|
Day: |
013 |
|
Date: |
Wednesday, 9 August 2006 |
|
Summary |
Riding from 60km south of Cunnamulla to
Cunnamulla. |
|
Start: |
60km south of Cunnamulla |
|
Finish: |
Cunnamulla |
|
Daily
Kilometres: |
60 |
|
Total
Kilometres: |
1555 |
|
Weather: |
Cold early (1°C) but mild and sunny for the
rest of the day with a moderate northerly (head) wind. |
|
Accommodation: |
Motel in Cunnamulla , Queensland |
|
Nutrition: |
Apple and pastries for breakfast, toasted
focaccia sandwich and milkshake for lunch, and chicken parmigiana
for dinner. |
|
Encounters: |
The Cunnamulla townspeople were all very
friendly and interested. |
|
Highlights: |
Having half a day off to catch up on
washing and e-mail and rest the legs. |
|
Lowlights: |
The 60km ride into Cunnamulla was supposed
to be easy, but there was a reasonable headwind and it was a bit of
a struggle. |
|
Journal: |
Although I frequently awoke during the
night, I pretty much slept through from 7:30pm to 6:30am, perhaps an
indication that I’m quite tired. I got up just before sunrise and
packed up in the 1°C cold and set off at around 7:30am, anticipating
an easy ride into Cunnamulla. However, I soon realised there was a
headwind, and some minor undulations, which made it hard going. I
had only had an apple for breakfast and not much for dinner the
night before, so that may not have helped.
As always, if you
just keep cranking the pedals you get there in the end, and I
reached Cunnamulla at 11:00am. It was a sleepy little town with
broad streets, verandahs over the footpaths, and a few stores which
carried a combination of goods. There were even a few
Queenslander-style houses on stilts. Like most of these outback
towns, there were plenty of boarded up stores, derelict properties
and bare red earth, indicating declining local economies.
I
bought a paper, drink and a couple of pastries and ate them in a
cafe, before finding a budget motel on the edge of town. After a
shower and baggage sort out I returned to town and mailed back
clothes and maps to Copa that I would no longer need. The bag felt
quite heavy, so I hope I notice a difference, although I’m going to
have to start carrying more water from now on which may offset the
weight loss. After lunch in another café, I did a load of washing
and spent two hours in the library reading e-mail and sending diary
updates and pictures with some difficulty, whilst chatting with the
two librarians.
I had a counter tea at a nearby pub and went
to bed early. I’m a bit concerned that, having decided not to take
a day off in Charleville, I now have three 200km days in
succession. I can do it, but I think 160km is probably the optimal
long day. |
|
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|
