Day 21 Injune to Rolleston 175 kms

This is the day everyone has been dreading and the rumours that were flying about the condition of the road, the hills they had to climb and of course the wind directions were unbelievable. One rider had been talking to some truckies and they were probably taking a lend of him, telling him the road was full of potholes, the mining traffic was horrendous etc as none of it came true.

Because of all this gloom and doom reports, the group were nervous about what the day would bring and therefore up and away before the crack of dawn. Peter and Fliss left at 5.15 am against our advice and quickly followed by Danny & Robbo at 5.30 am. The rest followed in spurts and we now had a two hour gap between the first & last riders. Our day has begun!

Morning tea was arranged at a really nice spot on the 2nd crossing of the Dawson Creek. The ride to morning tea was very picturesque and the terrains undulating and the road surface perfect. We only caught half the group for morning tea, which was OK because this trip we have made a certain time for tea breaks and the riders can choose to join us or do their own thing. This is a much better arrangement and stops all the waiting around due to trying to cater for the lead bunch AND the tail Enders. Today we just had muesli bars for morning tea.

Lunch was at a rest area with tables at the 118 km mark. We managed to catch all the riders except Peter who had found his mojo and taken off in the lead today ( he was way ahead by the time we stopped for lunch but I was advised he had plenty of water and food to keep him going to Rolleston).
The road had deteriorated a little after morning tea but the wind had turned around so that it was a tail wind. Jerry didn't agree but the girls actually confirmed it for us.

We stopped again at the 145 km mark but only Robbo stopped and had a cuppa with us, the others continued on after grabbing some water. Lucky they did as it started to drizzle and gradually got heavier by the time we reached the caravan park. Most of the riders have decided to upgrade into some old caravans rather than camping in the rain. Shame they didn't wait half an hour as the rain has stopped and will hopefully disappear. At the moment there is only 5 of us camping; Ben, Fliss, Chris and Collis and I,even Robbo is thinking of joining Peter in the old caravan.

The last time we were at this caravan park there was a camp kitchen but that is no longer available to the public punter but is used by the ?miners or road workers that live at the park. Peter has kindly let us use his power and his awning for cooking.

Most of the riders went to the Rolleston Hotel for dinner and it apparently was very busy. Lots of locals, workers and cyclists with an equal amount of children as there were adults, so it must have a younger population than most small towns but probably a movable feast depending on the work available. Apparently there is a local kangaroo that comes into the pub for a drink and raids food boxes in the caravan park across the road. All food was securely housed when they came back from the pub.

 "The Mug"
I am a mug
My aim in life is to stay calm
To not fly off the handle
I lead a simple life
Getting drunk every day
And rolling about in the bottom of the box
I dream of a great life
Travelling the long straight roads of Australia
Seeing strange animals
And stranger people
Camping out in the desert
With the stars reflecting in the surface of my tea
I am made of tough stuff
But there is one thing that really gets to me
A strange person I seem to see a lot
He has his name engraved on my heart
His lips caress my lip
His hands hold me tight
I know he loves me, although he's never said anything
He uses me for his pleasure and then discards me
Back in the box
John Tracy