The next day I was on a mission going to my bank and checking on finances and trying to find a car to drive home in. My car adventures will be blogged here under Mike's Top Gear Challenge so look for that blog to start up soon (or even tonight).

I contacted Peter and Elizabeth who are two friends I made on the trip at the Daly Waters Pub. Peter was the man who explained about toliet frogs to me. That night he gave me his card and told me to call them when I got into Darwin so I did!

We agreed to meet for lunch and they invited me to stay with them for two days on their property in Humpty Doo about 45 K North of Darwin CBD. Elizabeth has horses on their 5 acre property and does show jumping and dressage competitions and Peter is a Master Mechanic who business is as a contractor. He cleared the land on the property and built their house and a recent add on that they sleep in so guests have a bedroom in the main building. They are a fun and lively couple and I have so enjoyed their courtesy and company!

On Saturday, Peter took me on a Quad bike bush trip and we drove around the bush seeing amazing birds on paths that he trailblazed on the quad. Elizabeth brought her horse, Siam, and rode the same trail catching up with us when we would stop at prearranged points- what fun! Peter took me the bush route back to the house and we got to see a beautiful orange sunset over this amazing land.

On Sunday I got to help him clear bush and cut a tree down that was a nuisance while Elizabeth fed parts of the tree to a new chipper that they had just purchased- wow, that thing was making short work of wood and leaves. It is Father's Day here so tonight when we went to the Humpty Doo Pub there was a band and they had a Man vs. Food contest of eating a rack of pork ribs with chips in under twenty minutes. Elizabeth challenged me to try so I did to defend America's honor as insane overconsumers. I took out my daughter, Aubrey's picture for inspiration- "this one is for you, daughter". and the waitress brought a huge plate of ribs. But nothing could stop me and I finished them in 14 minutes gaining the meal for 1/2 price (yes, I think it probably should have been free too!). I will probably suffer later and tomorrow is an all fruit and water day for sure (maybe some yoghurt too).

All this is possible because I met amazing and fun and interesting people on my bike adventure and in the end, like everything in life to me, it is the people and the experiences you have that make life worth living and made this Adventure worth having.

I will spare you the details of riding into Darwin because they didn't matter; my body had become a machine that rode a bike, but my mind remained free and unfettered and my imagination and appreciation of the world around me grew in proportion to the kilometers I racked up.

Love Life and have an Adventure All of You Good People!

Farewell for this phase and now onto the next adventure!

]]> Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=613931 0 -12.4666667 130.8333333 Cheers and thanks to all my friends and loved ones who inspire me to dare an adventure;
You are all amazing]]> Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=613666 0 -12.4666667 130.8333333 My next to last day!

Today I rode about 90 k or so to Adelaide River. The humidity is really getting up there and today I saw a lot more palm trees and a wildfire!

The wildfire was in the middle of nowhere and seemed quite large and burning out of control about 800 meters or so from the road on the Eastern side.  It was already burned up by the roadway which must have acted as a firebreak for the East wind driven flames. I took some pictures and while I was doing that I noticed some fresh flames sprouting up very close to the roadway in an unburnt area and decided to get out of there!

I have also seen a lot more standing water in creeks and pools and little lakes...I wonder if some of these are billabongs? With the water comes some more of the beautiful Jabirus (Big birds with black heads) and Egrets. I am also hearing more birdsong by the highway and fewer crows and carrion birds. Much greener as well with some areas looking almost like lawns.

The ride today was like yesterday with some climbing of hills not too steep but sometimes kin of tediously long. No good descents really either so maybe I will get one tomorrow.

I am staying in a motel room at a caravan park for the a/c an soft bed, but too excited to sleep....tomorrow is the last day and I should be at the ocean in Darwin by 2 or so (knock wood).

It has been an amazing ride so far and I am so thankful for everything Australia and the good people I have met have shown and taught me the last month o riding. My body has gone through some big changes and I hope to keep up with the improvements and build on them in Melbourne.

Today I met a young couple at the pool and tonight we shared some laughs and they told me about traveling in India which is another place I hope to see in a couple of years.

I will ride especially carefully tomorrow since the end of journeys can often be as perilous as the beginnings, but I am confident and energized as well.

Now back to trying to sleep....]]> Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=613664 0 -12.4666667 130.8333333 Rode today to Emerald Springs 135 k down the road. I stopped for a long lunch in Pine Creek to let the day cool off a bit and then rode 30 k or so to ES.

Today was hills and climbs, but not too steep, just up and up and them a down. Getting used to the heat now a bit more and still drinking plenty of water. I had two pitchers full for lunch!

I am getting very anxious about finishing and may be done in two days. Today I had a flat- the front tubs that had been leaking finally gave it up so sat in the shade on the roadside and fixed that little problem.

I had drinks in the bar tonight with three young servicemen who were picking up broken vehicles the army had left behind during an exercise. Nice blokes, we watched Big Brother on the TV and made fun of the contestants.

Emerald Springs is pretty much just the Roadhouse from what I can see- another tiny town built around a waterhole. 

The land has changed again and the past two days I have seen large boulders in many places and I saw small palm trees beside the road for the first time today. Also, I found an Australian Flag that came off a car I guess and hung it off the end of my bike. Really cool find. And my bike computer died- I thought it was the wireless sensors battery and replaced it but it still won't work. I will give a final summary of the recorded data on my last blog entry.]]> Tue, 28 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=613662 0 -12.4666667 130.8333333 Good ride into Katherine today. Wind at my back much of the time and rolling hills to ride 
But still hot! 

Katherine is a big city compared to anywhere I've been since Mt Isa and even has a McDonalds with WiFi! This is also the first place my iPhone has coverage since Cairns.

Katherine is famous for Katherine Gorge which I hope to visit on the way back. I am not taking many side trips now with the finish so close so there are places I want to go back to if I hopefully get a car.

I did visit the Cutta Cutta Caves which were only a 1 k side trip. The Caves are limestone and have stalactite and stalagmite formations that are hundreds of thousands of years old. Not an anthropologically interesting site since the native peoples had no knowledge of it and it was never inhabited or even used in ritual. 

At a caravan park tonight where noisy backpacker kids are keeping me awake arguing about their travel plans for like 5 hours. I finally had to ask for some peace and quiet to get some sleep. LOL. I will be glad to sleep in when this ride is done!]]> Mon, 27 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=613660 0 -12.4666667 130.8333333 Going to sleep by a somewhat cloudy sky.... First clouds I have seen the whole trip. Today was an epic day... Rode 160 k from Elliot to Daly Waters old town pub which is a place every top ender told me I had to see.

It was pretty hot today, from noon til 2;30 I had to stop every 1/2 hour to 45 min. To get in the shade and drink. Went through almost all the water on the bike including my 2 liter drom bag and I was still thirsty. 

But I made it. Now under 600 k to Darwin and 300 k to Katherine whoohoo!

The pub here was awesome as well, great food and entertainment and I made fast friends with people who passed me and said, "no way is he going to make it to Daly Waters". 

They ended up buying me some beers!

Hard day, but good, I know that I am strong enough to go 16o k without the wind helping if I have to and I have an invitation for a place to stay in Darwin when I get there. Cool,

One more thing about the pub- when I finish riding I always like to set up camp and take a shower, so when I got here I did my usual routine. Most camps have a block of showers and toilets for men and one for women kind of like single wide Mobile homes with jut bath facilities. The pub was different with seven small individual buildings that had a toilet, sink and shower in very close confines.

Anyone who knows me knows that I would pick number 7 (lucky number) so in I tromped. I had a great shower and my Surprise came when I flushed the toilet and a green frog the size of my fist appeared in the toilet bowl like Harry Potter had conjured him there! I screamed "Holy Sh*t" and then burst out laughing so hard!

When I left I ran into two couples who had seen me riding and greeted me when I rode into camp. I warned them about the toilet guest in number 7. They all laughed and assured that that happens frequently (!) in Darwin where the green frogs get into the septic tanks. The wonders of the animal kingdom...
]]> Fri, 24 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=613657 0 -16.25 133.3666667 August 26 

The last two days have been shorter rides- one of 93 k to Larramiah and one of 80 k to Matarinka.

Larramiah had nothing to recommend it except The Pink Panther Pub which is pink and has a zoo with exotic birds including emus, a salty crocodile and thats about it.

They did have a meatloaf special that was good, but not a good as Mom's.

The heat even at night is tough...could not get to sleep easily and didn't use the sleeping bag until after 3 am when I woke up and my legs were a little cool.

Matarinka is better. They have a beautiful natural hot water River in a National park that is free and amazing. When you get in it and let the current carry you it is like riding the jungle boat ride at Disneyland minus the Hippos and Crocs! Tropical plants and trees ae all around you and several types of Dragonflies fly around you just skimming the water and alighting by you on Lotus Flowers. Magical.

I went for two swims and took a bunch of pictures. The water was Crystal clear and not too hot, just a very comfortable and refreshing temperature.

Left there and I am at a small caravan park by the main road. Sunday dinner tonight is Pork Roast and sounds delicious. Mmmm.

Getting closer to Darwin every day now.]]> Sun, 26 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=613306 0 -14.9333333 133.1166667 When i left Tennant Creek I rode 100 k to a place called Banka Banka Outback Station where I met up with 4 other cyclists. Everyone there was amazed to see 5 bikes in one so out of the way place. Two of the  bikers were a couple from Belgium rising with another man from Denmark. They were heading south to Adelaide. The 4th rider was a 22 year old bike racer fr the Netherlands who was telling us about riding 230 k days at a 30-33kph average speed. He is headed to Darwin also but our riding styles and my mechanical issues meant that we could nor ride together. 

Banka Banka was graat... The men who ran it let all the cyclists stay for free and they had nice showers and a big camp kitchen. They had a night bonfire and a funny older fellow playing 70's songs on a standup organ. Fumny!

Left there early for Remner Springs and invited the Danish rider to stay with me in Melbourne when he gets there in  October. I also signed up with a group called warmshowes.org that help bike tourists find people who will let them couch surf on their trips. Very cool. I will try to find someone to put me up in Darwin and open the Melbourne House to a few riders as well to help out.

Aug 23

Today I rode the 100 k from Renner Spings to Elliot and my bike fix failed after about 20k. When it became too horrible to ride I chances trying to fix if again and this time I had success! I rode the last 60k with no problems or few because it is always in the back of your mind.

Unfortunately the part had not arrived yet so I will check tomorrow am and hope it is here. If not I will probably ride on and  forward the part to Matrinka or Katherine even just to get down the road. I am within 720 k of Darwin now so very anxious to move on.

It oz noticeably warmer here tonight and more humid and the trees are getting taller and greener and I went North today.

We will see what tomorrow brings.]]> Thu, 23 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=613302 0 -41.1166667 145.7833333 Lots has happened in the last few days- I am now staying at a camp in Renner Springs Roadhouse while I wait for a new downtube seatpost clamp to arrive from Melbourne.

The various fixes I have tried all failed and most of the bolts sheared or deformed so badly they would not hold the seat and I would end up riding like I was 5 foot tall with my knees I'm my chest. Not fun. 

I've made 163 k out of Tennant Creek though and tomorrow I will cover 100 k to Elliot where the part is being mailed. Big thanks to my support team, my friend, Carl here and Louisa in the States and a shout out to Bruce the REI shop guru for his advice and assistance. 

I am making the best of this time out, doing laundry and resting up for the last push, but I am anxious to get on the road again. 9 or 10 more days should finish this trip and then on to other things.

There is a windmill and a pond here with geese and cormorants, eagles and hawks and a bird people call stupid gullahs. The gullahs fly around madly in the morning squawking a horrible squawk and are a general nuisance.

Starting to miss home and bed, but still more to see and do before then. 

I will post more pics when I can.
]]> Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=612815 0 -24.9666667 152.3833333 Tennant Creek and waiting to go to the Post Office tomorrow to see if some packages have arrived for me. Mt Isa managed to lose my food drop so I have been scavanging snickers bars and tangerines to supplement my soup since snack items or prepared foods are all I could find some days.

I just had two great riding days- one of 150k and one which would have been 160 with the wind at my back on pretty flat terrain. FUN!

Yesterday near the end of my ride I had a mechanical failure that forced me to get a ride about 90k to Tennant Creek- my seatpost clamp bolt and nut stripped and I could not control seat height or right to left movement so pretty much the bike was unrideable. I did not bring anything suitable as a spare and I am not a bright enough mechanic to kludge something up on the road so I stuck out my thumb!

The funny thing is, I was picked up by a guy I'd met 90k back the road at the Barkley Homestead when I had a late breakfast. He had no intention of going my way originally but some transportation issues forced him to drive to Tennant Creek and he said he was looking for me along the way. He was surprised to find me 90k down the road flagging him down for assistance just as I was surprised to actually have someone I knew helping me!!! Small world.

He gave me ride to Tennant Creek and it was too late to go to the hardware store to fix the bike so I got a motel room and took my new friend out to dinner for hauling me around.

Today is Sunday so I am staying over at the Motel, maybe get a swim in- it is really windy here though and warm, but not hot, eat some pizza later and pack up to leave tomorrow.

I still need to hit the Post Office when they open to see about my packages, then if all is good I am off North now 990k to Darwin on the Last Leg of the Journey!

I will post some more pictures and some of my kludgey repair job for the shop guys to laugh at....

]]> Sat, 18 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=612463 0 -19.65 134.2 I am camping behind the pub tonight and will probably have a drink or two- thenext 4 days will be difficult with a 120 and 140k day respectively and I may ignore the campsites on my plan and ride 130 and 130 instead or some other combination.

Wish me luck and don't expect to hear from me for awhile! Email Carl if you need to send me a message please!

]]> Wed, 15 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=612461 0 -19.9166667 138.1166667 Woke up to two flat tires today so changing tubes before I can get on the road.

Saw a bunch of kangaroos all day hopping from the roadside when I would ride up. I was able to get pretty close if they had their backs to me.

I met a French couple on touring bikes headed the opposite direction from me. Jean and Keely were riding around the world and have been on the road since 2006. They started in Darwin and intend to be in Melbourne in December. I invited them to stay with us there and they invited me to ride Tasmania with them if I want.

I rode from the Gilbert River to Croyden today and found a caravan park with a swimming pool, much appreciated!

I will get up early tomorrow and ride to Black Bull about halfway to Normanton.

Aug 5

Up late. Slept in because it was windy when my alarm went off at 5:45 and I wanted see what it was going to do so up at 6:45 instead. The wind died a bit and I took my time getting ready and did not leave town until about 8:30.

No kangaroos today, but I did meet up with a brahma bull!

He was standing by the roadway minding his own business and he was huge and had big horns that looked sharp- a very fierce fellow.

His head was down as I was approaching so I rode to the middle of the road and coasted quietly by. He noticed me after I passed and looked up and snorted. I avoided eye contact and kept riding hoping he would not chase me- he didnt! Yea!

It is easier riding now; mostly flat and the wind blew all over but lightly. Black Bull station turned out to be way too close so I rode all day. I couldn't quite make it the 158k to Normanton
but I did about 130 which is my longest and with a late start that is pretty good.

Camped in the bush with some trees screening me from the road and the sun has just gone down. If is quite the chorus out here with cicadas, other bugs and birds all going off at once. Oh well, I am so tired I should sleep well no matter.

No fire for stove tonight as there is too much dry grass and I don't want to cook by the highway so it is dried fruit for dinner with a water bottle chaser. That's ok, I had pizza and beer last night!
]]> Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=612459 0 -18.2166667 142.2333333 Cloncurry today through a small Mountain range that took 5 hours to ge thru. At least the winds were fair and I finally got some good descents including a fast 5k at the end that took me almost all the way into town!

There is a Mc Donalds here so I used the WiFI to update this blog thru the 9th of August and I used an Inet Cafe to add some pictures. Getting lonely and a little tired of riding but my friends buoy my spirits and so off again after another rest day to the real savannah lands and due west!

Mt Isa post service is incompetent and could not locate my food drop so I will miss my special power foods and have to substitute heavier alternatives.

Off to Cammoweal(pop.300) or rather the bush east of Cammoweal because it is 198 k away from Mt Isa. I will find a bush camp 100k down the road or so and sleep there for the night of the 14th.]]> Tue, 14 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=611930 0 -20.7333333 139.5 Made it to Cloncurry finally but so very tired...will take a rest day here tomorrow.

Burned out!]]> Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=611929 0 -20.7 140.5 August 9

Mike's folly and a brutal day.

Today I learned a valuable lesson.

The day started off well- I have loaded two days plus reserve water on the bike to see what riding with all that weight is like and I left Burke & Wills camp on  time at about 7:15. The bike felt heavy, but balanced, and I was slower than yesterday out of the gate.

A helicopter pilot named Dale that I met the night before told me to expect some climbs today and he did not lie- it seemed like the whole day was a very gradual long climb.

I decided to experiment today since I have had so much trouble making mileage in the afternoon and to take a long rest during the hottest part of the day. I would pick a shady spot, put down the ground sheet and inflate my air mattress to have a comfy nest against the sun. I would also change out of my road  shorts and air them and take the  bike shoes off and rest my feet. 

I did this for two hours between 11:30 and 1:30 and I felt very smart. The problem that developed while a rested was a 8-10 mile an hour headwind! That was when I remembered the Tortoise and The Hare Story and realized I was the stupid Hare and the Tortoise was kicking my ass!

When I got back on the bike I was in good shape but an hour of long climbs directly into the wind on the heavy bike soon fixed that. My average speed plummeted from 20 kph to 15 or even 13! I was back in the little chain ring again spinning for all I was worth and my feet and seat started to ache and complain seriously.

The day broke my spirit once and left me humbled at how fortunate I've been so far. I go only as far as Australia lets me and she can cut me off at anytime.

I very fortunately found a camping/ picnic area to bed down in for the night so I didn't have o sleep in the bushes and I could make some hot soup and tea!

I feel very low now and looking forward to sleeping tonight. Hopefully things will be brighter tomorrow.

]]> Sat, 11 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=611625 0 -20.7 140.5 Up at 5:45 and on the road by 7:15. Made the 90 k from Bang Bang to Burke & Wills by 12:30 with some rest stops. 

Today I saw a flock of parakeets flying together- maybe 60 to 80 all turning together and making beautiful patterns. They were bright green with almost neon green underwings and when they flapped their wings it looked like bright green strobe lights in the early morning low angle sun. They flew by me and in front of me a couple of minutes because on the bike were at the same speed. In a car I would probably have missed the whole thing.

Even as cool as the trip is I am having doubtful moments and getting tired of being on the bike so many days. I will think hard about this over the next few days to [[Australia/Mount-Isa]] and I may decide I am done. We shall see.

Burke & Wills is nice enough but busy and noisy, tomorrow night I will have to sleep in the bush so it should be quieter. Adding more water every day to see how the weight is on the bike.]]> Fri, 10 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=611624 0 -20.7 140.5 I've seen huge beautiful cranes or Storks our here several times. Today it was 6 foot tall stilt legged birds with Stork like beaks. The beaks were yellow like a goose's and their feathers were mostly white with some black and grey on the wings and about the face. 

They are so big when they fly but graceful in a languorous way with their long legs dragging behind them.

The other type I've seen is all black with only Circle of white on the wings. Black heads and black long beaks and looked to be 7 feet tall or taller! They were standing in a small lake fishing.

Other cool birds I've seen are hawks hunting and a bird with powder blue feathers on it's wings. Tonight at bang bang camp I saw three birds that may have been parrots with pinkish red underwings flying at sunset.

There are some crows or ravens and some mockingbirds with black and white wings that are very noisy in the morning.

Other animal notes 
Kangaroos- I've seen Grey and Red. They look very much like the termite mounds which are everywhere when they stand still
and the termite mounds are grey in some areas and red in others where the dirt is red. Isn't evolution amazing!

I've seen dead wild pigs by the road but never a live one. They are black and the biggest was about 6 feet long.

Today I saw feral cats two grey tabbies.

And what about termites anyway? Their mounds are so many here- just where I can see they are every 10 feet or so apart as far as I can see! How many billions of billions of them must there be out here?
]]> Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=611623 0 -20.7 140.5 August 7

Today I rode from Normanton to a campsite (no water) called Bang Bang about 107k away. I had a great morning ride and covered 60k in the first 3 hours easily. I stopped by a large River for lunch after crossing a narrow bridge. The cool thing is there was no place a car could have stopped- no pullouts and a very narrow two lane road, but it was no problem for the bike!

In the River were three huge storks or cranes swimming along. Each must have been easily 6 feet tall with stilt legs. Two took off while I watched them and they were slow and very graceful for the biggest birds I have ever seen flying.

After lunch the riding was much much tougher with 30 k of single lane road with just red dirt beside it when cars came. Also there was a large gravel section that was tricky riding and slow and to top it off my tailwind turned into a headwind and really wore me out!

Today was gradual climbing and the land changed again. All of a sudden the trees disappeared and it was open fields of grasses with very few trees! It looked like the pictures of the African plains. This is the real Savannah Country now.

Every day holds surprises, some good and some just a bother but I am under the stars tonight and content to be still.

Tomorrow on to Burke and Wills Roadhouse 100 k away.
]]> Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=611622 0 -17.6666667 141.0833333 Sleeping by the banks of the Gilbert River tonight and on to Croyden or past tomorrow.

A lot to catch up on since my last post; rest day turned into two rest days when the Road construction workers and truck drivers advised me to not ride from Mt Surprise on the highway due to 45k of roadwork in progress. They said I would not be able to keep up with the cars they pass thru and would probably have to walk.

Julie, the woman who runs the Mt Surprise Hotel, suggested that I avoid the construction by taking a tourist train called the Savannahlander that runs from Cairns to the little town of Forsayth (pop. 43) which is 40k south of Georgetown on a quiet and mostly paved road.

I slept on that and in the end voted for the safety of the train practicing at listening and taking the advice of the people I meet. 

The train was a two car affair with the engine and first car being one and the same. Seemed like a big streetcar to me. Pictures of it are already posted to the blog when I had a brief period to use a computer on Georgetown. 

Riding on the train we got away from the road and deeper into the backcountry and I finally saw some kangaroos. Mostly the grey kangaroos but we saw a couple of what are called Big Reds who are larger and more aggressive.

The train left at about 12:30 and had one stop at the Ensleigh River before heading to Foesayth just after 5pm. Because it was so late I couldn't begin the ride to Georgetown and spent the night camping behind the hotel/pub in Forsayth.

Forsayth reminded me of all of the small towns in Idaho that have ranches and farmers around who come to the pub or organize the community events. This weekend was a big festival and fundraiser for them with bands and competitions and I wish I could have stayed for it, but two rest days are one too many so back on the road at sunup.

The 40k ride to Georgetown was going really well- I am stronger in the saddle now and my endurance is improving- until I hit a 15k stretch of gravel and sand where the old paving had died. 

Very tricky riding the heavy bike in the softer stuff and a lot more effort. It made me really glad I invested I'm the Schwabe Mondial hybrid tires because they handled the soft stuff really well.

I took a long break in Georgetown to check email and post a quick note to my blog and put up some of the pictures using their Library computers.

Riding today has been the first day I have spooked kangaroos. 
It is so cool to see them hopping along beside you on the bike. 

The cattle are all over the road as well- they breed Brahmans here that are genetically superior for drought conditions and disease and they will stand in the middle of the road until I get close and scatter at the last minute running to the side. I just hope I don't run into a bull! Not much chance of that since the breeding bulls are probably tens of thousands of dollars and very well cared for.

I spent the night by the Gilbert River and it had a little water left in it so I was able to fill my water bags with water I treated and have plenty of water for dinner.

I turned in early to get an early start and the light of the full moon awoke me so I am writing this up.

Hopefully I will be able to post it in Croyden but we will see, there seems to be no Vodafone access out here and very little WiFi.

]]> Mon, 06 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=189235 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=611621 0 -18.15 142.8666667 Woke up at 4 with the bright moonlight in my eyes. Very quiet and peaceful out here. It is cool at night and I am in the sleeping bag and wearing a long sleeve shirt to keep the chill off.

I have a very short ride to Normanton today where I mailed a supply package with food and goodies and I will sleep in a caravan park with a pool tonight.

Hopefully they have WiFi somewhere and I can post all of the last week to the blog. If you are reading this I was successful. 

No wifi I may buy a Telstra sim card for the phone in Cloncurry just to post my blog .

I met the New Zealand National Bronco Riding Champion in the pub tonight- very nice young man with the Champion belt buckle. His name is Paul and he has been to Oregon and Idaho and Cali working on ranches. You meet so many interesting people on the road. Alas, I will never meet up with the Siberian woman- apparently she is going one way and I am traveling another. C'set la vie.

Had a nice day at the pool and picked up my package, hurrah! Power foods again!

Will leave Normanton behind tomorrow and head for Bang Bang. Shout out to NASA for a successful Mars landing today. Awesome!
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