle was coming the other way.  No harm done.
Daily Pictures:	Here
Daily Podcasts:	Here & Here
Journal:	As sometimes happens when the pressure is off, I tended to dally a bit early today, but enjoyed my seven hours deep sleep in my safari tent.  I left at 7:00am and rode into Fitzroy Crossing town and went to the only roadhouse offering breakfast which, I think, also doubled as a community store for the local aboriginal population.  There were already plenty of aborigines gathering and chatting around the roadhouse and I felt a bit guilty about moving my bike to somewhere where I could see it while I ate my breakfast.  Nobody showed any interest in it.  Sadly, I had seen a couple of boys aged about eight loitering and smoking outside the store on arrival.  I thought again about the capriciousness of birth.  Many of these kids really have no hope of making a go of it. I dallied over my breakfast and the selection of food and drink to carry with me for the day and finally left town at 8:40am for the 227km ride to the Willare Bridge Roadhouse.  In between the two, the map showed there was nothing, and that proved to be the case.  It was already warm and rapidly became very warm as I pedalled into the bush.  Again it was mainly lightly-timbered savannah with vast horizons and escarpments occasionally visible in the distance, mainly to the north.  The road had many very long straight and flat sections which seemed to exacerbate the heat, but there were also plenty of very gradual climbs and descents.  Sometimes the climbs were so imperceptible that the only way you could tell you were climbing was because you seemed to be working harder to make reasonable progress. I had probably underestimated my fluid requirements and could have had another couple of litres on top of the five litres I carried, although it was sufficient (I finished with half a litre of water left).  I realised during the morning that I probably hadn’t drunk quite as much with breakfast as usual, which may have contributed to my thirstiness.  However, my good sleep meant that I felt more refreshed and the kilometres passed by easily enough, although the last forty dragged as usual.  Later in the day, there were vast sections that had recently been burnt as part of the fire management that gets practiced in tropical Australia.  For many kilometres, the ground level vegetation was black as far as the eye could see and the occasional log was still slowly burning sending a trail of lazy white smoke into the sky.  The air smelt of burning and smoke and I saw two “willy willies” (whirlwinds) that were almost stationary but vigorously spinning columns of black smoke and ash high into the sky. There was a brilliant red sunset which would have looked great from Cable Beach at Broome, which is only about 100 kilometres to the west.  Many times during the day I wished I was in the water catching waves at that beach.  After travelling the last hour in darkness I reached Willare Bridge Roadhouse and was greeted by the friendly staff, given my room and served a nice stew for dinner while I watched some football on their TV.  I will get up in time to have breakfast when they open at 6:00am tomorrow and then ride as quickly as I can to the next Roadhouse, at Roebuck Plains, 127km away, with the idea of getting there soon after noon and then having a relaxing afternoon.

Round Australia by bike - Half Day 21 and Day 22 - Warmun to Fitzroy Crossing

Day:	Half Day 21 and Day 22
Date:	Thursday & Friday, 9 & 10 August 2007
Accommodation	Cabin in Fitzroy Crossing
Summary	Riding from Warmun (Turkey Creek) to Fitzroy Crossing
Start Time:	7:00pm Thursday
Finish Time:	7:20pm Friday
Daily Map Kms:	452
Total Map Kms:	6,118
Map Kms To Go:	8,293
Map Kms ahead (+)/ behind (-) schedule:	0
Daily Odometer Kms:	na (flat battery)
Daily Average Speed:	na (flat battery)
Weather:	Very cold at night and very warm and sunny during the day.  Moderate easterly wind.
Nutrition:	Roast chicken and vegetables for dinner.  Sandwiches for brunch.  Chicken Parmigiana for dinner.
Encounters:	Met the couple from Newcastle (unforgiveably, I have forgotten their names) who introduced themselves two days ago after seeing me several times during their campervan travels.  This time they spotted me having a break in a rest area and came over and offered to top up my water bottles and give me a cold can of Coke.  I gratefully accepted both offers. Also saw plenty of kangaroos hopping across the road in front of me during the night.
Highlights:	Brilliant starry night with meteors, no wind and barely a sound.
Lowlights:	Labouring mightily in the last 200km and then not being able to find the motel I had booked.  I set off down the road it was supposed to be in on arrival in Fitzroy Crossing, but after bumping along the sandy and corrugated for about a kilometre with no sign of lights and one carload of hoons racing past yelling at me, I decided to try a different nmore expensive lodge where I got a cabin.
Daily Pictures:	Here
Daily Podcasts:	Here & Here & Here & Here
Journal:	I didn’t feel great when the alarm woke me at 5pm to prepare for my 24 hoour ride to Fitzroy Crossing and, despite a nice meal at the roadhouse, I still had a dull headache as I left hoping it did not grow into a migraine.  I really am operating on very little sleep and heavy workload and am probably on the edge.  My hope was get to Fitzroy Crossing by Friday night which would put me on schedule and then have two relatively low kilometre days to recover from the exertions of the past week. It was already dark as I started cycling, but not very cold.  Happily, my chafed areas seemed to have recovered and I had no problems sitting on the bike saddle.  Despite plenty of long gradual climbs, I felt I was making good time.  There were plenty of kangaroos ambling across the road in front of me and I barely missed hitting one.  It was another brilliant starry night and I enjoyed the quiet time in my rest breaks. After midnight the temperature began dropping rapidly and I made several stops to add more clothing but still got cold, especially whenever travelling fast enoughto generate any wind-chill.  It was the coldest night I had struck so far on the trip. Eventually, I reached Hall’s Creek (162km) at about 3am and cycled quietly through town.  There were still a number of people wandering around town and occasional shouting.  I decided I would be wiser to take my next rest break out of town, which I did.   Around 4:30am I began getting very sleepy, as usual, and after nearly falling off while dozing, decided I had to have a short nap.  I got off the side of the road, spread out my groundsheet and immediately went to sleep despite freezing temperatures.  I woke an hour later to find the sky lightening and quickly packed up and hit the road, still shivering from the cold.  However, around 7am, once the sun had risen a little way the temperatures rose markedly and by 7:30am I was riding in a T-shirt.  It promised to be a warm day. There were less hills after Hall’s Creek and some long flat stretches.  It was scrubby cattle grazing country with occasional rocky outcrops, big escarpments in the distance many red-earth termite mounds of all shapes and sizes.  As the sun rose the easterly wind sprang up and I got some tailwind assistance.  It was just as well, because I was starting to fade again.  I had some sandwiches I had brought with me for lunch at a picnic area on the Mary River and then began the last 180km which turned into a bit of a saga.  Not only was I very sleepy, but my legs were felling very tired and my motivation was low.  I broke the journey into 20km sections, stopping for a brief drink and snack at each. I finally reached Fitzroy Crossing where, after some difficulty, I got a cabin in a sort of resort and ordered a take-out dinner from the bar.  I haven’t been able to buy any food for tomorrow’s 227km trip to Willare Bridge, so will start a bit later, maybe 6:30am, and get breakfast and some supplies at a roadhouse on my way out of town.  It means I won’t get to Willare Bridge until around 7:00pm, but does mean I’ll get a longer sleep tonight.  I’m glad to be right on my 53-day schedule and looking forward to a couple of easier days necessitated by the location of the various roadhouses.