Days 142-143 A mountain to climb and a strike from the enemy

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The Lynd Junction Roadhouse - somewhere in the bush 85km
Somewhere in the bush - Mount Garnet 84km

The approach into Cairns via the west, meaning the Atherton Tablelands, implies some heavy gear shifting. I never really believed that we would get all the way to the Tropical North without a single pedal stroke on the Bruce Highway. But it looks like we will make it happen. Of course there is always a flip side, in this case some heavy lifting in the mountain climbing department. I often joked to people along the way that we Europeans have this false idea that Australia is a flat continent with a big rock in the centre. Well, this myth has been busted many times on this trip, including on the last two days, on which we climbed almost a 1000m over 164km. I know, that's nothing in Tour de France terms, but we are in Queensland! 

We leave the Lynd Junction Roadhouse in weather that we do not really associate with Tropical North Queensland. It's grey and a little drizzly, but in some ways ideal to climb the long steady stretches on the way North. The lady at the roadhouse warned us: there is not a lot out there to write home about and she wasn't wrong. We both have to think hard what would be worth a mention..? More curious cows, a couple of emus and a wild sow with her piglets. The best part came at the end of the day with a wild camp in a paddock off the highway, including whiskey by the campfire until the rain set in. As modest as our housing is on these nights (it's tent night number 80 on this trip) is, the moment we slip into the sleeping bag, which always comes with live commentary about what is aching, is always treasured. 

I was worried that we would wake up to the sounds of cows on their morning routine. But there is no sign of any living creatures nearby until we roll back on to the highway and three black cockatoos welcome us into the day. Unfortunately, this time, not a good omen. Not even four kilometres in, the enemy strikes! Flat tyre by Tribulus Terestris, aka Caltrop. In some ways, you have to see it to believe it (not that I wish it on anyone), how such a harmless looking plant can produce such a fierce thorn that pierces my Schwalbe "Hans Dampf" tyre like a hot knife  butter. Louise spots it immediately but it's too late. When she pulls the thorn out we hear it go "pffffff...." Bummer. Roadside repair number four takes almost an hour, most of that is spent pumping, but is well worth the effort. The patched inner tube holds up and we make it into Mount Garnet without issues.

Roadside repair no. 4

Reaching the small town of Mount Garnet feels a little bit like a return to civilisation. We are both relieved to get here a) sooner than anticipated and b) without major incidents (such as running out of water or food). Also we know that from here the distances between towns get shorter and Cairns is almost within reach. Now it's a matter of how we deal with the looming wet weather front and whether we can make it to Cairns before the big splash happens.

Only one way to find out.

Keep pedalling.



Location: Mount Garnet QLD 4872, Australia

Comments

  1. FrancieJuly 1, 2022 at 1:18 AM

    Only four roadside repairs in 6482 kilometres - I think that's amazing. You probably will not be passing through Innisfail as you would want to get to Cairns as directly as possible now.
    As you near Cairns, you may pass Babinda and Gordonvale, both places Aunty Anne lived in.
    Hopefully you can pedal ahead of the weather .... Good Luck

    ReplyDelete
  2. FrancieJuly 1, 2022 at 8:13 PM

    Girls, I read through your Spokesongs list on Spotify and I couldn't believe how many of those are on my "Fran's Favourites" Your tastes must be as eclectic as mine!!!
    First day of Salami done. Pork was only $8.99 a kilo [same as last year which surprised me] and minced fresh this morning. Long day. John helped with first mix by hand and Dad and I did second mix with the 'paint mixer' attachment tonight. All food prepared as grandies, though bigger 5, 9 & 9 3/4, seem to be noisier and need direction. Maybe it's me, getting older, especially as worked hard this week cleaning and preparing!! But all went well.

    ReplyDelete

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