Monday, August 19.

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Day 23.           Port Augusta.  to.   Laura.

Distance:  114 km in. 5 hrs 19 min at. 20.6 km/ hr.

Distance so far:  2478 km.

Climbed:  2603 ft.

Elevation tonight. 842 ft ASL.

AHR:  114 m.

Punctures so far:  0

For the next number of days I will introduce you to the 15 cyclists in the group in random order.

1 of 15. George (Bonn, Ger) is completing the full circuit of Australia. Retired architect. A very strong rider who may leave late in the morning but powers through the field and invariably the first in to our destination. Apparently, he loves Australia as he is leaving part of himself here.....20 kg he has lost along the way.

Today, we started a very short section...2 days. Leaving Port Augusta temperature wasn't too low. I didn’t bother to put on the leggings. But as the day went on, temperatures dropped to 7 deg and I used them. 

Heavy jacket was on for almost all the day also. The only time it was taken off was for the steep climb up Horrocks Pass. We had a number of wintry showers from morning tea onwards. To cap it off, we faced into a strong headwind at the same time. Thankfully, today wasn't a very long distance..114 km.

Coming out of Port Augusta all was nice with a bike path, but still with those long level roads. For 20 km all was much as previously but then we turned left onto B52 and the whole scene changed. 

I crossed over the railway and headed east again. Quiet road and mountains in the distance just like home. The road kept rising slowly draining our energy. The pass itself was 6 to 9 % gradient for 5 km till we reached the top of Horrocks Pass. T'was such a relief to be there and we tarried for a while.

This climb had brought us up onto the Flinders Ranges which run parallel to the Spencer Gulf. The upper summits up to Mt Remarkable were rugged while Lower hills were well rounded and a healthy shade of green.

On the descent I stopped to put on the warm coat again ; temperatures dropping to 7. I saw some ancient gum trees that must have been a couple of hundred years old. Such trees appeared for the rest of the day till we reached Laura.

Today I cycled alone, as Paul has gone home to Sydney for his mom's funeral. His bike was on the trailer for the day. I took a lot of photos but I drafted behind Mark for the last 9 km into Melrose during the first big shower.

Morning tea was at Wilmington, a small quiet town with a number of museums - toys and puppets.

At Melrose, the others had coffee in the blacksmiths forge, but I deferred. I was examining an upgrade on my bike.

Today was through agricultural land especially as I cycled from Wilmington down to Laura. Wheat again was visible but also sheep and lucerne. The first of the vineyards appeared as soon as Wilmington but they were more plentiful at the end of the day near Laura. Olive oil was being produced locally also.

At Stone Hut we stopped for lunch and Cycle Across Oz treated us to a pie and drink. I had a Kangaroo Pie and a beer and enjoyed both. Kangaroo was a little like beef but a little milder. I enjoyed it, as you can see.

Some familiar names appeared again today as I progressed along. Till now, names of an Irish connection were rare. From now on, I expect them to appear more frequently.

I arrived at the Caravan Park on Laura at 2.45 (even before George) and organised the cabin for those coming in. Forecast was for a cold night so it was no problem to find customers. Five were found quickly to take places (which eased the financial burden). The cabin is spacious with all facilities. In fact, the Park is well equipped and the manager, Alex and his wife Barbara, run a good ship.

We settled into the cabin in mid- afternoon and showered. I nipped down to town and shopped on the IGA for my food box. The hotel is the only outlet for wine etc in Laura so I resorted there to purchase some of the local produce - Laura Shiraz, grown across the road but produced in Clare. It had a lovely oak taste and was the perfect accompaniment for my pasta dinner, cooked up here in the cabin. The 5 of us all seem to have dined in tonight.

At 8.00pm, Alex and his wife invited us down to the camp fire (which he set up) for damper. Barbara sang a Celtic song which she had acquired from her grandmother who came from Tipperary (families of Fitzgerald and King). I replied with the yarn of the Rarie bird and a version of the origin of the song. The party around the fire continued with a few songs and yarns (fuelled by a few drops of local produce) till Collis suggested we all retire.uiiiu

We are all settling down to a comfortable night in our cabin and feeling for those out in the tents.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.