Day 6 Thursday 13/9/2007 Finke River to Mount Dare (70km)

Today started early for me, up at 0530 for what was to be the last time I sat on the portable dunny which mysteriously disappeared and was replaced by the shovel. The outback provides some of natures best views whilst performing one of natures essential, but not so pleasant tasks.

The girls were up and about early and left before the three amigos, tackling the deep sand just out of camp, before a steady cycle to the morning tea stop on the border of the Northern Territory and South Australia. Unfortunately I initially missed this signage and rode through the morning tea stop with the Dr hot in pursuit until we were chased down by Emma in the 4WD who informed us of our error.

This was another teary day for Ros who was starting to wonder what a #? year old Tasmanian botanist was doing in the desert with the "lycra clad crew" who were #? years her junior. Personally I think she was a bit hard on herself and did a great job out there on a bike with no suspension, with flat pedals and covered from head to toe like a muslim cycling through the middle east. Well done to you Ros.

The ride from morning tea to Mount Dare pub featured a road covered in bull dust and it was on this road that I performed a forward roll on the bike whilst testing the bikes rear suspension.

It was very, very hot at Mount Dare and the post ride shower was indeed welcomed. Beers were consumed in the bar, phone calls were made to loved ones, food was consumed, and conversations were had with fellow travellers. I think we eventually bedded down at 9 30pm with what was to be a very cold and windy night sleeping out.

12/09/2007 Day 5 Old Andado Station to Finke River Forest

Its Wednesday and we leave Old Andado Station refreshed after our hot showers from the day before. We were expecting a morning walk through 15km of sand but as it turned out the ride to the turnoff wasn't too bad (not compared to days 2 and 3 anyway). We mostly cycled as a group this day stopping hourly after lunch to replenish tired bodies. The scenery changed dramatically as we road toward our overnight camp in the mallee scrub of the Finke River Forest. We finally arrived at camp at about 4 30pm after 70km of cycling and quickly decorated the spirit/birthday tree.

There were high expectations of a good night in the scrub celebrating Lina's 26th birthday. Ros was to be seen earlier in the day scratching around the camp grounds and had presented Lina with a birthday gift of tinsel and wattle.

Peter excelled in the camp oven once more cooking up some pasta with his mothers (Ruth Solly) special sauce and a chocolate birthday cake for desert. Champagne was consumed, which went straight to my head (as do most alcoholic drinks) and made me a wee bit giggly. Cheers Lina for your 26th birthday, one you will remember for a long time to come I'm sure.

I remember looking up to the skies during the night, watching the clouds roll in and remembering the rain birds we had seen on day 2.

Hey, arn't I getting clever now mixing the words I write amongst the photos taken.

11/09/2007 Old Andado Track to Old Andado Station

This was by far the best cycling day of the trip so far. FLEURS DAY. There was no stopping her and no one could catch her as we continued along the Old Andado Track toward Old Andado Station. We still encounted the head winds from memory but the grading gods had blessed us with good roads. The only bit of sand that taunted us was on arrival at Molly's place as we rode through the gate.

And what a great place, as Emma (the ever smiling beauty from Adelaide) writes in the outbike fact sheet, "Old Andado Station is like stepping back in time, with the preserved homestead giving an interesting look at the tough life in isolated areas".

A wicked cycling day of 60km I wrote in my diary, with the promise of a hot shower and cloths washing facilities at camp. LUXURY. Lina punctured somewhere along the track and Simon stayed on his bike for the whole 60kms without falling off.

Remember we showered, washed cloths, sat on a real toilet, wandered, rested, took photos and checked out the old homestead. I recall the caretaker having a chat on the verandah, but I had to walk away as he was bagging the Aboriginals. Dinner that night was minestrone soup with sundried tomato and chilli damper. Thanks Peter. Yum.

DID YOU KNOW: The Homestaed was built in the mid 1920's by the McDill Brothers ( an appropriate name don't you think. Stupid bloody Scotsman). The iron and other materials used in the house were carted to Andado on a camel team from Oodnadatta by the then carriers Bagot and Marsh.

Mac Clark (Molly's husband) in partnership with Mr H Overton formed the Andado Pastoral Company in 1955. The Clarke family acquired the station outright in 1969.

Mac Clarke died in 1979 and Molly stayed on to manage the property. Because of Molly's age, she no longer lives at Old Adado Station, but does continue to fly in from time to time to keep an eye on things.

That was day 4. If anyone else has some thoughts/recollections please remind us all. Does Ros have an email address.

10/09/2007 Day 3 Train Hill to Old Andado Track.

(Peter I hope you don't mind but I stole a couple of your photos for this post as I only had a couple of my own).

Yet another beautiful day, up early with Apostle Birds (according to Ros) gathered in the trees where we camped. Apparently they are called Apostle Birds because they hang around in groups of 12. Breakfast was consumed prior to chain cleaning and leaving camp at about 0800. This was a massive day, with lots of deep sand and the start of those cooling head winds.
My diary tells us that I was the first to arrive at morning tea at 1130 with the rest of the group rolling in over the next half hour. We had ridden 30km thus far with another 50km to o/night camp. I think this was the day we decided not to stop for lunch and push on to camp. This was also the day we decided to stop every hour because the going was so tough.
After morning tea Ros and Fleur took to the 4WD for 20km and then started riding. Myself, the Dr, and the Scotsman headed off together unaware that Lina was behind us. The sand and the headwinds were unrelenting. We eventually caught up with the girls, but pushed on ourselves with Peter heading in the opposite direction in search of Lina. This is when we first heard those infamous words "not far to go now".
Lina joined the 3 amigos with about 25 km out of camp. We all rode together for a couple of hours until I got a second wind and took off by myself, arriving at camp at about 5pm. The others arrived shortly after. We were all totally spent, consumed our late lunch before Lina took us all through a range of stretching exercises (Is there anything this 25 year old German hasn't done). Thanks for that Lina and you should be very proud as stretching is a part of my daily routine now.
Dinner that night was corn silver side with potatoes and rice followed by chocolate bavarian cake.
Again we chatted around the fire, with us all knowing it was 9pm when Simon retired for the night. This was the night the Dr surprised us with his survival skills and enlightening us with the anus fly trap technik.
Thanks to whoever it was that pitched our tents for us that day.

09/09/2007 Day 2: Phillipson Creek to Train Hill

Woke to a cloudless sky at 0600 with the birds chirping ( according to my diary they were black cocckatoos- rain birds), the rest of the camp was starting to stir in anticipation of what our first full day of cycling would bring. We left camp at 0830 arriving at morning tea at 1130, lunch at 1330, and camp by 1700 (thats 8.5 hrs in/off the saddle- well done guys & girls).

The cycle to morning tea was a segregated one with what I suspect was everyone finding their own momentum. Remember we passed that homestead with the aeroplane parked in the garage and the roadtrain that kicked up a tremendous amount of dust.

After morning tea I spent a lot of time cycling with Ros and Lina struggling through the deepish sand at times. Ros had finally had enough of the sand about 20km out of the lunch stop and jumped in the 4WD with the ever smiling beauty from Adelaide, Emma. Me and Lina (Lina and I) battling on through the bike consuming sandy bits. The scenery was spectacular pedaling along the edge of the Eastern Mac Donnell Ranges with ridges, greenery and the bluest of blue skies. Nina punctured 5km out of the lunch stop and was also forced to jump in the 4WD. I met Simon 1km further on, who had also puncturedAnd banished to the 4WD.

Lunch consisted of a very welcolmed ham/salad sandwich & left over Quiche from the previous day.
After lunch I cycled with the Simon to the overnight camp. It was sandy intermingled with sand and more sandy bits and bloody HOT.

At the camp site we were all allowed our first bush shower/bath. We had a ration of 2 litres of H2O with instructions of how to best go about this task. I remember the tents being erected at a safe flatulent distance, something that was not to be repeated as we became more comfortable with each other.

Dinner consisted of apricot chicken and rice with a desert of fruit and custard. We sat around the fire talking and telling jokes before retiring to bed at about 2200.

If anyone else has some thoughts/memories to offer please don't hesitate to contribute.

I'm finding this blog thing tricky as well. Hopefully this ends up on Desert Dreaming 07.
As for posting photos...now that's clever...but i'd need a manual to do that!!! Anyone who'd like a cd copy of my photos (the film ones) let me know and send me an address and I'll post a copy.
As for Peter's slideshow....thanks - they are great!!!!!! Would love to get a copy or two esp of that shot with the 3 amigos and their outstretched arms.
And Bob...love the diary entry! It's going to be fantastic to follow that and relive the memories (i need all the help i can get as I'd even forgotten my password to the blog!)
I'm really keen to do the Gibb Road to Bungle Bungles tourn in 2008 on one of the 3 available dates if any of you are interested? Keep in touch about it if you are so we can coordinate cycling on the same trip. Ian's been talking about posting a blog but it seems to be like the washing up issue.....just never gets around to it.
Anyway..its that time (wine time) so until next time - regards
Fleur

A few photographs

We promised to share a few photographs. Bob and Fleur have sent them direct. Thanks. To make things easier, or perhaps being lazier, I'm posting a few here - just the good ones (I hope).

The first is when we were cycling into an incredible head wind. We're cycling in a close pack, one behind the other, taking it in turns to be at the front (apart from Fleur and Lina as I recall. They did seem to lack the ethic of care a little...) The next is of the three amigos having reached the lookout point onto the painted desert. You can see why it was worth the effort. The third is of the sand, in day three, I think, towards the end of the day. I had fallen off (again) and took a picture to cheer myself up. The final shot is of the Spirit Tree - a Tim Burton moment in a forest whose name I've already forgotten - could it be the Finck forest? Anyway, it was Lina's 26th birthday as I recall, a lovely spot to celebrate, and a great evening.

The word on the street is that the doctor is threatening to blog. The anticipation is killing me...