Days 20 and 21 (November 22-23)

Mattie, at our roadside camp, hard at work on this blog post

Yesterday and today were both of a similar pattern: up at five in the morning and riding about 90 kilometers to a roadhouse.  Eat a hamburger with the lot (lettuce, tomato, beet slices, cheese, onions, fried egg, ham, and ketchup!).

Australian roadhouse burgers with the lot – a real treat for a hungry push-biker!

Before leaving the roadhouses we refill water, buy food for the road (limited resources: chocolate bars and chips), and then back on the bikes for another 10 or 20 kilometers to a parking area where we camp for the night.

The ride yesterday was from Cocklebiddy to past Madura Roadhouse.  We finally passed another cyclist (push biker as we are called in Australia) headed to Perth.  We have been hearing from passing caravaners about this rider for some days and were glad to finally meet.  He is riding with a support vehicle and on a light-weight road bike (we envied his situation!).

William (left) crossing Australia from Sydney to Perth

Today, just like yesterday, and likely for the rest of the Nullarbor Plain, we have a stiff headwind that starts up at about seven in the morning.  Even getting rolling by five or five thirty doesn’t afford us much time to make good distance before this wall of wind really slows us down (not to mention the mental toll).

Scott has appointed me the Intelligence Officer.  This came about because I will talk to whatever caravaners or roadhouse employees are nearby.  I inquire on upcoming rest stops, roadhouse conditions, other push bikers… anything that will affect or interest us.  Like a good golden retriever, I will bring this information back to Scott.

The long road ahead – only one of many more such sights to come

Today, Scott also appointed me Supply Officer.  At both Madura and Mundrabilla roadhouses I have used my “sweet, exhausted girl-face” to acquire free supplies.  At Madura this got us free water refills (“We don’t normally do this, but because you are on bikes…”) and at Mundrabilla this got us tuna, instant noodles, carrot cake and trail mix!  Scott is overjoyed with this newly discovered skill of his travel partner, and I am glad to finally be providing something other than jokes!

A young kangaroo at the side of the road

Tomorrow, headwind or not, we will finally make it to the coast of the Southern Ocean at Eucla.  Just past Eucla is the quarantine checkpoint between Western Australia and South Australia where west bound travelers have to forfeit all fruit, vegis and an unknown assortment of foods.  We will pass through a quarantine checkpoint for east-bound traffic just shy of Ceduna.  This is known as the “fruit fly checkpoint” which aims at keeping a devastating fruit fly out of South Australia.  We expect to reach Ceduna in another six days… a long six days if this headwind continues as expected.

Posted by Mattie