June 20, 2021
Day 130: Pine Creek to Adelaide River
Start: 5:20am
Distance: 119kms
Ride time: 5:56hrs
Average: 20km/hr
Max: 48km/hr
Finish: 12:15pm
Temp: 14-31C
I started very early as I knew I had a big day ahead to get to Adelaide River. I wanted to get there because I wasn't confident there would be any water along the way.
It was nice to be on the bike while the stars were still up, the weather mild, and only the occasional road train. It was nice listening to the early bird chorus while pedalling along.
My front light is bright, powered by the front hub. The rear light wasn't working. I'll check that out in Darwin.
This didn't give me any concern for my safety as I have so much reflective tape on the rear of my bike.
After an hour or so the stars faded and the sun began to rise.
I saw lots of red tailed black cockatoos gently flapping their wings and squawking.
I saw some big termite mounds.
Google maps described today's terrain as mostly flat. It was wrong. It was mostly undulating.
After about 70kms I stopped at Bridges Creek Rest Area. There are toilets, tables and a water tank. A good camping place. I may stay here on my way back down.
When I leave Darwin in a week I will have to backtrack 300kms to Katherine before I can head west.
My map says there is a campground and roadhouse at Emerald Springs and Hayes Creek. As I went past it was clear they were both permanently closed.
When I got close to Adelaide River there were a few lagoons. In two of them I saw a large brown lizard sunbaking on the water's edge. When I stopped to take a photo, they dived under the water.
We've seen these birds before, here's some new pics anyway:
Today was the day of waves and horn toots. I must have waved back to 25 people or more.
I arrived at the Adelaide River caravan park at midday only to be told they were 'chock-a-block.'
I went to the local showgrounds and was able to camp there.
Just as I arrived at my shady spot, one neighbour kindly gave me a cold glass of water. The other neighbour offered me a salad sandwich. These two gestures made my day after a big day on the bike.
There are toilets here and showers and a pool. No camp kitchen.
I don't know how many barramundi are in the oceans but I've sure eaten a lot of them on this trip. Yum.
Any distance around 100kms is a big day for me. I'll be in bed early tonight and I will have a sleep in and short distances for the next few days. I'm taking advantage of being ahead of schedule to meet Serena in Darwin.
Darwin! I can't believe I'm almost there! Wahoo!
Today's ride: 119 km (74 miles)
Total: 6,410 km (3,981 miles)
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