I bush camped for a second night in a row, which basically means sleeping somewhere you’re not supposed to be! That hardly makes for a serious crime, but the practicalities mean a very early start to avoid detection. Up at sunrise and no fires, so no morning coffee in the Kelly kettle.

That part was no problem, I got packed up and on the road for first light. The problem was it was still cold, 10° on the thermometer! The first 100 kms were very hard work and I was pleased to see Carnarvon. It’s amazing how draining riding a bike can be when the temperatures drop.

Carnarvon was everything I’d hoped for and more. The Fascine Coffee Lounge by the sea did an excellent breakfast, great prices and friendly staff. The sun was out and I sat enjoying the ambience as I warmed up.

The local hardware shop sold ear plugs to replace the expensive one I lost the other day, and I picked up a replacement switch for the USB charger that broke earlier that day. I left feeling completely refreshed, even the bike felt better. Thank you Carnarvon!

Just when I thought I couldn’t get any cooler, I rode over the tropic of Capricorn line. South this point, the sun never reaches 90° to the earth at any time of the year. Between the tropic lines (Cancer and Capricorn), the sun gets directly overhead at some point.

It means that the lovely 30+ temperatures will slowly give way to more temperate climbs. The bags will get easier to pack as the thermals come out. I rode over some mountains today and got the first prickles of freshness in the cooler air. It’s coming alright!

Unfortunately I won’t cross the other tropic line or the equator by bike on the way home. Those are further south than Korea or Russia. Another one of those things to put on the list for next time!

This is the second RFDS emergency airstrip I’ve seen, the other is on the way to Alice Springs. It’s a great idea. The road is long, flat and straight and makes an excellent runway, so why not use it as such?

It’s a bit weird riding along it. As an ex Microlight pilot, those piano keys mean a lot more to me then the average motorist. Now if I could just get the bike to fly!

Meet Dave. Dave is the first member of the Ulysses bike club I’ve met who doesn’t have a trailer in tow. (But he has one at home). They had their AGM in Alice Springs a few weeks ago and they haven’t all gone to ground yet.

Dave was headed the other way, but we still managed to spend too much time taking and sharing tips. He’d got the same back tyre as me. It was nice to be reminded what the tread looked like when it had some!!

Sorry the photo is a bit misty. I think my camera got a bit sentimental. Dave reckons there’s a bridge about to close on the road of bones, putting an end to all trips across Russia. Everyone’s got their own story of doom haven’t they? Well, I’ll tell you if that’s true when I get there!

What happens if you can’t find two trees? That’s the usual question I get when people are asking about my hammock. I tell them I just put my tent up instead. They always look disappointed with they answer.

While I’m not quite ready to ditch the tent just yet, I’ve only had one night where I had to use it – and that was only because the lady at the camp site was precious about her trees! (Poor trees!).

The other night I bush camped and there was only one tree. I got a bit inventive with the straps and had a very good nights sleep. I really am enjoying sleeping under the stars at the moment, it won’t be the same when I have to start pitching the fly.

Sophie
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Longitude:114.47067
GPS location Date/Time:06/04/2014 19:25:22 PDT

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Meet Paul. I saw a loaded up dirt bike pull into Coles at Tom Price. It looked well setup and I wondered who was on it and where they were headed.

I met the rider on the way in, a nice bloke called Paul. We got chatting and it turns out he’s been on the road touring Oz for a year! Good effort.

The day was getting on and neither of us had a camp spot in mind. We got some supplies and checked out a likely bush camp spot about 10 km out of town. Perfect.

It was good to meet a kindred spirit and talk about road trips and the practicalities of travel by bike. Paul has a target of living on $30 a day. I have a long way to go to achieve that one!

But not one like this! What a totally useless sign this is. Is the Warlu way left or right then?

I’ve seen quite a few different signs along the way, from different states and shires. Some good and some not so. This definitely takes the prize for most useless!

You’ve played spot the ball, we’ll here’s a new one for you. Spot the bike! She’s in there somewhere I promise you.

I walked for 20 minutes up a big hill to get this photo, in 34 degrees with all my bike gear on. The scenery was stunning (as usual), and again something that a photo can never fully capture.

Suffice to say that if you ever get the chance, ride a bike to Tom Price in Western Australia. It’s a real treat!

I parked up to fiddle with my helmet. (My bike helmet, sheesh – your dirty mind!). Anyway, a road train pulled in so I took the opportunity to get a photo, with my bike in there for a sense of scale.

You can get a good idea of the size of these things from this picture. Big aren’t they? Can you imagine one of these in the narrow streets if Cornwall? Nope, me neither.