14th July - Ingham to El Arish

Nigel says.... A good day today with plenty of variety. We set off as normal at 0730hrs. It had been raining in the night so it was pleasantly cool. Lutzi joined us - she had been camping across the road at the sports field.

We had a good flat run north out of Ingham until we reached the 'hill' that everyone had told us about. There was a big sign saying it was 1.8 km long and varied between 10% and 12%. After the flat terrain of recent weeks, it gave us a good workout and could be described as a 'mild shocker', but really it did not compare with the monsters south of Sydney. Full marks to Lutzi who rode her fully laden bike up it. I think both of us would have struggled to do the same as quickly as she achieved it. I got to the top and had a good drink of water at the lookout and took a photo. Gordon had a strepsil.....

Later in the day quite a number of people asked if we had ridden over the hill and seemed to be impressed when we told them that we had. There was an excellent 'yihaa' ride down the other side.

Cycling with Lutzi, our pace increased by a couple of kilometers an hour and we arrived in Cardwell mid morning. The beach looking out over to Hinchinbrook Island was a welcome stop after miles of bush north of the 'hill'. The bush this morning had the humid smell of the rainforest and early on was quite noisy with the sound of birds.

We reached Tully, the wettest place in Australia, this afternoon. Fortunately it was dry when we were there, but the smoke from the sugar cane plant drifted right over the main street where we stopped for a drink and ice cream. The smoke was really thick and the smell quite pronounced - it must annoy the locals.

We said goodbye to Lutzi when she turned off towards Mission Beach. We have enjoyed her company. Good luck for the remainder of your trip Lutzi, and here is to a safe and happy return to Bavaria. Ho hum....I suppose I will have to talk to Gordon again....

Gordon and I ambled our way north and decided to stop at the Diggers Creek Motel and Van Park in El Arish some 6 kilometers short of Silkwood our intended destination. We wanted the 'luxury' of a motel rather than a pub of indeterminate quality which we would have had to accept in Silkwood. Gordon flung himself onto the bed on arrival, and as I write this has not yet moved from his recumbant position even to get a shower!

Today we cycled 116 kilometers. (73 miles)

Thoughts and comments:

• Beware of crocs signs at many creeks and rivers.
• Saw The Big Crab at Cardwell.
• Nearly left my camelback behind a couple of times - worried I am becoming like Gordon....
• Saw the Big Wellington Boot at Tully - there are stairs so you can look down from the top of the boot....
• First fact of the day: The average annual rainfall in Tully is 4490mm of rain.
• Second fact of the day: The Big Wellington Boot is 7.9 meters high which is the record amount of annual rainfall measured at Tully in 1950.
• Third fact of the day: El Arish was founded as a soldier's town and named after the Wadi El Arish in the Sinai from which the Anzac Mounted Division started their successful attack on the Turkish held town Magdhaba.
• Snack of the day: Cardwell - Original Magnum ice cream.
• Tune of the day: Tony Orlando and Dawn - Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree - Gordon's special request.

Big day tomorrow - Cairns. This will mean the completion of our time on the Bruce Highway and the start of the final phase up the Cape. Bring it on...

Gordon says ...

Not much to say really. I'm tired, physically and mentally, and as if that's not bad enough, I feel permanently grubby - a fact that bothers me as much as it doesn't appear to bother Nigel. Smothering my legs two or three times a day in sun-block means that at the end of the ride, my legs are almost black with road grime, and even after scrubbing myself in the shower, the towel ends up a grotty dark grey colour after I've dried myself off. I wash my clothes each night, but it's normally by hand in the sink, with shampoo, so it's a pretty amateur affair. Nigel, after years of crawling around in jungles, is more of the opinion that by not washing your clothes at all, you reach an equilibrium with nature, ie. you stop noticing that you stink. Jesus Christ ...

It has been good riding with Lutzi - she's a tough little cyclist. Now that she's gone, we can stop showing off, and go back to riding like slugs. Interestingly, she seemed amazed we were doing this ride without rest days, which makes me feel a bit better about feeling so crap - a view not shared by Nigel, who regards even admitting to having feelings at all as akin to publically announcing that you are homosexual.

Cairns tomorrow, and then Colin turns up at Mount Malloy the day after that. I still remain firmly convinced that Colin's decision to do the Cape with us, is the only thing that stands between me and sitting utterly lost in the wilderness somewhere, listening to Nigel say: 'Oh don't be so pathetic Gordon ... we can survive for a least a week by eating our own shit ...'[