Tour
Journal page 1
“Within every man
there lies a dream. It is to his mind what his heart is to
his body. He not only believes in it, but he lives because
of it. He nourishes it with thought, unaware it is his most
valuable possession. It sustains him in times of crisis. It
comforts his fears and silently molds his future. Wherever
he goes and whatever he does, it remains part and parcel of
his being. And when his dream is fulfilled, he quickly plants
another. For without a dream, a man may exist but he ceases
to live.”
David Conover
Once Upon An Island
Me And My Pushie In Perth
7 December/03
Well, here we go; the first blog report
from the fine Australian continent.
I'm at an Internet cafe in downtown Perth
pounding away on this grimy keyboard that has seen more hands
than a public toilet flush handle. Trust me, I checked it
out! The machine runs slow, but I guess it works okay for
text.
I arrived here in Perth on Tuesday 2 December
2003 at 7:30am. After clearing customs at 8:30am, I commenced
to assemble my bike and trailer. At 10:30am I made my way
over to The Regency Motel on the Great Eastern Highway, about
6km away.
The first thing I did was to go to bed.
I slept for 17 hours. Then it was time to go to work. The
list of things to do was indeed long and I've made lists every
friggin' day that I've been here.
Now, instead of telling you about all the things that I've
been doing (I'll get around to some of those in a minute),
I'll tell you about what I've noticed about this fine city.
First, there is no snow here. Not that
I thought there would be, but my dad will laugh when he reads
this. Rain? 30 minutes of the stuff in the last week. I like
those numbers! Hot (28-30C), sunny, and at times, windy. Simply
wonderful. And it's Christmas time. Unlike any festive season
I've experienced. Dry. Very dry. The ground is sandy, dried
right out. I don't know how anything grows in it. Adaptation.
The homes in the area by the airport, and close to where I've
been staying, remind me a lot of the homes in the American
Southwest: one level, tiled roofs, earthy colours. The homes
out by Freemantle, just west of Perth and closer to the ocean,
are sometimes huge. There is a lot of money here in Perth.
Dinners on the patios. Big parties in tents on the lakeshore.
Movies in the park at night. Rolls Royces. Mercedes. Gold
money. Mining money.
There doesn't seem to be the same Christmas
shopping frenzy here as there is in Canada. The stores are
busy, but there are also a lot of people on the streets. Guess
the weather helps with that. I have not noticed many Christmas
decorations here either. In a way, it's nice to see. I think
Australians have there own way to celebrate Christmas: at
the beach!!!
Yesterday I swam in the Indian Ocean for the first time. It
really is that colour! Beautiful blues and greens. Salty,
sandy, and warm. I got knocked off my feet several times when
a good-sized wave, four feet high, came crashing in, walloping
me a good one.
And what about the biking?? Well, I have
been riding lots around Perth. I've seen a lot of the surrounding
area, but it'll be tomorrow when the real riding starts. I
leave for the Overlander Roadhouse tonight at 8:00pm. I arrive
at the Overlander at 7:10am tomorrow (Monday). After loading
up on water (16 litres), I'll start the ride out to Steep
Point, 200km from the Overlander. It will be HOT and DRY.
No water sources along the route. No water until I arrive
at the Ranger's house on the ocean's edge.
And all those things that have been eating
up a week here in Perth? They include: searching for organic
food (yeah, right--wrong West Coast, Vancouver is a long way
away); purchasing off-road tires for the bike; looking for
a decent bank; enduring awful shopping malls; composing emails
and journal writings; fine-tuning the bike; thinking, mapping,
sleeping, and just friggin' takin' it easy. This is the vacation
part of the journey, to some respect. The real work begins
tomorrow.
And now, I must wander back out into the
sun and find a nice place to sit until my bus comes in.
Kangaroos, koalas, platypi? Here in Perth?
At the zoo, mate. Have seen some wild parrots and galahs.
All of them very vocal, always a reminder that I'm not in
British Columbia anymore.
And the "pushie"? It's Australian
for a push-bike, which is Australian for a pedal bike, also
known as a bicycle.
Okay now, on yer pushie, mate.
Blog y'all later.
Rod.
Send me email!!
All pictures are in chronological
order.
Pictures shown at right (top to bottom)
include:
Perthy Purple, Perth, WA
Bike and Trailer, Swan River in background, Perth, WA
Downtown Perth, From King's Park, Perth, WA
Shafto Lane, Perth, WA
Above The Skyline, Perth, WA
Sunset on the Swan River, Perth, WA
Along The Useless
Loop Road – Day 1
8 December/03
I arrived at the Overlander Roadhouse
on the North West Coastal Hwy at 8:10am, eleven hours by bus
from Perth. I slept most of the way to avoid seeing what the
area was like, so I wouldn't see it twice. (My plan was to
ride the same route, except in a southern direction.) I talked
to a young guy in his early twenties named Dean while I assembled
the BOB trailer. He was travelling south by bus to visit his
one year old son. Dean was full of fishing and fighting tales,
but sounded as though he was about to settle down. His plan
was to become a "sparkie" (electrician).
I left the Overlander ("The
Gateway To Monkey Mia") about 11:00am, and started the
200km trek to Steep Point. It was bitumen (pavement) for the
first 41km, with a 10km side trip to Hamelin Pool, home of
a telegraph station established in 1884, as well as the location
of stromatolites; large, club shaped objects that are the
oldest and largest living fossils in the world.
At the Useless Loop Road turn-off,
the road turned to dirt, sand, and gravel. The washboard surface
climbed over many hills (more than a hundred!), and by about
6:00pm I was bedding down in the first bush camp of the trip.
The vegetation in this part of the
Shark Bay World Heritage Area is low trees and brush, monotonous
green mixed with the red earth, brilliant at first, but after
20km it very much all looks the same.
I considered the first day's 70km of riding a success, especially
considering the weight of the trailer and the fact that I
was toting 16 litres of water! The waxing moon rose bright
and clear and the rest of the sky was a myriad of stars. The
first night in this dry, harsh place was wonderment in itself.
Trip distance to date: 70km
Pictures shown at right (top to bottom)
include:
Useless Loop Road, WA
Moon Over Tent, Useless Loop Road, WA
Bike on Useless Loop Road, WA
Lord of the Flies, Shark Bay World Heritage Area, WA
Steep Point 37km Sign, Shark Bay World Heritage Area, WA
4WD Track to Steep Point, Shark Bay World Heritage Area, WA
Zuytdorp Cliffs, Steep Point, WA
Rod at Zuytdorp Cliffs, Steep Point, WA
Steep Point Sign, Shark Bay World Heritage Area, WA
The Indian Ocean Vial, Steep Point, WA
The
Arrival Of The Flies – Day 2
9 December/03
Up and on the bike at 7:00am. I was
determined to make good distance on this, another hot and
dry day.
The hills got steeper and the day
hotter. I had to brake going down the hills in order not to
spill on the shifty sand and loose gravel. The bike and trailer
shook and shimmied and leapt over bumps and small boulders.
It was tough going. Slow up the hills in the lowest gear,
then braking down the other side. On it went for hours, always
with the stench of a cooking kangaroo or emu carcass on the
road. Roadkill a-plenty. And on this road, they don't scoop
up the roadkill. They just let it rot. It's overly disgusting.
I came upon one huge male kangaroo that had just been hit
the night before, its fractured leg bone shattered and protruding
through the flesh. I hope it died quick.
I stopped at the gates of Tamala
Station, a dry outpost of a homestead that offers farm stays
and caravan accommodations. I was immediately swarmed by flies.
The nagging nightmare of the trip had begun.
They are labeled as "the bane
of the Australian Summer". They are the flies: small,
black, and ugly. I cannot find a way to love them. I have
tried. Deep in my heart I know their place here on Earth is
as precious as mine, but I still loathe them. They, on the
other hand, seem to love me. They just can't stay away, like
an obsessed lover or an unwanted houseguest. They come to
me in droves, seeking, wanting, needing my attention. Or is
it my moisture they want?
Mosquitos drink blood. These flies
are simply looking for water. In the dry, barren world that
they live in, water is precious.
They have mastered the ways of obtaining
my moisture by collecting it from my eyes, nose, mouth, and
ears. And anywhere else they can find it. (Use your imagination.)
Mostly they go straight for the eyes.
Have you ever seen those pictures of cattle with flies in
their eyes? Just superimpose my face on that cow and you've
got the scene. Okay, more like: a cow in cycling shorts. Okay,
well maybe a goat in cycling shorts.
Ah, but wait...because I am carrying
so much weight, so many things with me on this trip (hence,
the need for a trailer) you may have wondered if I am carrying
some defense against the mighty fly. My answer, friends, is
"Yes!"
Behold the righteous "Original
Bug Shirt", the saver of my sanity 66,000 times over.
It is my friend indeed in these times of need.
Have Bug Shirt, will travel.
There is nothing quite like seeing
the world through a bug screen. It shows me that the world
is indeed made up of tiny little squares and that they all
fit together to make the perfect picture.
Which brings us back to Tamala Station.
Located in a dry depression, which floods during downpours
but produces beautiful green grass and a colourful carpet
of wildflowers, Tamala's gates are a wonderful place to behold.
In early spring, that is. In summer it's just an unwelcoming,
brown wasteland; the air littered with the aforementioned
annoying black creature.
It was here that the Bug Shirt first
saw the light of day on this trip. I donned the Shirt, securing
its zippered hood and bid the swarm farewell. Little hitchhikers
clung to my shoulders while the braver ones crawled around
my face area. So it went for the next 6 hours.
The vegetation became shorter, but
not sparser, the flies more annoying, the sun hotter, the
road increasingly more “adventurous”, the wind
windier, and my throat drier.
Four of the eight 4-wheel-drive trucks
that passed me stopped to check on me. One of them had three
businessmen in it, on their way back from the mining town
of Useless Loop.
Driver: “Where ya headin' mate?”
Me: “To Steep Point.”
Shock and awed reactions.
Driver: “And what are ya gonna
do when ya get there?”
Me: “Turn around and ride back.”
This time the truck filled with laughter.
Driver: “Well, good luck to
ya, mate!”
I watched as they drove away, shaking
their heads.
One of the trucks contained Customs
Officer Paul, who was very curious as to where I was headed.
It was part of his patrol to drive the back roads, looking
for cretins like me. He offered some good-natured advice and
we talked for several minutes. I watched his truck disappear
into the heat.
Further on a few kilometers I came
upon a “Y” junction. The road to Useless Loop
split off to the right. I continued straight, in the direction
of Steep Point. The road became even more “adventurous”.
More sand, more ruts, more walking the bike.
Finally, the road ended at a “T”
junction. A wooden road sign pointed left to False Entrance
(a prime fishing spot), and right to Steep Point. The distance
to Steep Point (37km) was written in chalk on the road sign.
For all the effort I had put in so far, 37km still seemed
a long way away.
The wind howled something fierce
in this open space and I made my way (mostly pushing the bike)
down the ankle-deep-sand-covered road until I found a sheltered
place to camp. (Sheltered=large bush.)
Incredibly, my patience held out
and I was able to put in a respectable 90km for the day. It
was starting to look like it would take me three days to reach
Steep Point instead of the original estimate of two days.
I still had plenty of water for another day, and food for
several more.
With sundown at 7:00pm, the sky was
soon filled again with stars, and I again stood amazed, gazing
at the constellations until the moon rose over the nearby
ridge.
Trip distance to date: 160km
Here's Why
They Call It A Push-Bike – Day 3
10 December/03
I left camp at 7:20am. A few kilometres
down the road I came to a bar bridge which crosses the inlet
to the Useless Loop Road. Useless Loop is a mining town and
access to the town is restricted, crossing the bar is prohibited.
Also at this site is a parking lot and the start of the real
4WD track, almost completely sand covered and much steeper
than what had come before.
This is where things got real interesting.
It was impossible to ride the bike, and, as I had been doing
for the past 4km, I had to push the whole bike/trailer rig
uphill in the sand. More correctly, I was actually pulling
the bike, with my left hand on the handlebars and my right
hand behind the seat, propelling the rig forward.
After about 750m of this nonsense I decided
to stash the trailer, and about 70% of the gear, behind some
bushes. I took an hour and sorted through the gear, putting
my map, sunblock, tools, sleeping bag, water, food, and camera
equipment in my two panniers. Now, with a lighter load, I
struck out again. It was 11:00am.
It took me 6 hours of pulling the bike
over 20km of sandy track to reach the Ranger's house. I figure
that I managed to ride about 2.5km of sparse, hard-packed
road sections. (These were usually sections that had seen
recent flooding.) The rest of the way I walked the bike. It
was easily over 30C, windy, no clouds. It was one of the hardest
physical tasks I have ever performed, maybe the hardest.
At about the 10km mark I met a fisherman
named Graham driving in his 4x4. He gave me a litre of ice-cold
water. Minutes before, I had sat pondering at a Y- junction,
trying to decide which path to follow. I was happy with my
choice after meeting Graham.
At around 2:00pm, while I was resting in
the shade of a low bush, Customs Officer Paul and his partner
Russell drove up in their 4x4 and offered me some water. I
graciously accepted. They told me of a more scenic track to
take to the Ranger's house, one which followed the shoreline,
past a large stand of mangrove trees, and onto the beach.
Paul and Russ were also heading to the Ranger's house.They
planned to stay overnight and leave in the morning. I told
them that I'd see them there in a few hours.
I met Ranger Paul Dickenson on the mangrove
track. He was out patrolling and seemed happy to see me. (He
knew I was coming by push-bike.) I told him that I'd be at
his house around 5:00pm.
The views were splendid overlooking the
blue inlet, and I actually managed to ride on the hard-packed
beach as the tide went out.
Making my way up and away from the beach,
I passed a huge stone house, which I later learned is owned
by Carrarang Station, another local homestead, and functions
as a holiday house for their family. (Carrarang Station owns
more than 200,000 hectares of pastoral land in the Shark Bay
area.)
A few hundred metres past the stone house
was the Ranger's house, the most westerly situated home in
Australia, with the most westerly situated pay phone in Australia
out front. (Steep Point itself is 9km further west by road.)
Paul and his wife Pam offered me dinner,
which I accepted, along with a large glass of cold water.
The dinner was a farewell for Customs Officer Paul, who was
being transferred to a position further north, in Broome.
Great food and conversation lasted until
10:00pm. Lots of laughs with these warm, welcoming people.
The patio was brilliantly lit up with Christmas lights of
every colour, and little glowing Santas smiled from the bases
of the potted tropical plants.
That night I slept soundly (with earplugs
in) on two mattresses in the large utility shed out back as
the constant wind lashed and rattled the aluminum panels around
me. Pam and Paul had told me that the wind quits at Easter.
Easter was a long way away.
Trip distance to date: 187km
Greetings From
Geraldton!
20 December/03
Welcome Blogsters.
Season's Greetings to you all. Happy Winter
Solstice on the 21st.
I'm in Geraldton, WA right now. Population
21,000. Downtown crowded today. Another warm, sunny day. Many
great people here. More on that later. Just found out that
the bike shop that I left my BOB trailer at while I went shopping,
shut at 2pm today. Nobody around when I went back to pick
it up. They were nice enough to leave a sign on the front
door with a contact number. Need to pick the trailer up tonight.
Progress is slow at this rate.
Trip distance to date: 670km
Jurien Bay
23 December/03
I am in Jurien Bay, one of four fishing
villages along this part of the coast. Will continue down
to Cervantes, then across to the Brand Hwy, then down to Perth
via the Swan Valley.
Trip distance to date: 895km
Not Spain, But Close
24 December/03
Warm and windy here in Cervantes,
the last of four coastal towns I will be riding through before
I head east and south. Sadly, I will not see the coast again
until Freemantle, south of Perth. I will return to Jurien
Bay and Cervantes on the next trip to Australia, whenever
that is. This is indeed a beautiful part of the world.
Christmas here seems to be (almost)
just another day. Some shops will be open. People going to
the beach tomorrow. No talk of Christmas here at the hostel,
where I am using the facilities (computer, laundry, shower).
The whole holiday fervour here is pretty low-key. It seems
to be like that everywhere else. Even the children don't seem
to be too excited about it. Not many decorations. I keep forgetting
that it is Christmastime. Seriously, everyday I need to remind
myself that it is actually December!
The wind off the ocean helps to keep
the 30C heat from becoming too oppressive. Beaches are beautiful.
Ocean is warm. Lobsters everywhere (the main industry here).
It's a very nice place to spend a few months and get caught
up with these blog entries! Oh well, gotta move on!
Rod's Weather Report:
Two temperatures: Hot and Hotter
(don't ask the actual temperature, too scary)
Two wind speeds: Windy and Windier
Rain: Forget it! (It has rained 1/2 hour in 3 weeks! They
get 180mm of rain per year at Steep Point!)
Trip distance to date: 921km
Pictures shown at right (top to bottom)
include:
Dynamite Bay, Green Head, WA
Dynamite Bay Rod, Green Head, WA
Jurien Bay Rod, Jurien Bay, WA
Large Spider, Hill River Bridge, Near Jurien Bay, WA
At The Corner of Barcelona and Seville, Cervantes, WA
Don and Rod, Don Quixote's Restaurant, Cervantes, WA
Indian Ocean, Thirsty Point, Cervantes, WA
Rod at Thirsty Point, Cervantes, WA
Iguana, Cervantes, WA
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%20Bike%20and%20Trailer,%20Swan%20River%20in%20background,%20Perth,%20WA%20s.jpg)
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%20Shafto%20Lane,%20Perth,%20WA%20small.jpg)
%20Above%20The%20Skyline,%20Perth,%20WA%20small.jpg)
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%20Iguana,%20Cervantes,%20WA%20small.jpg)
