Today I woke up early at the Banka Banka Camp and quickly packed up. I checked the fluid levels on the car and the coolant was full and the oil level was correct though the oil is much darker now. 

Today will be another 500 k plus day- it is amazing to go so far so fast after the bike journey. And today I will see areas I haven't been to and finish up in the famous outback town of Alice Springs.

First I drove 100k to Tennant Creek and back to the motel I'd stayed in my last time through. I bought a coffee and spent almost two hours updating my blog and loading and captioning pictures of the Litchfield and Katherine Gorge Parks. I am working hard to keep this blog more up to date with the car taking me to places with computers or wireless connections nearly every day.

Then it was driving and driving and driving. The car ran well at 130 kph all day and never got hot. There are some noises at the end of the day that are a bit different from the start, but we will see. 

Today I saw an area they call the Devil's Marbles where there are boulders stacked on top of each other and some are eerily almost perfectly round. It is a small area and before I got there I saw a cyclist who I knew had a bad rear hub. I passed him and went back after seeing the Marbles and offered him my rear wheel. His name is Henrik and he is riding around the world on his bike. 

Henrik has ordered a hub to Alice Springs so after we found that my wheel would work I offered to take his wheel with me to the bike shop and he could ride my wheel in and leave it at the shop for me to pick up. I will go see Ulurru and the Kings Canyon over the next two days while he rides in and then I will come back to Alice Springs for my wheel. It means that I have to backtrack 159k one day, but a lot of people helped me so I need to give that back.   

I gave him a cold tangerine and an icy diet coke as well....little things that mean a lot in the hot sun on a bike.

I left Henrik and continued down the road. It looks more deserty here...dry dry dry. Before I forget I want to mention that everyday I have seen big bush fires right by the road. Yesterday it was flaming on the opposite side of the highway for about 1/4 mile and you could feel the heat of the flames as they devoured the dry trees. No one was firefighting they just let it burn. So much empty space to scorch. I saw a burned out car that looked to be the ignition source for the fire. Even "Cheap as Chips" wouldn't take that one!

I also played with the radio trying to get a station in and occasionally did, but my antenna is busted and that hinders my reception significantly.

I stopped for gas because I had dropped below 1/2 a tank about 200 k north of AS and they wanted a $1.93 a liter! I had discussed with Peter how foolish it was to shop around for cheap gas, but this was highway robbery- even in Daly Waters I only paid $1.83. I put in $ 15.00 wortht o be on the safe side and took off. 

As the fuel gauge crept down I remembered that some cars' gauges drop faster after the first 1/2 tank so I watched it like a hawk. Now I was never in danger of being stranded because I had 20 liters of gas in cans in the car, but I could run out or get it so low that crap in the bottom of the tank might cause problems. I was convinced that if I hit the 80k marker to AS before the gauge read 1/4 I would be ok. At 1/4 exactly 80 k sign appeared. The car went really low towards 'E' but the low fuel warning light never came on (if it works!).

So far everything but the A/C is working well, but I do hate the drivers seat. The last guy must have had a fat ass and rode it on his left hip because the left side of the seat is beating up my left kidney. I shift around and the pain comes back whenever I settle in. I need to try more seat adjustments. I can go forward or back, up or down or tilt it. There is a lumbar adjust but I have that off because it just pokes at me. 

Other than that the car is doing really well. 

I got into Alice Springs just after 4pm and dropped off the wheel. gassed up and found a caravan park on the south side of town for a quick departure tomorrow to The Rock.

More tomorrow on Day 7 of Mike's Top Gear Challenge.

written by  Mike_Veine on September 5, 2012 from Alice Springs, Australia
from the travel blog: Mike's Top Gear Challenge
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I camped in the Katherine Gorge last night and today I found out they have cheap backpacking sites ($3.50) and no permit required- pity I don't have my pack!

Yesterday I booked a two hour, two Gorge tour on a boat that leaves at 9 am. I woke up early enough to have coffee and break camp and even had time to call my folks in Idaho before boarding the boat.

The Katherine Gorge is made up of 33 different Gorges that are roughly in the shape of a snake as drawn by the Native Peoples. Our guide says the Gorges are seperated by rocks in the dry season and resemble a hershey bar with each little segment being another gorge. In the wet season though it is one raging river with the water levels rising over 30 meters (100 feet approx)!

We are on a 70 passenger flat bottom boat and it is not quite full. At $79 a head though they are doing all right and there will be 4 other trips today on this boat alone.

As we head into the Gorge our Guide explains about the crocodiles and how salt water crocs (the dangerous ones) will get in when the water levels are higher than they are now and he shows us a trap they set for them. "Salties" as they are called here, can grow to 6 meters or more and easily eat you. But we don't have to worry because of the time of year, water level and the precautions the park service takes.

The walls of the Gorge are about 100- 200 feet high around us and occasionally we come across some sandy beaches. They are marked for 'No Entry' and our guide says they are the nesting grounds for the Fresh water crocodiles- "Freshies" and if they are disturbed the fines are thousands of dollars! he showed us drag marks where the crocs had come on the beach to check the sand temperature to see if it was right for incubation. According to the Guide, the temperature determines if the hatchlings will be male or female!

We move on through the first Gorge and take lots of pictures- there are some day kayakers paddling on the glassy water and it looks delightful. We see a small freshie and stop so everyone can try to get pictures, he got bored and swam away, but I think I got one of him (pic on blog).

Then we reached the end of the Gorge and transfered to another boat in the second Gorge. After a short walk we boarded and set out passing a famous cliff that was used in a movie that was the first Australian movie featuring an all indigenous cast in a story about the indigenous people. In the movie two characters leap from the cliff. Actually two dummies were used to make the splash at bottom.

We move past several side gorges including one you reach by a day hike that ends with a small beach and swimming! Nice.

Then we see the main Gorge and line up for an iconic photo showing the river running between high rockwalls as far as the eye can see. Cool. A little more cruising and we start back.

By the time I get to the car it is after noon and I head to McDonalds again for a snack and the WiFi then to the Woolworths store to get more ice and dinner supplies.

Then the road- today I will bash the old car and drive with the A/C on and check the mileage. The A/C is blowing beautifully cold as I start out and for about 1/2 an hour is awesome. BUT- as soon as I got out of the city and accelerated to 130 kph it stopped working....could not feel cold air at all. I think the belt might just be slipping but I just soldiered on without the air for now- if I find someone in a caravan park who knows their stuff maybe they can take a look for me.

They car ran all day at 130 kph and handles like a whale---roll into the corner, roll out of the corner- big time oversteer. But she runs! 2 fill ups and 500k later and we are at Banka Banka camp before sunset.

After dinner I visited at the bonfire with the owner and his family. They had helped me out with a bolt when my downtube clamp bolt had broken so they knew about the bike ride. We chatted and drank a beer and then I went to bed for a good nights sleep before Day 6 - On To Alice Springs!!!! Enjoy the Photos and please send me comments or emails!

written by  Mike_Veine on September 4, 2012 from Tennant Creek, Australia
from the travel blog: Mike's Top Gear Challenge
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When I left Peter's house his advice to me was "Start slow and break her in and drive your temperature gauge", wise words, indeed!

My goal today was to find a dirt road backway into the Litchfield National Park which is an area of waterfalls and natural swimming holes. I first went to the gas station and filled up the car and both of the 10L jerry cans and then to the store for drinks, snack and ice for the cooler. Finally on the road.

The cars performance was ok- still a little sluggish on the pickup but once I got to speed the temperature was nominal, right in the middle and she ran well. One thing I noticed though was that between 1900-2300 on the tach if any kind of hill came along the engine began to shake like a rumblely seizure hit it under the load. Since I was going up quite a bit this was uncomfortable to say the least and a little disconcerting.
But I put up with it for now since everything seemed fine otherwise.

Unfortunately I did not read the map well (I blame the shakey engine) and even though I was on the correct road I missed my turnoff for the dirt road and lost out on that portion of the challenge- 0 points for dirt driving. Eventually I came to the in and out route into Litchfield thru the town of Batchelor and drove 34 K into the park. The first sight I came to was the Magnetic Termite Mounds. These termites are different than the ones I have been seeing forever on the bike- they build their mounds in direct alignment with magnetic North and South, a natural compass!

The mounds look like oddly angled toombstones stretching off into the distance both directions I can see- for all I know they go on to infinity. The tallest look like they are about 6 feet tall or so and they are narrow on the East/West axis and stretched out North and South. Pics are on this blog.

Also at this location is the largest termite mound. It is at least 40 feet tall and wide as 4 men across at the bottom. If the termite invasion begins this will be the HQ!

Moving on from the insect world I drove to a place in the park called the Buley Rockholes- I had no idea what I would find there but I found a slice of paradise.

The Buley Rockholes are natural pools that are interconnected by a river so that the river flows from one to the next in small cascades. Some of the pools are over 12 feet deep and 40 feet across. I could see people at one in the sun jumping off rocks into it but I was attracted to a quieter pool mostly in the shade below the crowded sunny pool.

When I first drove into the parking area I met a backpacker who was returning to his camp and I asked him "what was going on here?" and he said, "swimming and you can get a free massage." I could see what he meant about the massage- the small cascade creating the pool was flowing like a giant whirlpool jet and if you could sit in its' flow it would pound your shoulders and back with watery delight. And you know what- there was a natural seat right in the middle of it!

I jumped in after stripping to my Ex Officio Boxer Briefs and dove to the bottom of my pool. The temperature was perfect- refreshing, but not cold because the water flows over so much hot land before going into the pools and the sun warms it. I found the seat in the flow and what a release of tension as the water caressesd my shoulders and back and neck....mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Sweet.

Spent about 20 minutes in the earth jaccuzzi and then swam over to where I left an iced coffee drink which I slowly sipped while floating and drifting in my own private paradise pool (pics on this blog).

Two boys were coming down the trail when I was ready to leave and I got one of them to hold my towl in front of me while I got the briefs off and into my shorts again. Then a short hike back to the car and off to the water falls. Now the falls can be swum at also, but I only tried to get a picture and the viewing area was closed for "Urgently Needed Repairs"- since it hung over a 400 foot drop I did not bypass the the warning signs and go out on it anyway.

Back to the car and out of Litchfield and now on to the Katherine Gorge approximately 300 K away. When I hit the highway the speed limits here go from 60 kph to 80 kph then to 100 kph and finally on the open road to 130 kph! Because the temperature was holding well and I had a long way to go I cautiously began to up my speed over 100 kph to 110 first and I noticed that as I went faster the car ran smoother! So soon I was buzzzing along at 130 kph and 3,000 on the tach which the Blue ? really seemed keen on. I thought that maybe this car had not seen a lot of highway driving and this will be something she will take to like a duck to water.

I filled up again about an hour after Litchfield and calculated the mileage as about 9 kilometers per litre of petrol. At about $1.70 per litre average cost this was going to be expensive, but the mileage is comparable to about 23 miles to the gallon or a little better by my rough and possibly inaccurate calculations- we all believe what we want to and if you want to do the math it was 45 litres for 407 Kilometers.

I arrived at Katherine without incident about 3:30 pm and filled up with gas again then went to Mc Donalds to use the free wireless and get a snack. Then back in the car for the short drive to my next destination- The Katherine Gorge! I will camp there tonight and see the Gorge in the morning.

written by  Mike_Veine on September 3, 2012 from Katherine, Australia
from the travel blog: Mike's Top Gear Challenge
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To recap day 1 I purchased the dirtiest car I have ever seen for $900 from "Cheap as Chips Cars"
and I have returned to my hotel to see what I have.

Here's what I found in the car that I kept- 
$3.00 in change
Service Log Book with original purchaser name which was the City of Waverly in Melbourne of all places!
The Magna Owners Manual
1 Ballpoint pen
1 Nice Art Paint Brush
A toothbrush for cleaning in the cracks
A China Plate
A Large Paper Clamp
Various broken trim pieces and odd bolts and fasteners (you never know when these will come in handy)

My vehicle assessment turned up the fact that a slip of a receipt slid into a crack on the steering wheel was the only thing keeping the horn from continuously blaring so that would have to be dealt with. The whole front of the steering wheel was taped on with clear plastic tape so some odd disaster must have occurred in the distant past by the look of the tape's condition....hmmmm

The only other time I spent on the car the first day was reading the owners manual and seeing if all the dash warning lights worked- they did.

On Day 2 my friends, Elizabeth and Peter were meeting me for lunch and relocating me to their house in Humpty Doo about 45 K South of Darwin CBD. Peter kindly offered his mechanics experience to take a look the car to help me get down the road.

I was a bit embarrassed by the condition of the car and that they had easily picked it out in the lot! Peter drives a late model Holden that looks like a Mercedes "S"Class and is a Beaut. All of his vehicles are impeccably maintained. 

Following him to our luncheon spot was a challenge since his car had way more pickup than mine, but I kept close as I could. It was an experience getting the car over 80-100 KPH and seeing how she ran. At about 1900-2200 on the tach the engine shook quite a bit and I had a couple of backfires as well when stepping on the gas.

We did safely arrive at the restaurant and had a light lunch and iced coffees. Elizabeth ran into a friend in the parking lot who was too polite to ask who the fool with the shit car was who was with them.

Driving to their place I got up to even higher speeds following Peter and the car kept chugging- I was encouraged that the temperature gauge read in the middle and never approached the top even when I was hard on the gas.

Elizabeth had a riding lesson so when she left Pete and I dug into the car. I popped the hood and he started checking things out and found that I had new plug wires and spark plugs, a fairly new radiator and power steering fluid holder, Oil that was so clean it was hard to see on the dip stick and that I was a little low on coolant so he added some.

He checked the CV joints on the wheels and when I mentioned the timing belt that I thought all Japanese cars have and that I worried about its' condition he showed me that I had timing chain and would probably never have to replace it.

"Bloody hell", Pete said, "you've got the best $900 car ever here. The tires are brand new and worth $400 and the registration has 10 months left and that's $500 right there without the rest of the car!".

So just maybe I have been lucky here.

The next day was set aside for the cleaning project and buying the other things Pete suggested were necessary considering where I was traveling. This includes:
2 10 Liter Fuel Jerry Cans
1 10 Liter Water Jerry Can
5 Liters of Oil
A full bottle of coolant
1 replacement belt for the Water pump and 1 replacement belt for the Alternator
AFT Fluid
I added a cooler to the list for food and drinks. This all added up to about $200 worth of stuff.

Pete generously shared his cleaning supplies and Armor All and when we got done with the shopping the cleaning commenced in earnest.

Pete brought out the shop vac and I spent two hours vacuuming everything that was not nailed down out of the car. This was a job and a half, but results showed up pretty quickly and it made a huge difference in my desire to be in the car at all.

After the vacuum came the Armor Alling---I think I used over half a large bottle going over the dash and every plastic piece on the car. Again, the results were amazing and the color and shine of the materials came back. Not too shabby. Next was interior window cleaning and last was a complete heavy rinse and 45 minutes with a sponge and soap on every exterior surface with full on scrubbing with the sponge. The another heavy rinse and Walah! The Blue ? was habitable and no longer a rolling filth magnet. Pete thought it looked looked like a $1200 car at least now!

All this work created an appetite and when I took them to dinner at the Humpty Doo Pub and Hotel/Casino there was a Man vs. Food challenge: 

Eat a rack of Pork Ribs in twenty minutes and you got them for 1/2 price!

Elizabeth dared me to try and I was forced to defend America's reputation for overconsumption and accepted. When the waitress brought a huge plate of ribs out I said-"Well it's a lot, but it looks doable". The waitress smiled and said, "No, this isn't yours hun, this is her 1/2 order of ribs".

My plate was a monster, but since this was a Fathers Day Promotion I took out Aubrey's picture from my wallet and said, "This one is or you, kid." and dug in. The record that day was 7 minutes an 40 seconds and I reckoned I could do it in 12. My first 1/2 was done in just under 7 and I worked my way through the second slowed up by some small bones on the end of some of  the ribs. Finally I was finished with a time of exactly 14 minutes...Man Defeats Food!!!!!
The restaurant gave me a 10% off coupon on my next dinner which I presented to Elizabeth and a laminated certificate which I have used my large paper clamp to attach to my Driver Side sun visor in the car.

Of course I was an appalling mess- good thing I had a bib on!
Anyway that was the end of that day. Tomorrow the Blue ? and I hit the road in earnest for Lichfield National Park and ending up at the Katherine Gorge.

Let the fun commence!

Pete checking out the Blue ? for me

written by  Mike_Veine on September 2, 2012 from Katherine, Australia
from the travel blog: Mike's Top Gear Challenge
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So since seeing the show I have wanted a Top Gear Challenge and here it is!

In this country where the average price of a good car is probably 30-40,000 dollars and cheap ones go for 3,000 to 5,000 I must buy a vehicle that can carry myself and all of my bicycle gear from Darwin in the North back home to Melbourne in the South or across the entire continent over 5,000 kilometers for under 1,000 dollars.

My mission began today when I went to a local backpacker hostel and looked at message boards with "Car for Sale" notices. I had been led to believe that many cheap cars would be listed by backpackers desperate to sell before their visas ran out and they had to leave the country so I was very disappointed to see only 4 vehicles listed ranging in price from 3,000 - 7,500 dollars!

This looked like a tougher job than I had been led to believe.

I asked around and heard a rumor of an area out the way I had come in on my bike about 30 k away that the backpackers brought the cars to and waited for prospective buyers. I did not feel like a possible 60 k bike round trip today and someone told me cab fare was 70 dollars to get there so I wasn't very keen on that option unless it was my only possible choice. I racked my brain for another solution and found myself near a News Agent where magazines and newspapers are sold and inside I found a free auto listing magazine.

It only showed dealerships, not private sellers so I thought it might not be very useful, but one place listed called itself "Cheap as Chips Cars" so I thought, "that sounds promising!" The cheapest car in the ad was 3,000 dollars, but I thought I might be able to talk them down or they may have a trade in that was in bad shape they would part with for cheap so I called. The number I reached turned out to be the owner of the place and he was in Melbourne of all places so after I explained my bicycle trip and why I needed a cheap car he gave me a local number to call. The number went to a small dealership only 5 blocks from my hotel, but first I called to see if there was anything promising there. The saleman heard my story and said I should come down- he might have something.

When I got to the lot it was postage stamp size and crammed with cars, mostly in the 3- 5,000 range. I saw a very ugly sedan with no price and a blue station wagon that was filthy and had body damage all down its right side that also had no price. I gave my attention to the wagon because it would be easiest to carry my bike in it. It was as dirty on the inside as the out. It wasn't locked so I let myself into it, but I really did not want to sit in the seat because it was that crummy! I popped the hood and the engine was almost immaculate- new plugwires, new power stearing fluid unit, newish radiator...it looked exactly the opposite of the rest of the car!

By this time Rob the salesman came out and I said hello again. He told me he only had one car that had met my description of the dirtiest trade in on the lot and it was the wagon. The car was a 1996 Mitsubishi Magna Exec Station Wagon with a 4 cylinder fuel injected 2.6 litre engine, power steering, AirCon, and automatic door locks.
The windows are roll down style, which is cool 'cause less to go wrong. Under the dirt it was bascially light blue with big dents and damage streaks on it.

I looked it over, opened the hatch door and checked the spare tire compartment and there amongst crud and dead moths was a full size spare with tread and full of air as well as the complete jack assembly- another good sign.

Rob brought the keys and offered to jockey the other cars around so I could take a test drive as soon as he finished with some other customers who were picking up a car.

I started the old blue wagon up and it started right off, but idled pretty roughly...I gassed it and saw that the tach seemed to work and that the fuel gauge showed "Full"- Score! at the gas prices here a full tank is probably 60-70 dollars! I did a quick check on turn signals and lights and everything I could see seemed good. The other really cool thing about the car was that it had ten months registration still on it which is longer than I will be in the country and a big deal here.

By this time Rob was done and he moved the crummy sedan out of the way and I took to the road behind the wheel of a car in Australia for the first time. Driving on the left side was not difficult because I had been doing it on the bike for a month and over 2800 kilometers, but the mirror placement was weird- I was not prepared for looking to the left to see the rear view mirror and remembering that all the body of the car was to my left side was something I had to think about- not automatic at all!

I drove back to the Holiday Inn and parked across the street in the park and stopped and restarted the engine and it backfired a couple of times. It also seemed like the left front shock was weak maybe....I drove back to the dealership and tried to accelerate quickly and the car responded sluggishly and smelled of gas or something. When I got back I tried backing it up and succesfully got back into the lot. Rob and I talked for a couple of minutes and I decided I would take it and see what happened after he called his boss and came down to 900 dollars to meet my price (Under 1,000). Paid for the car and drove it back to the HI and then I walked to the bank and signed up for insurance for vehicle liability.

The system here is different than the US- when you register the car it also pays for all the liability you need if you injure a person. That is automatic. But it does not cover property damage at all. At the bank the clerk put in all the info about my car and accepted my answers about my driving record and I found out that my full property liability insurance was only $22.80 a month and they could automatically deduct it from my account- sweet! Now as an insured driver I went back to the Holiday Inn and looked at the mess litterally (MSPI) that I got myself into. I pulled some junk out and found about $3.00 in change in the car. To clean it was going to take a shop vac, 1,000 gallons of soap and water and about 6 hours I figured.

But I was a new car owner again for the first time in 4 years! Fun or no Fun only time will tell!

written by  Mike_Veine on September 1, 2012 from Darwin, Australia
from the travel blog: Mike's Top Gear Challenge
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I stayed two nights at a Holiday Inn on the Bay and had a very comfortable room with a little balcony and a restricted view of the Bay. I was pretty comfortable. The first night I just relaxed in and did not explore the city too much...it was time for reflection and giving thanks for safely completing my Mystery Tour and resting.

The next day I was on a mission going to my bank and checking on finances and trying to find a car to drive home in. My car adventures will be blogged here under Mike's Top Gear Challenge so look for that blog to start up soon (or even tonight).

I contacted Peter and Elizabeth who are two friends I made on the trip at the Daly Waters Pub. Peter was the man who explained about toliet frogs to me. That night he gave me his card and told me to call them when I got into Darwin so I did!

We agreed to meet for lunch and they invited me to stay with them for two days on their property in Humpty Doo about 45 K North of Darwin CBD. Elizabeth has horses on their 5 acre property and does show jumping and dressage competitions and Peter is a Master Mechanic who business is as a contractor. He cleared the land on the property and built their house and a recent add on that they sleep in so guests have a bedroom in the main building. They are a fun and lively couple and I have so enjoyed their courtesy and company!

On Saturday, Peter took me on a Quad bike bush trip and we drove around the bush seeing amazing birds on paths that he trailblazed on the quad. Elizabeth brought her horse, Siam, and rode the same trail catching up with us when we would stop at prearranged points- what fun! Peter took me the bush route back to the house and we got to see a beautiful orange sunset over this amazing land.

On Sunday I got to help him clear bush and cut a tree down that was a nuisance while Elizabeth fed parts of the tree to a new chipper that they had just purchased- wow, that thing was making short work of wood and leaves. It is Father's Day here so tonight when we went to the Humpty Doo Pub there was a band and they had a Man vs. Food contest of eating a rack of pork ribs with chips in under twenty minutes. Elizabeth challenged me to try so I did to defend America's honor as insane overconsumers. I took out my daughter, Aubrey's picture for inspiration- "this one is for you, daughter". and the waitress brought a huge plate of ribs. But nothing could stop me and I finished them in 14 minutes gaining the meal for 1/2 price (yes, I think it probably should have been free too!). I will probably suffer later and tomorrow is an all fruit and water day for sure (maybe some yoghurt too).

All this is possible because I met amazing and fun and interesting people on my bike adventure and in the end, like everything in life to me, it is the people and the experiences you have that make life worth living and made this Adventure worth having.

I will spare you the details of riding into Darwin because they didn't matter; my body had become a machine that rode a bike, but my mind remained free and unfettered and my imagination and appreciation of the world around me grew in proportion to the kilometers I racked up.

Love Life and have an Adventure All of You Good People!

Farewell for this phase and now onto the next adventure!

written by  Mike_Veine on August 31, 2012 from Darwin, Australia
from the travel blog: Mike's Magical Mystery Tour
tagged InDarwin and FinalEntry
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My next to last day!

Today I rode about 90 k or so to Adelaide River. The humidity is really getting up there and today I saw a lot more palm trees and a wildfire!

The wildfire was in the middle of nowhere and seemed quite large and burning out of control about 800 meters or so from the road on the Eastern side.  It was already burned up by the roadway which must have acted as a firebreak for the East wind driven flames. I took some pictures and while I was doing that I noticed some fresh flames sprouting up very close to the roadway in an unburnt area and decided to get out of there!

I have also seen a lot more standing water in creeks and pools and little lakes...I wonder if some of these are billabongs? With the water comes some more of the beautiful Jabirus (Big birds with black heads) and Egrets. I am also hearing more birdsong by the highway and fewer crows and carrion birds. Much greener as well with some areas looking almost like lawns.

The ride today was like yesterday with some climbing of hills not too steep but sometimes kin of tediously long. No good descents really either so maybe I will get one tomorrow.

I am staying in a motel room at a caravan park for the a/c an soft bed, but too excited to sleep....tomorrow is the last day and I should be at the ocean in Darwin by 2 or so (knock wood).

It has been an amazing ride so far and I am so thankful for everything Australia and the good people I have met have shown and taught me the last month o riding. My body has gone through some big changes and I hope to keep up with the improvements and build on them in Melbourne.

Today I met a young couple at the pool and tonight we shared some laughs and they told me about traveling in India which is another place I hope to see in a couple of years.

I will ride especially carefully tomorrow since the end of journeys can often be as perilous as the beginnings, but I am confident and energized as well.

Now back to trying to sleep....

written by  Mike_Veine on August 29, 2012 from Darwin, Australia
from the travel blog: Mike's Magical Mystery Tour
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Rode today to Emerald Springs 135 k down the road. I stopped for a long lunch in Pine Creek to let the day cool off a bit and then rode 30 k or so to ES.

Today was hills and climbs, but not too steep, just up and up and them a down. Getting used to the heat now a bit more and still drinking plenty of water. I had two pitchers full for lunch!

I am getting very anxious about finishing and may be done in two days. Today I had a flat- the front tubs that had been leaking finally gave it up so sat in the shade on the roadside and fixed that little problem.

I had drinks in the bar tonight with three young servicemen who were picking up broken vehicles the army had left behind during an exercise. Nice blokes, we watched Big Brother on the TV and made fun of the contestants.

Emerald Springs is pretty much just the Roadhouse from what I can see- another tiny town built around a waterhole. 

The land has changed again and the past two days I have seen large boulders in many places and I saw small palm trees beside the road for the first time today. Also, I found an Australian Flag that came off a car I guess and hung it off the end of my bike. Really cool find. And my bike computer died- I thought it was the wireless sensors battery and replaced it but it still won't work. I will give a final summary of the recorded data on my last blog entry.

written by  Mike_Veine on August 28, 2012 from Darwin, Australia
from the travel blog: Mike's Magical Mystery Tour
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Good ride into Katherine today. Wind at my back much of the time and rolling hills to ride 
But still hot! 

Katherine is a big city compared to anywhere I've been since Mt Isa and even has a McDonalds with WiFi! This is also the first place my iPhone has coverage since Cairns.

Katherine is famous for Katherine Gorge which I hope to visit on the way back. I am not taking many side trips now with the finish so close so there are places I want to go back to if I hopefully get a car.

I did visit the Cutta Cutta Caves which were only a 1 k side trip. The Caves are limestone and have stalactite and stalagmite formations that are hundreds of thousands of years old. Not an anthropologically interesting site since the native peoples had no knowledge of it and it was never inhabited or even used in ritual. 

At a caravan park tonight where noisy backpacker kids are keeping me awake arguing about their travel plans for like 5 hours. I finally had to ask for some peace and quiet to get some sleep. LOL. I will be glad to sleep in when this ride is done!

written by  Mike_Veine on August 27, 2012 from Darwin, Australia
from the travel blog: Mike's Magical Mystery Tour
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