Day 30 (December 2)

Pedaled 112 km today.  We passed through two towns and took gloriously long rest breaks making for a nine and a half hour day (three and a half hours of breaks!).  These breaks included eating snacks, catching a lizard, eating a hamburger, shopping for food, buying stove fuel, and more eating.  We are now seated at a picnic table drinking mint tea, eating  (chips, tuna and candy) and mulling over the days behind and those yet to come.

Weather is always at the forefront of my thoughts.  Today we had another headwind.  Tomorrow and the next day I expect hotter temperatures (nearing 100 F).  Scott mused today if we will ever have a perfect day: tailwind, down hill, no flies and minimal traffic… I doubt this will ever come to fruition.

Our camping spot for the night is the Polkdinney Park (not much of a park really, just some history signs, antique machinery, and a picnic table).  Like most of the roadside pull offs in Australia, this one is festively adorned with used toilet paper, empty bottles and other items of litter that really add to the “outback scenery”.  We are nearly a month into the trip and I finally decided to be the change I want to see in the world: I purchased some 99 cent rubber dish gloves in order to pick up a bit of trash where ever we camp.  I swear, I AM NOT A HIPPIE!!

To return to the lizard; it was a bobtail (we have posted other pictures of them).  I had just shared the glory of Andrew Ukles (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5iyNncvIrz8) with Scott, so of course I paid homage to the Australian wildlife handler.  I am 90% sure the bobtail isn’t poisonous because it doesn’t look deadly because they look so cute.  (This is a terrible method of judging animals as proven by my assessment of the dugite: a venomous snake).  Don’t worry, Mom, I’m being totally safe and making great decisions!

Tomorrow we continue on past Kimba to another roadside camp.  I will likely continue to make my poor decisions on wildlife and water sources.  Port Augusta here we come!!

Posted by Mattie