Day 15 (November 17)

As of today we have pedaled 770 kilometers since departing the airport in Perth.  This has gotten us to the dying gold mining town of Norseman (named for the horse that discovered gold here).  As I follow Scott down (and up) the roads of Western Australia, I have time to ponder my favorite and my most hated items of gear.  In the packing for this trip I planned to do it Oregon Trail-style (to jettison/throw away unwanted/superfluous items).  Already to go is a foam square for sitting on and my much-loved Crocs.  Good bye, Crocs, our time together is over.

My purple Crocs, left behind in Norseman, Western Australia.

Let us begin with my most treasured items.

• Flourescent Orange Vest: this item, brought as a last minute toss in, allows drivers to see us sooner, thus giving them more of a chance to move into the far lane.  Having driven past countless bike tourists with and without day-glo clothing, I am aware of the difference this makes!
• Power Grips: these are a low tech, inexpensive alternative to either clip-in pedals or baskets.  I LOVE MY POWER GRIPS!  They increase my pedaling efficiency and they are Mattie-proof (a difficult status to maintain).
• Head bug net: the bush flies are atrocious on the hot days.  Although rain and wind decrease the flies, on the hot days the bug net offers relief from flies in your mouth, nose, ears, eyes.  The net takes up little to no room and provides amazing relief from constant swatting and twitching while on breaks from pedaling. 

All right, now for my least favorite (but necessary) items.

• My middle gears: in a few of the middle gears on my bike the chain derailleur doesn’t perfectly align with the gear, thus I have to fiddle with the shifter to avoid a constant clicking of the chain across the gear.  This sounds petty, but when pedaling for hours this definitely grates on one’s nerves!
• Water: this stuff weighs so much!  But at the same time I can’t seem to carry enough of it.  I hate worrying about having enough water, thus I am carrying more than I will need (hopefully).

Act Two of the play that is Biking from Perth to Sydney is the ride across the Nullarbor.  As a frugal person, I am leaving Norseman with WAY more food than Scott as I expect ridiculous prices across the desert.  Leaving tomorrow, my panniers will be the heaviest they will be for the rest of the journey (unless I make a friend with a marsupial that wants a ride!). 

[As Australia is such a ludicrously hot country, nearly all the animals are nocturnal, thus our chances of seeing kangaroo or emu are little to none; Scott and I are off the road by dark and usually making dinner.  For a continent known for marsupials, we have seen (and smelled) most of them as road kill specimens.  We may have to go to the Sydney Zoo to see a kangaroo before we fly back to the states!]

Posted by Mattie