Distance today 109km ave 20km/hr
It’s 653pm Sunday the 15 May 2021
So here’s a first. The choice spot for me to camp at this rest area is right behind the toilet block… Nice!!! However it’s freezing o’clock and the wind chill adds another dimension that makes my campsite look a treat. In saying that the evening is an unbroken sky of stars hanging out with the crescent moon.
Today started with a hot shower all squeaky clean and warmed up somewhat to tackle the chill bill morning. Banjo and I headed down to Trudy at the petrol station for a flat white and cookie for breaky. The place was a hive of travellers and locals and I got talking to anyone interested. Don’t mind a chat 🤣
I met up with Annie and Reg again from yesterday and lots of other folk all keen to share their travel tips and encourage our fundraising challenge
Finally we got underway at about 10am.
It wasn’t long and we were stopped by Rus and Margaret who are also in the party travelling with Reg and Annie. They’re all from Gold Coast and very encouraging about our fundraising for mental health and Beyond Blue. They too, like most of us are impacted by close friends and family struggling mentally. Their network of friends share a commitment to build the best mental health in their community. They were inspiring to talk to and very likeminded so it was good to connect. They donated $50 cash and I’ll upload it when I can.
The countryside today was breathtaking and a privilege to ride through. I found myself constantly wanting to grab the phone and share the many moments with you. I love the experiences but sharing it is what matters most.
As you can tell I was pretty excited 🤣🤣🤣 Even the flies were tolerable and particularly from under the fly net that I was thankful to have on board. It got a good working out today
It’s mostly very flat in this part of the world with hills and ridges of red dunes and jump ups for as far as the eye can see. Anything in the distance has a shimmering mirage under it until it gets closer and clearer. The effect is a constant entertainment.
It’s still mostly cattle stations although food seems a scarcity. The Mulga trees I spoke about are the main vegetation just more sparse.
Later in the day we crossed into the Lake Ayre Basin and Diamantina catchment. This was after some slow steady gradient climb which was rewarded with a downhill into a expanse of landscape that blew my mind
The road was winding around this amazing countryside with subtle surprises around most corners
I got a taste of the head wind for the last 5km and was happy to arrive around 4pm. There was a truck driver waiting with his rig to pick up a load of cattle at one of the stations about 40km away. He was interesting to talk to. His working life is 7 days a week most days with little notice from the farmers when they need their cattle moved. He’s been doing truck driver since he was 18 and living out of the cabin is a way of life. It’s just like a compact mobile home
So thats our day today and we say goodbye to sealed road and tail wind tomorrow. It’ll be a hard slog no doubt but we’re up for the challenge. Accept, adjust and adapt!!! The everready bunny moto yay!! Time for dinner and an early night. Talk soon xx
The 10 desert challenge 