Day 45 Hi-way Roadhouse to Larrimah

Riding before dawn to beat the heat we had a great ride to Larrimah, complete with another tailwind!! Andrew did 50 miles in just under 3 hours, and on a loaded touring bike as well. He arrived in Larrimah around 10.30am, and I leasurely rolled in about 12.30pm... nothing to prove on my end!

The Larrimah Hotel is a really exotic place, and really fitting in the outback. It's almost straight out of a movie set, with its pink concrete walls, tin roof, and cages of exotic birds and snakes... including a Death Adder. As with most historic hotels the rooms are smaller than what we're used to today, and theres a communal toilet. In addition to this our ceiling fan wobbled so much that we were genuinely concerned that it'd come loose flying in our direction!

One of the glass leuvered windows in our room had no screen, and seemed to be the source of the occassional mosquito... Andrew became obsessed with the mosquitos, and was performing acrobatics to swat them with anything at hand! It was hilarious!!

We had a great (and I do mean GREAT) meal and a couple drinks with a few of the colorful locals and really drank in the atmosphere. Amazingly the mosquitos seemed to give up after dark, and we did manage to sleep soundly!

Day 44 Dunmarra to Daly Waters

Today was a perfect ride- a mere 30 miles long, downhill, and a tailwind!!! You live for days like that... the only flaw was that it wasn't a longer ride! We were on the road at 6.40am, about 20 minutes before dawn, and we rolled into the Hi-way Roadhouse at 9am... there was even still just a hint of chill in the air.

We sat down for a coffee on the porch, and struck up a conversation with a motorcyclist named Frank. He was riding a smaller BMW GS that obviously had some miles on it... he said that he'd been on the road for the last 8 years, and was now working his way back home to Papua New Guinea. He was a very interesting and amusing fellow, and we swapped stories about Central America and North Africa.

After sorting out our room arrangements Andrew and I made the 7km trip out to the historic Daly Waters pub. I'd been looking forward to this excursion for many weeks, as they are reputed to have great food as well as atmosphere... Sadly this was not to be. Upon arriving we were treated so poorly by the staff, that we simply turned around and left. Daly Waters seems to be a victim of its own success... with an overworked staff that no longer needs to focus on the customers. Its a good thing that I've had a few days to cool down before entering this post...enough said.

Day 43 Dunmarra

Really, just a nice restful day off... not much happened. Spent most of my time doing laundry, sleeping, reading, and blogging.

Day 42 Elliott to Dunmarra

Our cabin was literally infested with mosquitos last night. It was so bad that both Andrew and I slept in our sleeping bags on top of the beds wearing our headneats!! We had to crank the AC in order to be able to sleep and to hopefully slow down the bugs... bear in mind the room was smaller than a fish house.

I woke up at 5am, and tossed and turned until my alarm went off at 5.45am. Inspite of this it took me forever to get on the road... I would pay for the delay later. As soon as the sun was up we got hit with a strong headwind... and slowed the pace to a crawl at 7-8mph!

Around 1pm I arrived at the Sir Charles Todd monument, commemorating the completion of the overland telegraph line. As I fumbled in my panniers, a couple from a caravan approached and an very delicately asked if I was "ok"...did I need "help"? Apparently I looked to be "in trouble" physically. I told them I was fine, and indeed I did feel fine. However, yet another couple approached and offered me a cold liter of water. I did drink the entire liter, and felt noticably improved... It was hotter than I thought!
I checked my thermometer and it was well on its way to 100f I confirmed this with the the caravaners Eileen and Ted, when they were showing me their fancy ride. Ted checked his gauges and it was 33C inside the caravan and 39C outside! A special thank you to both of the Tasmanians for their kindness and the lovely COLD water!

I sat in the shade of the monument and had can of pineapple slices, and I was off and riding again. At 2pm I was stopped by a pickup (ute) about 10km out of Dunmarra. The driver handed me an iced coffee sent out by Andrew- excellent!! Fueled with caffine I rolled into Dunmarra about 3pm to find that Andrew had secured a room for 2 days.... HE needed a day off, so I was quick to agree - If a 24-year old Iraq war vet needed a break, I'm sure I did too!!

We did the 64-miles today in about 6 hours, into the wind with temperatures reaching over 100f...not to bad all in all... and not as unpleasant as it sounds!

Day 41 Renner Springs to Elliott

We were riding by 7am, but we have to make it even earlier tomorrow. The sun wasn't over the horizon yet, but we could have been on the road by 6.30am in the pre-dawn light, I think. At any rate we did manage to beat most of the heat. Andrew arrived in Elliot around 11.30am, and I rolled in closer to 1pm.

I had expected to be camping, but to my surprise Andrew flagged me down outside the Midland Carvan park and told me had secured a room. Air conditioning is becoming more than just a luxury for this Minnesota boy... we are in the tropics for certain!

We have been warned to avoid the Midland Caravan park by both travelers and locals... hmmmm. Our "room" is another glorified fish house, but it does have a working aircon unit as well as a ceiling FULL of a wide variety of spiders... more of a concern to me is the constantly renewing stream of mosquitos that seem to appear from everywhere and nowhere at that same time!

At the Elliot Hotel/Pub we were told that they didn't serve meals until supper time, so instead we feasted on gas station hot dogs and fries with gravy... pretty good feed all things considered!
We were discussed taking a day off, but Elliott just isnt the spot for it. So we'll be riding again tomorrow. We haven't had a day off since Barrow Creek, but we seem to be doing fine.

We passed to seperate sets of touring "couples" this morning, but we didnt stop to chat to long... the heat had us all concerned. Still its good to get a bit of "intell" on what the road ahead is like and so on. Further up the road I spotted a note from Dave, and it just made me smile.

As soon as the sun was setting, the heat broke. It cooled down nicely, and it was actually comfortable when Andrew and I walked back to the Pub for a meal. The food was excellent, and I celebrated my 45th birthday with a couple of beers, all the while browsing the photos on the bulletin board. It seems that Elliott has quite the civic pride, having hosted a "mardi gras" party with a gay and lesbian them... featuring the entire town in drag and/or various fetish costumes. It was absolutely BRILLIANT, and I'm sorry I missed THAT party!!!

The atmosphere at the Elliot Hotel Pub is one of the highlights of my trip. It encapsulated the outback spirit completely, and had a cast of characters to match! Do not miss out on an evening in this place if you are in the area and you can avoid it!!

Day 40 Banka Banka to Renner Springs

We were up before 6am today and on the road early. We were sent off with the well-wishes of many cavarners due in equal parts, no doubt, to the fact that our tents were set up along the path to the toilets, and the time of day. Andrew and I rolled into Renner Springs around 11am, and had a nice relaxing day in an air-conditioned room... it felt good to finish early in the day for a change!

Renner Springs is quite a surprise compared to many of the places we've stayed. It is clean and well-kept up with a friendly and energetic staff. The manager, Lyle, was out powerwashing the patio when we arrived. He quickly sorted out a room for us, as the one we'd been given had only one queen-size bed... and frankly I think Andrew was “concerned”! Lyle of course picked up on this right away, and in typical Aussie fashion took the joke and ran with it... it was hilarious!

As with most outback roadhouses, Renner Springs has an international flavor to it. There are students from all over the world working in various capacities. I was explained to me that you need to work 3 months either in the outback or in an agricultural job like picking fruit if you want to extend your visa for another year... most students seem to opt for the outback instead of manual farm labor- Shocking.

Day 39 3-ways Roadhouse to Banka Banka Homestead

As with most of our calculated distances, today's ride of 40 miles was actually 50. It was also significantly hotter today and it took a toll on me. Because it was not humid, I didn't really feel the heat and as result probably didn't drink enough water. I won't make that mistake again!

The terrain has changed a bit, with more pronounced hills. However, there is a pay off with these hills in the form of an actual "downhill" portion that allows you to recover a bit! We are dropping elevation steadily toward Darwin and the seacoast.

I had a nice lunch break around 1pm with some caravaners at the Attack Creek rest area. Attack Creek is where John Stuart's expedition was attacked by Aboriginees after they road into their territory without seeking permission from the locals. Of course I had to take a photo next to the cairn marking the spot.

Banka Banka is a working cattle station that also has a nice caravan park and a small shop that has a few basics, including cold beer. We had a campsite that actually had GRASS to set our tents on! This is another indication of the changing climate as we move toward the tropics...strange to see grass.

Our Banka Banka experience was tainted when "Steve" the man running the shop was extremely rude to Dave when he arrived near dark. Dave was intending only to buy some milk and ride on, but for whatever reason "Steve" assumed he was trying to camp without paying... it was an ugly little situation, and really unnecessary.

Dave did indeed ride on. His plan was to ride all night and then sleep a few hours before continuing on towards Katherine. He has a package to mail back to the states, and we found out that the "Show" in Tennent Creek is moving on to Katherine, and then to Darwin. So not wanting to find everything closed for business, he's riding hard. Personally, I'd have rather seen him lay over a couple days somewhere comfortable and let the show move on before he arrived. But to each their own, and Dave is up to the challange!

I must admit that the thought of riding the Stuart Highway at night sends shivers up my spine, so God speed Dave, and SAFE RIDING!!!