Two and a Half Weeks to Departure

There’s little left to do, other than some last minute small purchases, and couple of phone calls to folk that I plan on visiting at various places. I slept on my nice thin self inflating air mattress the other night, and found that my bones need more support than one inch of foam can provide. I’ve decided that I need to take a thicker one instead, and put up with the extra bulk. I need to be comfortable if I’m going to spend over seven weeks sleeping on the ground, and still be fit enough to ride each day.

I had a full practice pack last weekend, and everything fitted into the panniers and on the bike with a bit of room to spare. Very pleasing. Fish is going to take a run to Victor Harbor and back with his full traveling load, jut to check space and comfort. He’ll have no worries, as the Kawasaki GTR 1000 is a proven “Mile Muncher” and a very capable touring bike. The other boys are confident that they have the load issues sorted.

Steve had a scare last week, and has just had his gall bladder removed. He is recovering well and will be fully fit by departure date. Things could have gone very badly if he had suffered a gall bladder attack while we were on the road.


On lighter note, things we need to avoid……..

Sickness while traveling on a motorcycle can be very much worse than if you are traveling in a car. If anyone needs to vomit, it's probably better if the helmet comes off first.

Animals straying onto the road can be a problem, but up until now I was more worried about hitting a ‘roo than a rabbit! Hitting one of these would be like running into a wombat. It looks like this guy has just caught the easter bunny, and those big feet just crack me up.










The floods in QLD won’t be a problem after all. I always thought that only fully optioned dirt bikes, ridden by Charlie and Ewan, could get through a deep water crossing. Clearly our road bikes will be OK if the flood waters don’t subside, as this rider on a full sports bike has demonstrated.





Stay Tuned.....
Pete

Our Final Planning Meeting

Just four and a half weeks to departure day. Last night the four of us, and our families gathered for a BBQ. This was the last time that we will all get together before we leave. We had a magnificent meal, and sat outside on a beautiful mild evening until well after midnight, sipping some fine wines, and pouring over maps, proposed itineraries and kit lists, and checking out Marcelo’s Honda 900 Hornet, and the accessories he has added for the trip. We are confident that all is in place, but I do need to do a "practice" pack of all my gear. My kids want me to pack all my stuff, ride around the block, set up my tent and camp on the back lawn and cook some breakfast as a trial run. I'm not sure I need to go to that extent.

The fires currently raging in Victoria are terrible. There have been many, many deaths, and massive property losses. We heard that the whole town of Marysville has been burnt to the ground. Chris and I have stayed there a couple of times, and it was a beautiful, quite little town, with so much character. It was one place that Fish and I had discussed visiting, just to have a look at Bruno’s Sculpture Garden, which was a magical place. Have a look at Bruno’s evocative, and beautiful work at http://www.brunosart.com/tour.htm Sadly, it's now all gone…..

On the other hand, I’m watching the Queensland floods closely. The Bruce Highway north of Townsville is still cut, as is the road to Mt Isa. It’s nearly two months before I’ll be in the area, so I’m confident that the rain will stop and waters will subside.

I was thrilled to be the recipient of an Australia Day Honor, and have booked a flight home from Cairns so that I can attend the presentation ceremony at Government House. I'll fly straight back to Cairns to resume my adventure after the presentation. If the road to Cairns are still closed when I get to Townsville, I won’t be able to get home for the ceremony, and I'll be one unhappy traveller.

Here's two pieces of good advice that I've received……..

1. Lay out all the stuff you plan on taking, then put half of it back in the wardrobe and double the amount of cash you think you will need.

2. Pray for fine weather, but be well prepared for rain


And finally, a Riders' Prayer
I pray that I’ll have the foresight to know where I'm going,
The hindsight to appreciate where I’ve been,
The insight to savour the good and the bad as part of the adventure,
And that is will only be rubber that hits the road.

Stay tuned.......