182 km in 7 hrs 56 min at 23 km/ hr.
Distance so far: 1400 km.
'Climbed': 851 ft
Tonight's elevation: 285 ft ASL.
AHR: 109 bpm.
Punctures so far: 0
Out at 6.50 am.. In at 4 pm
Today's cycle is for my in- laws, the Crosse family. Last Tuesday, Aug 6 was their parents ( both RIP) wedding anniversary. Chas and Kathleen can be so proud of the family they reared. I'm honoured to be associated.
Today was a long day so we set the alarm for an early hour (5.30) in order to get on the road as soon as safe. We had a beautiful salmon sky as we left and we observed it's changes as we moved along. Just to be sure, both of us had all lights showing.
Morning procedure is going like clockwork now. Having upgraded we had our breakfasts in our room from our food box. Then all food boxes are stacked ready to be loaded onto the wagon. Next, the bags are dropped by the wagon for loading and the electronic gears( laptops, IPads, chargers etc) are placed in a special box for security. Only then may a cyclist move onto the road.
At first today we dropped a little more from the Roadhouse to pick up today's route. Today, we cycled along a billiard table with only a few gentle bumps. We were moving at 50 ft ASL all day but climbed up again at the end. Where the road is , is a fault where the land just dropped. On our left we had the Hampton Tablelands all day.
We had a north-west wind all day which assisted us rather than hindered us. Still, I got very very tired especially from the 80 to 116 km mark. There may have been a number of reasons. I had been straining my neck looking for wildlife in the hours after dawn. Also, we had left very early and the wagon hadn't arrived at the morning tea location when we got there. We decided to go on...we had plenty of water, some biscuits and bananas. But skipping that stop took something out of us. Also it was very warm (31 deg around midday). I thought the lunch stop at Munderabilla Roadhouse would never come. However, the other cyclists found that part of the road a very draining also and that perked me up. We had a good meal at the roadhouse and rested a little longer than usual. By the time we reached the afternoon tea at 145 km I was back to my old self and enjoying the road.
No great evidence of wildlife today either. There were dead bodies on the road, but not a stir in the bush. I did see an eagle soaring out to our left but it was too far away to see any details. I resorted to taking photos of trees that were decorated by passing motorists according to some theme or other.
At one stage after lunch I felt drops of rain falling from a pleasant sky. I wondered if our luck was running out weatherwise. But nothing came of it.
The road was dead level all day and plenty of long straights. Nothing unusual about a straight of 15 km or more. One becomes mesmerised with straight lines. On three occasions parts of the road were signed off as landing strips for the Flying Doctor. Indeed any part of the road could be used as a runway.
As we climbed back up onto the Tablelands we could see the sea and sand dunes in the distance. Tomorrow, Rest Day, I will investigate that after the washing and the drying are done.
Quite a few have upgraded tonight for the two nights. We did also and had a well deserved meal in the restaurant. Everyone is tired after that last stage from Kalgoorlie to here...1400 km under our belts now, and still enjoying it.
Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.
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