Distance today 93km at 16km/hr average
TOTALS: Distance 7825km. Donations $10,125.09. Days remaining 18. Deserts: Sturt Stony, Strzelecki, Tirari, Pedirka, Gibson, Great Victorian, Little Sandy Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Tanami Desert Tracks: Birdsville Development Road, Birdsville Track, Oodnadatta Track, Red Centre Way, Great Central Road, Goldfields Highway, Wiluna North Road, Marble Bar Road, Great Northern Highway.
Note to new readers: I am travelling with my bike who’s name is Banjo. I often refer to ‘we’ meaning Banjo and I. ‘We’ have an amazing support team of family, friends, sponsors and folk we meet each day. But it’s still up to ‘us’ to face the challenge and tackle each day one peddle at a time.
It’s 7.15pm on Tuesday the 24 August 2021
It’s so nice to be back camping under the stars for our first of two ninja camps to Jervois Station. There’s a campground there so we’ll be able to water up and charge the batteries for the next stint to Tobermorey before the Qld border. I noticed a dirt track running parallel to the road when we were looking for a camp. It was following the cattle fence line and we held of until there was shrubbery to camp behind. Then I saw this spot which was perfect. The trick was getting banjo through the grasses to the track. Unfortunately there must have been dried burr bushes amongst the grass and we picked up a zillion dreaded burrs in both tyres. Bugga!!! The sealant has worked a treat on his front tyre but unfortunately not yet on the back. I pumped it up and road around a bit hoping that would do the job but no luck yet. So that will be our first job in the morning. Hopefully we can get the sealant to do its thing without having to change his tube. Let’s see what the morning brings.
We popped into the office shop at the campgrounds this morning on our way out. Alex had offered a free coffee before we got underway. It gave us a chance to upload our post with media files. They had a service booster at the office which allowed two bars of 4G awesome!!!
We then got into our day. It was cold today. The wind had an icy chill we haven’t had for ages. It was slow going for the most part of the day with a 30km headwind and 40km gusts. I cycled with my jacket and leg-ins all day. The legs were feeling a bit weary after the 140kms yesterday. That’s the downside of having a bunch of days off in Alice. No regrets but. It’ll take a few days to get the legs spinning again. It’s tricky when it’s windy because it’s more of a slog than a spin and lactic acid builds up quick. At 25kms we found a concrete drain which I could tuck myself in behind and have a break from the wind. It was nice to warm up in the sun while I called the folks and a bonus to have reception.
I made a plan to aim for 75kms to Atitjere Community. There’s a community store there so I could buy a treat as incentive to chip away the next 40kms. We broke the distance down to 10kms blocks with a break in between.
It worked a treat and gave us a chance to appreciate the awesome countryside of rolling hills. Hart Range is a landmark in the area and it’s foothills rolled by the roadside for the most part of the day. It’s beautiful countryside.
The road has been amazing; sealed with two lanes. This made the windy conditions more manageable which was appreciated.
We road into Atitjere Community around 3.30pm and bought some Coke and chips which I’m savouring tonight yum!! The local community were welcoming and fascinated with Banjo and his huge tyres. The boy loves it!!!
With our treats onboard, we headed a further 20kms out of town before starting to look for a camp. I had thought we may reach the start of the unsealed road. It can’t be too much further on.
Back in Alice, I was able to figure out our kms and days to Birdsville allowing a trip out to Big Red to touch in on the Simpson. Dawn and Dylan are planning their road trip and needed dates to time their arrival and be in Birdsville when we cycle in!!! Mum and Dad are also looking into catching a bus or flight out to Birdsville to be there as well. Love my family!!!! How special to have them there when we finally complete our challenge. So the date is the 11th September 2021. That makes it 18 days remaining. A lot still has to happen between now and then but the finish line is in all of our sights!!!
The moon is rising on the horizon all orange and egg shaped. He’s still as handsome as ever and perfect company for dinner. Beds not too far off as it’s super chilly. There’s a frost forecast for the morning!!! Night and talk soon xx
The 10 desert challenge 