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16 January 2009 - Well, we are back in Palmwoods, and officially living with James and Bex. Paul has had the initial appointments and x-rays, is waiting to have the CT scan, and is on the waiting list with the hospital for the surgery... but the rest and not riding has made a big difference. We plan to continue with the ride when he is fully recovered, but that could easily be 6 months to a year, so for now we are living here, both doing the dive master training (that we had both planned to do much later on), and on the hunt for work... I am heading home for 3 weeks in April as previously planned and will sort my work visa out then, and will work up until such time as we are able to get underway again... the site won't be updated again until we get going again, but emails will be sent out then...
9 January 2009 - A lengthy stop to the ride... Well, from Noosa, it was on to Ross creek (a long day in the saddle saw us camping in a rest stop... nearly getting run over when some others arrived quite late and did not see the tent)! From there heading to Tin Can Bay, one of the spokes on Paul's rear wheel snapped, so with a buckling wheel it called for some emergency side-of-the-road treatment! Tin Can Bay is a pretty small town (at least staying in a caravan park, we got somewhere to shower!) The big thing there is kind of fishing, fishing and fishing, but they also have some resident dolphins that head in for a feed so in theory each morning you can hand feed the dolphins - the reality was early in the morning when we got there we could not even get close to them, so gave up and hit the road! From there it was on to Maryborough, which was just cruising along very long very straight roads through pine forests, never ending almost as far as we could see... after a few shocking nights sleep, we treated ourselves to a night in a hotel in the centre of town... luxury of not being roasted alive in the tent, clean sheets, decent shower and food, and just crashing out with the telly... small luxuries! Next stop was Childers... heading proper in to farming country - small one street town... cruised straight through, stopping at the rest stop at Apple Tree Creek for the night... with a pub right next to it, and a serious talk about the level of pain that Paul was in resulted in us making the decision to stop and return to Palmwoods, so that Paul can get the necessary surgery on his wrist. After th enight in the rest stop (feeling like the trucks were thundering right over our heads), we burned on to Bundaberg (the Rum capital), which is a decent sized town where it was quite easy to sort out car rental for the drive back down south...
3 January 2009 - Happy New Year!!! Well, having had a pretty relaxing couple of weeks - lots of eating and drinking (I think both of our waistlines have suffered from the break!), a few days on the beach, some riding (its bliss not having to carry any weight!!!) And a day diving on the HMAS Brisbane... a fantastic dive - the ship was sunk for divers, so all has been opened up and it has had long enough for plenty of creatures to make it its home...2 of the best dives I have done yet!!!. Paul had the plaster removed on 30th Dec, so we are kind of keeping fingers crossed that his wrist holds out with lots of TLC - the fracture has not healed but this was not really expected... the hospital wanted him to hang about so that they could operate, but that would be many months out of action, and its been like it for 5 years already, so he's gonna get it sorted at some point..... Lots of work has been done on bikes (well, mine anyway!) - I now have front panniers (equals far more space), tri bars (should be nice for the flat cruising... when I get used to them!) And brakes that work... turned out to be a bit of a mission as the rear pads were totally worn down... struggled to get hold of replacement pads as I, in my wisdom, had brought 4 spare sets of the wrong brake pads with me... not my strongest moment on the intelligence front! The brakes had to be re-bled as well which is not a fun job.... also butchering the front pannier racks to fit (they are so not designed for bikes with front suspension!!!) So, Made it to Noosa today.... in the pissing rain, and got here like drowned rats. A nice cruisy 50km, and have treated ourselves to a hostel rather than the tent... camping in the rain is not so much fun when the sky has opened up! James and Bex - thanks so much for putting us up for the last couple of weeks... can't wait to see you guys in a year or so when we head back out!!! BTW, there are minor technical problems with the mailing list email that I am supposed to be sending out but will get that sorted shortly...... Bye for now.
22nd December 2008 - Merry Christmas! Well, we made it to Palmwoods on the 18th... so are now officially off for the next 2 weeks... a slightly well timed rest, if there is such a thing, as Paul now has his wrist in a cast for 2 weeks... on our final day of riding his wrist (old injury) was giving him a lot of pain - a trip to the Nambour Hospital and an x-ray shows that it is still fractured about 5 years on from the original injury (although he knew that much already), so it has been splinted, and needs a little TLC... due out of the cast on 30th and from then just needs to make certain that its kept supported when we start again..... Getting through Brisbane was a little hairy - lots of traffic, lots of red lights making it very difficult to get in to a rhythm and very slow... Because of the pain that Paul was in, we took the train from Burpengary up to Palmwoods (does that mean we'll have to go back and do that stretch?).... I wish we had taken Mike up on his offer of a lift half way now!!! Also my bike is misbehaving - having had a really sticky back brake for the last week or so, when I tried to clean it up after we arrived in Palmwoods, it pissed out all the oil (joys of hydraulic brakes), so I am now trying to get hold of some cable brakes... which is what I probably should have gone with in the first place... how can the local bike shop be totally out of stock of them???? Lots of other minor adjustments to do on my bike as well including fitting front panniers instead of the front box, and shortening the handlebars etc etc etc. The last few days have been very relaxing... comfy bed, good company - fab to hook up with Parkes and his wife (thanks for everything guys!) and Christmas is almost upon us... looking forward to a massive BBQ, lots of beer and wine, and relaxing in the sun... is scorching hot, and we are only about 30 minutes drive from the beach... perfect! Thats it for now and will do another update just before we leave here in the new year.... ps Granny - Happy Birthday!!!
17th December 2008 - Quick update... Really quick update - we have just arrived in Brisbane, one more day and about 100km should get us up to Palmwoods, where we will stay for Christmas and New Year, so there may not be updates on the site for a while... the last couple of days have been very much city riding on the Gold Coast and in to Brisbane - lots of traffic and not so bike friendly, plus a navigational nightmare as we can't use the main freeway on bikes. Stayed with Matt and Lyd last night (who Paul has not seen for 5 years!)... thanks guys! And Mike and Tanya tonight, again thankyou for putting us up! Thats it for now... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (in advance in case we don't get a chance to post again before then....)
14th December 2008 - Its getting hot hot hot!!! We arrived in Byron Bay yesterday and here we stay for 3 nights... yep, thats 3 nights in a proper comfy bed with a fan and space and nowhere to cycle for 2 whole days... chilled on the beach today and going diving tomorrow... also need to give the bikes some TLC when the bike shop opens tomorrow and get some new tyres, having split both of mine over the last week... can't even blame it on the glass down the sides of alot of the roads as yesterday I had the most spectacular puncture either of us have ever seen... a 1.5 inch stick went straight through the tyre, and took pliers to pull it out... but the tyre still rattles as some is still inside it, and I missed a hole and limped in to byron with a slow puncture that needed air every 5km! After leaving Port Macquarie on Monday, we opted for the scenic non highway route... crossed the river by ferry then hit the dirt... 30km of unsealed road and god did our arses know about it... (mine was better though having bought a much needed new saddle before leaving Port... now have padding instead of plastic to sit on!) Got into Gladstone in the evening only to find nowhere to stay so another 20km in a spiral in the wrong direction led us to Hat Head... almost worth it when we finally got in as again there were roo's around... however the rain has started! Good distance covered - 93.6km tuesday took us on to Nambucca Heads - 85km but felt like 150 as most was in to a northerly wind that made even the flat feel like going uphill and had to keep peddling on the downhills! From there was a shrter day - 68km to Emerald Beach, just north of Coffs Harbour... where we stayed with Pete and Rowena... and when the hailstorm started were mighty glad to be in a house with a roof over our heads rather than in the tent! Thanks for looking after us so well guys... that was certainly my best nights sleep for a long time!!! Just before Coffs a small pop... my first flat! Good timing as it was on the main highway but right by a gas station... took advantage of the shelter from the sun by the pumps and got chased away by an old woman... we were apparently stopping the non-existent customers from being able to stop there (even though during the 20 minutes or so we were there and cold drinks bought we were the only punters!!! From there it was back on the road with some nasty long hills, but also some lovely quiet almost traffic free stretches of back-roads up to a tiny town called lawrence, where we ended up camped by the river by a boat ramp... if it was not for the fact that the rain is warm we could almost be back home with what the weather has turned in to now!!! From there was on to Evans Head, through the amusingly scottish town of Maclean (well, all the lamp posts had tartan posters on them!), then yesterday in to Byron... both of us suffered punctures yesterday, so the tally is now 7 (Paul - 4, Becky - 3 (one not yet repaired). Yesterdays ride to Byron was probably one of the nicesst so far as we wwere off the highway so much (those trucks can be a little scary!!! But we got Brisbane ahead of us... but only a few days until we reach Palmwoods and our Christmas stop!!!
7th December 2008 - A well earned rest! 2 December 2008 - 3 days on the road.... We are underway.... yippee!!! After a few relaxing days in Sydney (lots of much needed sleeping was done!), and a day of very very cold scuba diving (which destroyed my supposedly bomb proof and more importantly water proof camera... not impressed!) we took the bikes across on the ferry so that we could take some pics in front of the opera house (probably our last un-laden ride for some time to come!) then left Manley on Sunday (30th) to start the 'Long Ride'. First day in the saddle, and we went from Manley to Avoca Beach - via the scenic route which also included lots of hills (quite a brutal introduction to carrying the loads that we both had!) although met some great people (Phil - thanks for putting us in touch with Jim and Helen, whose house we are now staying at for tonight, and Caroline - thanks for guiding us up to the ferry terminal!... unfortunately I got a little sunburnt while we were lying on the beach.... fair skinned from an English summer, and the aussie sun is just too brutal for me!) Took the ferry from Palm Beach across to Wagstaf, then rode the scenic (should be re-named brutal long and steep hill) route. We were aiming to get to Terrigal, but decided to stop short - Macmasters beach we managed to miss completely and ended up sleeping that night in a disused and very run down caravan park (at least it still had plumbing!) at Avoca Beach, tucked in a quiet corner where no-one would notice us... Yesterday was a pretty hilly start, until we hit the Pacific Highway, then the terrain flattened out a fair bit and we would have done some decent distance had it not been for Paul's 3 punctures!!! (caused by Slime tyre liners pinching the inner tubes.... not to be recomended, so we have now removed them from all the tyres). Camped last night at a really pretty spot close to Lake Munmorah, in state conservation park area, just off the beach, then a very cruisy 23 miles of fairly flat terrain carried us to just outside of Newcastle (Hillsborough), where we are staying with Jim and Helen Walkom... (thank you guys for putting us up!!!) Daily distances so far are 39 miles, 30 miles, 23 miles.... it seems to be shrinking... obviously not trying hard enough! But will be heading in the general direction of Taree over the next couple of days...
27 November 2008 - Sydney!!! After a fab time in Sab Francisco (thank you to Matt and Mary for looking after us so well... I may be sober for a while now!) we arrived in Sydney yesterday morning... a long 14 hour flight but thankfully quiet so we had 4 seats between us and miraculously United did not destroy the bikes (I should hope not with how much we were stiffed for Excess baggage!). Got the bikes re-assembled yesterday morning then crashed out and slept for about 20 hours (well needed!). We are staying in Manley, but headed across to the city today for the touristy bit today, and now planning our route up to Newcastle - leaving Sydney on Sunday is the plan...
23 November 2008 - Enjoying San Francisco... the calm before the storm The flight to San Fran seemed vvery long, not helped by United trying to starve us (a meal when we boarded and a sandwich just before landing - pretty feeble!) On the upside our bikes seem to be intact (now residing in airport storage), and now having a fab time staying with Matt and Mary, checking out the city - ate Dim Sum for breakfast yesterday (first for everything!), went to Alcatraz (very happy not to be incarcerated there!) and heading out to the wineries today... then back in the air tomorrow night...
20 November 2008, 0035 - Nearly off.... time is seriously ticking now! Well, its rapidly approaching 1am - and I need to leave for the airport at 9am, and seem to have done nothing for the last few days other than pack and mess with bikes... and on my 'breaks' from that, running around like a lunatic trying to catch up with friends and family etc, since its going to be quite a while before we see anyone again... but also can't wait now to get out to San Francisco and catch up with Matt and Mary... its been so long since we see you guys! We will then have a few days in Sydney and aiming to hit the road before the end of November (just!)
4 November 2008 - Back from Brazil... and the countdown has started to our departure for Australia Well, we are back from the Jungle Marathon... info and pics from the race will soon be available on www.racethextreme.co.uk. Feet and other injuries have now healed, and we are in to the final two and a half weeks before we fly out, so sorting out all our kit, visa's for the first part, making sure the bikes are up to spec and grovelling to the airlines for a decent baggage allowance, and also trying to catch up with friends, and get our lives packed up before we go! We leave the UK, via San Francisco on 20th November, will stay for a few day with Matt and Mary in San Fran, then on to Sydney, arriving on 26th November so should be on the road by the end of this month.... eeeeeekkkkkk!!!!!!!
16 August 2008 - The planning starts in earnest! Time is suddenly rushing away with us - 6 weeks from now and we head out to Brazil to take part in the Jungle Marathon (a 200km 7 day ultra run through the Amazon Jungle), before returning home for a month or so before heading for Australia, and the start of the ride. Maps and books are finally starting to come through, and we have a rough route plan in mind. Following some further research, it looks like we may be able to get the Chinese visa sorted in Vietnam, so fingers crossed! Most of the equipment we now have, but its amazing how many little things are still needed! Still a fair amount of time to sort that out though. I finish work in just under 6 weeks... bring it on! Just wish that the summer would actually show itself, as it feels like autumn right now, which makes the training and daily 35 mile cycle commute slightly harder work than it needs to be!
6 July 2008 Well, progress is finally being made... Having had little joy with the many sponsors that we have contacted with regards to bikes, components etc we decided to build our own, to the exact spec that we wanted, so this has been done and both bikes are finally 'on the road', and running really well. Slowly we are getting equipment together - panniers, tools, clothing, camping gear etc, but the list of what we need just keeps growing! And now planning to do a 2-3 day ride to test everything out, so that any necessary changes can be made, and tested again later in the summer. Having spent lots of time on the internet researching visa requirements, routes etc, and this is where it becomes a little challenging... apparently visa requirements for China have just changed, meaning that all visa applications must be done in the country of residence - this will mean coming home for a couple of weeks from Vietnam, but will also mean that we can get the next stage of visa's done one home soil to include Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Russia as well as China. Flights will soon be booked, and we will then be able to set a firm start date... bring it on! However for now the real world looms with work on Monday morning! |
