Tuesday, June 24, 2008

They say bad luck comes in threes...

I've been recovering nicely in Melbourne under the gentle care of Jason, and Dan and Lisa(Leezr) Scarff. Where the antibiotics have left off, we've managed to pick up the slack with some Australian red wine, beer, and general good cheer- Very nice, thanks guys!!!

However, just as things are beginning to come around, I got another tough blow today. I've discovered that due to a mix up in payroll, I will not be receiving another paycheck until September... My god does THAT sting!
Apparently I was put into a 9-month salary distribution instead of the 12-month plan that I've been on for the past 12 years. Of course it could be worse, but the phrases "House Payment" and "Car Payment" now make me twitch involuntarily when I hear them!

As if to add a little salt into the wound, there was the notice from the school that the state had taken a balloon payment for my HEALTH INSURANCE out of my last paycheck to cover me during the months when I will not be receiving a paycheck- F***ing nice of the State of Minnesota to look after me so well!

On a more happy (or strange!) note, we watched the film "Wolf Creek" last night. Dan had given it to me as a gift when I first arrived, saying that it would "prepare me for my bike ride through the outback." Wolf Creek is the genuinely disturbing account of backpackers in the Outback that are attacked by an Aussie serial killer... just the thing I would have needed in order to sleep well in my tent alone in the desert. Ah Dan, you are a true comfort!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Farewell Adelaide

Well, my condition is definately not improving. I'm heading back to Melbourne tomorrow on the Overland to spend a couple weeks with friends, and then it's the dreadful flight back to the states. The Stuart Highway will have to wait for another year. I'm basically being philosophical about this whole ordeal, but there are still a few fleeting moments when I want to throw a temper-tantrum!

Thanks to all of you for your kind words, and moral support!!!

Until next time...

Monday, June 16, 2008

No plan of attack ever survives contact with the enemy.

I've just returned from a visit to a local doctor at Globe Medical. The complete visit including my filled prescription was $57... Yeah, that's right America a $57 doctor AND pharmacy visit, no insurance necessary! What the hell have we allowed our medical system to become?!!!

So now the bad news... I've got bronchitis and possibly walking pneumonia. This means that I'm looking at 2-4 weeks of recovery time, even with the antibiotics. Given my available time and the fact of having lost a week already, my plan to cycle to Darwin is essential finished.

I have carefully considered my options, including perhaps just a partial ride to Alice. Considering the gravity of the traveling unsupported through this environment, I've decided that it just isn't worth it. I need to be at 100% physically in order to have the confidence to this alone.

So after all the training, planning, expense, etc., it only took some one's uncovered cough to throw my plans to wind. To say that I'm disappointed really doesn't cover it- but I suppose it is far better to have this happen now as opposed to becoming ill out in the middle of nowhere.

Tentatively my plan now is to finish out the week in Adelaide, then head back to Melbourne. Depending on how quickly I'm recovering I may do some small trips around the region before heading back to the States. I'm gonna play it by ear...

Saturday, June 14, 2008

...and today held so much promise.

I had a strange start to my day when as I left my room to go to the toilet I surprised a large, tattoo-covered kid rummaging through the contents of back pack that were spread out over the floor. He was clearly startled, and I eyed him up based on his reaction. I thought he might have simply spilled his pack... but it just felt wrong. He was gone when I returned from the toilet, so I went to have a cup of tea and breakfast. The communal cafeteria was empty save for a lone kid hammering away furiously at the keyboard to a laptop. As I went to sit down, there tucked against the wall was the back pack- sans large, illustrated thug of course. I turned the pack into the desk, described the kid an we located the pack's owner from the registry... a disabled student from Costa Rica. Crime is so classy.

After that things went fairly well. I was up, fed, and packed and out the door just before 7am.

I rode out into essentially empty streets in Adelaide, although they did fill quickly enough after that! My only setback initially was a very low back tire, which of course was remedied easily enough.


About 3km into the ride I had to pull over and give in to a full-on coughing, phlegm-spewing spasm... another followed in about 15 minutes. After that I thought I'd hit my stride and the coughing stopped... for a while. But after about 20km it came on again and with a vengeance... this time including a bit of blood, just for aesthetics.

I had to stop and have a serious gut-check moment with myself... and I didn't like what I was finding. Against my own better advice I pushed on. As I later learned my cyclo-computer was way off, probably reading MPH instead of km PH, but I was only averaging 10-12 km according to my computer. I suspected something was amiss, due to the good cadence and higher gears that I was trying to maintain. Over time, I just steadily slowed and worse yet began to cough more regularly, and with increasing ferocity.

At what my computer indicated as 30.28 km, I was done. I thought perhaps I'd "hit the wall" and needed to eat, especially since I'd been ill. I stopped at the Liberty Service station, and had a bit to eat and a coke. I felt measurably worse instead of better after eating!



The woman working the counter asked if I was alright, to which I simply replied "No." I went outside and sat in the sunlight (it was actually cold), and thought about my options with my knees drawn-up and my head in my hands. I must have been the most pathetic-looking creature in the region at that moment, as "Karla" the sheep dog came up unbidden and just put her head in my lap. I nearly broke down.



For the first time in my adult life I was unable to go on just on guts alone. It was an awful revelation for me, and I even hesitate to write it.

I made a few phone calls on my mobile, and then owned up to the fact that not only couldn't I go on, I couldn't ride back either! Well, I thought I'd just call a taxi, and have them deposit me back at the YHA- WRONG. First off, I couldn't ring them on my mobile phone, and then had to ask the VERY kind counter women Janet, who of course turned out to be one of the owners no less, to help me find a taxi company. Then I had to ask her to show me how to use the phone- I must have looked like an imbecile! After an age of arguing on the phone, I learned that no taxi company would come out that far to get me!!! "That far" I protested on the phone, "Its only 30km!" I was told that it was 48km, but of course I knew better... in either case, no yellow cavalry was coming.

So I thought I'd rely on human kindness, and started to ask anyone stopping for gas for a lift. I offered to pay for their tank fill, and give them $50.00... no takers. I even went next door to the pub and offered $100... still not the slightest interest! Bin Laden would have had better luck securing a ride back to Adelaide!!

Two hours into my humble-pie eating world record attempt, I was still unable to find a ride. Janet had been joined at the counter by Nikki, and they were both becoming genuinely concerned- and you know that was very nice.



I took stock of things, considered trying to bicycle back, and then rang one of the taxi companies again. Through dogged persistance I managed to convince the dispatcher to send someone, and I didn't mind waiting. This turned out to be good, because I still had well over an hour to wait!

The cab ride itself was actually delightful. The cabby, whose name I will not even try to re-create out of respect, turned out to be an engineering grad student from India working on alternative energy solutions. He was fascinating, and speaking with him gave me another glimmer of hope for humanity!
I carefully checked the mileage on his odometer, and sure enough it was 48 km...

So, it's been a day of being WRONG.

I was initially WRONG about an obvious criminal. WRONG about the state of my health. WRONG about my abilities. VERY WRONG to assume that road train drivers would at least try to give you a bit of room, or alert you to their presence. But most of all, WRONG to assume that the day was a total loss! Once I got over my self pity, the other challenges were actually rewarding, and of course as always I met some very nice people!

Tomorrow I'm going to the doctor.

As for everything else, it can wait. It is such a privilege to be here, at this place, at this time, and in this form, that I'm actually a bit awe-struck.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Adelaide YHA June 14

Woke promptly at 5am this morning after another 12+ hours of sleep. I'm feeling significantly improved with the fever having broken during the night and only the cough remaining. My strength is a bit lacking, but I'm going to carefully pack up today and be ready to strike out tomorrow morning if I feel up to it...I NEED to put some miles behind me!
I'll be taking care of small details today, and of course resting a bit more as well.
I'm reminded of the quote "it is better to finish well than to begin well", so I'm hoping for something along those lines!

ADDENDUM
It's 4pm Adelaide time, and I'm basically ready to go. I've done laundry, packed, eaten, inter-netted (is that a word?!), etc. I spent a good chunk of this afternoon chatting with Jordan, one of the YHA staff members. He was keen to find out what he could about bicycle touring as he was planning to tour Europe this coming season. I was of course all too willing to tell him whatever I could (and probably much more than he wanted to know!) about touring. Anyway, he was delightful and a real morale booster for me since he got me excited about getting on the road! Thanks Mate!

So the plan is to be up at 6am, and on the road at 7am heading north toward Port Wakefield. Excellent.

ADDENDUM 2
I've just returned from a FANTASTIC meal at the "Indian Brasserie" located at 65 Gouger Street about 3 or 4 blocks from the YHA in China Town. Its well worth whatever you need to endure to get a meal there... Personally this was my 3rd attempt! On the first attempt they were in the process of "opening" for several hours... I gave up in hunger and frustration. On the second they were just flat-out closed for no apparent reason. The third time was a charm. I had elected to just pass on by simply out of spite. I paused for mere seconds to glance at the menu when the Host completely won me over with charm.
****Highly recommended, but not for those on a tight budget.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Overland from Melbourne to Adelaide


Loading up the bike at the trainstation... the blurry photo is accurate relative to how I was seeing everything!





At 5.30 am my alarm went off and I sat straight up in bed. I was actually relieved to have the alarm go off so I could quit pretending to sleep. I threw the piles of semi-sorted gear into my panniers, stashed those items that I wouldn't be taking in my duffle, and jumped into the shower.

The taxi was prompt, and I loaded in no time flat. The driver, a man of middle-eastern decent, thought I was crazy to be doing this trip... I seem to get that a lot here! At the train station he firmly shook my hand a wished me "good luck"- it was all very touching. It's surprising how a small gesture from a stranger can mean so much.

Initially I thought that it was just fatigue, but as the train pulled out of Melbourne, I began to feel genuinely terrible. Within an hour I had a full-on fever, head-ache, coughing, the works. I managed to sleep most of the 10 hours to Adelaide, being woken up every hour or so for a broadcast tourist announcement. I tried to take photos of the noteable stuff, but only the Murray brige photo turned out. I'm not certain why it is significant, but I think it has something to do with being big, or old, or made from matchsticks or something.

I've checked into the Adelaide YHA (youth hostel), and I'm going to hole-up here until Sunday in the hope that I will feel up to crossing the one low mountain pass of the journey..! I'm force-feeding liquids, vitamin C, and a little sushi, as well as sleeping for enormous stretches of time. I slept straight through from 6pm until 9am today, and that was after sleeping 10 hours on the train.

I went for a short walk to the central market to buy supplies, and found a fleece jacket on close-out for $7. It is surprisingly cold here, and I needed another layer. The market was excellent, with lots of fresh fruit, used books, and myrid exotic curiosities from around the world. They also had EXCELLENT coffee!

Well, I'm off for another nap. I will then start the task of figuring out how to actually get out of Adelaide and such.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Rest and Prep

Had a brilliant day in Melbourne today. I slept like a dead man, and woke to sunny skies. After an easy morning of coffee, coffee, and an excellent tuna sandwich it was off to buy a few last items and a train ticket to Adelaide. The ticket price including the excess fee for the bike was a mere $74AU and I was told that I didn't need to box my bike- Fantastic!! Tested the Spot Satellite Tracker in Jason's back yard and it worked brilliantly as well. I can only hope that I only need to use the "I am fine" button...

My train leaves at 8.05am on Thursday, so tomorrow is a free day in Melbourne. I'll be assembling the bike, packing, and generally faffing about.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Melbourne

Finally made into Melbourne this morning at 8.05am. I'll add more to this post after I get a good night's rest under me, but wanted to let everyone know that there are boots on the ground in Australia. Melbourne is 15 hours ahead of Minnesota time, so at 11pm here its 8am back home... been traveling for 48 hours, time to rest.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Airports and PA mind-control

I'm sitting at gate 120 in LAX, listening to the loudest airport p.a. system I've ever experienced. There is a women essentially screaming instructions in rapid-fire spanish directly overhead- I'm having flashbacks to Catholic school in Guatemala! Of course in Guatemala the screaming would stop when you complied with directions...

My flight boards in 2 hours at 8pm. I've been at the airport since noon, and I've got an 18-hour flight ahead me... I should have never stopped huffing paint! The LA weather is lovely, and I'm enjoying the sunshine after all the Minnesota rain. I've checked the weather forecast in south Austalia, and regardless of the temperature the all important wind seems to be shifting again to the south!!

Jason is still allegedly meeting me at the airport, and still seems to have a full itinerary ready to keep me from sleeping. I'm sure he mentioned 'wake boarding', but I'd have sworn he said 'water boarding'! Anyway, I can't wait to have boots on the ground in Oz!!!,

Airlines- and the collapse of western civilization

Its a looong story, but the short of it is that for some reason no one can explain to me, I was not allowed to board my flight out of Thief River Falls at 6am. Every other passenger in the terminal boarded...even though I checked in first, had all my affairs in order, etc.! So, I came back to the airport at 2.30, waited until 4, was delayed in Hibbing and again in Minneapolis. I missed my connection overseas at LAX by HOURS!

All day I tried to get a NWA supervisor to speak with me regarding this situation, with no luck. I literally ran my cell phone dead on hold with NWA "customer care". If I ever get the chance to meet the TRF/Bemidji supervisor, Roger Tuttle, I may just punch him in the face on general principle! The only people worth a damn at the entire Thief River Airport today were security: TSA, TRF PD (Yes, I mean you Seth!), and especially Les Johnston the TSA supervisor-Thank you Les for being not only damn good at your job, but for being a stand-up guy!!

With no overseas flight and an uncertain stand-by ticket to LA, I was at the point of despair. I asked the gate agent James M. if he could possibly help me... the man was AMAZING! He simply took command, made decisions, and even berated the Qantas "customer care" agent for being an idiot- got me an overseas flight and confirmed my flight to LA! I'm exhausted or I would sing this man's praises even more... perhaps I'll amend this later.



I took this snap on my camera phone, while James was saving the day! NWA sucks beyond belief- I literally had delt with more than a DOZEN other NWA people, all of whom could (or would) do NOTHING! This man deserves something beyond a mere promotion; he may actually be single-handedly running the entire airline for all I know! I should also note that at LAX Mr. Kamran Kaiser went above and beyond as well, helping several of us brain-dead travellers find a hotel even though the ticket area was clearly closed.

So, in a mere 24 hours I've made it to Los Angeles. However, on the bright side I do have all my luggage including the bike.
I also spoke with a shiney-new grad student on the shuttle bus. She will be doing an anthropological study on spirit guides in Papua New Guinea while living with the natives. She genuinely believes that she will subsist for 2 months collecting rain water! She will do this as method of avoiding dysentery from the regular water. I would LOVE to hear about this in 2 months time- honestly, I think they might just eat her on general principle!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

...And away we go!

Its about 9:30pm on Thursday night. I'm packed, and everything is loaded into the cruiser. I fly out at 6am from the Thief River Airport. I've got a couple-hour layover in Minneapolis, and then TEN HOURS at LAX before I fly out after 11pm! Its a 14-hour flight to Melbourne, so I'm looking at about 33 hours in transit. Skippy (Jason Scheepers) has already informed me that he will NOT be letting me sleep until dark the day I arrive (allegedly to help me beat jet lag, but I have my doubts!), so I'm in for a study in sleep deprivation!

I took my boxed bike to the airport today and weighed in on their scale, then went home and loaded it to capacity with stuff. The rest is going into one duffel and a small carry-on. I was informed that we are now allowed only one bag on the flight, and that I will have the privelage of paying extra for both the bike and its extra weight... If I could get to Australia in a timely manner any other way I would NEVER fly again.

I had a good scare last night when I was switching out my old Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires for the new ones I've been sitting on for months... Schwalbe had sent me the wrong size! The box said 35C the tires were 32C or smaller. Fortunately, I happen to still have a Christmas gift from my folks from two years back in the form of two Schwalbe Marathon XR HS s in the right size! So I'll be rolling a bit slower, but the toughness is there.

"Get to bed Nels"