May 10, 2019

After a day of being blasted by horizontal rain and strong headwinds this day was different. The winds were ever in our favour as we left Leigh Creek on the road to Marree. The weather was crisp but the sun was bright, the wind right and all was a delight with our world.

Our first stop was at aboriginal ochre pits where generations of Australia’s original inhabitants mined the red and yellow pigments. These were traded with other people over a wide portion of Australia and used for many ceremonial purposes and primarily as skin decorations.

A few tens of kilometres down the road we came to the old settlement of Farina. While not much to look at today it once was an ambitious settlement. It started in 1882 as a rail-head for moving wool and livestock. At one time the cattle baron, Sidney Kidman moved 18,000 head of cattle through the town. Sheep shearers would pick up their bicycles here for the trek to outlining sheep stations. While hard to see today this was once an important transportation and economic centre on the edge of the Outback. Today it is mostly abandoned.

Our final destination was the historic Marree Hotel in the railway town of Marree. The town serves as an oasis for those heading into the Outback via the Birdville Track. It is your last chance to load up with supplies to head into the great beyond.

Layover in Marree

May 11, 2019

A low key day today tucked into a tiny camping area outside the Marree Hotel. No sense in laying in my sleeping bag longer than necessary so I took off to see what sights there were to see.

First was the Tom Kruse Museum at the hotel. Here I found the story of this legendary Australian who drove the Outback delivering the mail in conditions most would find impossible. His vehicle was heavily customized and modified to fit conditions for which motorized vehicles were not intended in this era before four wheel drives. A breakdown where he travelled could meant death if you did not have the resources and determination to get yourself out of a jam. His life was celebrated in the film, Outback and Beyond.

My next stop was the historic railway station now abandoned and turned into a museum. In Marree two rail lines of different gauges met requiring passengers and cargo to be moved from one line to the other or the trip south or north. Coal was also moved along the Gahn Railway until the abandonment of coal as a means of generating electricity drove the last spike into the railway’s long history.

Just up the road a bit is the Marree Yacht Club which is as close to a living oxymoron as you are likely to find in this arid region. Only when the southern portion of Lake Eyre is filled is there any aquatic surface for a yacht to traverse and this is a rare event. It appears that South Lake Eyre is more famous as a salt flat where the British super car, Bluebird once tried to set a land speed record. Unfortunately this was attempted during one of the rare periods when the lake was moist.

Marree’s day as a communications and transportation hub appear to be in its past. Gone is Ghantown once home to 60 Afghan cameleers, their families and over 1500 camels. These people and their beasts were imported in the hope that the camels would be a useful means of transportation in this dry land. Today the camels have returned to their wild ways and can be seen wandering the arid acres of the Outback.

May 6, 2019

When you drive in Ontario seeing a deer along side of the road is a fairly common sight. Folks may give them a glance but no one stops to gawk. A moose trots out and it is a different story while a roadside bear tends to bring out the stupid in some folks. Here in Australia, seeing a kangaroo is in the same category as seeing a deer at home, but not for me. Sure, I’ve seen them in zoos and on television but the sight of a kangaroo in its natural environment would be a first for me. On the drive from Adelaide to Port Augusta there were none to be seen. The same was true of of my first day’s ride. Well that is not exactly true. I did see four F.O.R.D.s (found on the road dead) kangaroos but I figured road kills do not count. Today was different.

Today the big footed hoppers were everywhere: Crossing the highway, hopping through the bush lands, leaping between the pines in the forested areas, they were everywhere. Unfortunately they seem to dislike photographers. In each and every instance they manage to skip over yonder hill before I could stop and get my camera out. At one point I had a perfect opportunity. The kangaroo was busy eating whatever kangaroos eat and did not notice me brake slowly to a stop with a tree between me and him. I zipped open my bike bag and was in the process of extracting my camera when the first car zipped by causing Mr. Roo to raise his head and look in my direction. The second car sent him hopping before the camera could be turned on. Unless I wanted a parting shot of the southbound end of a northbound kangaroo heading off into the sunset, I was done. There will be others.

The ride was a long 120 km affair over varied terrain. The scenery ranged from arid desert to pine forest in the hills. There was a bit of climbing but the route was mostly rolling hills with a steady diet of dips for the frequent flood-wash zones. Good biking weather for the most part but with a gradual chill that crept in as I neared the park where we were spending the night.

Dinner was a chilly, outdoor affair and few of us lingered around. Most of us sought the warmth of our sleeping bags. There was ice cream for dessert but few takers.

The (Head) Wind Swept Hills of the Flinder’s Range

May 7, 2019

I awoke to the sound of the wind rustling the roof of my tent. It was a strong wind since it clearly woke me up despite my ear plugs still being inserted. The good news was that my tent would be dry of dew and easy to pack away cleanly. The bad news was that it was coming out of the north and north was our direction for travel this day. As they say here, “no worries.”

It was a truly beautiful morning. Bright sun and spectacular countryside. Unfortunately, there were strong winds with gale force gusts that require constant attention lest my bike be blown into the middle of the road or onto the shoulder. Mostly it required a head down grind, especially when it seemed to hit with greatest force just as I reached the steepest part of a climb. What should have been a highlight of the trip quickly became something to be endured.

Still, I have learned to take what enjoyment is offered where I can find it and there were times when the wind eased off a bit and I could enjoy the spectacular scenery. There were wide vistas accented by sharp mountain peaks in the distance. Gradually we climbed into passes between those peaks as the road followed natural erosion patterns to take the easiest route. Along the way was a massive rock formation known as the Great Wall of China. Obviously, it is a much truncated version. The climbs became longer and steeper as the day progressed ending in Blinman, the highest settlement in South Australia where we had lunch. This was followed by a 15 km gravel grind on a heavily wash-boarded, bone breaking road to our camp at Angorichina Village where we spent the next day exploring the local sights. Dinner that night was at a pub back in Blinman. Thankfully, we travelled by bus.

Layover Day in Angorichina Village

May 8, 2019

Today was our first rest day. A day to sort things out, clean up the bikes and give the legs a bit of rest. It started with a leisurely awakening and a nice hot breakfast followed by some time to go over my gear. Plenty of time to clean up my bike, tighten anything that rattled loose yesterday and do a bit of reading. After lunch we were on the bus for a short excursion back to Blinman and a tour of the Blinman Copper Mine.

The mine ceased operation many years ago and once employed around 1500 workers. Many of these were lured from Cornwall with promises of steady wages and permanent work. Their skill as hard rock miners was what was need for the hard rocky soil. The company paid for their passage as well as that of their extended families. Conditions were harsh, the climate colder than they were used to and the wages low. For those 1500 workers there were only 90 homes ever built. Most lived wherever they could, some carving out hovels in the banks of the dry wash. Despite the hard life the mine was relatively safe compared with other of that era with only 12 deaths due to mine accidents. Of course other illnesses related to poor diet, long days spent in a poor environment and infections claimed many more.

Tomorrow we were back on the road with another long riding day. Hard as it may be, it would be easier than any day working in the mine.

A Windy Day With Rain

May 9, 2019

The tent roof rustled foreboding something nasty coming our way. After nearly perfect weather on our rest day it seemed as though our next riding day would test our determination. The sky was overcast and despite Ralph’s optimistic musings that the wind was nothing more than the morning breeze, I asked Mother Nature to blow her breezes from a favourable direction. Mother Nature responded that she was not taking requests at this time but to please try again later.

By 8:00am we were off onto 17 kms of rough dirt and gravel road with the usual wash-boarding. Thankfully it was mostly down hill. The wind was mostly in our faces but not overly strong. At Parachilna the promised hotel and bar was closed and the wind was kicking up to gale force and better. The direction was directly into our faces as we left the gravel for the black top highway. As we rode the wind increased and the rain began to fall. In the arid landscape that rain was much needed with over 29 days since rain had last fallen. I could not begrudge the landscape this needed drink. However I could have done without the horizontal rain that blasted across the highway nearly making it impossible to keep my bike upright. Fortunately, this was only for a brief period.

My Australian friends have a custom that I was very grateful for on that windswept and rainy day. It is called Morning Tea and is much like a Hobbit’s second breakfast. Our bus was parked on a side road about 30 kms into the ride with hot tea, coffee and double chocolate Tim-Tam cookies. I drank my fill and filled my fuel reserves with these offerings and headed back into the tempest.

About an hour or so afterwards Mother Nature decided to accept requests and generously shifted the wind, first to slightly abaft my beam and eventually to a full on tail wind. The rain continued but now I could travel with greater ease and speed. The remaining kilometres flew by. Along the way I passed over the tracks of the Marree and Port Augusta Railway. This line once carried coal mined in Marree to the power plants in Port Augusta. With coal fired generation coming to an end so did the mines and the railway as well.

Our stopping point was Leigh Creek and my first stop was at the bar and grill for a hot cup of coffee. When I arrived at the caravan park the aspect of pitching my tent on the soaked and muddy dirt was not too appealing. One of my travelling companions, Paul was of the same mind and we joined up to rent a room for the night. The warm shower and plentiful heat was well worth the extra cost. Tomorrow promises to be a dry and lovely day for our ride.

Bicycling South to North Across Australia May 4 to June 6, 2019

Introduction:

You would think that riding across the USA four months after a major heart attack would be enough and so did I, for about six months. After a summer of regular riding and another self contained adventure down the George S. Mickelson Trail in South Dakota I was not looking forward to parking my bikes and settling in to my winter recreations of hunting and cross country skiing. Spring and summer had just been too much fun. Still, I decided to make the best of it and pitched in at the hunt camp and at Opeongo Nordic where I do my cross country skiing. By the end of November the snow was on the ground and we were in full winter mode.

Then one day a Facebook post from my friend, Chris Hinsperger appeared extolling the fun and virtues of fat biking on winter roads. Hmmm, I thought a fat bike, maybe I should just take a look. I was not going to buy one, just look at one or two and gain a bit of knowledge. I already owned three bikes and a fourth would put me into crazy cat lady territory. Next came December and the Annual General Meeting of the Ottawa Valley Cycling and Active Transportation Alliance, an organization I work with as a volunteer. Across the street from our meeting site was Martin’s Cycle and Small Engine and I needed to replace a kickstand I broke during the summer. I would just drop in and buy that one little part. But wait, they have fat bikes and what? They are on sale! Discount on all 2017 models and NO SALES TAX!!! Be still my little MasterCard. Using all my will power I walked away with just the kickstand. The next day, up jumped the Devil, kicked me in my butt, grabbed me bodily and made me drive back to Martins where I smoked the aforementioned credit card and walked out the door an official member of the fat bike community.

All the above led to a winter of fat biking and turned on the cycling adventure section of my brain. This led to checking out some tours. Europe looked exciting and interesting and having tasted the epic journey fruit, nothing less would do. The exchange rate between the Euro and my canadian dollar put the cost was somewhere in the vicinity of buying a new car and the down payment on a modest house, so that was out for the coming year unless I hit the lottery. This was unlikely since I refuse to pay that stupidity tax. Then one day while browsing the grassy fields of the Internet I came across the Outbike website and their Gulf to Gulf across Australia adventure. With the Australian dollar and the Canadian dollar nearly at par, this trip was affordable. I needed to know more. Some web searching and review reading confirmed this was a good outfit, the ride looked fantastic and the trip was definitely going forward. I put my hard earned dollars on the table and made the decision to go. Let the training begin!

Training in Winter’s Grip

February 2019

The good news is that through the use of a fat bike and some studded tires on my Kona mountain bike, I was able to ride outdoors in some tough winter conditions. I still needed my reconditioned, 1980s vintage Miele as an indoor trainer on occasions but no where near as much as I did getting ready for the Southern Tier last year. It still took some diligence to get out there for two or three hours on those sub zero days but on the plus side, my setter, Blaze was able to enjoy some run along trips when I took the fat bike on the bike and snowmobile trails.

April Snow Showers Bring Longer Rides

April 5, 2019

My wife and I were away in March retracing some of the Southern Tier route I rode in 2018 so I was able to get in some nice rides including one that involved wading in waist deep flood waters in Florida. This kept my legs in shape for my final push to longer rides this month. I was coming down to the final weeks before heading down under and everything was on track for another epic ride. My health was great and my physical condition a big improvement over where I was before The Ride of the Nearly Departed. I just needed to bump up the mileage a bit and physically, I was good to go!

GO Day

April 30, 2019

Today was GO Day. The bags were packed, plans in place and I was off to Ottawa for the first leg of the long trip to Australia. The last month saw winter hang on with a vengeance. Most rides were with a cold wind in my face and occasionally with snow sticking to my glasses. No worries though. While they were unpleasant at times, they helped toughen me up for whatever Australia had to throw at me. Mostly it was good to be outside watching the winter slowly melt away as the miles rolled by. The next two days were be spent in the luxury of Air Canada’s lap and a tour of some fine airports. At least the overseas leg of the journey promised a sparsely populated plane and maybe some room to stretch out and see what the insides of my eye lids looked like. I closed this day with a silent prayer that my luggage and I arrive together at the same time and airport. Amen.