Wednesday, 08 August 2012

No real riding today – scooters geting serviced

We rode the scooters to ScootaCo and met Linc, the proprietor and head mechanic.  He graciously spent a lot of time listening to our concerns about each of our respective scooters.  He’s is a rider of scooters and motorcycles and dirt bikes.  Just listening to him gave me confidence that we were in very good hands.  And he has some gorgeous scooters in his shop.  Linc, if you ever decide to sell that orange 90, please give me a call!

One other bike-related thing we wanted to buy was a throttle rocker.  It’s a paddle-shaped device that attaches to the throttle.  It’s designed to allow the rider to use the heel of the palm to control the throttle, instead of using a hand grip.  (When I was in Sydney, the folks at Scooter Central included it among the recommended parts for me to take along.  I thought I had brought mine from home, so I declined.)  Linc sent us down the street to the Honda dealer (his former employer).  He was certain they’d have throttle locks, rockers and anything else we’d want.  We got lucky and bought the last two throttle rockers they had.  (Yet another aside – There’s a fellow Vespa rider on the Modern Vespa forum called Gary.  Gary lives in Australia.  He’s been very active in his support of this adventure.  He calls every few days to make sure we’re ok.  He’s offered to help us find accommodations.  He bought two throttle locks, mailed them to a colleague in Cairns and and arranged to have her get them to us.  Gary is awesome!  And because of him we don’t need to buy throttle locks.  Thanks, Gary!)

We walked from the Honda shop to a small café for breakfast, then a stroll along the river and back to the hostel.   It was a nice quiet afternoon.  I sat in a lounge chair and calculated fuel usage (whoo hoo!) and drafted a couple of days worth of blog entries.  I found a hammock and snoozed.

Later that afternoon, we went for a walk around town.  The esplanade has a big, beautiful shallow pool next to the ocean.  I loved the origami fish fountains.  (It looks stormy but there were only a few sprinkles.)

We stopped at Pie Face for a nosh.  They sell both savory and sweet pies as well as other baked goodies.  Who doesn’t like food that smiles back at you?!

Here’s their coffee menu:

We made another stop at the library.  Ian wanted to update his blog and post some pictures which was hard to do from his tablet.  He had to join the library to use their computer / internet connection.  I walked around the historic building and enjoyed their displays.  And I learned that one of Cairns’ sister cities is Scottsdale, AZ.

Lastly, we walked through the night market.  They sold lots of tourist trinkets and food.  I was surprised to see how many massage tables they had set up.  I guess it’s a nice treat after a full day walking through the city.  I got away without buying anything.  Not that I didn’t want to.  It’s a little too early in the trip to be loading up on souvenirs.

We stopped at the grocery store on the way back to the hostel to pick up dinner fixins.  No riding today but it was still a good day.

Tuesday, 07 August 2012

Day 10 riding

We put on fresh, clean clothes (ahhhh), packed up the bikes and left Townsville.  How is that we can’t seem to get on the road before 9am?  Even with (fairly) careful planning and getting up early (kinda), we can’t seem to manage it.  One of these days…

We stopped for fuel in a beautiful, small, seaside village called Cardwell.  Fishing boats were just off shore.  There were islands on the horizon.  I tried negotiating with Ian to stay here for a while.  A couple of hours?  Couple of days?  No! was his answer to both.  Dang!  I might just have to move here.

I had another, closer look at the X7’s back tire.  It will need replacing sooner than I’d hoped.  Ian called Linc at ScootaCo in Cairns to see if he could order one for our service tomorrow.

We found backpackers accommodations in Cairns with room for us for three nights.  Cairns is a nice town but I really don’t want to spend that much time here.  Or anywhere, for that matter.  I’d rather have an extra day to allow for problems on the road / in remote places or get back to Sydney a little early.  The time / distance left to travel is starting to worry me.

I’m still feeling fatigued from fighting this cold but it is better than yesterday.  Hope to be over it soon! 

Monday, 06 August 2012

Day 9 riding

The morning at our (illegal) camp site was lovely and serene.  Even with all our feathered neighbors out and about.  Here are just a few of the many, many ducks

There was a lot less road kill today, thankfully!  Yesterday’s was mostly kangaroos, a few foxes, and a couple of birds.  Today there was quite a variety.  Is it bad that I noticed?  Is it bad that I wasn’t as grossed out?  I saw an emu.  Alive.  Yay!  That’s one very tall bird.  No chance for a photo, though.

The truck traffic has been more of a problem today.  The ones in our lane are sometimes difficult to pass.  And the oncoming trucks can cause a lot of turbulence for our little overloaded scooters.  There was more road construction, too, resulting in what felt like slow progress.

These are photos from our fuel stop.  It’s pretty typical of all today’s scenery, including the tracks for the sugar cane trains.

 We spent the night in Townsville at Reef Lodge, another “backpackers.” 

The fellow who registered us was also a rider.  He let us secure the scooters in a garage at the back.  By the time we got settled, it was dark.  I started the laundry while Ian got pizza.  Not an exciting night in Townsville.  What can I say, it’s Monday and laundry needed to be done.

Sunday 05 August 2012

Day 8 riding

The birthday party ended earlier than expected.  That or I was so tired I didn’t hear them after I went to bed.  Either way, I got a good night’s sleep despite this lousy cold.  Here’s a view of our dorm room at Emu’s Beach Resort and Backpackers- second level, on the right

We refueled the scooters and ourselves (yummy breakfast wrap with eggs and sausage) and headed back to Rockhampton and on to Mackay.   There was lots of road kill today.  I mean LOTS.  Eeeew!  It’s not just unpleasant and sad to see, it’s also a reminder that there’s lots of critters on the road.  We need to stay watchful.

We stopped at a McDonald’s in Mackay to get Ian’s coffee fix and use their WiFi.  We looked for a campground , caravan park, hostel or backpackers accommodations.  All were full or too expensive.  I was confident we’d find a friendly camper willing to share a parch of grass for our small tents. I convinced Ian to ride the short distance to the caravan park in Bukasia.

We rode once around then decided to park and find a camp site.  A woman followed us in her van.  She was quite stern but finally agreed to let us stay.  She directed us to set up camp next to the no camping sign.  But ONLY if we gave her $30 CASH.  (She said that twice.)  The posted camping fee was $28 but we weren’t about to quibble.  It was getting late, the warning of road kill was still in my mind, and it was a stunning location adjacent to the beach with a view of the islands in the distance.

We set up our tents and rode over to the small café we’d passed on the way in.  All I wanted was quick, simple meal and to get to bed early.  It didn’t quite go that way.

We decided to sit outside.  Ian noticed the mosquitoes first.  He also noticed the basket of bug repellants provided by the café.  Being the friendly, helpful guy that he is, Ian shared it with a couple at another table.  From there, a conversation started that lasted about three hours.  Al and Nat were a hoot!   We relocated to a table for four and talked and laughed about everything under the sun: bikes, biker bars, road trips, what to see / avoid in Australia, the exploration of Mars, quilting, and on and on.  Al decided to change the name of our adventure from “A Lap Around Australia” to “The Death and Mayhem Tour.”  (We’re still hoping for very little mayhem and absolutely no death, Al.)  They invited us to continue the conversation at their nearby home but we really needed to get some rest.  Ian has a photo of all of us that I’ll steal and post later.

The latest news as of Thursday, 16 August 2012

We’re stuck in Katherine in the Northern Territory, often referred to as NT.  I’m told NT also means, Not Today, Not Tomorrow.  Which leads to the reason we’re stuck.

Ian’s new belt, installed 12 days and about 4,000km ago, broke on Tuesday about 65km north of Renner Springs.  He got towed to Elliot while I followed behind.  The car mechanic was able to remove the Kevlar threads and fluff remaining but unable to go further.  Our road angel, Allen Drysdale, arranged to send replacement belts to a motorcycle repair shop in Katherine where we were towed Wednesday morning.

Allen sent a text on Wednesday morning saying the belts were sent by overnight mail.  That seems to be a misnomer and the reason NT = not today, not tomorrow.  The fellows at the repair shop here in Katherine, the folks at the post office and pretty much everyone else says we won’t be getting the belts tomorrow (Thursday).  And maybe not Friday.  If not Friday, then Monday… maybe.  So why, if it takes nearly 5 days, do they call it “overnight mail”?!?

We’re safe – that’s the good news.  The scooters will get serviced in Darwin as soon as we can get up there.  It’s only about a 4 hour ride but we can’t get underway without the belts.  And we can’t do it here while we’re waiting because they don’t have parts or the correct sized tires.  *frustrated sigh*  At least there's been time to update the blog.  Will continue to do so as WiFi allows.

Saturday, 04 August 2012

Day 7 riding

We both got up early and planned to be on the road early.  It didn’t quite work out that way though.  I went to the common area kitchen to see what was for breakfast.  Harry, a Sunset Safaris guide, was still wearing the pink, spikey-haired wig and visor he had on yesterday.  His group was just finishing and he offered me a platter of pineapple, honeydew and grapes.  He also gave a jar of Vegemite.

 Harry told us the story of how as an 11-year old German immigrant, someone offered to make him a Vegemite sandwich.  It looked like Nutella to him, so he eagerly said yes! And slathered it on.  Then he took a bite.  Yuck – it’s nothing like Nutella.  I was glad for the warning and took a very small bite from the corner of toast Ian had thinly spread with the brown goo for me.  Harry was right; it’s not Nutella.  But, unless you’re expecting chocolate-y, hazelnut-y sweetness, it is pretty good.  Kind of salty, kind of tangy.  I wouldn’t eat it every day but I wouldn’t mind having it again.

It was getting late and we needed to get on the road.  As we checked out, we chatted a bit with the receptionist.  She was also German, although I couldn’t tell from her accent.  She told me where I could see live kangaroos (since I hadn’t seen one yet).  She also gave a recommendation for a nice hostel in Emu Park and even called to make sure there was room for us tonight (since we might be competing with the car rally participants again).  There was room for us (whew) so we said our good-byes again and headed north toward Gladstone and Rockhampton.

Ian is a good travel companion and sets a comfortable riding pace.  (He leads, I follow.)  But there were a lot of construction delays which made for slow progress.  And I was coming down with a cold, too.  Ugh.  Makes for less than enjoyable riding.

When we arrived at the Emu Park hostel, the soft-spoken German (why are they all German?) receptionist said they were having a 30^th birthday party that night and it might be noisy until around midnight or so.  I figured I’d be asleep long before that with the help of a Tylenol PM tablet.  As it was, I was weary and rested for about an hour before dinner.

They served a nice barbeque with fish, steak, sausage, pasta and a fresh crisp salad.  And loads (or should I say loaves) of white bread.  I’ve seen this just about everywhere and don’t understand it.  What’s up with Australians and soft white bread (like Wonder bread)?  I forgot to take photos.  Must be the cold taking a toll.

Friday, 03 August 2012

Day 6 riding

The wild parrots I thought were so colorful and lovely yesterday turned out to be loud and pesky this morning.  Both Ian and I slept poorly due to the highway noise and the cold.  (He’s worse off than me, I think, since I had my heated jacket on.)  The tent site was nice, though.

We took time this morning to eat breakfast since we’d skipped dinner last night.  That combined with getting fuel and checking the oil level and tire pressure added up to us getting a late start.

We headed through Maryborough and on to Bundaberg.  Ian suggested we go to the rum distillery.  I’d seen signs for a quilt show in the Civic Center and thought that sounded like fun.  (The Australians have a great reputation in the quilting world and I wanted to see their craft work in person.  I learned later that Ian thought I was joking.)  Anyway, we ended up at the distillery.  I have to admit, it was pretty interesting.

We didn’t have time for the formal tour as it was getting late in the day.  Nadine gave us a mini tour and lots of great information on the history of the distillery and their products.  I particularly enjoyed hearing about their marketing and logo progression.

Bunny even got in on the fun with the bartender / sample provider, Roz.  We had to pass since we were still riding.

We talked about spending the night and taking the tour in the morning.  Actually, Ian was thinking of taking the tour.  As interesting as it was, I was more tempted to go to the quilt show in the morning.  We passed on both and settled instead on the photo op with the oversized bottle.

It was getting late and we wanted to get to the town of Agnes Water before dark.  (Riding at dusk / dark can be dangerous if the wildlife is out and about.)  The receptionist at Freckles Backpackers (hostel) showed us our room and gave a great recommendation for dinner to a restaurant called The Tree.  There was a shuttle so we could enjoy an adult beverage.  The shuttle driver told us most of the caravan parks were full because the Camp Quality Variety Bash was in town.  It’s a car rally / fundraiser with a lot of colorful participants so we were lucky find accommodations.  The driver also gave us a few recommendations for our dinner order.  The Tree was more up-scale than I expected, the scallops were fantastic and wait staff was very friendly.  What a delightful way to end a good day of riding.