Crossroads, Queenland, Australia
And then I headed west because that's where the Outback is and I wanted to cycle through it. I don't know where to go or how long to spend. I'm really wandering around. I look at a map and the distances boggle the mind. Just pull out a map of Australia and see how far it is from Brisbane to Darwin. A freaking long ways!!! Of nothing, I'm told!!!!!!! Do I really want to do this? Sounded good a couple of months ago. And if I traveled a bit faster it might make sense. But I just don't know. So I. Going to do an Outback sampler. I've set my initial goal go cycling to Longreach. That's about 1000 kms (600 mikes) and will take me 2-3 weeks. And if I'm happy and want more, then I'll set my sights on Mt Isa. Still nowhere near to Darwin. I'm hoping that if I'm not happy I can catch a bus from either Longreach or Mt Isa back to the coast but I don't know that for sure. Worry about that when the time comes. I can always hitch:-)
Oh, and while I was in Toowoomba, I got the correct fly for my Big a Sky Revolution 2P tent! It's beautiful! And so spacious with the overhangs over the doors. Makes for more head room inside and I think the vestibules are more spacious. I've nicknamed my tent, Spacey! Cuz she looks like a spaceship now. And she's so spacious. Seems fitting.
My first night heading west. The sun sets early so I scramble to get my tent up before dark.
But oh, the sunsets are worth it, don't ya think??
And the first night out I got to see how much I. Gonna love the "porch", the overhangs on the door flaps. I left the flaps tied back during a rainstorm and stayed dry! It's funny buts onetime during this last year, before I saw Bug Sky had designed these porches, I designed them in my head. I wanted a way to keep the flaps open when it rained because in the summer it gets too hot to close them up...and besides, I like to watch the rain! So they were a step ahead of me:)
The challenge I'm finding cycling out here are road trains. They are semi tractor trailer trucks with 2+ trailers on the back. The further west ya go, the more trailers they have. Yesterday someone told me they can get up to 8 long!! Hold onto your hat!
Triples are bad enough! There were wide shoulders which helped immensely. But sometimes they came so close I thought I could reach out and touch them. And flinched pulling in my right hand, as if that would help:)
I decided I needed some serious maps that actually told me the road types: major, minor, sealed, unsealed, 4WD, etc. I don't want to get myself into too much trouble, if I can help it. There are few roads going where I want to go other than the highway. We're not talking interstate, like in the States. We're talking 2 lanes and sometimes shoulders with all the traffic. The main road. The one people take to get someplace far away. I want to get off the highway. It's dangerous! But sometimes, probably often, it will be the only option to get from A to B. At least now I have auto club maps to know if there is another option. Google maps would route me down any old path it could find and that just won't do out here.
And for 125 kms, and maybe more, I'm off the A2. Ya! But the road trains use this road too, only there's fewer cars (and fewer of them) so they have room to pull wide around me. Think you.
I'm camping in the bush. Off the road, down a dirt road. Scrubby. Scruffy. Birds. No roos. 'Cept last night they thundered by my tent. Sounded like I scared them! What's that doing on our land?? A spaceship has landed!
Nope, just Spacey, Blaze, and BagLady:)))
Late in the day...better get set up. Where do you think will have morning sun?
I'm always trying to figure that out...and I never get it right. It's not 180* from where it sets! I know that...now.
Sure is flat in the Outback!
Off too the camel races...that will be the next episode.
Livin' the life!
BagLady
