I called in to see the guys at the bike shop, but Graham had gone to play golf at noon, so I had a long chat with Richard and Anne Simpler, who are the other co-proprietors of the store. I bought a pair of bar extensions to give more resting positions for my hands and arms. The change in the saddle position seems to be effective even though I have ridden only a short distance after Graham's adjustments yesterday. I may increase the height slightly on the road tomorrow. The front gearshift also seems to be working the best it has done since I bought the bike.

Peter left quite late from the backpackers. He was not feeling in top shape, probably because he was still catching up on the jetlag. He was going to run into some rain along the way, although it was not as heavy as I experienced yesterday. His bike obviously has seen quite a bit of use, and probably can be best described as simplicity personified in terms of the pannier racks and the gear he carries. He uses Vredestein tyres which are tourers as opposed to being for off-road use.

I spent the balance of the day sorting through my gear, washing clothes and putting other gear on the line to dry or air, including the panniers. I also have to find additional room in the panniers for extra food. Most of it is going into the front ones. I had the film in my camera developed, and at last I know it works. I need to be careful with use of the sky filter and the results from the flash are not, well, flash because of the shadows it creates. I've gone up from 100 ASA to 200 ASA speed rating on the film , and hopefully I will get to see some subjects worth using it on.

I have written to Brad Thompson at The West Australian to let those guys know, especially a couple of cynics, that I have made Esperance. I also wrote to Chris Higham, owner of the yacht, Helios. I plan to write in Norseman to my children, and to Chris and Charles Knight back in Perth.

I am looking forward to getting on the road tomorrow for the two-day ride to Norseman. The half-way point is Salmon Gums which has a caravan park. I intend to call into the bike shop here in Esperance first thing tomorrow morning, and that means a start around 8.20am. I have just had dinner, a large chicken stir-fry full of vegetables to build up my energy stores.

I was quite pleased today when Richard commented that having spare spokes taped to the seat stays was a good idea. Among the items I bought today were a small AM-FM radio and ear buds so I can keep a check on the weather forecasts and have some entertainment along the way. The cost was $21 for the radio, and $10 for the ear buds. I had a look at the inflatable mattresses available in town, but neither was suitable because of their size.

By the way, if you ever visit Esperance, be aware that cars take precedence over pedestrians at junctions, even those controlled by traffic lights. Yes, that's right, pedestrians have to give way to motor vehicles. I could hardly believe the little signs that were on the poles.

Index  |  First  |  Previous  |  Next  |  Last

Top of Page