Solar plexus man, remembering freewheeling, creaking bikes and a billion bats!

Had a delightful start to the day having coffee and croissant with another cyclist from France in Katherine….how very civilised. We took it in turns to look after each other’s bikes whilst we went in to Woolies (this day just gets better and better). While I was bike minding I was rubbing my knee when a complete stranger walked up, said ‘you got a knee problem’ to which I replied in the affirmative, and without getting my written informed consent put his finger around my solar plexus area and pushed hard. ‘That’ll be better’ and he buggered off! Well whether it was placebo or the coffee, or both, or whatever he did was some sort of voodoo shit….it worked! A whole day with no knee pain! Which was just as well as gee, it was lumpy lumpy all day. Either going up or down. I even got to freewheel. And apparently that lever on the right does something called ‘gear change’ …..a whole load of cogs got their first work out today! Then an ominous sound….subtle at first, very unsubtle towards the end! Definitely bottom bracket 😢. Will do a temp fix tomorrow and hope to god someone in Darwin has the T47 BB tool!

I’m staying in Pine Creek – so delightful after Katherine. Great camp site and facilities – a bar, a shop, a pool. Nowhere to charge any electrical stuff tho ‘If you haven’t paid for power DON’T use it’!
Going to stay here tomorrow in lieu of my wet and muddy ‘rest day’ at the ‘Springs’

At last the rains subsided late yesterday but the damage to the camp site was extraordinary! It took me 2.5 hours to move everything from my pitch to the camp kitchen where I could wash everything and pack it away on a dry-ish surface! Everything was caked in red sticky mud! My rear rack turned itself in to a bloody great air dryer on the way to Katherine today – I had bits of clothing precariously dangled off every clip and hook in order to get some things dry! It worked – after 100+ k of warm winds much of the main things were drying out 😊. The ride was great -legs felt good and bike was rolling really well. I’m struggling with knees and Achilles pain so trying to be soft on the pedals. Got to Katherine….,every place booked out….whhhaaattt! No room in the inn for a tent? Did I miss the memo that Katherine had become ‘destination desireable’? It took a number of calls and cycling between different sites before I was able to be well abs truly ripped off -$60 for a site!! I wanted evening meal and cooked breakfast and a massage for that but alas….none of that was on the menu. Just a small patch of brown grass.

What intrigued me as I tried to get somewhere was how much i already missed the ‘bush camping’ experience as I rode past McDonald’s and Mitre10 and all the other big standard ‘must haves’ (?) in a town, the traffic (it was my very first traffic lights since Alice ….had to read the manual to remember what to do!). So I’m heading straight out of dodge tomorrow and hitting Pine Creek for a few days of warm weather R and R – seeing as the last attempt got washed out!!

Thanks for reading – I hope you’re all well in your own journeys.

And then it rained….and rained

When you are caught in the heavy rains, open the umbrella of mind, take refuge under the roof of reason! Mehmet Murat Ildan

Today – rest day number 2. Equipment required,….canoe!    What did I have…..a bike.

Gee did it rain. And rain. And then it rained some more. Camper vans and caravans all being pulled out by a JCB having bogged overnight, such was the deluge. My tent got water logged around 5 this morning and stuff got rather wet! I’ve spent the day in the camp kitchen trying to stay warm …an exercise in futility if ever there was. But it stopped raining around 5 so I scooted off to get even wetter….this time in the hot springs 😊😊.

So not exactly a restful rest day but that’s all part of this journey – to try and live in the present, and adapt to what’s thrown at you.
It’s been a day of comradeship, people sharing food and drinks, helping each other out and keeping spirits up. A very testing day – this morning was certainly the low point of the trip so far – cold, hungry, wet, and lonely. But we got through it. Tomorrow brings a new adventure 😊

Lesson for the day: slow down!

Those petty things that could consume me in everyday life simply don’t apply here. It truly is life in the slow lane. Wanna go fast….it dares me to try. They’ll be only one winner…(clue….it won’t be me). Maslows hierarchy of needs comes in to play….food, sleep, the rest…that just has to wait. No signal….no phone! No shops….no food. Something breaks …..you find a way to make do. Can’t dry your stuff…..get used to damp clothes! It’s a wonderful reminder of what’s important and what’s just noise….as Passenger sings….’see all I need is a whisper, in a world that only shouts’.

I left Larrimah after another night of incessant rain, regrettably without having solved the mystery of who killed Paddy Moriarty….but I’ve developed a theory – there was absolutely no food this morning to be had in Larrimah – the ‘hotel’ (🤣) was closed until 12 and Fran (the Pie lady and numero uno suspect in Paddys death) was also closed. I reckon Paddy walked off with his dog and died of hunger looking for something to eat! It’s possible. I had to ride 78k with no food in me and well, my body was less than impressed. I got to Mataranka and the delightful hot springs completely buggered. I also started with wet clothes just to add to the joys of the ride! It rained too. But all that evaporated when I got in to those hot springs. Omg all my weariness soaked away. And the couple in a van next to my pitch took pity on the pitiful bedraggled cyclist that slumped in to his unpowered pitch and made me hot tea and a toasted sandwich….because there’s no food at this campsite!! But there is a small township 2k away so I’ll ride in tomorrow to get some supplies.

A pizza van has pulled up at the site and is doing a roaring trade!! Resting tomorrow but it’s 95% chance of rain 15-20mm so it’ll be a day for the hot springs, my kindle and sleep!

My dearest friend Barry wrote to me yesterday via WhatsApp and I think he beautifully captured the essence of this journey so I’m sharing it here:

“It’s a daunting journey and aside from the physical challenge is that inner journey to break trigger cycles and to find yourself again, or at least know where you as a person need to heal and replenish the emotional well”.

Q: If you are heading in a NW direction and the wind is from the SE, do you have a tail wind?

A: Yes…Except in the NT 🤣

Well today was truly epic! Hit out from Dunmarra around 9 in the rain, and headed for Daly Waters. I stopped for coffee at the Hi Way roadhouse at Waters but didn’t go to the infamous Dalys Pub…it was only 42k from starting so decided to hit out for Larramah. 93k later having battled rain and incessant headwinds I got to the infamous Pink Panther pub and camp ground. What a wacky weird and eerie place this is….made more so by the mysterious disappearance of Paddy Moriarty 5 years ago….check it out on ABC! It’s still pouring with rain 😢….everyone’s bewildered by this unseasonal weather but I’m loving the cool wet weather, except all my stuff is damp!

I’ve been re-reading the book ‘The Body Keeps the Score’…..an outstanding reflective and evidence informed book about trauma and how the brain is triggered by past events. Powerful insights that truly help to connect your personal experiences to sound explanations, to help you realise that you’re actually not going mad! Highly recommended it!

And on a really positive note….for those that know me well you’ll be familiar with the mad Irish woman who has since 2015 been making outrageous claims against me and many others back home…..the first of a number of court cases against her brought by those profoundly impacted by her lies and evil deceptions concluded yesterday and tonight she starts a three year sentence (the final year suspended). My best friends case comes up soon, so that 3 years is almost certain to grow. There’s a queue of people waiting to have their day in court! It has taken years to bring her down but eventually her disgusting behaviour has come back to bite her badly….GOOD!! A very happy day for those of us who has to endure her crap for so so long 😊