Continuing on with our journey from Clermont to Charters Towers ...
So it was a pretty warm night on night 2 and since it was a cool night we found that the ants weren't around at brekky. We woke a little later this morning (we overslept) and had brekky in the dark to start until the sun came up. There was only one other unpowered camper and that was an elderly couple in a camper van. While we were leaving the man came over to chat to us and Neil recognised him as Tim Bowden a retired ABC presenter. I didn't recognise the name but the voice and face looked vaguely familiar. So he was very interested in us and took photo of us and Kouta. I wanted to take a photo of him but Neil and I were a bit shy to ask. So we didn't leave until 7.30. It was a cloudy morning at the start and we hoped it would stay for the day but by 9am it was a completely cloudless day and the sun came out and was hot again.
At our first break we came across this sign ... we were over half way!!!
We continued on and it was an easterly wind so it was blowing across us. It is a very dry area and there is no grass anywhere even the trees looked like they were struggling ...
We came across some people working on the road and Neil was happy to chat to them as was the guy holding the stop and go sign. He couldn't believe we were on bikes and we find out later in the day that there is a Belgium guy with an artifical lower leg one day behind us and also a couple on a Tandem behind him and another woman with them .... not sure how far behind they are behind us but definitely somewhere between Clermont and Charters Towers.
At one of our breaks we pulled over alongside the road and we saw some emus and a few kangaroos and they all took off but these 3 emus were very interested in us and made there way back ...
By the 87km mark we had passed the Cape River crossing and were at the Rest area. It has a toiled, table with shade and water (which is not potable). Neil loved the area even though the parking area for vans was small but we were the only ones there so we decided to have a cuppa first. While having our cuppa a couple turns up and they park up so we think that maybe we should try and claim our spot so Neil puts his bike in our spot, then another caravan came and they park their car right next to Neils bike so we decide before anyone else turns up we should claim another spot ... so this is where we pitched our tent ...
LOL no chance of someone taking that spot!!! It was parked there when we got there and it was the only spot left that gave any shade. By staying here it meant that our last day was going to be a big day but Neil liked it here because of the big shade over the table ...
So I personally would have liked to have continued to make the last day a little smaller .... 110km is a big day. So I give in and we stay. Lets just say this is Neils last decision he will make where we stop!!! This maybe a rest area but it is also a truck stop and I said that the trucks could be a little noisy during the night but Neil seem to think that it would be okay. Well we woke just after midnight with the sound of 2 trucks with their air conditioning units on their trailers roaring away. One leaves but one stays until about 5am .... so we got very little sleep.
Since we were awake we got up and had brekky and managed to get away at 6.40am ... the earliest ever!!!
It was a cool morning and nice to be on the road with no one else. Since the traffic was still asleep we could ride anywhere on the road so we choose all the smooth spots and some of the smooth spots were on the opposite side of the road!!! I noticed that there were alot of fermenting dead carcasses on the road and the smell was putrid sometimes although there were alot of kites around enjoying their feast alongside the roadside ...
No wind for the first few hours since the wind doesn't start until around 9-10am. It is very flat the ride which means if this keeps up the butt will definitely become sore ... the ideal day would be to have a little bit of climbing so the down hill gives you a little reprieve to get out of the saddle but alas this flat road continued for most of the day ... it wasn't until the 80km mark that the road became rolling. Lucky because by then at 80km I was beginning to become sore and thinking that I might not make the final 30km in a good mood!
We had a cuppa at 80km and Neil finds all sorts of things along the roadside and some things I agree and we should take but I draw the line at this ...
a damn big wrench that weighs at least 3kg.
Since we only have 30km to go we break it into 2 15km sections. The road swings more north east so the wind is a little bit of a head wind. The leg muscles are good and feel they will make it. Lucky it is a little rolling as I get to get out of the saddle a bit.
I was happy to see this sign ...
nearly there! It is hot and as we got closer to Charters the traffic picked up and I could feel the bakery mark downs were within reach! We get to the caravan park and it is only $18 for us as we are Top Tourist members so camping is cheap. We have a nice spot amongst the trees ...
It is lovely to have a hot shower and when I come back Neil goes off to Woolies and comes back happy as larry ... everything he got was a markdown - yoghurt, chicken, fruit turkish bread, a fantastic chocolate pull apart bread (which was my favourite), orange juice (which went down a treat as I was sick of water!) and blade steak meat for Kouta.
We are here until for 3 nights and will leave Sunday morning.
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