July 17, 2024
Cycle Day 61 - Dowerin to Cunderdin via Wyalkatchem
Cycle day 61 - Dowerin to Cunderdin via Wyalkatchem = 103km. 4679km cycle toured so far on this trip.
Cunderdin caravan park - powered site = $35 (they don't have unpowered)
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Last night forecasted low was to be 10 degrees but when we went to bed at 8.30 it was 5 degrees and clear skies. It was still 5 degrees when we got up this morning at 6am. It got to todays high of 20 probably a bit warmer than that. It was sunny for the most of it and the clouds began to thicken and become very grey by 2pm. But what was completely wrong today was the intensity of the winds.
In hindsight we wish we had stayed at Dowerin and that lovely campground instead we got to Wyalkatchem and decided the northerly winds were too strong and we were struggling with just the 35km to get to Wyalkatchem. We did check the forecast and radar this morning before we left in case the rain that is meant to come tonight actually comes during the day. But all was ok - high of 20 with northerly winds at 20km an hour which is doable with the road going predominantly east. But we soon realised that the winds were double that and blowing somewhere in the 40-50km per hour range which whether you are going north, east or west is a headwind. It took us a long time to get to Wyalkatchem and I was knackered by the time we got there and we had only done 37km! It is the previous days of hills and headwinds that have made my legs weary.
We stop and have a cuppa and we recheck the weather for the next coming days and see the rains tomorrow bring westerlies which are the winds we want so we decide to stay here at Wyalkatchem and sit out the rain tomorrow. We went to the campground and it was not suitable for our tent - the ground was rock hard, completely no shelter and we would be completely exposed to the northerly winds for today and the ground would just hold all the rain that might fall tomorrow. I can't understand why a caravan park lists tents welcome (on Wikicamps) when really it is not suited to any tent. So we decided to continue south to Cunderdin - now we don't know what the caravan park is like there - it too could have ground that is hard as rock and can't get the pegs in the ground to anchor the tent from these strong winds. Fortunately that means we are going south and this strong wind will be behind us but it is another 63km away and we didn't know if it was hilly or flat. As it turned out it was gradual in hills and the wind helped you up and it absolutely threw you down the hill - aaawww it was awesome but not awesome when it was a gradual climb later in the day when the legs just didn't want to move anymore!
It is predominantly crop fields and we are beginning to see alot more fields that are flowering yellow and they look lovely from afar.
It was hard going for me today and I was annoyed and started to think about all the weather forecasts we have had from Elders and BOM on this trip and just how wrong they have been in alot of things - the rainfall for one but also the intensity of the winds (direction is usually quite good) but had we known the winds they forecasted today at 20km were actually more like 40-50km per hour we would not have set out as technically unless you are going in the direction with this wind behind you it will be a headwind. There has been no prevaling winds since we have crossed the Tropic of Capricorn way back at Minilya. We sure could have done with these northerly winds before we got to Pert 2 weeks ago!
By going to Cunderdin today we are going backwards a bit as we have to go back west a bit and also we are now down on the Great Eastern Highway way earlier than we wanted but it is what it is as Neil keeps saying.
We finally get to Cunderdin and the caravan park is shit! It is not suited for tents (again they say tents are ok here) the ground is all gravel and hard packed and fortunately the wind has died down a bit that some of the pegs are a little loose for my liking but we can't get them any further in the ground. The only good thing about this caravan park is the kitchen -it is fully enclosed and well equipped and will be great if we get stuck here tomorrow with the rain!
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I am pretty tired and I think we will have to pay for another day - oh the pain!
Today's ride: 103 km (64 miles)
Total: 4,679 km (2,906 miles)
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