The Epic Journey Begins (6 - 8/4/14)

6/4/14

I woke up late today, as I'm sure you can imagine, and spent the day writing my blog and planning my road journey up north with the help of my Aunt and Uncle. This took all day as there were a few things that I wanted to see on the way. The plan was to leave tomorrow depending on what I’d got done today. In the evening we had a roast dinner, which was done on the bbq, to prepare me for my journey and Bren and Molly came over to say a final goodbye before I left. After dinner I Skyped home as I hadn't had much of a chance to chat to Mum and Dad on Friday night. It was good to catch up with them and it would be the last time I’d speak to them till I was back. After discussing my options with them I decided to leave a day later on Tuesday so I could spend more time on Monday finalising a few things and getting my blog more up to date. Later on that evening I Skyped Jade too who booked out one of her appointments at the salon for me to make sure she had time. So I had a Skype back, crack and sack wax which is much less painful than the real thing and had a nice long chat with her. After that I got a reasonably early night as I was still knackered from last night.

7/4/14

I went to the shops after breakfast today to buy some flippers for my planned snorkelling on my trip. After a quick visit to a few shops to compare prices I found the best deal. On my hunt round I’d also looked at the best option for a large water bottle to take with me and found that a cheaper version of Camelbak reservoirs were on offer at half price so I bought one of those too thinking this would be a better option whilst riding. With my shopping done I went back to the house to spend the rest of the day writing my blog and uploading photos to put in too. By the end of the day I still wasn't up to date but had managed to get a lot of days done and was happy to leave tomorrow morning instead. During the evening Molly and Brendan came round to say their second final goodbye and I had my second last big meal too. I could get used to this, maybe I should delay it another day! I spent so long doing my blog I didn't have time to pack in the evening so decided to get up early in the morning and do it then. I said goodbye to Sandra and Geoff just in case I wouldn't see them in the morning and got an early night ready for my journey.

8/4/14

This morning I was up early to pack and get everything somehow attached to the bike. I left a little later than planned but was on the road by about 10am. I made my way along the roads out of Perth with no problems and was soon on the Indian Ocean Drive. The weather was perfect and traffic was pretty much non-existent. I had a quick fuel fill up at the end of the highway before the prices shot up due to being further from the city. I dropped into Lancelin briefly to fill up too but my first major stop was at Cervantes to see something called ‘The Pinnacles’. These are thousands of limestone pillars that rise up from the desert floor and stand like soldiers in the sun. They are made of lime-rich sand that originates from seashells that have been compacted by rain and subsequently eroded. I had read about a pass that you can buy which covers you for a month and you can visit all the national parks in WA so I asked about this at the entrance but was told that for an extra $11 I could get one valid for a year which would cover me for any Parks I visit if I do a southern trip as well. So I spent a bit of time sorting this at the visitors centre before making my way to the route that takes you around the pinnacles. A sandy track runs in a big loop through them so you get various view points of the entire area. I went there expecting to see a few rocks sticking out of the sand but upon rounding the first corner was taken aback by the sheer number of them that suddenly lay before me. There weren't many other people there which gave me a great opportunity to get some photos without anyone in them. I stopped a few times to get off the bike and walk around but as I was a bit pushed for time I didn't stop for long. I did, however, have time to notice an exceptionally phallic looking rock. I seem to have a radar for this sort of thing. I'm not sure if that's bad or good really. The sand in the track was well compacted by cars and so I stuck to one of the sides where it was easier to ride but started to drift a bit and decided to swap to the other tyre track but the sand in between was very soft and the front tyre dug in tipping me off the bike. My first accident! I was doing less than a walking pace at the time though so just rolled off the bike with no injury and the bike didn't sustain any damage. But trying to pick it back up was impossible. I couldn't get a decent foothold and the bike weighs an absolute ton especially with all my gear attached to it. Fortunately a German couple drove along shortly after and the bloke very kindly helped me get the bike upright and after a quick scan of the bike I was soon back on my way. I finally got back to the start of the track and made my way to the car park. After a second scan to make sure everything was OK I got my kit on and rode back to the Indian Ocean Drive to continue my journey north. It was now about 4pm and I’d only done half my journey so far. My destination for the night was Geraldton, another 200km north. I was surprised it had taken me this long so far and I was also surprised how little there was on the roads between towns. I had been doing the 110 km/h speed limit most of the way so Geraldton would be another 2 hours from here. That would be getting on for sunset and I’d been warned not to travel after that time because that’s when the kamikaze kangaroos decide it’s a great idea to run in front of you on the road. The roads are incredibly straight and there’s not that much to look at except the horizon so I got my head down and chipped away gradually at the distance. That said though, the bike is great to ride. It absolutely flies along and the roads are perfectly flat with no potholes or lumps to avoid making the ride very smooth. It was awesome to finally do a bit of speed unlike I could in Vietnam. At one point a UTE overtook me so I decided to tuck in behind it and use that to protect me from the enemy kangaroos. This meant I was now doing 120 km/h but at least I’d get there quicker. After 2 hours of constant speed I was feeling pretty knackered and my arse and legs ached from the lack of movement and blood flow but I finally pulled into Geraldton about 6pm. Geraldton is a pretty large town so finding the road where my potential accommodation was took another half hour. I’d phoned the only hostel in Geraldton in the morning to see if they had room but was told they were fully booked. They had recommended another place which was a budget hotel called Cameliers that I’d phoned as well but was told they were also booked up. This hotel asked when I was arriving and when I told them it was today they were surprised that I hadn't booked something sooner. They said to pop in when I arrived and they’d see what they could do. It was dark by the time I pulled up outside the hotel which I’d found on Google maps and a couple of rides round the block to locate it. In the end I phoned them from outside and was told to park round the back. Once in the office they said the best they could do was a twin room for $50. I accepted this was the cheapest I’d get and at least it was something. The bloke in the office was very helpful and spent some time suggesting where I should see on my trip and where to avoid if possible. He finally took me to my room and I lugged my gear up there and wasted no time jumping into the shower. It had been incredibly hot on the bike with the sun beating down on me all day and I now stank. My only saviour was the hydration pack on my back that I’d been drinking from all day. An absolute must for a journey like this, and a very fortunate purchase. I took a quick shower in the shared bathroom and went back to my room to get dressed. I then went out to get some dinner and found the easiest place was the pub opposite, The Masons Arms. I ordered a really greasy BLT baguette with chips and a pint of beer. It was reasonably expensive as meals go but would do for tonight. The pub was pretty empty so I spent the time watching the TV and deciding where in Geraldton I wanted to see the next day. I’d planned on spending the first half of tomorrow in Geraldton and then riding about 150 kilometres up the coast to spend some time in Kalbarri. After the meal I went back to my room and chucked the TV on while I did a bit more planning and sent a few messages to let people know where I was. I put my hydration pack in the fridge, which was surprisingly a feature in my room, so it was nice and cool for tomorrow’s journey. I wasn’t that late getting ready for bed and was soon under the covers, the darkness broken only by my mass of gadgets flashing as they charged. I'm knackered, night everyone.