July 29, 2024
Cycle day 69 - Norseman to bushcamp Fraser Range
Cycle day 69 - Norseman to bushcamp in Fraser Range = 102km. 5413km cycle toured so far on this trip.
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Warm nights and days while in Norseman and our first day out on the Eyre highway. A few photos of the town - which is dead by the way although the IGA is doing well!
wide streets just like Coolgardie. Most of the houses in town are those ones that contain Asbestos. Some are derelict and some look like they are well looked after. It is a very tired looking town and would be awfully hot here in the Summer. But the campground was great for us, we were very close to everything like the toilet (but not too close!), the camp kitchen and the bonus is the tent was always dry.
For dinner last night we picked up a BBQ pack for 2 from the IGA - it was marked down from $17.95 to $8.00. So we snapped it up and had the 2 steaks and 3 hamburgers for dinner and the 3 sausages we cooked and set aside for our first nights dinner. We haven't had much meat on this trip and this if definitely the first steak we have had since we left and like any steak bought in these small towns they are so delicious. It didn't worry us that we didn't have a fork and knife to eat these steaks - that's what hands are for! We do carry a vegetable knife but it was too much of a bother to cut up the steak and eat the small pieces when hands are just fine to eat a steak!
We were full after this meal. We really liked Norseman (from a cycle tourer perspective) although if in preparation for the Nullabor I certainly wouldn't leave all my shopping for food for the Nullabor to here in Norseman as the IGA is well stocked for food to be carried in a vehicle! In fact it really is well stocked for most stuff required for any sort of travelling - they just don't stock shoelaces!
This morning we got up at 5am and we were ready by 6.45am and it was light enough to be on the road. You could hear trucks very early in the morning before we got up and while we had brekky.
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4 months ago
Sharon - they tie die square is my pee rag - the one I was telling you about!
I think I can say that Neils bike is heavier than mine as I ran out of places and bags to put things. So as we eat things I transfer from Neils load to my food bag.
I was feeling excited about starting today but at the same time feeling just an absolute twinge of anxiety with regard to safety along this stretch - I think the 1000's of people that warned us about the Nullabor had got to me! But once on I realised that it is just like any other road - rolling and undulating with flat bits in between and with the added bonus of very little traffic!
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The day progressed nicely with the first 40km with a decent shoulder that we could retreat to when something overtook us. There were mining trucks up until 41km as that is where the mine was and after that there were only goods trucks. What was interesting was a sign just after the mine sign that said maximum 42m for road trains as alot of the goods trucks are 2 1/2 trailers long rather than the 3 trailers long like up north. Whatever length they are they are very good to us and show us alot respect and space.
As you can see from the photo below it is nice and sunny with todays high around 21 degrees so it was warm cycling but not sweaty hot.
By 2pm the cloud began to build as there might be a little bit of rain tonight. At the 80km mark there is the first rest area with a toilet and this is on the same side as us. A further 3km up on the right side of us is another rest area that is a little more scenic, according to the road sign after this rest area the next one is about 250km away!
From the 80km mark you begin to gently climb up and towards the Fraser Range - the legs felt ok, but the butt was beginning to become weary as there was no free wheeling to get out of the seat and you can't just stand up on these bikes with the heavy load as you get the colliwobbles - so there is alot of squirming on the seat going on to relieve the butt pressure of constant pedalling. Our goal for today since the wind wasn't as bad as what we thought it would be was to do 100km then look for a bushcamp. We finished at around 2.45pm which is a good time - still warm enough to have a set up tent, have a quick wash and then sit back and relax with a cuppa before attempting dinner!
Good spot and about 100m off the road. It will be interesting tonight to hear any trucks as it is just dead quiet now as I type this at 5.30pm. In fact I can't believe how little traffic we have had!
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I know it doesn't look great but with the sausages cut up in it - it was delicious and we add more water to make it more saucy and a bit like a thick soup.
Tomorrow we will pass Balladonia Roadhouse (about 90km away) and camp probably on the other side of it.
Today's ride: 102 km (63 miles)
Total: 5,413 km (3,361 miles)
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