August 5, 2012…Devils Marbles

August 11, 2012

Road trains have now increased to 53.5 meters in length! The road has been two lanes the entire day and we are now 1/2 way across Australia!

We almost rode past the turn off…a red sandy dirt road into the Devils Marbles camping area. The fee is $6.60 for the night on the honor system. This place could not be any more amazing! There were already 10 campers set up, and maybe 10 free spots left. We chose a small area with a fire pit and a small platform type table that backed up against the spiny grasses . We set up our tent doors to face the sunrise and massive rock formations. The sun was still fairly high in the sky which gave us plenty of time to enjoy the camaraderie of the fellow campers, wander the area and settle into camp.

The real show began as the sun began to set! The enormous round boulders precariously balancing upon each other began to glow. The scenery was so colorful it reminded me of a watercolor painting…rusty orange fiery boulders against the pale blue dusk sky, white spinifex plains, twiggy green bushes and twisty white trunked gums. The colors were truly spectacular. As the sun set the colors popped! The rocks became redder and looked as though they could almost self ignite!

A lone young male dingo wandered in from the spinifex plains hung around the camp site, watching and waiting from a distance for food scraps that were dropped.

August 4, 2012…Northern Territory, Avon Downs

August 11, 2012

We crossed over into the Northern Territory today and turned the clocks back a half hour? Yes, the countryside drastically changed! Ya know I just don't get that! We have now traveled into this barren dry grassy area, it makes you thirsty just looking across the landscape! The road train postings now state that the trains are 53 meters long! We will travel as far as we can today without riding past 4pm, our cut off time. Any later than that we feel that we are pushing our luck with kangaroos!

I did see 2 huge black eagles standing their ground over the road kill they were guarding. They do not spook or fly out of the way when you pass and Im sure they would take you on if approached. They stood about 3 ft off the ground with glossy jet black feathers, a huge hook beak, and white leg feathers that made them look like they were wearing old fashioned bloomers. This was the first time I've seen these majestic eagles.

Tired, we pulled off at a road side free camp spot that had a few trees, undrinkable water and an eco loo! We set up the tent and it was only an hour or so before we were offered a cold beer by the Aussie caravan that pulled up next to us…Jim and Sue! We spent the rest of the evening discussing routes, dirt roads and places to see. Jim and Sue offered to make us dinner and we enjoyed a salad with fritters. It was a very fun night around a campfire under a blue moon with a warm tea and some nice lemon slice that Sue had made . Jim even gave us a set of Army rations for the road! Thank you. The next morning Jim brought us a cuppa it was fabulous…I'm glad we decided to stop alongside the road!

August 3, 2012…Cloncurry

August 11, 2012

Stately sliver grey Brolga's were camouflaged in the dry grassy wetlands as we rode through the Queensland outback today. You actually saw the red patches on their heads, before the full bird. Being that they are a large crane like bird up to 4 ft tall it was quite a sight when there was a flock!

Riding deeper into the outback the countryside was greener than I had expected. I was surprised to see yellow and pink flowering Eucalyptus most of the way.

Warning signs started to frequently pop up warning you that road trains travel in this area and are 50 meters long…I hoped for road train encounters on the 2 laned stretches of road instead of the single lane of bitumen, and I was in luck only one fast train today! It did happen on the single stretch of course…I pulled off the road completely and held on while that swerving last car whooshed by!…Crikey!

There were a lot of "whoop de do's" today…you know when the road goes up and down and leaves your stomach up! We set up camp around 4pm…were lucky to get a camp site in Cloncurry. The rodeo was in town and the towns don't have enough housing for the mining industry so the overflow is camping. Yea Ha!

*Cat standing next to a model of Krys the largest crocodile ever captured at 28 ft, 4 in. *

*Krys was caught by Krystina Pawloski in July, 1957.*

August 1 - 2, 2012…Karumba

August 10, 2012

A big ride today…we covered more than 500 kms. The road, in parts, was only a one lane strip of dusty bitumen for both coming and going traffic. As you pass approaching traffic you need to veer off the heavily crowned road onto the red dirt, hoping that the exchange from bitumen to dirt is not too soft or rutted. Tricky stuff! When road trains approach, it is best to stop, as far off the bitumen as possible, without going into the trench…very nerve racking.

Macy's parade sized, ballooned up, dead cows, boars and roos, wandering unpredictable stock and bounding roos kept us on our toes as we powered through the spindly Savannah woodland. Brolgas started to appear first in pairs then in large groups. The temperature gauge was moving up the farther north we traveled and I was very toasty in my riding gear. It seemed like we had been riding forever and the day was dragging, my helmet head was becoming very, very, heavy. As I relaxed in the warmth of my riding gear, my head was growing heavy. Now that we were back to two lane roads, I was able to rest my helmet chin on my tank bag and give my neck a break.

We stopped in Normanton to pick up a couple of supplies…a small tin of Milo, water and a small ginger beer a whopping $15…Ouch! A weathered indigenous local chatted with Kev while I was in the grocery store. She was curious about the bikes and warned us of the crocs in the waters nearby. Ay Karumba…we made it, and just in the nic of time too…I was beginning to nod off!

I never get tired of watching sunsets, or taking pictures of them…and the sunset over the Gulf of Carpentaria did not disappoint! Being a full moon the first night, and a harvest moon the second night, made the experience even that more spectacular! We hung out at the Sunset Tavern enjoying the Gulf Prawns, watched the Jab-Rah fish in the shallow mud flats until we were chilly and then headed back to the campsite. Passing cars caught the pricked ears and green glow of Wallabies eyes as they impatiently waited on the short grassy sides of the road to bound across. The plumped up pelicans white plumage glowed in the full moons light they drifted in the waterways…The full moons glow truly did a number on the countryside and wildlife around us! Chilly from the Gulf damp air we climbed into our tent for warmth. Charlie, our campsite neighbor commented "You two calling it a night already?" "Yeah we are cold mate!", we replied. "You mind if I pull out the guitar?", Charlie asked. "No go for it! Do you take requests?" I said…and with that the last thing I remember slowly warming up and drifting off into slumber I was serenaded by the tunes of Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens! Just too good!

July 31, 2012…Undara

August 10, 2012

A fun day of riding today…bittersweet…leaving Cairns.

We decided to ride the Savannah Way out of Cairns. Wonderful dipping winding roads, with wooded views, and, way too much road works. Grey kangaroos are frequently darting out in front of us…where there is one, there is always another! The countryside turned into a Savannah woodland, and we started to see our first Bottle Trees. We arrived at Undara around 2:30pm, set up camp and squeaked in on a 3:30 tour of the Lava Tubes. These magnificent massive tubes are the largest in the world and were formed by the longest lava flow formed by a single volcanic creator. Some tubes still had the remnants of Aboriginal activity. Later that night we attended the Undara community fire chat with a Milo in our new accordion cups that Dennis gifted us…Thanks Dennis! Ranger Chris chatted about the Undara area then presented a very cool show on Winged Things…a fun, informative, and, very long day. Night :)

A bat in the Undara lava tubes. — *A bat in the Undara lava tubes.*

*This flock of birds is captivated by the German tourists...*

July 26 - 30, 2012…Cairns

August 10, 2012

It is time to climb into our riding gear that we had plopped out on the veranda of the vacation rental. They are covered in sweat, red dust, mud and bugs! Hmmm…I couldn't wait to get to Dennis' and give everything a thorough cleaning. Riding back into Cairns was lovely. It was only an hour or so away and I knew that there would be a fresh bed, towels and great hospitality waiting! Dennis greeted us with warm smile "Hi guys, welcome back!"

Kev and I got right to it…Washed the bikes, washed the riding gear, cleaned out the panniers, restocked our food, replaced bolts that had been shaken out of the bikes along the trail, worked on our blog, sent another box of stuff back to Melbourne, recovered a little and watched the rest of "Flight of the Concords"…We even squeezed in a day fishing with Dennis! I caught 3 bream and one muddy crab, Dennis 2 bream, and Kev none…Doh! :( We cooked the fish up for brekky the next morning and they were great! We enjoyed our final evening in Cairns by the waterfront. It was a beautifully warm, Cairns winter evening kissed by a magical sunset, good food and company…Dennis, thanks again, for everything!

July 25, 2012…Port Douglas

August 10, 2012

The bed we were sleeping in was larger than our tent…Wow, Kev and I did not have to shoulder battle for prime position, a little luxury goes a long way! My body was beat from our trek down from "The Tip". I felt myself sinking into that restful slumber wave just as I should be getting up! Today I will just go with the flow and enjoy…no plans, no destination, no riding and no worries. Twenty-five years ago Kev and I married…it is hard to believe really, time flies! Nothing is planned for today…we have a bottle of bubbles in the fridge and the plan is to open it, drink it and go back to sleep!…Well, we may celebrate a little before sleep…ha ha ha…too much information…Oh well!

We were now back in the civilized world and needed to check in with kids and family! Three hours is a lot of checking in…and "Thanks for the call, Mum!" Kev and I finally escaped the comforts of our room and explored the quaint township of Port Douglas. We are all out of whack…too late for lunch, and way too early for dinner! Afternoon tea sounds like a plan!

Dinner was not far behind…we had already decided on the location and menu item so we were pretty much just wandering around killing time until we could get into the restaurant…ha ha ha…bad! Really a restful lovely day with wonderful food, drink and good company. Dinner was a seafood tower…very yummy, very stuffed, and now for desert!

July 24, 2012…Lakefield National Park

August 7, 2012

At 7:30AM we were rolling across the rocky parking area at Musgrave Telegraph Station and heading into Lakefield National Park. We chose this route for three reasons. First: the circus would probably take the main route South, and as fun as the group was, we didn't need the traffic; Second: because we had heard that Lakefield was beautiful and: Third, because we vividly remember the corrugations, sand and general mayhem, that the stretch of Peninsula Development Road we'd be avoiding, had brought us on the trip North.

Absolutely spectacular riding today! We traveled through some fabulous countryside, amazing enough, each half hour the landscape changed. At one point I would not have been surprised if a giraffe walked across the gravel road! We could have been in Africa, or at least what I think Africa looks like! Many macropods were out and about, always a pleasure to see, sometimes a worry… one even jumped between Kev and I…cheeky! We rode past beautiful lilly pod covered billabongs, over very rocky semi dried up river beds, through grasslands covered with termite mounds and past lush tropical pockets of forest. We disturbed flocks of busy gallahs, rode under swirling kites and screechy sulfur crested cockys, rode over tiger snakes…sorry, Mr. Snake, and then past a single lone donkey waiting outside a tent. We scattered wild horses, bothered grazing stock. We had been standing on the bikes since we hit the dirt 11 days earlier, and especially through dust pits, bull dust, marble like gravely sections and sandy "Oh Sh!t" sections. We dodged rocks and boulders, and then finally we hit our last water crossing for our trip up the cape…Talk about a fabulous finale!

An hour or so later we were on bitumen and we could not have been more than 10 kms in when I radioed Kev and said…"You're not going to believe this but I already miss the trail…am I crazy?" "Nah", Kev replied, "I was just thinking the very same thing!" The bitumen feels comfortable, squishy…Oh yeah we have to air up…ha ha ha. O.K., we aired up and the bitumen felt hard, sticky and precise. We were riding through some amazing countryside…the road twisted and turned though the Queensland rainforest and we are once again mesmerized by the beauty and forgot about the dirt. Soon we will be in Port Douglas, it was an amazing trip to "the Tip", one that I will never forget!!! Although next time, if there is a next time…Phe Phe is being fitted with knobbys!…watch out!

*The beauty of the savannah in Lakefield.*

July 23, 2012…Musgrave Telegraph Station

July 30, 2012

Kev and I were up and out and on the road by 8:30am this morning. Today was nothing like yesterday, amazing what a day makes! The dreaded "dust holes" sign popped up time and time again, but, after yesterday, it was cake! We stopped in at Coen for an early lunch and hopped back on the bikes as soon as we were finished. With the easier riding we were able to relax and enjoy the amazing countryside we were riding through. Blue skies with high puffy rambling clouds, newly sprouted ferns scattered throughout the burnt bush and spindly eucalypts. Termite towers grandly protrude from the colored earth. The air is crisp and clean, accept for the dust cloud around your bike. Red dirt, pink dirt, white dirt, mustard dirt, brown dirt, grey dirt, rusty dirt…dirt dirt dirt, a lot of it in your eyes, mouth, ears, nose, pores, hair, fingernails…basically every crack and crevasse…ha ha ha

We arrived at Musgrave Telegraph Station around 2 pm picked out our tranquil camp site and sorted out our gear. We watched the road trains pull in and petrol up, one after another. They are so long close up, I guess we have been pretty lucky only have encountered 3 moving at slowish speeds along this journey!

We planned on an early night to rest up. We are hoping to make the return trip down from the tip in 3 days vs. the 5 days it took us to head up so we can spend our anniversary in a actual bed. Then the circus rolled in! Well, not a real circus, but, 50+ 4-wheel drives on an organized family Cape York tour. Yes, I did say family. Hey, did they just set the chuck wagon up next door to our tent? Yes, they did! Oh my, we are in for a long night. We didn't get to sleep until late and then around 5:40 in the morning the flourescent lights on the chuck wagon started to flicker. "Ok, let's make our move and get on the road ahead of this group." I encouraged, Kev.

July 22, 2012…Moreton Telegraph Station

July 30, 2012

We have traveled a long way today and are quite worn out!

"That will be $20 for a campsite, $10 per person. You can camp anywhere after the green bin, and the grass is nice under the old mango trees! There are croc's in the river so be careful. There are hot showers and toilets on your left and the gennys go off at 9:30pm"…explained the gal! These spells are becoming very familiar as we pull into each camp site.

It was a bitch of a day, I would have to say the worst yet! I did not remember these areas being as challenging on the way up! I guess with the increased traffic to the area the roads have become more chewed up, broken down, or maybe that is just how it is now on the other side of the road returning? One section I traveled through was just unreal, I may have well been riding a bucking bull. It was full on super intense and I was certain that I was doing down! I really don't know how I kept upright, but I was gasping for air after that one! They say to accelerate through the soft stuff..I did, but only by the sheer fact that I was trying to hold on, and my right grip throttled up…Bloody Hell!!

There was a lot of traffic on the road today, more than I had seen since our journey up! Some people are just so inconsiderate. They travel along comfy in their air-conditioned vehicles, dust free, listening to their tunes, and don't stop to think for a single moment that passing you at 120 km's per hour could spray you with gravel, sand and dust! The international bird of flight sign is required at these times!! They may not see it, but it sure makes you feel better? Now, the other extreme is vehicles moving too slow. The loaded bikes do not handle well in sand moving under 20 km's per hour….and you know that there is a story coming!!!

We were moving along in a fairly deep dry sandy area, and Kev was quickly moving up on a small Subaru just crawling along! Kev radioed me he was passing, he didn't pass, he radioed again he was passing, and hesitated…by this time I was directly behind him and decided to pass both of them, or just accept that I was going down! I shifted into 1st, way too slow, and proceeded to pass Kev and the car! Kev decided to also pass at the same time. I saw Kev coming out of the corner of my eye, sped up rounded him and the car safely, but Kev was not behind me now…he was up against a tree on the side of the road! This sounds all pretty dramatic, and it happened in a split second, and scared the pants off the 70 year old driving the car! I stopped jumped off my bike, heart pounding and ran back to Kev. He was O.K., a little banged up but it could have been a lot worst. The traffic following close behind us stopped and help us right Kev's bike. Nothing broken, a little bruised and defeated we continued on deciding to get as far as we could today away from the inconsistent drivers and unusually heavy traffic. Yes a bitch of a day!

Oh I almost forgot!…There is always something good to reflect on in a day no matter how little! Today it was the sighting of a pair of brilliant Palm Cockatoos in a huge old gum tree. They are stunning birds with charcoal black feathers, red cheeks, red splash in their tail, black crest, and large hook beak…Wow!

July 21, 2012…Alau Beach

July 30, 2012

A rest day today. We rode into the local grocery store to stock up on supplies and petrol for our exit tomorrow.

The moon finally appeared for the first time that we have been at Alau Beach. It is truly amazing how the stars shine so bright in this quite paradise. They stretch all the way to the horizon.

July 20, 2012…Pajinka, aka "The Tip"

July 30, 2012

Hip Hip Horray…We made it to the very "Tip" of the continent of Australia!!!

Funny thing…we spent at least 45 minutes riding up and down the town of Bamaga trying to find the road or track to take us to "The Tip". Kev had looked at the map and deciphered that we had to make a left off the main road that lead into Bamaga. We made a left and started traveling down this deserted road, past a cemetery and on. 10 k's in we decided to turn around, I don't think that this is the way! We ended up riding up and down the main drag of Bamaga before finally stopping for directions…ha ha ha (men!) We were shown the way…"Look for the sign that says "Pajinka", the sign that said "The Tip"keeps getting knocked off", a dusty Aussie bloke directed us!

The track was corrugated and sandy red…we definitely felt a tad out of sync after a few days off the dirt! Uh Huh..we made it to the "Croc Tent", only 20 k's to go. "Keep an eye out for the idiots racing to the tip and back…keep as far left as possible", warned the sweet gal at the Croc Tent!

The road became muddy, wet and windy. You could smell the stench of bat poo in the rainforest that surrounded you. I could feel my clothing starting to stick as beads of sweat began to run down my back. Kev and I arrived at a very red, muddy, water crossing. Kev walked it…"The bottom is sandy and it's a little deep here, go right", he warned. I was already looking for an easier route and found it shallower to the far right, but that path lead me up and over the heavily rooted forest bottom, not the best of choices! There we a couple of surprise corners with traffic coming straight for us, but we managed to make it to the tip in one piece!

We parked and locked up the bikes and hiked up the rocky coastal point. The seas were beautiful shades of turquoise blue's and greens. The sand was creamy white, a perfect postcard finish! I really do not know what I expected, but this was more than I had imagined, it was beautiful! On our tramp over the black rocky I actually came across the Queensland state flower, the Cooktown Orchid, growing by itself…how uncanny is that? A salty had been spotted on the beach a day or so ago, but he was not in sight today…too bad, it would have been the "peace du resistance". We captured a picture with "The Tip" sign behind us (proof) and shared a "high five", we did it!

We have run into the same groups of people over and over again, and now we can finally say that "We made it, and yes we hate the corrugations!"

On our ride back to Alau Beach I was happy to see a newly born foul, that had been laying on the grassy roadside in the morning, on it's feet…Ahh a beautiful end to a marvelous day!

July 19th, 2012…Thursday Island

July 30, 2012

I did not want to get up this morning, although I knew that if I did not make a move we could miss out on a great opportunity. We needed to be down at the Seisia Pier by 7:45am to see if we could luck into a standby slot on the ferry across to Thursday Island. The ferry is precooked a week in advance, and we did not plan on waiting a week to go across. Today is actually Thursday, so maybe Karma will be on our side and we'll get a slot. Captain Terry gave the O.K., we were on our way! It was a fabulous day to be on the water and took about 90 minutes to cross the Endeavor and Torres Strait, maneuver past the sandbars and reef, pass Possesion Island, Prince of Wales Island, and Horn Island before arriving at the turquoise bay of Thursday Island. Thursday Island is located between Wednesday and Friday Islands…ha ha ha, no joke!!
Kev and I joined a brief tour that showed us around "TI" as it is called by the locals. We patronized Australia's most northern pub, enjoyed a cold beer and fish and chips!

The ride back was lightening fast as we both fell asleep across the cool cabin seats…what a gorgeous day in paradise! That evening we shared our day with Greame, a solo push bike rider that has been making his way up slowly up to "the Tip". We sat at a much cherished picnic table that we scored that morning and thought…"How lucky are we to live in this marvelous world!"

July 18, 2012…Alau Beach, Bamaga, Seisia

July 30, 2012

Today we went fishing off the Seisia pier. It was a super thrilling day! I pulled the fishing rod that Dennis bought us out of my bike tube. Kev loaded the hook with the only edible item we had, a milk bottle lolly! He tried to hook a bait fish with this specialty bait, but I do not think that fish have a "sweet tooth"! The word on the pier soon got around and we were gifted a small pre-loved bait fish by a fellow indigenous fisherman. Kev hooked up the bait and I cast out the line, it was only 10 minutes or so before the line just took off. I had hooked something very powerful and it's plan was to pretty much take me water skiing! I was struggling to reel and the first sections of the telescopic rod were beginning to collapse and slide down. Onlookers were gathering around as I struggled, rod bent over, leaning back…Kev came to the rescue but the line finally snapped. Probably a good thing, as I would have definitely broken or taken my rod. That was super exciting, I was determined to catch another! We found a quite haggard bait fish on the pier and tried again…success I hooked and reeled in a small big mouth cod! He was too small to eat so we threw him back in the water. It was a very very fun day indeed!

July 17, 2012…Fruit Bat Falls

July 30, 2012

I was buggered!! We slowly dragging our weary bodies out of our tent. Exhausted, we watched water boil, eagerly waiting for a cuppa to get us going! Eating a brekky of leftover dry biscuits, cheese and grapes, I wondered what todays road would bring. The day felt warm and sticky, luckily we were able to ice up our camelbacks before leaving the station… sipping on cold water for an hour or so before it melts is a real luxury. The corrugations on todays stretch were sandy, deep and very challenging. At times the front end would grab a patch of loose stuff, swoop back and forth and cause you to grip on for dear life. My hands became numb from the tightness of my grip, eyes watery with dust and blurred from the vibrations. Oh yeah…love this!

Kev rides ahead and radios me when a vehicle is approaching. I follow about half a kilometer back , this allows the dust to settle so I can see my path. Trying to keep as far left as possible you do venture to the right to avoid rocks, dust holes, deep sand, dead boars, dead cows, dead kangaroos and whatever else you may want to avoid. Having the radio communications is such a blessing especially with the many hazards we were continually facing. The scenery changed once again. No longer were we traveling through a spindly dry eucalyptus wooded landscape, it was now lush, tropical and viney. The black boys were all sprouting new fluorescent green fronds and it felt as if the forest had been revived!

We arrived at Fruit Bat Falls around 11am and took the red, sandy, one lane track to the water falls. The road was very heavily rutted, and deep red sand was piled on each side. Kev and I were moving very slowly, almost skating the bikes along the top of the track when all off of a sudden Kev was down, his bike and body thrown across my path. I braked, swerved, but it was too late. I was down and I managed to run over Kev's leg in the process. We were both shaken, a little shocked, but amazingly calm. The 4WD's behind us helped us pick both of the bikes up. We brushed ourselves off hopped back on the bikes and continued on to the falls. Fruit Bat Falls was simply beautiful. We stripped off our riding gear, climbed down to the clear water pools and slid in. Kev kept laughing at me as I could not manage to get my face clean. The red road dust had cemented its self to my sunscreen…Kev said that I looked like a crazed raccoon…Hmmm a good look? We massaged our backs, neck and shoulders under the weight of the waterfalls…just what we needed. We swam in the cool waters for about an hour before deciding to head on.

Another ferry crossing at the Jardine River, not far to go, now. At the crossing post we were handed a flyer on a magical camping spot called Alau Beach. Absolute beachfront camping overlooking the Torres Strait and it's beautiful islands. Located 40 k's from "The Tip", $10 per person per night. Sounded perfect, so that's where we decided to head. We actually scored a beachfront site! The Saltys won't come up into the camp site, but we should not swim in the water, we were told. We set up camp, showered and scrubbed our red dirt bodies, then made our way onto the beach to watch the sun set over the turquoise waters of the Torres Strait! I can't believe that we have made it this far…we are only an hour from "The Tip"! Dinner was freeze dried Chicken Marsala, that actually turned out like a soupy indian concoction. Surprisingly it actually tasted OK!

July 16, 2012…Bramwell Station…Australia's most northern cattle station

July 30, 2012

An easy day of riding. Maybe the worst is behind us. Who know, but I'll take it without any questions asked. Kev and I messed with the video cameras along the way today. Kev propped the camera up on a log along side the road and we rode past a couple times. Hopefully the shots will turn out. Fun, nevertheless! I accidentally rode over a snake trying to cross the road. It was the tail section and I think that he will survive, but, I was not about to go back and check! We pulled into Bramwell Cattle Station just before lunch. It really felt too early to be quitting for the day, but, at least we have the run of the camp spots…so many choices!

Bramwell Station is Australia's most northern cattle station and has a very friendly groove about it! When you turn off Telegraph Road onto their roadway you travel through 2 large cattle gates and arrive at a large open corrugated steel barn type bar…Woo Hoo! "How many in your group?" mumbled the Aussie bloke behind the bar. "Just the two of us", we replied…Jinx!…ha ha ha "How many support vehicles in your group?", mumbled the bar bloke…"No support vehicles, just us!" Kev stated.."You guys traveling alone, ay?", Aussie Bar bloke blurted out. "Yep, just us" nodded Kev. The Aussie Bar bloke broke out in a big grin of approval! "That will be 20 bucks for a site, $10 each, thanks!"

It always amazes me how small the world is…We found the perfect place to pitch the tent, got ourselves sorted then walked over to the bar for a drink. There were now 6 dirt bikes parked in front, "the boys" were inside tossing a few back! The Aussie Bar bloke blurted towards "the boys"…"How many support vehicles you boys have?" " Ahh 4!", they replied. The Aussie Bar bloke turned to us and winked…funny! I don't know if that exchange of conversation was for our sake, but it sure made us feel pretty darn tough, or, maybe we were just pretty darn stupid! "The boys" were wearing shirts that were imprinted Warragal! I said "You blokes from Warragal?", "Yep", they replied. "My parents and 2 of my brothers have farms in the area!", I stated! We exchanged conversation for an hour or so familiarizing each other with our commonalities…fancy that!

With down time on our hands today we decided to check the bikes over, make a few handle bar adjustments, oil my bike chain, and generally run an overall. We are missing a few bolts here and there…they must have been shaken loose by the corrugations! One of my triple tree bolts is missing, we will have to replace that when we get back to Cairns!

July 15, 2012…Archer River

July 30, 2012

Ahh, Bloody Hell! Another day of this. Tall, thick, deep and sandy corrugations, nasty corners, dust pits, crazy drivers pushing the center of the road. Kev and my determination and skills were tested to the limit! Let me just also mention that we encountered mud! I was totally sprayed with the thick, warm, red and sticky mud by oncoming traffic not once, but twice. I know the guy in the Land Cruiser, who was probably running his air conditioning and listening to his Ipod was laughing his head off, and, I guess I cracked a bit of a smile, or maybe, I was spitting the mud out.

We rode into Coen and decided to stop in at the Exchange Hotel. Ha ha ha someone has put an "S" in front of the "E" on all the signs…classy! I was able to wipe my face and clean off my glasses which was a nice thing. We decided to stick around for a light lunch before moving on. There was a group of guys there going over the Cape map…they had three 4WD's and three dirt bike riders in the group. We surely looked much dirtier and haggard than they did at the half way point!

I really have not talked much about the country side, and there is a reason for this. It is just so hard to take your eyes, focus, and concentration, off the road. Even for a second. Now it is not like Im riding with blinders on, but, I just guess the major portion of my day is viewing dirt, along with and all of it's surprises, and pretty much what is next to the road. With that being said…there is always "Santa", and when "Santa" comes it is always an absolutely fantastic thing! Santa is the bitumen! Santa appears in the most unlikely places, and it really makes you wonder at times, "Why here?" Santa can be 100 meters long, 500 meters long or 5 kilometers long!! The beauty of Santa is that you get to relax, revive and refresh…take a breather, look around, heck even take your hands off your bars!! Ahh, I love Santa!!

Now after Santa, there is Boxing Day, which is almost as good as Santa. BD, as we call it, refers to Beautiful Dirt! This is the portions of red dirt roads that have little or no corrugations. They are hard packed red clay. What I am trying to explain is, that it is at these very moments that you relax and absorb your surroundings, look far across the countryside, wonder, marvel and be amazed at what you see. It is so worth it, I eat it up!

Huge termite mounds that actually look like art sculptures are beginning to pop up alongside the road and far into the landscape. Each sculpture unique in shape, size and color! Some are pointy, jagged and angular, others are rounded, smooth and frosted looking. They come in colors of rust, tan, mustard, a tarnished green, black, brown, yellow and white. Just brilliant! Livestock roams freely out here and care needs to be taken when approaching floppy eared cows as they have a habit of darting into your line of travel, and believe me I do not want to hit one! I have not seen any live kangaroos yet, but keep a keen look out…I don't want to hit one of these either.

We rode into Archer River Roadhouse around 2pm…we were tired and very dirty. We set up our tent, and sorted ourselves out for the evening. I was even able to get some washing done! We decided to stroll down to the river and take a peek…Ahh, it is so tranquil! The water is a clear tannin color running freely over large granite boulders and around gum trees. The area is quite sandy and has a river beach feel to it. We found a spot to sit relax and enjoy the surroundings. Small indigenous groups were gathered on the other bank cooking what smelled to me like kangaroo…they waved, and we waved back! The water was so cool refreshing and inviting I quickly dipped in, fully clothed, to cool off while Kev watched for large lizard activity. Ahh, much better!

Parked in front of the SEXCHANGE Hotel — *Parked in front of the* SEXCHANGE Hotel

July 14, 2012…Hann River

July 30, 2012

We woke up to rain, and, we had no choice but to pack up everything wet. Our socks that we had hung in the tree are wetter, Kev even had a huge Huntsman spider on his…must of liked the smell…ha ha ha. Our riding gear that is shoved up against the tent under the rain flap is grubby and moist, and my knee is giving me a bit of strife this morning. We decided to stop for brekky in Cooktown, and not mess with our own preps at camp. Cooktown is a lovely old town still sporting its colonial charm! It is pretty amazing to imagine that in 1770 Captain Cook took a chance and sailed the Endeavour into this area for repairs.

Onward we go, we have another day to conquer…and Cooktown has inspired me!

I don't know…all I can say is Friken Hill…that is about as lady like as I can put it! The corrugated red dirt roads are absolutely brutal. Time moves so slow…you think that you have traveled 100 kms, but it has only been 20 kms. Everything is vibrating, shaking, rattling on you, and your bike. Your vision even becomes blurry at times. The dust manages to make its way into every crack, under your visor and into your eyes. There is one sign that I hated seeing, "Beware of Dust Pits" I hated that sign…although I am glad that there was warnings. Dust Pits are large holes in the corrugations that have very, very fine deep sand and dust in them, and, boy you know it when you hit it. The front tire will wash out, your bike will fish tail and you just have to hold on, pour on the gas and then breath a sigh of relief on the other side. Very, very challenging, nail biting…if you could peel my hands off the bars, that is. It was a long, tough day! To top it off some 4WD's do not cut you any slack. They will pass you at high speeds throwing, rocks, sand and dust up onto you and your vision is blinded for the next 30 seconds. You have no choice but to completely slow down, hoping not to hit a dust pit, kangaroo, or god forbid, a road train that may be ahead of you in that dusty cloud. Really a quite hellish day!…Welcome to Australia, Kev!! Yes we did encounter more water crossings today, one that went right over my windscreen as I rode through which was exciting, but, thankfully none as challenging as yesterday…the dirt challenges today were more than enough!

We pulled into a Roadhouse at Hann River, filled up and decided to get a camp site for the night. We were totally knackered! But you know, a beautiful thing happened. An emu leisurely strolled up to the bikes to take a look, as if to tell us that "you've made it another day, it's all good". I couldn't believe it…Yes now it is all good! The sun was starting to set as we pitched the tent…it had been a long, challenging, physical and emotional day. Kev started up the stove and I cooked some pasta, added a can of chicken and some pesto to it and that was dinner. We sat around the campfire, even though it was a warm night and visited with a german fellow that had pulled in. He is traveling on a dirt bike on his way back from the tip. He was originally traveling in a group of 3, but lost one guy in a river crossing, (well not him the bike) and the other just gave up, so here he was doing it solo! We had a great night listening to his stories, and, what he encountered on his way to the tip. It gave us confidence that maybe we could make it. Really, it is funny how things work out. We had actually missed a turn off earlier in the day and instead of camping in the Lakefield National Park we were camping at a road house just off this horrid road. If we hadn't have missed the turn we would not have met the german guy, or have be greeted by the emu! Life has a plan.

*Kevin at the Hann River Roadhouse fuel pumps.*

July 13, 2012...Friday the 13th...Lions Den

July 29, 2012

"Cheers Jose!"…we'll see you when we return, 2 or maybe 3 weeks from now! Thanks for your very generous hospitality, we will never forget it! Kev and I were excited and prepared, well… as much as we thought we needed to be for our Cape adventure ahead. I sent another box back to Melbourne…we continually try to down size, and manage with less. For the trip to the tip it is important for us to be as light as possible in preparation for the corrugated dirt roads ahead. Kev has decided to leave his top box at Dennis's…this will make a huge difference in the way "Stacey" handles. Weight to the rear of the bike can act as a huge pendulum throwing your balance into an uncontrolled swoop, then you are down! No back box means no computers, drives, cords, plugs…so I am blogging in a grade 2 exercise book for the portion of this trip…"Crikey, do I ever have messy writing!!"

Riding out of the Cairns area is really quite spectacular…the roads are rolling, windy and smooth…the magnificent Coral Coast in all its glory is directly to the right of you, so dipping into each corner the view you get is amazing. On your left the landscape foliage is becoming quite tropical and jungly. New Zealand popped in my head…"like Scotland but farther"…( for you Jose!)…ha ha ha. The wetlands grew jungle thick, the corners slicker, and Tarzan vines were beginning to appear, whacking your helmet from time to time when you miss the duck!

"Caution…River Crossing" We rolled up to the ticket booth to purchase our ferry tickets to cross the river at Cape Tribulation. "Two tickets to cross please", said Kev in his Yankee drawl "Round trip?", questioned the ticket lady. "No, just one way", said Kev. Just then another lady peered out from around the corner and said "You taking those BMW bikes up to the Cape are you?…Crossing the river?" "We hope to, at least that is the plan", Kev said in a questioning tone…Hmmm, Kev looked at me with a puzzled look! "That will be $10.00", said the ticket lady…"You can purchase a return pass on the other side if you need to, love", she smirked. What did all that mean? "Do you know what today is?", I said to Kev…."Friday the 13th!"

We rode onto the ferry and sat on the bikes for the short crossing. We were across before you could say "Bob's ya uncle"….Right on, I finally got to use that phrase!!…ha ha ha The road ahead was narrow and wet but still bitumen. We pulled off at the Cape Tribulation look out enjoyed the beautiful views, ate a couple of boiled eggs and an apple for lunch. That would be the last time for several hours before we would see bitumen again.

O.K…here we go…our first water crossing…Emmagen Creek. Kev got off his bike and walked across the creek. I watched his legs slip and the water come up over his knees in parts, I was beginning to get nervous. I looked across at the crocodile warnings, and the cassowary warnings…Hmmm… If we dump it we could get eaten by a croc…if we stay we could get attacked by a cassowary?? Alright then, we have to cross, we are not going back to the ticket booth that's for sure! A land cruiser pulled up as Kev was making his way back to his bike, we watched him cross…O.K…lets do it!

With feet out and total throttle control, Kev skillfully slipped, sloshed and splashed his 280 kilogram beast successfully across. Kev parked his bike after the applause of the on lookers…Crikey, an audience…and then he walked back across to me. We discussed his trip across and decided that because of the larger rocks in the crossing that he would walk beside me in case Phe Phe slipped…Let's do it!

Heart pumping, I entered the water, I tried to keep a steady speed, but the bottom was very uneven and at times I could not feel any footing under me…a spike of fear raced through my body…I was so determined and focused on getting across without dumping the bike…I made it, although, I did manage to hyper extend my left knee as I was fighting for footing! An awesome feeling of accomplishment, and applause from the on lookers to boot…"Phew" Damn that was my first real water crossing! I was high on adrenaline for the rest of the day, which helped me manage my knee pain!

Across the other side Kev lowered the tire pressure on the bikes, this will definitely help with up coming crossings and the dirt ahead. There happened to be 4 more water crossings and a long water swift at Bloomfield River. Now I have to confess I did chicken out at one of the crossings. I actually was watching Kev cross, waiting for my turn, lost balance of the bike, had no footing and dumped it…sometimes being stopped is the hardest thing! I was a little rattled, Kev crossed the bike for me. I actually hitched a ride across from a fellow hanging on to his roof rack, standing on the running board of his land cruiser…like I needed to keep my feet dry, they were already soaking…but I enjoyed it nevertheless…ha ha ha

Dirt, dirt and more dirt. It was sandy, potholed, muddy, rocky, and bumpier than ever…steep ascents and descents, the whole guacamole…what a day! No croc sightings, just a large Goanna, blue tongue lizard and electric blue butterflies…oh, and the odd laughing kookaburra…of course! We pulled up to a very ionic location called "The Lions Den" purchased a camping site, set up tent, changed out of our dirty and dusty riding gear, hung our socks on a branch to dry out and headed into the bar for a cold drink! It was great watching all the different groups of people pull in, and wondering what challenges they had faced in their day…and reminiscing about the extremes of our day!!

July 4-12, 2012...Cairns

July 29, 2012

As we headed towards Cairns we came across the sign with the answer! Ahh the state flower for Queensland is the Cooktown Orchid! Finally the answer sign… I was wrong imagine that!…QLD Gov 1, Cat 0!…Bring it on! Well, I guess that is the end of the game, maybe I am meant to make up my own questions now…I don't know, talk about leaving you hanging!…More trivia signs please, with shorter distances between answers if possible….Thank you! :)

Beautiful lush countryside, just absolutely picturesque pleasurable riding. I would say that the beauty began at Mission Beach, and so far there are no signs of it stopping. The air is growing thicker, the smell of the sea continually floats and freshens the air now. Such a blessed pleasurable breeze that clears your nostrils of the sugarcane and rotting roo's. Destination today is Cairns…I can't believe how far we have already traveled! Today we will be arriving at Dennis' place. We have not met Jose, as he is more commonly known, but we have been exchanging communications and today we'll finally meet!

Josephine Falls looked interesting so we stopped for lunch there and checked it out! I caught myself in a relaxing trance as the black bitumen road meandered through the lush green sugarcane fields. I was focused in on watching the fluffy, mauve tinged, feathery tops of the sugarcane gracefully sway and puff up, like a bird rustling it's feathers. I also caught sight of a large flying fox hanging upside down on the electric wire, he kind of looked dead, but I suppose if he was dead he would have fallen off??? A flying fox is like a huge bat, larger than a squirrel, maybe the size of a possum, black dark and mysterious…I'm sure that they have fangs, not for blood, but for fruit, nevertheless, I really don't want have the desire to see one up close!! The hike into Josephine Falls was like walking through a botanical garden. I was amazed at the rainforest's canopy and the size of the Ficus trees. There was every shade of green imaginable, I'm glad that we stopped here for lunch! Approaching the falls I could hear screaming and laughter, backpackers galore, slipping and sliding over the boulders into the clear pools…what a blast…I decided to strip off and cannonball bomb them all from above…ha ha ha…Nah, it was great plan… in my head!

Back on the road, on track to Dennis', we are trying to coordinate our arrival with his…so now we are traveling under speed, slowing it all down! We did pretty good, rolling up…literally only 5 minutes before him! G'day!, G'day!…Yeah we'll get along just fine!

Dennis had made up the spare bedroom complete with his and hers towels on the bed. It was cocktail hour with wine, chilled prawns and garlic muscles. Are you kidding me, how awesome is this? Now that was just the "break the ice appetizer" witch we enjoyed with warm conversation and riding stories. Unbelievably, we had lobster, and fresh fish for dinner! Now that is an Aussie welcome, a very very generous one…Thank you Jose!

Our bodies were surprisingly tired. It was really nice to sleep in a bed, between sheets, and have a toilet just down the hall…ahh, simple pleasures! Dennis had hung a freshly laundered robe on the back of the bedroom door for me, ahh…bliss… I wore it all day because, I could… I really don't think that it is proper etiquette as a guest but I was enjoying living rogue, or should I say "in my robe" and loved every minute of it!

Kev and I felt as if we were moving in slow motion, or maybe that was what we were subconsciously, intentionally doing…a survival technique that allowed us to absorb the comfort and enjoy the hospitality that Dennis provided…Man that sounds like a load of bull…I think that I'm honestly feeling very guilty! Dennis introduced us to friends of his that offered us information on future travel plans…very valuable information that we immediately zeroed in on.

Dennis took Kev and I out fishing in Tubby…maybe we could get lucky and see a croc too? It was amazing to me that we were practically only a couple of kilometers from the CBD and boating in and around the mangrove waterways. Fishing lines were in the water hoping for a bite! Dennis asked me to steer, I really do not know if that is the technical name of the task…I managed to skillfully jolt Tubby back and fourth then turn Tubby in a circle, crossing and tangle the fishing lines much to Dennis's disappointment…ha ha ha. Dennis spent the next 15 minutes untangling the lines…needless to say I was not given control of Tubby again!!…ha ha ha

I had the pleasure of being introduced to Eileen, a lovely New York born lady, married to an Aussie, the opposite of Kev and I. We hit it off immediately and she invited me to go hiking with her. I accepted and the next day I was up before dawn rock climbing up the side of Pyramid mountain thinking "what the heck did I get myself into?" Five hours of scaling up and down "the Pyramid" was more than I had bargained for. It left me with quite a sense of accomplishment when I reached the top. The view was amazing, the mandarin I brought from Dennis' tree tasted awesome as my quads were warmly tingling. Now to get down…So is it called descaling? I don't know but it was harder than scaling. My knee was starting to give me a bit of strife, I had settled into a right leg favored rhythm and didn't want to rest, fearing that I wouldn't be able to get going again. I made it down, someone that day didn't and the chopper was airlifting them out… it was definitely a physical morning! Eileen suggested a champagne after party…Hell Yeah, we earned it! Move aside recovery drinks…bubbles are way more fun! Now when I see the majestic Pyramid, lovingly renamed Madonna's Tit by you know who, I have a fun warm sense of my Cairns accomplishment! Oh yeah you can be that I was robot walking for the next couple of days…all good, things soon loosened up!

We spent our days at Dennis's recovering, eating/drinking, cleaning, eating/drinking, preparing, eating/drinking, sorting, eating/drinking, entertaining, eating/drinking, running errands, eating/drinking, playing house, eating/drinking, cooking, eating/drinking…AND eating and drinking…did I mention we did a little eating and drinking…oy vey!!!!…burp! We spent the calm balmy evenings listening to Split Enz, Cold Chisel, Pink Floyd, Creedance, and other old stuff sipping on port, laughing and enjoying the company of each other!

Our exit day has been decided on…we are going to attempt to ride to the very tip of Australia. Kev has planned our route we are excited, very rested, too well fed, and prepared for our challenge ahead!

Dennis so very generously gifted Kev and I a telescopic fishing rod, reel, hooks, weighty ball things, and hooks for us to take to the Cape. It fits in my tube…our outfit is complete…we are going to conquer the Cape and catch a fish or two!!!

*Captain Dennis taking us to his secret fishing hole.*