SOS only,….

Hi everyone. ‘A signal, a signal, my kingdom for a signal’! It’s been SOS only for the past 3 days. I hit out from Tennant on Friday morning in to a mother of all head/cross winds towards my evening rest stop at Banka Banka station, around 100k to the north of Tennant. It was a good ride and a delightful campsite which was packed with travellers. They make Dapper bread on an open fire in the evening and out chairs around an open camp fire to really encourage a community feel – loved it. What I didn’t love (after eating it) was a chicken curry from a mobile van parked up at the site -food poisoning m, oh joy of joys. I woke Saturday sick as guts but rode to Renner Springs only 65k away and got myself a room and slept for 24 hours! Gee I was sick. And with absolutely no signal I couldn’t even chat to folk to cheer me up 😢. Pretty low point of the trip for sure. I got up this morning and decided to try and get to Elliot, an Aboriginal community 95k to the north. With a good tail wind I knocked out the ride in 4 hours but with so little food being eaten the past 72 hours it took its toll for sure. I’m bush camping and have battened down the hatches with howling wind and pouring rain descending on Elliott tonight and all tomorrow 😢. It’s going to be a mentally and physically challenging 48 hours ahead. Good teat of my super light tent! And cycling gear! And me!

Sending my love and hugs to my beautiful daughter Niamh who has covid 😢…..a big hug Niamh, get well soon. And a shout out to my other beautiful daughter Charlie who’s just got her PR in Canada 🇨🇦 👏👏 ❤️

No communication for a few day so my friend has uploaded this image and video to let you know I am doing well. 

Click the play icon to start the video

Part of the point of this journey was the challenge myself in terms of my thinking – the ‘all or nothing’, do or die thinking which has been my default for decades. As I lay in my tent yesterday morning dreading the day ahead – sore arse and knees, as well as 134k to cover – I wondered what would happen I just hopped on a bus or got a lift (mind you there is only one bus each day and it travels overnight, dropping you at various places at stupid o’clock when you can’t access camping of food! Nothing would happen – Absolutely nothing. Except I’d enjoy my day more and give myself a break, mentally and physically. As it happens neither of those options eventuated but that wasn’t the point – the point was to start to give myself permission to do what serves me, to be easier on myself.

The ride yesterday was epic – I can say that now that it’s over because trust me, the word ‘epic’ wasn’t one of many I used during the ride! 134k of rolling unrelenting roads in to a nasty cross wind – the last 5k took half an hour!! Battered and bewildered I pitched up in Tennant Creek campsite, then like a kid in a candy store did some shopping in the local IGA- bread, milk, chocolate….food!! A whole week without a shop really takes some getting used to. What I’ll never get used to are the flies! Omg….they are infuriating! Up your nose, in your ears, in your mouth, stuck behind your glasses, in your helmet….! I did bring a fly net which will be deployed when I get back to turning the pedals tomorrow.
It’s hard to describe just how desolate and barren it is along the route. There are no shops, no cafes, the rest areas (for that read ‘truck stop with no facilities or shade, water or toilets) are few and far between and often full of rubbish and swarming with flies. So I tend to pull off the bitumen in to the red dirt, find a tree for shade and have a snack – stopping for only 5-10 minutes at a time as it’s just to challenging if you stay too long – flies, and getting bitten by ants and constantly scared of snakes and other nasties!

Today I’m resting – there’s a small unheated pool here which is divine for my weary legs. Had a gander in to town and got accosted countless times for money and drink, but all amicable in the main. Over half the population of Tennant identify as Aboriginal. Some of the art work and murals are delightful.

Day 4…..alien territory! Made an early start from Barrow to get to Wycliffe Wells, apparently the Roswell of Australia. The camp site is certainly cashing in on the ‘UFO capital of Australia!

It’s hotting up here and the first half of the ride was into a howling headwind. Then it turned for the final 50k 😊. Really struggling with saddle sores which are ruining the ride 😢. Will take a few days off if I can crawl to Tennant Creek tomorrow, but it’s a big ride from here so….we will see!

Thanks for the lovely comments and support – trust me, I do read them all and they mean so much, but I can’t always respond due to feck all signal!

Click on photos to open!

Day two and three. Oh for a traffic light, a pedestrian crossing, an intersection….anything! The last two days have really tested me mentally and physically. Day two was a short 60k ride but gee it was punishing, and today was 90 with some climbing and a mother of a cross/head wind 😢. And to top it off I staggered in to the roadhouse here at Barrow Creek to be greeted with ‘gday mate….hope you weren’t looking for somefing to eat cos yer outta luck!’ No food here till tomorrow. Great!! But luckily I have my dehydrated stuff and a tin of rice pudding…living the dream!! Mentally I’m coping. Missing Niamh like crazy, but slowly as the Ks tick by I’m rediscovering a little bit each day about myself. So whilst the food is crap and the Ks are mind numbing in their tediousness there’s something to be heard in that silence.

Thanks everyone for checking in – I can’t answer all of the posts as well, I usually don’t have a signal. Special shout out to Jill who built the site and is now uploading my posts as it’ll be September before my one bar of 3G (yep, 3….not even 4!) is able to post anything!!

Don’t forget to click on photos to see them!