Day 2 Port Wakefield to Redhill

Today was a bitch for me... even with perfect weather and a tailwind everything seemed to be an effort. We made it to Redhill, about 20 miles short of Port Pirie for a total of 53 miles. However, we managed to find a hidden gem in the form of the Eureka Hotel! This hotel was built in 1878 and looks like it was plucked right off a movie set. It has a rustic bar, community toilets, balcony, the works. Redhill has only 200 or so residents, and used to be the end of the line for the railroad. Of course when the end of the line was moved to Port Pirie the town suffered.

As it turns out, we are the only guests tonight in the hotel... we had an excellent meal from the kitchen and of course a pint to add to the atmosphere!

Day 1 continued

We were up at 6am and actually rolling at 8.10... Dave had some trouble with securing one of his bags. We took the requisit photos at the YHA in Adelaide and with a little trouble navigating we managed to actually make it out of Adelaide! I had asked for directions at the desk, but I really didn't "believe" the instructions they gave me... something about the number of "ummms" sapped my confidence.

Anyway, it was a PERFECT day for cycling, about 65f , no wind or a slight tail wind. We stopped at the Southlight service station and as I rolled in, there was Karla the Aussie sheep dog!! I was so happy to see her- I didn't know if she'd still be alive as she was very old when I met her two years ago. This was the spot where I was compelled to give up my first attempt to ride to Darwin due to the Pnuemonia. I was very emotional for me to be back here again today. I gave Karla a good scruffle and shared my sandwich with here. It was tough to say "good-bye" knowing that I'll never see here again.

We had a good day riding. Andrew and Dave are both stronger riders than me, but I just plodded along and we rolled into Port Wakefield at 3pm. We had booked a room, but opted instead to camp at the caravan park since the weather was perfect and the price was literally a fourth of that of the room.

We had a beer at the old historic pub, a very cool place to be sure!

Day 1 Adelaide to Port Wakefield

....And away we go!! We're packed, breakfasted, and ready to roll. Hopefully by day's end we are in Port Wakefield South Australia!!! 58 miles today

Spot Tracker

You can check out our progress by following this link:

https://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=1yFomHrRl7IWLgWGVScdjAmFDWPo0hZLy

We are logging in with spot tracker GPS each day, and this site has a map indicating
our locations. Its password protected and the password is: kangaroo

Wheels dipped...

Dave, Andrew and I rode the 10k to the beach yesterday along with Paul, and dipped our wheels into the Southern Ocean. We are packing up today and will head north to Port Wakefield tomorrow morning @ 6.45am. Its a 58 mile ( 95 km) ride, and I'm looking forward to getting that first day behind us!!

Paul has been great to hang and cycle with! Dave met him in the kitchen, and we've all enjoyed his company. As so it ocassionally happens you meet someone that seems to really have found a great way of living... Paul is the lighthouse keeper at the Cape Leewin lighthouse near Augusta in Western Australia!!
Check it out:

http://www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/wa/Cape%20Leeuwin/Cape%20Leeuwin.htm

We'll spend today making final preparations and such... Tomorrow its on!!!

Back in Adelaide!

Well after a very long but relatively trouble-free trip, we are at the Adelaide Central YHA (youth hostal) in Adelaide, South Australia. We're getting our bikes set up, buying a few last minute items and recoveing from jet lag.
I'm back to finish what I started two years ago when I set out to bicycle the Stewart Highway from Adelaide to Darwin in Australia. With me are two friends and fellow cyclists Andrew Johnson from Thief River Falls MN, and Dave Sears from Grand Forks (Thompson) ND.
Dave opted not to bring his tent at the last minute, and so we were out buying one yesterday afternoon... I was stunned that he found a $34 tent, and that it actually seems like a decent quality item!! Weather is a bit damp and rainy, and the temp is in the low 50's, actually very comfortable.
Our room last night was strategically located across the alley from a techno club so we were graced with a pounding rhythm for most of the night... not that it really mattered, we were all initially asleep by 9pm. I awoke around 3am just to make sure the music was still pounding and I was not disappointed :-)
Andrew, who managed to have one bag sent to off to god-knows-where, had his lost luggage delivered at some point during the night, and so amazingly we now have all our gear and everything is working. Dave met a local cyclist and is going out for a test ride i a bit. As for myself, I'm off to find a coffee and then I'll finish assembling my bike. At the moment we are all heathly and in great spirits... I'm praying this holds!!

Safely Back Home

My jet lag is leaving me, as I managed to actually sleep all through the night last night... but part of me is still in Australia. There is also a nagging little voice in the back of my head that is reminding me that the Stuart Highway is still unridden... fall down 7 times, get up 8!

However, another attempt is at least a year away and there is a lot of living to do between now and then! I've decided that next time I'll probably not be riding it solo. I'm considering a group ride and possibly a support vehicle for the future. I've already convinced Dan to drive any support vehicle and he has generously agreed... of course I think his motivation may be due in no small part to his desire to watch us suffer!

Back home it's a beautiful summer day outside in Thief River Falls, with the high temperature today expected to be around 81 degrees (26C), with light winds. So, of course the only thing to do is go for a bike ride!