Perth to Sydney Cycling, Aged Sixty

Thursday 20^th September - nearly 100 miles directly east.

Breakfast outside in the sun at Mary’s Farm Cottages but with a coat on as it was chilly. Saw a Western Corella (a white parrot restricted to this area) amongst other birds. By 8.40 when I started it had warmed up enough to not need a gillet. Reduced tyre pressure seems to work bringing the feeling down from danger of destruction to just unpleasant! Cycled a total of 158 km which showed on Strava as 99.7 miles. If I’d realized I’d have gone up the road a bit to make the 100! Route was entirely on the highway 107 which was nearly all straight easterly with a variable head and side wind.

Passed through Lake Grace and Newdegate, having a roadhouse meal of pie and chips in the sun outside the latter. I did pass over Lake Grace and Lake King salt lakes but other than that it was arable farmland with occasional patches of Mallee woodand. Oh, and the road was an unrelenting series of large undulations, so apart from over the lakes themselves I was either pedaling uphill or going down the next dip. Mostly it felt like uphill! Keith will remember such straight undulating roads from the latter stages of the USA trip but this is just cycling day 4. No internet at the isolated Lake King Tavern where we stay tonight but if and when we ever do get online I’ll be interested to see how much elevation gain I did today. Oh and just before the end I was mobbed by a butcherbird as I cycled. It would have had a shock if it had made contact with my helmet.

157.9 km today. 480.5 km so far. That’s 300 miles and over 10% of the total distance.