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’