Cocklebiddy

Beautiful three hour ride in bright warm sun. Coolish wind (tail!)Just 3 hours on bike. Felt a little guilty. There are 32 cyclists on a supported ride 6 days behind me. At this rate they'll pass me before the end of the Nullarbor. This roadhouse seems even more remote than the last. Did laundry and dreamed of the wineries of the Barossa Vally north of Adelaide- 2-3 weeks time!. It was nice to see a few curves in the road after the all day straight yesterday.

Caiguna

Reporting from Caiguna 0n the Eyre Hichway (1700km) across the Nullarbor Plain.
Another century notched (181 km) with the help of a tiny tailwind. Started the day fro Balladonia of Skylab falling to earth fame in temps of -1 C- had to wipe ice from my saddle! By noon it was 20 C- blue skies. Two students took my snap at the sign of the start of the longest arrow straignt road in the world ( 146.6 km). A right royal slog- 8 hours in the saddle. Second roadhouse tonight- pricey! Five days on the road since Esperance- some great characters. Plan short ride to Cocklebiddy but if bum holds up might plug on to Madura- slowly getting closer the South Australian border.

Esperance

Arrived today Mon 20 July at Esperance ( pop 14,000) a port and regional centre on WA's far South East. Cracked the second century of the trip (115 miles) from Ravensthorpe- due to a powerful all day tail wind. The chill factor brought the temps down to 6 C. Plan to take tomorrow off to shop and post some non essentials back home. Have to make room for a 4 litre water bag for the next two weeks across the Nullarbor. Still 1/2 days from Norseman due north for the start of the crossing. Early today had a race with a kangaroo bounding along a field beside me on Highway 1. He gave up when I hit 31 kph- don't think he/she was really trying. Two have bounded across the road just in front of me. They really are graceful creatures in motion. Since leaving Freo on JUly 11 have clocked up 1000 kms plus- a short distance in this vast continent. Have been given a good wetting a couple of times but not too foul to stop. Have survived two more nights in my tent, First at Gairdnor was a triumph. The local farmer of 10,000 acres ( modest for Oz) invited me in for a beer, a hot shower and a look of the Tour de France live. Next night in the tent was horrendous. Winds gusted to 50 mph scaring the witrs out of me and then the rain lashed down for two hours. Amazingly the tent did its job. And the sleeping bag looks cozy enough to keep me warm at night with the temps dropping to freezing on the Nullarbor. The bike is going well but it's a hard grind on the long climbs. Found I'm always over-estimating how quickly I get to the next destination.

Gales in Albany

Gales in Albany.
Sailed into Albany on the Great Southern Ocean late yesterday with the help of a good tailwind....just 77 miles but carting 64 lbs of panniers over some longish hills takes time. Checked into a decent Backpackers hostel. Met a trio of Brit lads touring around Australia in a car doing farm work. They have banked a small fortune. Discovered I had left my reading specs behind in Walpole. Opted to take the next day off as gales were forecast. Went to a chemist and bought a new pair of spec. Visited two bike shops in search of a new saddle. My butt is in a woeful state. Nothing suitable. Manager of one suggested I lower my present saddle. Did that and re-tensioned the chain. Weather permitting will head off east tomorrow and head for Esperance...should take 3/4 days. Then I'll head due north for Norseman to meet my nemesis....the Nullarbor. Have managed to speak to Dora most nights on my fancy new Oz Telstra mobile phone but it will soon be very hit and miss with huge areas without any connection. So far all the Aussies I've met have been most friendly. Usually the case with people out in the sticks. One couple in a big 4x4 even slowed down and asked me whether I wanted anything. I suggested a large brandy and soda. They said they were sorry they had no booze aboard!