Day 19 – Caiguna to Balladonia (181km)
Sorry for the delay in getting the last couple of days up. We had no internet/mobile reception in Caiguna and ran out of time to get our updates up yesterday. We are still having trouble uploading photos but hopefully we can get some up soon.
Day 19 didn’t start out very promising. Our plan to wake up early to avoid the worst conditions of the day didn’t work out when we woke up to howling winds and rain. Everyone was very slow getting ready so we left a little behind schedule but this meant that the rain had stopped and the wind had settled down slightly.
It was out the door and on to the 90 mile straight. Anita showed real commitment to her role as support crew when she walked out onto the highway in her pyjamas to take a photo of us at the 90 mile straight sign (which didn’t turn out so well since it was still dark).
Riders at the 90 Mile Straight sign (yes, they are all in it!)
Although the wind had settled slightly from what it had been, we had to battle a strong cross wind for the entire day. Alyce and Mark were riding together so they decided to play games and sing to pass the time, which meant that their spirits stayed high through the tough conditions. At one stage they had to pull over to the side of the road though when Mark made Alyce laugh while trying to take a shot of energy gu, causing her to spit it all over herself and her bike.
Unfortunately for Dan, having had some early problems with his cleats, he told the others to go ahead, and spent the day riding on his own and found this day’s ride particularly challenging. But, he was still able to join in on the laughs and stupidity at each break.
Anita was particularly excited at our first break as she had come across 4 eagles feeding on some of the massive amounts of roadkill that we came across during the day (this road was the worst we have come across since Canberra). Even though she had seen them flying earlier in the trip, this was her first time seeing them up close and she stopped in the middle of the highway to watch them.
The support crew managed to find us a great place off the road for lunch, one of the few shady spots available. Getting food supplies along the Nullarbor has proven difficult so we had salmon sandwiches (with the smallest slithering of cheese imaginable) for the second day in a row. We have also had to spend over $100 restocking our water supplies as the water in these areas is salty bore water and is difficult to consume.
After lunch we had the last 30km of the 90 mile straight left to knock off as well as a further 30km into Balladonia. After 90 miles of riding straight, Mark found it hard to negotiate the bend when it came and ran through to the other side of the road almost into the ditch. Alyce rolled her eyes, thought he was very predictable and they continued on their way.
Alyce and Mark nearing the end of the 90 Mile Straight
Once turning the bend and heading towards Balladonia, the nasty cross wind we had battled all day turned into a nice tail wind helping us through the last 30km.
The roadhouse in Balladonia is the nicest we have been to along the Nullarbor. Dinner options have been very limited and expensive at the roadhouses so we’d all had burgers from the snack bar for the last 3 nights. With the nicer looking restaurant in Balladonia we opted for the full menu and we all enjoyed a proper meal.
