Another day, another 100 road trains, 200 caravans and no other cyclists! We had a good night at the Hilltop Motor Inn, Benaraby, and an equally appetising dinner at the Tannum Sands Surf Club. The plan had been to leave at 6:30am; however, tiredness got the better of me and we didn’t hit the road until 7:50am. This late start resulted in a late finish of 4:50pm.
The ride today was dominated by ongoing stints of climbing, which saw me rise over 1000 metres and encounter the ever-changing road surfaces of the Queensland roads. As always, the truck drivers have been very accommodating and they have been superb on the narrowing and winding roads.
Throughout today’s ride, we have travelled through very similar terrain as yesterday with good tree cover on the sides of the road. Large gum trees re-enforced the change of flora as there have been less bridges and creeks which had become familiar further up north. The rivers here have widened with a good flow of water in them, and the banks are flourishing with flowers and strong native grasses.
We covered the first 50km in good time as there was a very light tailwind and the roads were quiet due to little traffic. We rode through our first planned stop in Bororen and continued to Miriam Vale where we stopped for morning tea. After a break, we re-entered the road and the conditions had changed against us. The wind had picked up, the traffic increased and the temperature had risen from the cool of the morning.
My hopes of building my roadside cycling outfit were given a start when I came upon a lonely, but previously loved and nurtured, gum-boot. Unfortunately, it was only the one and no other items could be located. I’m starting to think that this may be a case of ‘tourists up north don’t value their clothing’. Maybe they just throw them out the window; or, they are left to dry on the roof racks and away they go in the wind. We will keep trying as it appears people south of Rockhampton treasure their clothes.
We stopped for a roadside lunch consisting of Ryvita and milk before completing a phone interview with the ABC Radio station in Rockhampton. Although these interviews are not in my comfort zone, they are necessary if we are to continue to raise awareness of youth living with amputation, limb loss and limb difference. The wider Australian community needs to be made aware of the challenges this group of Australian teens and their families face and to work at including them in the community.
The day was long and we arrived in Gin Gin shortly before 5:00pm. I ordered my standard dinner of Salmon, Garlic Prawns and Veges, while Grant enjoyed the T-Bone Steak and veges combos on offer here. Then we chatted about where we will stay tomorrow night and discussed the logistics of the next few days of riding.
Please continue to support us @Riding4AmpCamp Facebook page. For those reading the blog who would like to donate to the Amp Camp program for teens living with amputation, limb loss and limb difference, please go to our donation links on the home page of www.go-mad.net or via @Riding4AmpCamp Facebook page.
Until tomorrow,
Mike and Grant