10/11/2014 - Cycle Touring Bonus Trip, Broome to Sandfire, WA Australia - Day 2 of 2

 

The horizon on fire as the sun rose

Distance cycled: 112km to Sandfire roadhouse. 
Average speed: 17.3km/h
Moving Time: 6h32m
Elevation Ascended: 280
Total Distance on Current trip: 322km
Distance until I have cycled the circumference of Earth: 8,397km
Money spent: zip

Humid, hot and sweaty; all things that are not conducive to a good nights sleep and why I packed my stuff at 2am to get that early morning start to get to Sandfire roadhouse to see my girlfriend and to avoid the potentially body cooking heat of the midday sun.
Obviously at 2am it was still dark but in the distance there was a mysterious orange glow illuminating some dark clouds hovering above. I thought little of this thinking perhaps it was a small oil refinery that was burning off the excess fumes but as I cycled closer to this glow I soon realized that I was very wrong; not only was there no oil refinery located in such an arid landscape in the middle of nowhere and what I thought was a simple exhaust pipe for an industrial excavation was a gigantic bush fire now viewable from the road illuminating the early morning sky as if it was the early morning sun.
Cycling along the road seeing the bright strip of fire along the horizon was initially intriguing and of course I stopped for photos but as I continued receiving a slight whiff of the smoke from the fire and having not seen any other vehicle on the road for the past hour I got a little worried. My only feeling of relief was the fact that the wind was blowing the fires devastation in the opposite direction to the way I was cycling but of course meaning I was tackling the harsh headwind.
After tens of kilometers I eventually passed the view of the fire and the only the glow was just visible as the sun rose.
Spurred on to see Marlieke in the roadhouse where she worked  I pushed on  but at one point ran out of water however a kind man stopped to give me a frozen bottle from his eskie (cooler) - pure heaven!
It was an arduously extreme day but eventually I made it, with a  kiss for Marlieke still drenched with sweat and stinking up everything in close proximity I nearly passed out on the table outside the roadhouse, my it was great to see her again. :)

The fire I cycled by not far from the road on which I was cycling

And 330km later I made it to Sandfire

09/11/2014 - Cycle Touring Bonus Trip, Broome to Sandfire, WA Australia - Day 1 of 2

Distance cycled: 210km from Broome hostel to rest stop on highway.
Average speed: 22.4Km/h
Moving Time: 9h22m
Elevation Ascended: 343m
Total Distance on Current trip: 210km
Distance until I have cycled the circumference of Earth: 8,520km
Money spent: Shopping yesterday and a night at the hostel $55

 

 

Here I am now in Western Australia having taken three flights and 30 odd hours of traveling time from Japan to visit my girlfriend in a roadhouse in the middle of nowhere where she works.
I flew into Broome where I assembled my Bicycle and although delirious from the shear amount of traveling I kicked it about town looking for a thrift shop to purchase a few things I needed to endure the heat and the 321km to Sandfire roadhouse. Also because I had to dispose of much of my belongings when boarding my first flight in Osaka because I was over weight by 4kg I needed to pick up some important things like a bike pump and water bottles which I bought at the local bike shop where Andrew, the owner of the place, was happy to give me a considerable discount on these items.
Having been almost a decade since I was last in Australia it was great to see all the products i remembered from when I was last here like Shapes (flavored chips), Solo (lemonade), Maxibon (ice-cream sandwich), the variety of Cordial (flavored syrup you add to water) and a bunch of other things. I would have bought them all but unlike these items that have not changed the prices have, and considerably too. The aforementioned Maxibon I remember was $2.50 max
But was $5.00 at the service station.
Honestly the prices for anything and everything were ridiculously extortionate; perhaps this has something to do with Broome being more of a tourist destination  but still fuel (not that I need it for my bike) was listed at $1.75, 50c more than when I was last in the country.

The beach in Broome is a major highlight of the town and i saw nothing of it as when I eventually made it to the hostel I crashed out hard in the dorm room.
It was a 4am start to cover as much distance as I possibly could before the heat was unbearable but getting up at this time was ideal because there was no traffic on the road and the sunrise was beautiful even offering a rainbow in the storm clouds that passed over the town only a few hours before hand.
So, it was hot, straight and boring but I was able to cover a considerable distance, I wanted to hit the 300km mark today but the wind and the time it took to repair a puncture made it not so conducive. Still, 210km is an admirable effort in these conditions and exactly the maximum distance I have covered in one day, on two occasions, once in Vietnam from the coast of Vietnam to Saigon and from Thunder Bay, Canada heading east.
I encounter lots of happy helpful people, I was offered a short ride to a farm when some South Africans saw me on the side of the road fixing my tire which I accepted and filled up on water and some Yorkshire puddings they offered me.
Also a trucker driving a road train which by the way are very frightening because they are three trailers long and the rear trailer sways 6 feet either side. When you see one coming the best thing to do is to get off the road. Anyway this trucker, Nathan gave me a bunch of good and some cold drinks which were -needless to say- heavenly.
My tent at the moment is like a sauna, the heat of the red dirt is cooking my back but without doubt I'll be able to sleep because I am undeniably exhausted.
The night sky is so bright here, in the space of a couple of minutes I saw two satellites and a bright orange shooting star.
I can barely think right now and so I am going to sleep.
Only 120km to Sandfire! Can't wait to see Marlieke.

Sunrise views in the morning

Trying to make the most of such a boring straight road

 

The very frightening road trains where the last trailer can sway 6 feet either side