12.29.08

Online Donations

Posted in Donations at 10:23 pm by margie

Thank you to the following people who made online donations directly to Kidney Health Australia via the Everyday Hero website from 18 July to 31 Oct:

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12.27.08

Thank You

Posted in Back in SA at 10:34 am by margie

Even though this was a solo cycle, many generous and caring people were inspired to support this important and ongoing venture to give kidney disease the attention it requires to reduce the terrible ticking time bomb in our community. Unlike some, I never expect people to provide me with free services yet these rides always cost me in lost income and expenses, so when people treat me with kindness, I am always grateful.
Steve Wade of A Little Finesse website design and hosting - prompt and tireless efforts to provide excellent online communication, expert advice and an ambassador for the West Coast of South Australia.
Jackie & Chris Arnold of Lucky Lodge Boarding Cattery - for looking after my cat Eddie so well while I’m away and for their unselfish love of animals.
Tailwind Cycles of Old Reynella - providing excellent bicycle service and advice.
Ocean Blue Fitness of Morphett Vale - a generous donation and support. As the motto says, ‘Be Yourself - Just Better’.

CMV Group and CMV Foundation - for generous donations totalling $3500. That was a real inspiration to keep pedalling!
Jeff of Southern Rail - providing transport of my bicycle, trailer and baggage on the Indian Pacific to Perth.
Gavin (night manager of the Indian Pacific) - advertising my ride and letting me sleep in the lounge before the 3000km ride home.
Ashley Walsh of ABC 891 Adelaide Radio - weekly broadcasts of my journey and even meeting up with me on my last day for a photo and interview. Such dedicated journalism.
Greg Muller of ABC National Radio Bush Telegraph - playing the full 15min. interview and generating wonderful donations.
Becks Logan of RTRFM Radio in Perth - an insightful 13 minute interview on my first day of cycling.
Shelley, Eveline and Julie from Kidney Health Australia in Subiaco - a lovely morning tea and lots of encouragement upon my arrival in Perth. Go KHAOS!
Gwenda Bevilacqua of Scarborough - providing a comfortable bed, lovely meals and, most of all, a wonderful friendship that started at a camp site at Coral Bay.
Kay Brickhill - for an offer of accommodation in Perth and a lovely friendship that started at a camp at Fortescue Roadhouse.
Phil Stevens of Northam Shire - arranged an interview with The Avon Valley Advocate and a meeting with Dennis, a survivor of kidney failure thanks to a transplant.
Sheena and Geoff of Perth - I will always cherish your kindness and fascinating tales about our amazing country.
Margaret and Gary Boyden of Kalgoorlie - offered me a bed and meals at their lovely home. Gary also gave me the grand tour of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Fiona Cornelisse of ABC Radio, WIN Television & The Golden Mail in Kalgoorlie - fantastic interviews that generated lots of interest.
Staff and students of Kalgoorlie Primary and Boulder Primary schools - for their warm welcomes and tons of interesting questions.
Shire of Kalgoorlie-Boulder - a generous donation to Kidney Health, some beautiful mementos and a welcoming morning tea.
Benny Birdseye, Dazza, Justine and miners of Mariners Decline Mine at Widgiemooltha - a fun afternoon and generous donations.
The Bunker truckies on the Nullarbor - the friendliest, most generous and the SAFEST road train drivers.
Maxine & Uldis from Perth and Fran & Tony from Wauchope - offers of lunch on the Nullarbor are always appreciated.
10 Mile Rocks Area campers - for making me feel very valued.
Mike at Newman Rocks - sharing his camp fire and hilarious stories.
Variety Club Motorcyclists from Perth - at Nullarbor Roadhouse, for generous donations and for breakfast.
Pam Diment at Ceduna Aboriginal Arts & Culture Centre - an inspiring testament to indigenous empowerment.
Julie and Tony Cupitt of Berowa Heights - for your kind hospitality in Ceduna.
Mayor Jim Pollock, Cr Bruce Ledo, CEO Phil Cameron and Migelle Hiscock of Whyalla Council - for their generosity and interest TWICE in 12 months.
David and Roopinder of Standpipe Motel at Port Augusta - for two glorious nights of luxurious accommodation and excellent food.
Peter Godfrey of Radio Adelaide - for excellent interviews out on the highway. Sorry about the road trains - they WERE loud!
Mt Remarkable Motel at Melrose - for a peaceful night’s accommodation.
Crystal Brook Primary - wonderful students with a global vision and hearts of gold.
Lindley and Kym Hoffrichter of Crystal Brook - for heart-warming hospitality.
Trevor Baudinette of Woodcroft Primary - for superb technical assistance and a great DVD present upon my return.
Rick Berry of Woodcroft Primary - an inspiring teacher with vision and a genuine dedication to learning that extends beyond the school environment. Check out his School Badge Challenge website encouraging life skills already being used successfully in 20 schools www.schoolbadgechallenge.com/index.html

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11.14.08

Donations to 14 November

Posted in Donations at 4:51 pm by margie

Many thanks to the following generous people who continue to keep funding for research into kidney disease a welcome benefit for millions of Australians:

$2,500 - CMV Staff Charitable Foundation, Adelaide

$5 - Cec Sorenson

Total donations to date, including online donations: $8,801.75.

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10.31.08

Donations to 31 October

Posted in Donations at 5:06 pm by margie

Thank you to the following generous people who are helping me to raise valuable funds into research to find a cure for kidney disease:

$40 - Staff (anonymous) from Woodcroft Primary School

$20 - Bev Nicolai; Jette Hamilton

$10 - Kay Russell

$7.85 - Fran Williams

$6 - Pam Michaels

$5 - Velma Beaglehole; N Tissen; Anne Harris; M Balnaves; Sue Briggs; Petra Ashton; Joan Fraser; Sue Cox

$4 - Carolyn Waye

$3.50 - Tracey Gotting

$2 - Celia Davies

Total amount raised so far: $5586.75 plus online donations of $710 -

Total: $6, 296.75.

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10.30.08

Donations to 30 October

Posted in Donations at 10:08 am by margie

Thank you to the following generous people who continue to keep the research into kidney disease alive:

$50 - Ann Holmes

$20 - Dave Anderson; M Raynor

$17.85 - Wayne Phillis KIA Reynella

$10 - Anonymous

$5 - Chad Henderson-Wilson; Andrea Taylor; Graham Miller; Ron Threadgold; Sean Moxlous

$4 - Steve Black

$2.75 - Natalie Brown

$1.05 - Anonymous

Total: $150.65. Total od donations so far: $5433.40. Online donations so far: $690. Total raised so far: $6123.40.

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10.22.08

Donations to 17 October

Posted in Donations at 8:31 pm by margie

Thank you to the following generous people who have donated much-needed funds to Kidney Health Australia and helped to make this 6 week cycle worthwhile:-

$153.30 - Crystal Brook Primary School

$50 - Discovery Parks, Whyalla

$20 - Dave of Hobart

$5 - Anne (Reynella South Primary)

$4 - Dave of Wirrabara

Total: $232.30. Donations received so far (not including online donations): $5282.75

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10.13.08

Week 6: Pt Augusta to Home (382km)

Posted in Homeward Stretch at 8:31 pm by margie

Last night I watched The Deadly Awards on SBS, a celebration of indigenous achievement in Australia. I was enthralled with the level of cultural diversity and depth of talent, particularly the lilting voice of Gurrumul Yunupingu from north-east Arnhem land. I first heard him singing with Saltwater Band but as a soloist, he has the most beautiful voice.

13 Oct - I left Port Augusta with a shocker of a southerly cross wind that slowed me considerably. Radio Adelaide phoned me and Peter Godfrey conducted a great interview on the side of the road while the wind and the road trains roared past1310radio-adelaide-interview-with-peter-godfrey Peter promised to catch up with me later in the week and I continued on the highway, rarely getting my speed above 13km/hr. When I reached the turn off to Horrocks Pass - and the road to Broken Hill and Sydney, the road was a lot quieter. I crossed the railway line and slowly made my way along the road. With Wilmington 18km away, the road started to climb. I was surprised that the climb, although long, didn’t appear too steep - until I reached the top and looked back down the way I had come - but the cross wind and the flies provided a level of torment. I stopped to read the monumental plaque to John Ainsworth Horrocks and had some food before enjoying a breathless and exhilarating descent to Wilmington, 7km of sheer joy and beautiful scenery. I turned right to Wilmington and passed through this quaint little town. It was exciting having the Southern Flinders Ranges on my right. Last year, the Flinders Ranges were on my left as I cycled towards Adelaide. I reached Melrose after battling the head wind all the way, yet I enjoyed today’s cycle as it was a lot shorter than previous rides. I spent some of the afternoon walking around the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges at the foot of Mt Remarkable. A huge thank you to the manager of Mt. Remarkable Hotel for kindly offering me a motel room for the night. (Distance covered: 68km)

14 Oct - It was sooooo cold when I left Melrose, with a light SE wind (yes, the headwind was as predictable as sunrise) and I headed out to farmland, with kangaroos bounding along the roadside ahead of me. Mt Remarkable disappeared behind me and farms increased - peas, beans, barley and wheat over hectare after hectare. I passed through a sleeping Murray Town, on to a waking Wirrabara and a quaint Stone Hut. When I reached Laura, I stopped to take a photo of the monumental sculpture to poet CJ Dennis, then cycled on to Gladstone. I turned left at the roadhouse on the corner, wound around the low hill to the old Gladstone Gaol, then cycled through Gladstone and back out to the B82 highway before turning left on to B79 highway, the Crystal Brook-Port Pirie Rd. I was thrilled to see two peregrine falcons on the left shoulder but they flew into the sky as soon as I armed myself with the camera. They hovered over a field, graceful in flight. The wind was fierce but I put my head down and persevered up the hills, enjoyed a brief downhill rush before a sharp left turn off Highway B79 to Crystal Brook, arriving just before 1pm. I chatted to a few curious locals, went and had some lunch, then headed out to Crystal Brook Primary, where I met Lindley Hoffrichter, the school chaplain, and the wonderful school staff and 200 amazing and intelligent students. Imagine the challenge of addressing a school community without the benefit of technological equipment (computers, slide shows, DVDs etc). This was absolute joy. Those students asked the most impressive array of open-ended questions I have ever encountered and, after 45 minutes, students still wanted to hang around and ask lots of questions about recreational cycling, kidney disease, nutrition and my long distance rides. Even the teachers butted in with questions. The students also donated their recycling proceeds of $153.30 to KHA -thank you so much. I reluctantly left a very enthusiastic and globally minded school community. Lindley very kindly offered me lovely country hospitality and I slept nearly eight hours after a wonderful dinner and a relaxing evening with Lindley and her husband Kym. While I am not at all religious, I regard Lindley as a saint, living her beliefs by selflessly giving to the community and inspiring others to do the same. If anyone walks the talk, Lindley is a shining example. (Distance covered: 80km)

15 Oct - I normally wake before 5am but I set my alarm for 5:30am and, for the first time in ages, my alarm woke me. I set off into a cold morning, over the railway line and eventually out to the A1 highway to Redhill. There was a mild SE wind that gradually increased throughout the morning, before turning to a gusty SW wind after 1pm. There was a good shoulder on the highway and most of the road trains gave me a wave or a toot. Two freight train drivers also tooted me as they thundered past me on my left. I stopped at Redhill for breakfast and spoke to a tradesman whose father died from kidney failure at age 73. I stopped again at the roadhouse opposite the turn off to Snowtown for a cool drink, then headed towards Lochiel, with views of Bumbunga Lake (Pink Lake) on my left. Just before I reached the town, there was a series of tyres in the lake with a tyre at the front shaped like a dinosaur head.This looked like the Loch Ness monster. The sign read, ‘Loch Eel’. Past the town, there were more hills but the biggest problem was the wind. In Adelaide, the wind speed was 31km/hr but it was far stronger out here. It took me until 3pm to reach Port Wakefield but the worst section was just past the junction to the turn off to Yorke Peninsula. Gravel had been laid on the road but the road was not yet sealed. Had there been speed restriction signs, the road would have been safer. Traffic was, however, belting through at 110km/hr and I was pelted by pellets of gravel every time a car or truck passed me. I stopped a number of times to pull sharp stones out of my front tyre. I was relieved to finally cross the skinny Wakefield River bridge and arrive in Port Wakefield. (Distance covered: 102km)

16 Oct - I was a little fearful of today’s ride. The dual highway stretch between Port Wakefield and Gepps Cross has no shoulder to cycle on, so one has to take one’s chances on the road while cars race road trains at 110km/hr plus. I cycled this section just under a year ago and there were times I feared for my life. Two cyclists were killed in separate incidents last year along this stretch. The sight of a fatality marker and a memorial to ‘Terry’ just outside Port Wakefield didn’t exactly inspire me with confidence. Road train drivers were courteous but some car drivers need to stop thinking purely about themselves. I deliberately took my time, at times having to get off the road. Radio Adelaide’s Peter Godfrey conducted another interview with me on the roadside 1610-radio-adelaide-interview-with-peter-godfrey and I could see Mt Lofty in the distance. When the road curved around to the south, I was able to get out of the strong east wind and enjoy a NE, slightly tail wind. As I passed farms on either side, the stench of fertilisers was revolting. So much for fresh air. When I finally reached the outskirts of Waterloo Corner, the pungent smells vanished. Traffic was more aggressive, however, and when I stopped at the local service station at Bolivar, the sight of unfriendly and miserable faces reminded me that I had left the cheerful country folk behind. Roadworks on Port Wakefield Road were still not completed and, judging by the lack of activity by workmen standing around, I doubted that the road would be completed by Christmas. Once I reached the underpass of Salisbury Hwy and some of the more aggressive drivers headed towards Port Adelaide, I felt a lot safer. This day last year, I was in Port Lincoln, having no idea that a year later, I would be on the road again, about to complete my third long distance cycle. (Distance covered - 88km)

17 Oct - It was lovely to wake at 5am and know that I had another hour to sleep! My body clock has been set to waking at 5am for so long. A huge thank you to Ashley Walsh on ABC Radio 891 for continuing to follow my cycle from beginning to end. Ashley came out to meet me on the final leg of my journey to take some photographs and conduct a final interview. It doesn’t contain Ashley’s introduction and final comments, but he asked some great questions abc-ashley-walsh-interview-17-oct 

Radio Adelaide also phoned me and asked me to come into the studio for a coffee. I would have loved to have met the crew, but Friday morning traffic conditions heading into Adelaide were going to slow me down, so I was on a tight schedule. I headed along Main North Road, braving the crazy off-to-work traffic. As I arrived at Victoria Square, my thoughts echoed those of many people in Adelaide - why would anyone want to cycle in this crazy town? National Ride To Work Day on Wednesday had not made one indentation to the volume or attitude of traffic today. The reason that people do not cycle is not just because they are lazy. It’s mainly because people fear for their lives! If Bicycle SA spent more time promoting rides like mine and encouraged the average person to get on a bicycle by actively lobbying the government for bike lanes that don’t suddenly END on EVERY road, more people would want to cycle. I headed down Anzac Hwy, then Marion Road, and had to tolerate a bus driver driving in my bike lane nearly sideswiping me. I was glad to reach the Veloway (a bike track along the Southern Expressway) and followed this all the way to Sherriff Road, then cycled to Woodcroft Primary. I could have stayed on the highway and shortened this journey, but the extra kilometres cycled were worth the effort for the peaceful ride away from traffic. I even stopped to chat to a fellow cyclist, something one rarely has an opportunity to do out on the highway. After calling into one school on my way to Woodcroft and chatting to the staff and students, I finally made my way to Woodcroft Primary. It was great to get such a warm reception from so many students and from the KHA team. A huge, huge, huge thank you to teacher Rick Berry who has been a great support and organised the welcome home. If every teacher had the vision and sense of community that Rick has, every student in Adelaide would be switched on to learning. This trip was more intense with less opportunities to check out the scenery, yet I’ve established some excellent networks with schools and local councils, and will continue to get the message out that kidney disease, if not checked, will become a major health issue over the next five years. (Distance covered: 43km)

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10.12.08

Why Whyalla?

Posted in Back in SA at 11:56 am by margie

A few people asked me why I included Whyalla on my itinerary when I visited it last year on my loop around Australia and it isn’t on the direct route from Perth to Adelaide. It wasn’t a logical decision to detour along the Iron Knob road to Whyalla, then backtrack along that same road back to the Eyre Hwy. Murphy’s Law will always dictate a head wind while travelling in both directions (the 130km trip to Exmouth then to Coral Bay was a classic example in 2007) and, no matter how upbeat and excited you may be about cycling, the view is rarely different.

My lasting impression of Whyalla in 2007 was of a friendly, cheerful, welcoming town, in the same vein that Kalgoorlie was on this trip. Whyalla has had a bad rap over the years. However, when I was in Whyalla last year, I was impressed by the courteous and helpful manner of the locals. I also noticed many locals out walking, jogging or cycling. Not to let one impression alone convince me, I returned during this trip and was equally impressed. I was even more staggered by the welcoming attitude of the local council. For Whyalla Council to spend an hour with me, promote renal health issues and the rides that I undertake is for me an unexpected honour. Kalgoorlie-Boulder Council also treated me with the same respect, yet there were some councils that I contacted that did not even bother to reply to my correspondence. To those councils, I challenge them to take a leaf out of Kalgoorlie-Boulder council and Whyalla council. Start being role models in your community and treat your visitors and guests with dignity. Perhaps then, your towns will become as welcoming and as friendly as Whyalla and Kalgoorlie and Boulder have. People will come back if they are welcomed not for the money they will spend in your town but for the fact that they receive a smile and common courtesy from you.

One of the issues we discussed was - will I ever use a support vehicle? I speak to car drivers, caravan towers, road train drivers and motor bike riders and the one thing they ALL hate is a support vehicle hanging around a cyclist or a group of cyclists. Sure, cyclists have as much right to be on the road as everyone else, but why cycle at all if you are going to antagonise everyone else on the road? I’m trying to promote recreational cycling, not turn everyone against it. Plus, the expense of having to feed and accommodate a support driver (plus fuel costs) is unnecessary. Why then cycle in the first place? You may as well all pile in the car. But then, there’s no personal glory in that.  While I am extremely grateful when people are kind-hearted enough to feed and accommodate me (and that isn’t all that common), I don’t expect it. I plan these yearly trips by making many personal sacrifices. It’s not a flash-in-the-pan thing. Three times across the Nullarbor in three years proves that.

Anyway, if my solo effort encourages others to have a go, I’m pleased. I read a blog a few years’ back where a husband and wife travelled around Australia completely self-supporting. She pulled a trailer with most of their provisions and he pulled a trailer with a solar battery, a mobile phone, a laptop, a solar shower and their cooking equipment. They exclusively used solar energy http://www.where2pedalto.com/journal/aars/CycleTouring.html and did not have to rely on caravan parks. It’s a pity that universities didn’t get hold of this couple and use them to lecture to their students or make a documentary about this couple. I believe that they were the first to cycle Australia using sustainable energy. No-one since has been able to replicate their efforts. It takes a cycle trip around Australia to realise that we can achieve great things. It takes an intensive 6 week trip from Perth to Adelaide to realise that, in the vast face of our amazing country, we should accept that we are a little more insignificant than we think we are. Perhaps then we will truly make the tiny carbon footprints we claim to aspire to leave behind.  As I wind up this third long distance cycling trip and I read that I have been very kindly mentioned on Bryne Smith’s article: ‘Cycling Saving The Planet - And People’ http://www.gecko.org.au/files/20081125_Cycling_saving_the_planet.pdf I am pleased that there are some who truly recognise cycling as a way of life, not just as a way of vain self-promotion. I am also touched by one comment made by Paul Bourne after hearing me on ABC National Radio’s Bush Telegraph: ‘You are making a difference Margie’.

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10.09.08

Donations to 9 October

Posted in Donations at 9:50 pm by margie

Many thanks to the following generous people who donated to Kidney Health Australia:-
$150 - Corporation of the City of Whyalla
$27.40 - Quentin
$20 - Pam Diment; Julia & Tony Cupitt
$10.20 - Bush family
$10 - J & B Harrison; Hans; Mort; B Cameron
$8.30 - Kane
$8 - Kimba Roadhouse
$6 - Pagett family; M Thomas
$5 - Deon Murray; Ronnie, Nikki, Daisy & Lachi; Anonymous; Boyd family; Toby; Brian Harris; Woolley family
$4.70 - Fritz
$4 - Graham Hoffman; Cheryl
$2 - K Patten; Bob Kemp
$1.05 - Anonymous
Total: $348.65  Total Collected so far: $5050.45
** This amount does not include online donations.

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10.06.08

Week 5: Poochera to Pt Augusta (439km)

Posted in Back in SA at 8:08 pm by margie

6 Oct - It poured last night and I slept seven hours undisturbed. Even though I had drunk 5 litres of water yesterday, I had been suffering from heat exhaustion as well as sleep-deprived exhaustion. I felt much better today, despite the strong wind that had swung round from the NE yesterday to the SW today. At least the flies were absent. I decided to stay at Wudinna instead of Kyancutta today, cycling 70km. It still meant that in 2 days, I had cycled 209km in high winds. After Wirulla, the road surface on the shoulder was rough, corrugated and pitted, making the journey all the way to Wudinna rather bone-shaking. I think I added about 5km to my journey by the time my wheels bumped over the corrugations. The scenery was not the most awe-inspiring, but I did see some gorgeous Pt Lincoln parrots and enjoyed some unusual bird song. I stopped in Minnipa (what a friendly, cheerful town) and a friendly lady called Ann asked me if I would like to stay with her tonight. I thanked her but said I would be continuing to Wudinna. I arrived in Wudinna just after 2pm (very slow and lazy cycling but I was sick of fighting the wind) and noticed that the sculpture dedicated to the Eyre Peninsula Farmers was still not completed. I’m pleased to say that the interview with ABC National Radio (Bush Telegraph) generated some generous online donations. (Distance covered: 70km)

7 Oct - Left Wudinna for some hill-climbing. Wind still southerly and road heading SE so looking forward to the road turning NE. Scenery more interesting and legs enjoying a taxing work-out. Passed through Kyancutta (funny murals at toilet block), then road dog-legged twice. Railway line now on my right. I stopped for a chat with Ronnie Skipworth, Nikki and her children Daisy and Lachi. Ronnie does lots of fundraising for KHA on the Peninsula and had been trying to contact me since Sunday to offer me a place to stay but my mobile signal had been erratic. After a long chat, I geared down for the next hill and was finally rewarded with some lovely views of the surrounding farmland and of Darke Peak in the distance. Once the clouds dispersed, the flies became unbearable - this time I had my fly net and that really riled those little critters. About 50km from Kimba, I enjoyed a glorious downhill rush and the wind tried to push me back. More hills followed until the dog-leg to the NE at 14km W of Kimba and I arrived at Kimba at around 3pm. (Distance covered: 103km)

8 Oct - I had a few rolling hills but some lovely scenery via Lake Gillies Conservation Park. No farms meant few flies - yay! Mild SW wind that was a slight cross wind and kept me cool. I crossed a dry Pine Creek, then noticed mobile reception when I reached the turn off to Iron Knob. I was going to stay in the free camp facilities (choice of two - one on the old roadhouse site and one past the town called Nobbie’s Camp) but I felt very exposed and paranoid so I decided to brave the now gusty SW wind to Whyalla. I passed four emus walking along the main street (as in Exmouth) and spoke to a couple of ladies having lunch at Nobbie’s Camp, then it was head down and tail up to Whyalla. The wind howled, screamed and moaned around my ears but I pressed on for 4 hours along that 55km road, arriving in Whyalla just before 6. Decided to stay in Whyalla until Saturday to collect more donations (things have been pretty lean since arriving in Ceduna and trekking across the top of the peninsula). Going to backtrack along the Iron Knob Road, then complete the final 68km of the Eyre Hwy to Pt Augusta. It’s a longer route than the direct road from Whyalla and, knowing my luck, I’ll probably encounter NE winds. But I have to complete the Eyre Hwy. It’s just something I gotta do … Distance covered 143km.

9 Oct - Whyalla News was supposed to contact me and Whyalla Council but did not by pleading ignorance, even though Whyalla Council phoned them and Ron Smith from KHA contacted them. Poor effort. Visited Whyalla Council at 2pm and met  Phil Cameron (CEO), Councillor Bruce Ledo and Migelle Hiscock (Group Manager of Corporate Services). The Mayor, Jim Pollock, had another engagement but when he heard that I was going to be there and had cycled from the Eyre Hwy especially to meet with the council, he graciously rescheduled so that he could meet with me again. We discussed renal services in Whyalla (all patients have to travel to Port Augusta for dialysis, despite the fact that Whyalla is growing in population), health issues in schools and recreational cycling in Whyalla. I commented favourably on the lack of visible graffiti and broken glass and Migelle Hiscock informed me about the positive youth programme occurring during school holidays and weekends. Bruce has a passion for recreational cycling in the district and wants to get me back during the term to speak to the school community about my interest in long distance cycling and the importance of hydration and good health. Apart from the fact that I believe that Whyalla is the jewel in the crown of SA towns and I don’t mind a 110km detour to visit here, I felt very humbled to have taken up an hour of this very busy council’s time. Thank you for the very generous donation of $150, this council’s second donation to KHA in just under a year.

11 Oct - Setting off under a salmon sky, I cycled out of Whyalla to the Iron Knob Road, backtracking via Mt. Laura. The worst thing about backtracking is not observing the same scenery but coping with the psychological effect of the headwind endured days earlier turning around to face you on the return trip. So cruel. It took me 4 hours to get to Iron Knob and the NW wind was strong. Cross winds can be debillitating and hard on the knee joints and the only way to pick up any speed when one is towing a trailer is to get as low on the bike as possible to avoid wind resistance. two cyclists passed me on a training run to Iron Knob, and one passed me returning to Whyalla - impressive! I moved faster on the Eyre Highway, because the wind was slightly on my left shoulder and I could enjoy a few downhill stretches. Most of the road trains were heading west and traffic was light until I reached the junction to the Lincoln Hwy. I reached Port Augusta and the end of Eyre Hwy just after 3pm. I’m here until Monday morning, staying at the luxurious and quiet Standpipe Motel, thanks to the kindness of David and Roopinder Hazel. If I was energetic enough, I could even play a round of golf on the course outside my window, but the NE wind is howling like crazy today. So glad I rearranged my itinerary so as not to cycle today. (Distance covered: 123km)

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