Nigel says....Cairns!!!! We have completed a major section of the ride, and thankfully our time on the Bruce Highway ended today. We embark on the final section of our ride tomorrow - the Cape.
We left El Arish at 0730 hrs. It was dull and overcast and there was a fine but steady drizzle. I quite enjoyed cycling in the rain as it was cooling and you quickly dry out when the sun comes out. Gordon had to get out his 'pac a mac' poncho to stop getting wet befrore we could proceed - what a pansy!
We made pretty good progress along the Highway. The sun soon came out again and we passed through loads of banana plantations and cane fields all against a background of steep hills covered in rain forest. The route was a little undulating today, but it made the scenery more interesting. There was a strong tail wind today which we enjoyed, but it brought occasional showers. Fortunately we were sheltered having lunch in Babinda when there was the heaviest downpour. Cycling in this temperature is great, but it is quite tiring. Plenty of water required, and cold drink stops are very welcome.
One of the really good things I have found in Australia is the tourist information offices. They are usually staffed by elderly ladies, most of whom seem to be volunteers and they have been universally helpful and informative. The lady at the Information Centre in Babinda gave us manadrin oranges and told us all about the cape north of Bamaga from personal experience. Very pleasant and helpful.
We pushed on to Cairns and had a celebratory photo at the city sign. Unfortunately we could not stand in front of it without being run down on the carrigeway, so a photo from the bike lane had to suffice. Today we cycled 127 kilometers (79 miles)
We arrived atThe Reef Palms Motel - probably one of the nicest we have stayed at just after 1500 hrs. I had just put all the clothes into the guest's washing machine, leaving Gordon in his normal position lying on his bed with a towel round him, when Lutzi turned up to say "Hi". It was fun to see Gordon floundering around trying to secure his towel!
We are going out for a Japanese meal tonight.
Thoughts and comments:
We left El Arish at 0730 hrs. It was dull and overcast and there was a fine but steady drizzle. I quite enjoyed cycling in the rain as it was cooling and you quickly dry out when the sun comes out. Gordon had to get out his 'pac a mac' poncho to stop getting wet befrore we could proceed - what a pansy!
We made pretty good progress along the Highway. The sun soon came out again and we passed through loads of banana plantations and cane fields all against a background of steep hills covered in rain forest. The route was a little undulating today, but it made the scenery more interesting. There was a strong tail wind today which we enjoyed, but it brought occasional showers. Fortunately we were sheltered having lunch in Babinda when there was the heaviest downpour. Cycling in this temperature is great, but it is quite tiring. Plenty of water required, and cold drink stops are very welcome.
One of the really good things I have found in Australia is the tourist information offices. They are usually staffed by elderly ladies, most of whom seem to be volunteers and they have been universally helpful and informative. The lady at the Information Centre in Babinda gave us manadrin oranges and told us all about the cape north of Bamaga from personal experience. Very pleasant and helpful.
We pushed on to Cairns and had a celebratory photo at the city sign. Unfortunately we could not stand in front of it without being run down on the carrigeway, so a photo from the bike lane had to suffice. Today we cycled 127 kilometers (79 miles)
We arrived atThe Reef Palms Motel - probably one of the nicest we have stayed at just after 1500 hrs. I had just put all the clothes into the guest's washing machine, leaving Gordon in his normal position lying on his bed with a towel round him, when Lutzi turned up to say "Hi". It was fun to see Gordon floundering around trying to secure his towel!
We are going out for a Japanese meal tonight.
Thoughts and comments:
- Saw a giant Captain Cook in Cairns...
- We might not have internet contact for daily blogs in future days - please follow the tracker. We will update the blog when we can.
- Snack of the day: bacon and cheese toastie - Innisfail
- Tune of the day: Bob Dylan - Shelter From The Storm
Tomorrow Mount Molloy.
Gordon says ...
I've just had my front light stolen from my bike. The light I first took on the ride was so crap - it kept winking out - in a fit of panic, I spend $250 on a super-bright, rechargeable light that would see me through the Cape. The bike was chained up outside a restaurant, and even though there was a lot of drunks milling around .... welcome to Cairns ... everything was screwed on, so I wasn't worried - well they just wrenched the thing off its mount ... thieving bastards. Great. Now I have no light at all, and no way of buying one before we head inland.
Brilliant ...
Congratulations! Well done on reaching Cairns and good luck, on possibly the most difficult leg of the journey, ahead. It will be great to have Colin's support from tomorrow - I'll bet you're both looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteContinue to stay safe..
Hugs to you both,
Nikki xxxx
You’ve done the Big Wellington Boot, Big Crab, Big Pineapple, Big Prawn, Big Brolga, Big Watermelon, Big Mango, Big Cow, Big Captain Cook so the last Big One should be easy – bring on the ‘Big Hill’ for the Yorkshire Lads!
ReplyDeleteOh, what a pain about your light, Gordon.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have now met up with Colin and his brother and are enjoying telling him of your exploits so far!
Onwards and upwards!
Cheers,
Nikki xxxx