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I thought this might make an interesting longer-term Thread for folks to contribute to. Doesn't matter, for this purpose, if your longest-ever one day ride was 100 miles (or kilometres) or 1000+ - others would, I'm sure, enjoy reading about it, the where, when, why, how, and any interesting things arising, plus many pix, of course.
Here's my kick-off contribution, being my Journal notes from the solo round-Oz GS trip I took too long ago and that I mentioned recently. Enjoy...
Day 13 – Thursday October 7th – Kununurra to Broome. 41°C on the road, 44° in Fitzroy Crossing.
I intended to ride only as far as Fitzroy Crossing today, about which I had heard a lot of negative reports – even the friendly quarantine officer at the NT/ WA border said not to stay too long at either Halls Creek or Fitzroy Crossing. He was right about Halls Creek – dirty, grubby place full of dirty, grubby aborigines, including lots of kids – why aren’t they at school?
I’d booked ahead at the Fitzroy Crossing Inn, which was about three ks off the highway along a rutted track. It must have been pension day as the Inn was surrounded by scores of aborigines, all with their wine casks and slabs of beer. I didn’t even stop – just did a u-turn and headed back to the highway, determined not to give them a chance to play with the bike in the night! After a second stop at the Fitzroy Xg servo for yet another drink of milk I set off for the extra 400ks to Broome.
Luckily I had started very early, getting up at 4.45am and on the road by 5.15, first light. An easy ride, with less of the Kimberley landscape to see, but still some of it among a lot of plain, small trees and shrubs, etc., with hills in the background.
The road was pretty good, although it fell away a bit after about 150ks west of Kununurra. But at least there were hills and valleys to see, and some bends, to re-learn how to ride!
Had several stops for petrol, five in all I think, and the day got HOT - 41°C indicated on the bike gauge, although the oil-temperature gauge never went past four bars. Bike still running perfectly – and next to no other traffic.
Had many drink along the way – realised just out of Kununurra that I had left my two drink bottles behind in the ‘frig, but they were easy enough to replace, I just bought 2 x 600ml bottles of water and clipped them in.
About 35ks from Broome (and the ocean) the temperature fell quickly and dramatically to only 30°C or so – lovely! It was very hot off the bike, but OK while on it and moving, but I’ve got a couple of sore spots (heat-rash?) on the upper underside of my thighs, I guess from sitting in damp underclothes all day as a result of the high humidity. Five days in Broome will fix that!
Arrived in Broome at 5.20pm, after exactly 12 hours in the road, including five stops just for petrol and drinks. 1046ks for the day, so that equals an average of 87kph. Most of the way I pinned the throttle open to 120kph and kept this up literally for hours. Needed to slow down often, though, to 80kph or so for the many one-lane bridges across the hundreds of creeks here.
Entered Broome just on dusk, so saw nothing: straight to the motel, where the manager gave me a huge upgraded apartment, air-con, cooking facilities, the lot. I left the bike outside overnight on the tiny verandah, and plan to take it to Annie’s for safer keeping tomorrow morning.
Showered (beautifully refreshing) and shaved, unpacked and cleared away, then walked about a kilometre to the Roebuck pub – had a nice salad, two beers, glass of wine. Not too bad a price – salad $17, wine $5.80 or so.
Tomorrow (Friday) I’ll just relax a bit, get the bike away, do a little grocery shopping for five breakfasts, do some overdue laundry, have a swim, and generally relax.
After-note: there were two lots of unintended and unexpected consequences from this day’s marathon ride. First – happily, the mate I was to stay with in Perth, another 2400km further south of Broome, and seven days more riding, is a pharmacist, and he made me up some witches brew that fixed my sore thighs – although some minor blemishes remain to this day (pix on request). I also learned the importance of proper underwear as well as ATGATT on long distance riding.
Second – much more importantly: as one does on long and undemanding hours in the saddle I had the chance to think, and ponder the plight of our many disadvantaged aboriginal (indigenous) inhabitants in these very remote areas. I’d also seen something of this on other trips into the outback. What I saw disturbed me, but what could I do?
Well, I found I could do something, and not long thereafter, on returning home, I signed-up as a volunteer to work with indigenous families, communities, individuals, work that took me to some pretty remote parts and that exposed me to some experiences I’d not otherwise have had. I like to think I made a tiny difference.
Here's my kick-off contribution, being my Journal notes from the solo round-Oz GS trip I took too long ago and that I mentioned recently. Enjoy...
Day 13 – Thursday October 7th – Kununurra to Broome. 41°C on the road, 44° in Fitzroy Crossing.
I intended to ride only as far as Fitzroy Crossing today, about which I had heard a lot of negative reports – even the friendly quarantine officer at the NT/ WA border said not to stay too long at either Halls Creek or Fitzroy Crossing. He was right about Halls Creek – dirty, grubby place full of dirty, grubby aborigines, including lots of kids – why aren’t they at school?
I’d booked ahead at the Fitzroy Crossing Inn, which was about three ks off the highway along a rutted track. It must have been pension day as the Inn was surrounded by scores of aborigines, all with their wine casks and slabs of beer. I didn’t even stop – just did a u-turn and headed back to the highway, determined not to give them a chance to play with the bike in the night! After a second stop at the Fitzroy Xg servo for yet another drink of milk I set off for the extra 400ks to Broome.
Luckily I had started very early, getting up at 4.45am and on the road by 5.15, first light. An easy ride, with less of the Kimberley landscape to see, but still some of it among a lot of plain, small trees and shrubs, etc., with hills in the background.
The road was pretty good, although it fell away a bit after about 150ks west of Kununurra. But at least there were hills and valleys to see, and some bends, to re-learn how to ride!
Had several stops for petrol, five in all I think, and the day got HOT - 41°C indicated on the bike gauge, although the oil-temperature gauge never went past four bars. Bike still running perfectly – and next to no other traffic.
Had many drink along the way – realised just out of Kununurra that I had left my two drink bottles behind in the ‘frig, but they were easy enough to replace, I just bought 2 x 600ml bottles of water and clipped them in.
About 35ks from Broome (and the ocean) the temperature fell quickly and dramatically to only 30°C or so – lovely! It was very hot off the bike, but OK while on it and moving, but I’ve got a couple of sore spots (heat-rash?) on the upper underside of my thighs, I guess from sitting in damp underclothes all day as a result of the high humidity. Five days in Broome will fix that!
Arrived in Broome at 5.20pm, after exactly 12 hours in the road, including five stops just for petrol and drinks. 1046ks for the day, so that equals an average of 87kph. Most of the way I pinned the throttle open to 120kph and kept this up literally for hours. Needed to slow down often, though, to 80kph or so for the many one-lane bridges across the hundreds of creeks here.
Entered Broome just on dusk, so saw nothing: straight to the motel, where the manager gave me a huge upgraded apartment, air-con, cooking facilities, the lot. I left the bike outside overnight on the tiny verandah, and plan to take it to Annie’s for safer keeping tomorrow morning.
Showered (beautifully refreshing) and shaved, unpacked and cleared away, then walked about a kilometre to the Roebuck pub – had a nice salad, two beers, glass of wine. Not too bad a price – salad $17, wine $5.80 or so.
Tomorrow (Friday) I’ll just relax a bit, get the bike away, do a little grocery shopping for five breakfasts, do some overdue laundry, have a swim, and generally relax.
After-note: there were two lots of unintended and unexpected consequences from this day’s marathon ride. First – happily, the mate I was to stay with in Perth, another 2400km further south of Broome, and seven days more riding, is a pharmacist, and he made me up some witches brew that fixed my sore thighs – although some minor blemishes remain to this day (pix on request). I also learned the importance of proper underwear as well as ATGATT on long distance riding.
Second – much more importantly: as one does on long and undemanding hours in the saddle I had the chance to think, and ponder the plight of our many disadvantaged aboriginal (indigenous) inhabitants in these very remote areas. I’d also seen something of this on other trips into the outback. What I saw disturbed me, but what could I do?
Well, I found I could do something, and not long thereafter, on returning home, I signed-up as a volunteer to work with indigenous families, communities, individuals, work that took me to some pretty remote parts and that exposed me to some experiences I’d not otherwise have had. I like to think I made a tiny difference.
