Day 9 (November 11)

Typical roadside scenery east of Perth

Today we rode from Brookton to Corrigin, 91 km, in six hours and 15 minutes.  Only four of those hours were “rolling hours” as we took lengthy breaks today to accommodate my (Mattie) short attention span and need for frequent inspections (“Ooo, look at that tree!”, etc).

The road was fair, but had a narrow shoulder.  As such, we would move onto the soft edge when possible for the passing road trains (12+ axle semi trucks). 

During our breaks today I would forcefully direct the conversation to the upcoming “long stretch”. In two (or three) days we will journey from Hyden (near Wave Rock) to Norseman; a stretch of 300 km with scant chances to refill water.  Yeah, lil ol’ Mattie is a worry wart and would like to have a game plan. Thus far, this is what we have planned:

• Today we mailed a package of non-critical items (jeans, Crocs, U-lock, etc.) ahead to Norseman.  This will allow for more room in the panniers for food and water.  (Scott informs me that bike touring purists will turn up their noses at this, but I am grateful for the additional room on my bike!)
• When we get to Hyden we will try to contact the nickel mines along the road (Flying Fox Mine, Lounge Lizard Mine, hahaha) to inquire if we can refill water from the mine sites.  Other bloggers have indicated this is an option, but I want a verbal guarantee, not just a third-party “he said it was okay”.
• For planning meals, I, for one, am planning on 8500 kJ (roughly 2000 cal) a day.  This food will be purchased in Hyden at an IGA grocery store (as those seem to be the dominant store across Western Australia).

With these ideas in place I will hopefully be able to sleep better tonight and roll along more contentedly tomorrow.  The riding has been great thus far: tail wind, only a light smattering of rain and not blistering hot (yet!).

Posted by Mattie