|
Day: |
027 |
|
Date: |
Wednesday, 23 August 2006 |
|
Summary |
Riding Cooktown to Old Laura. |
|
Start: |
Cooktown |
|
Finish: |
Old Laura |
|
Daily
Kilometres: |
109 |
|
Total
Kilometres: |
3449 |
|
Weather: |
Warm, sunny and humid with easterly winds. |
|
Accommodation: |
Old Laura National Park back country
campground, Lakefield National Park , Queensland . |
|
Nutrition: |
The “Big Brekkie” from a Cooktown café,
peanut butter roll and apple for lunch, and peanut butter roll and
muesli bars for dinner. |
|
Encounters: |
A few kangaroos early in the day. |
|
Highlights: |
None really. |
|
Lowlights: |
Fell off my bike three times in soft sand,
unable to get my feet out of the toe clips in time. |
|
Journal: |
The campground was awake early as all of
the Variety Bash guys left well before 6:30am. I had decided to get
breakfast at the nearby café when it opened at 7:00am so didn’t get
up until 6:15am. After breakfast, I picked up some bread rolls at a
bakery and left town about 7:50am.
The road was sealed at
first but after 20km turned to gravel as it began to climb through
the Great Dividing Range . The mountains aren’t that high but still
tough work on a bike. I stopped for a quick morning ice-cream at a
small store and then continued on. As the road climbed, its quality
deteriorated and progress became slower and slower. The countryside
went from lush tropical to dry arid forest as the day progressed,
although there was at least a bit of water in most creeks and
rivers.
Eventually I reached the other side of the mountains
and crossed the Normanby River , one of several I had to wade
through during the day (checking for crocs first!). I heard later a
tourist had rolled their rental 4WD just after one of these
crossings. After the Normanby River the road really deteriorated and
was a constant sequence of corrugations, rocks and soft sand. It
was also quite warm and I was getting very tired and hot. Three
falls, the last of which drew blood from my right elbow and shin,
did not improve my mood. In the end I decided that rather than try
and press on to Kalpower Campground, which was supposed to have the
best facilities, I would stop at Old Laura, which had no facilities
and get going at an earlier hour tomorrow. It’s more than 160km to
Musgrave, my target for tomorrow night.
I only covered 109km
today, but it was hard slow work, and probably a good sample of what
awaits me for the next week. Nevertheless, I only have 800km to go
now, which doesn’t seem much. |
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
(2016)
Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)
Via Alpina
(2012)
Australian Alps Walking
Track
(2011)
Land's End to John O'Groats
(2010)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)
Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)
Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)
Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)
Three Peaks Race
(2004)
Appalachian Trail
(1986)
Alpine Track
(1983)
|
