A Spoke in the Works! Balladonia to Bush Camp - 67kms
Woke up to a perfect cycling day! Blue sky, light tail wind and a flat, straight road that led to the horizon, finishing in a mirage of water.
This was the Nullarbor we remember.
Trees were smaller and fewer and scrub replaced the bushes that we camp behind.
The road trains and grey nomads with their caravans raced past frequently as always.
But one MAJOR feature had gone -
the hordes of dead and decaying wild animals, killed by the traffic (mainly road trains) and left for the crows to clean up.
We rode over the Flying Doctor Airstrip - a 1.2km stretch of highway
We'd done 30kms and all was going so well - when Del's bike made an unusual sound. We stopped to check it out. It was a broken spoke on his rear wheel.
He carries spares, but, try as he might, he couldn't manage to fit the new one. So, with no other option, he cycled the rest of the way with a spoke missing.
Today was heading for a record cycle day.
What else is this trip going to throw at us?
Another bush camp tonight!
PS Not sure when you'll receive this post as there's no mobile reception here.
“Received and understood!” mates. I saw the “ninety mile straight” on Google but thought better of mentioning it because of any dread effect, but how magnificent. Apparently the longest in the world is in Saudi Arabia (where no doubt boy-racers in super cars rather than road trains are the major hazard). Talking of which, you mentioned very little road train predation. I find it hard to believe that they have exterminated the local population, maybe the wildlife has just said “sod it, what’s the point in crossing, the grass is non-existent”. Lesson for chickens there, and in the process man’s second biggest human conundrum has just vanished (the first being “what did she mean by that!” - God being a woman an’ all). At 67 k you’ve done well, truck on to the mirage…
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