No Retreat No Surrender

Wednesday the 17^th of November 2010

After many moments off faffing (Alan term for wasting time) we headed off but as we rounded the first corner not even 5 minutes into the days ride we could see the impending disaster that was about to unfold. It came in the form of the perfect thunder storm, given it was the middle of the day and it was unbelievably dark in the direction we were heading (south to Katherine) we knew this was going to end baldly, it was just a matter of time. We had made it onto the Stuart Highway when the strong hot gusty winds hit, at that point we knew we were in trouble as we didn’t have our wet weather gear on and that takes Alan about 5 minutes and me about 10. There was nowhere to pull off the road as the road side shoulders are gravel so we searched for shelter of some description with absolutely no luck. As the rain started to fall we just had to bite the bullet and pulled over as far as we could, trucks and cars flew passed us at a rate of knots (probably 110klm’s, as that is the speed limit) in the pouring rain we struggled to get the wet weather gear on quickly so we got soaked even before we had a chance. Once we started moving again it got even worse, I couldn’t do more than 70-80klm’s an hour because of extremely poor visibility. At best I could see 20 -30 metres in front of me, cars and the triples (trucks that are 53.5metres long) continued to fly passed us, the shoulder of the road had become raging torrents of water gushing passed us (we were going that slow) to say that we got wet would be an understatement to say that we got very, very wet would also be an understatement. The rain was truly torrential, but as visibility was the real problem, blind people don’t ride motorbikes for a reason!!! We eventually found a roadhouse to seek shelter in.

At the roadhouse Alan turned to me and said we have two options, keep going forward into the eye of the perfect thunder storm or he could ring Tanya and beg for one more night's accommodation. I could see the desperate look on Alan’s face and I could tell he wanted to go back, but as much as staying with Tanya, Mark and the kids was great I wanted to press on. No Retreat, no Surrender…

 As it turns out Alan and I had the same experience with our buff’s (the thin material that covers bikers faces, typically they are black) it rained so hard and we were so wet that when we went to breathe out through the buff it just ballooned out like a wet sail, which if that wasn’t bad enough when we breathed in we got nothing but water. I’d imagine it to be like being water boarded by the Americans. After you get a mouth full of water you have no choice but to spit it out (through your buff). So now I hear you say why don’t you just take your buff off? Well that’s because the rain drops like everything out here are bigger!!! Which means they hurt more when you get hit in the face by them. Normal raindrops feel like razor blades cutting you, these raindrops feel like twenty Samurai’s are turning you into Sushi with their swords.

The irony of all this was I was listening to Bob Marley V’s Funkstar’s grooving song “Sun is Shining” with some of the lyrics being

Sun is shining, weather is sweet yeah,

Make you want to groove, dancing sweet

Just let me say this is complete irony, whilst the song itself makes me want to groove the weather was not sweet, we’ve ridden through some serious rain and hail storms but nothing like this. Without doubt this was the worst storm I’ve ever encountered.

Having said that it did clear before we hit Katherine and because of the cloud cover it then turned out to be a great days riding. As we rode through Katherine for the second time, id suggest it’s not a place I would choose to go to unless you were really bored but you really needed to get fuel or some shopping done. It truly is a place that you would just pass through on your way to somewhere else. Having said that we didn’t do the Gorges because we were on the Harley’s. Everyone tells me that if you are in a 4wheel drive then it’s a must do, so I guess I’ll have to come back with a 4wheel drive.

The best part was undoubtedly as you turn into the Victoria River Region. The rock formations and scenery are spectacular and of course the Victoria River is as impressive as the surrounding landscape.

The downside to the Victoria River is apparently there is a bunch of crocodiles which inhabit these waters, I don’t mind so much as I wasn’t planning on swimming because it is too cold for me) however Alan was a tad disappointed.

The Victoria River Roadhouse also has all these old black and white photos on the wall at the roadhouse which are really cool, aerial photo’s of what the place used to look like, the floods and of course the hard men of the outback… one series of photos is of a guy cattle mustering with the 70”s beard. I must admit he does look manly as he wrestles the cow to the ground. In another series of photo’s they are flying a helicopter under the old Victoria Bridge, which is very impressive given it isn’t very big, probably the funniest one is the bloke using his boat to transport cartons and cartons of VB across the flooded river… you know where Australian priorities are, don’t worry about the food just make sure we have enough beer.

Cheers

a

15th & 16th of November 2010

Litchfield National Park (Wangi Falls)

Monday the 15^th November 2010

We awoke this morning to the squawking of about 5 Crows, as it turns out the Cane Toad who had dearly departed the night before had been consumed by the crows, not quite the result that we had anticipated. We were trying to protect the native wild life not provide them with a poisonous feed.

We had our morning swim which turned into a meet and greet with some backpackers. Two French and one German, they all love it here and want to stay longer than there one year visa which means they have to work in either a construction or agricultural job (typically fruit picking), .After lunch with the back packers I did the walk around Wangi Falls again (about the extent of my fitness regime) and had a quick swim to the actual waterfalls and then headed for Palmerston / Darwin. Alan headed for Palmerston straight after lunch. As it turned out we both got wet by the same thunder storm, about 6-8klms out from Batchelor. But as per usual you get all your wet weather gear on and then about half an hour later its fine and hot, could set your watch by it but I broke the glass face on mine. Wildly unhappy.

After some interesting directions and personalised Tom Tom voice (thanks Mark) I arrived at the lovely home of Tanya, Mark, Kira and Arial. Mark’s car had been relegated to the outside carparking area so we could put the bikes into the garage.

I’m not sure what it is about the name Tanya but, we had another great home cooked meal compliments of our lovely host. I suspect that Tanya also thought that Alan and I were a married couple as Tanya suggested we share a queen size bed… But fortunately for me, Tanya had another bed for that room. I know I’m a great looking bloke and after a month away from Sally I’m looking even better. (And yes I’m very, very scared).

Tuesday the 16^th of November 2010

Rest day sort of

We got up and then basically enjoyed the views from Tanya’s and Mark’s balcony for a while before we got motivated to get things moving. Probably the first thing about Darwin that you need to know is that it is Hot & Humid, I kinda like it, but I’m not so sure Alan is a big fan he is however a big fan of the pool though, if you can’t find him and the place that your staying in has a pool save yourself sometime and check the pool first.

We headed for Darwin proper for some lunch and sightseeing, everything around Darwin is lush and green and lots of Frangipanis (some streets are even lined with them) whilst we were out we saw the approaching thunderstorm it looked pretty big so we decided to get out of Dodge whilst we could. (We didn’t take our wet weather gear on this sightseeing expedition)

On the way back to Tanya & Marks we saw the local Harley dealer so we thought we would risk getting drenched in the impending thunder storm and pull in and have a look. The demo day looked like it had just been in town as all the demo bikes were lined up put the front. (You can tell by the sequential NSW number plates) amongst them I saw the Ultra, now that’s the way to tour Australia. Yep I know what you’re saying Mark, but I haven’t reach retirement yet!!! The local dealer also had a new sporty that they had customised for a Harley completion and let me suggest I thought it looked pretty good.

We could still see those clouds coming so we decided to bolt for shelter. Here is one of those funny things that you learn whilst touring, just before the thunderstorms actually hit there is always a really hot wind that blows in, on a bike it makes for interesting riding because it tends to be very gusty which means you get blown across lanes of traffic… Because we had previously worked out the signs we knew we had less than 5 minutes before we were going to get wet very wet, also if you looked to the left it was pitch black the landscape was in complete darkness whereas off to the right of us was glimpses of sunlight.

Thankfully we did make it back in time, sure we didn’t do any grocery shopping or the next couple of days but I think that it was better to runaway and live to fight another day was the best option. It absolutely bucketed down or at least an hour, thankfully we watched it from the shelter of the Reynold’s balcony. I must admit I’m liking the Darwin thunderstorms.

Cheers

a

Mataranka to Litchfield National Park

Sunday the 14^th November 2010

Not much happened today on the actual ride except Alan trying to kill himself… Alan has a water bottle which he keeps in the left hand side pocket on his gearsack which is positioned behind him. The problem is, whilst he’s riding and if he wants to get a drink he has to reach around behind, pull the drink bottle out of the side pocket. Typically he then starts riding all over the road and his speed drops dramatically. (He doesn’t believe me but I’ll get it on film as evidence) once he had finished his drink the same thing happens as he is attempting to put the drink bottle back. On this occasion Alan was attempting to put the drink bottle back in but missed the side pocket, Alan then swerved off the road and onto the gravel, he sprayed me with rocks, which clearly did not please me (you may have gathered I’m a bit precious about my bike). The drink bottle hit the road and water sprayed out as it bounced to a halt. We then pulled up and Alan went back to retrieve the drink bottle. Later when we stopped for fuel I suggested to Alan that he might want to rethink the drink bottle placement scenario and possibly replace it with a camel pack (like mine) tied to the handle bars. Alan thinks I look gay whilst sipping from the tube whilst riding, but I’ll take that as opposed to crashing my bike at 110 clicks. The suggestion was rejected.

The Litchfield National Park is impressive. The Termite Mounds are massive, and then you get to the Wangi falls. Imagine its hot and unbelievably humid and you’ve been on a Harley for several hours, with a scenarios like this I’m even looking forward to a nice dip in a relatively warm watering hole, but alas first we needed to setup camp.

After a couple of laps of the campsite on the bikes we chose the best spot available (everything was because it’s not tourist season) we then looked for a place to set up the tents, and trust me when I say it has to be the perfect place. It truly dose take lots of contemplation and pondering to find the right spot, it has to be on nice grass and where the water won’t flow through your tent in the middle of the night when the tropical thunder storms hit. Under the right kind of tree so that it provides shade all day but the tree can’t be a widow maker (Lemon Scented Gum Tree) as they tend to drop branches and squash anything underneath them. Once we had determined the perfect spot we put up our tents and bolted for the water because we were both absolutely soaked due to the humidity.

But as fate would have it as we approach the Wangi Falls Swimming hole it starts to rain, which means the temperature drops by about 15 degrees so I don’t need a swim. (It was too cold)  Alan still needs a swim, so I left him with the other tourist and did the walk 1.7Klm’s up and over the top of the falls, it’s a spectacular view and to see the creeks that flow into the waterfall is as impressive as it is interesting. The water is clear and the rocks are this beautiful burnt orange colour that glistens with the water flowing over them.

After dinner Alan spotted a live Cane Toad, unfortunately killing one whilst not riding does not count so we had to introduce the Cane toad to a log from the fire. Let’s just suggest it didn’t end well for the Cane toad.

After such excitement we had retired to our Separate Tents  (that’s for all of those of you that think we behave like a old married couple)  I was awoken to hear the gurgling of air being pushed out of a sprinkler system by water under enormous pressure, that was then followed by my tent being hit by the spray from said sprinkler. As it turns out Alan had left his tent fly off so he could get some his air flow through his tent, apparently that wasn’t such a good move as he was directly in the line of fire from said sprinkler. Alan had to get up and quickly put the fly on, but whilst Alan and his gear did get reasonably wet, the fact that he did get up so quickly did save him from getting completely soaked. At this point in time I had already fallen asleep again because I wasn’t getting wet due to the fact I had put my fly on. Good Times…

However my luck was about to change, at about 3am another set of sprinklers came on except they were like fire hoses that that are held down by teams of firemen fighting those massive building blazes and one of them was only half a metre from my tent. I then leapt into action, sure it actually took about 15 minutes before I could be bothered getting up and stop asking why had the Gods forsaken me once again and thinking it will end soon. (and yes George I was thinking I should just say no) once  out of my tent I discovered the close proximity of the sprinkler so I decided the Cane Toad killing log wedged up against the sprinkler and  between my tent and the sprinkler would do the trick. And it sure did…  Whilst it wasn’t a complete disaster I did have to sponge the inside of my tent down.

Who would think that in the Litchfield National park would have sprinklers, not just your average sprinklers but the fire hydrant kind.

Cheers

a

Thank God it’s not the Wet Season!!!!

Saturday the 13^th of November 2010

Last night was a wild night, it was incredibly windy and rained all night. The thunder storms were incredible and as a result everywhere you looked there was water…

All the creeks were flowing, Attack Creek (odd name) was probably the pick of creeks, (it looks more like a river to me) once again it was raining for most of the morning.

It’s just lucky were not in the wet season because we would really be in trouble. About 1pm it finally stopped raining

At the first fuel stop Alan caught up with me and we headed off to Mataranka and the hot springs. Mataranka is about the halfway point from Three Ways / Tennant Creek and Darwin. After all the hype I must admit to being a little underwhelmed by the hot springs, the water is beautiful but I’m not sure I would rave about it.

Cheers

a

Harley Stuff & Killing time

Thursday the 11^th of November 2010

Today was just about getting back to Alice, we had booked our bikes in for another service as well as new back tyres.

So here is the tip, if you are thinking of riding around Australia then be prepared for new tyres and a couple of bike services. Most importantly shop around the Harley dealers, servicing prices and tyre prices vary dramatically.

The only interesting thing that happened today was Alan rescued a Thorny Devil from being road kill.

I must say I like the Alice, they are a tourist friendly town. They were having a Night Market which was pretty cool. Unfortunately the Wi-Fi isn’t free anymore, they are now charging $1 for 12 minutes ohh well.

Friday the 12^th of November 2010

We waited around for the Harley’s to be finished so we just killed time in the Alice, once they were done we called a cab and went to the local Harley Dealer.  With the Harleys loaded we hit the road, it was pretty warm until the heavens opened then it got cool down really quickly. It pretty much rained for the rest of the day.

I saw these statues on the way in and thought they were pretty cool.

As a motorcyclist on a lowered Harley there are some things that concern me, flood ways in torrential rain is one of them. 0.4 of a meter will be a problem for me and 1.4meteres let’s just say I’ll be in over my head...

Alan and I got split up, Alan ended up at Tenant Creek whilst I ended up at Three Ways.

Cheers

a

Uluru– Kata Tjuta National Park (the Rock - & the Olgas)

Wednesday the 10^th of November 2010

News Flash

We were on the road around 7:30am as it was a 30 minute drive to the Rock from Yulara and we had booked ourselves on a guided tour with the local it turns al rangers which started at 8am.

When we got there was a sign saying the climb was closed. (not that I was ever going to climb anyway, I choose to respect the local Aboriginal wishes) The guides talked to us about the Aboriginal Creation (the local term for Aboriginal Dreaming) the plant life and wildlife. I found the guided walk really interesting and informative, for example Uluru is actually on its side. You can actually see the layers of sediment and instead of being horizontal they are vertical!!! Uluru is also covered with iron oxide which they believe was blown in from Western Australia. The Iron Oxide is basically what stops the rock from eroding away at a much faster rate. Probably the best thing about the Guided Tour is that it was free.

We headed for Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and arrived there just after 11am, which meant that the walk from the 1^st lookout was closed. Not that we were planning on walking the whole thing anyway because we’re basically lazy and it was getting pretty hot by that stage.

Everything out here is impressive and big, for what it’s worth I think a trip out here is absolutely worth the effort.

So here is another reason you should wear Draggin jeans, some plonker (that would be me) burnt his leg on his exhaust because he rode around with shorts on and yes it hurts.

Cheers

a

Town Called Alice

Monday the 8^th of November 2010

The roads in the Northern Territory are just sensational, they are for the most part straight and flat. Occasionally there are slight undulations and long sweeping bends. It is a tad unnerving when you’re riding along at 120clicks and you are over taken like you are standing still. Generally when you ride a motorbike it’s rare that you will be over taken, but out here you better get used to it.

Not far from Three ways are The Devils Marbles. I like them they are just bizarre, it’s incredible to think that these large boulders can be so precariously perched. There are literally 100’s of them in a very small area. If you look on the other side of the road it’s just shrub so it’s really odd to see them.

I’ve decided to stay upwind (in front) of Alan for a couple of reasons, the first is that he is becoming a crap rider, moving all over the road and varying his speeds all the time. His logic is that it helps keep him alert. Not so great if you’re following him. But he’s also decided not to wash his Draggin Jeans, he loves the way they feel after a couple of days. But let me suggest that his jeans could probably ride the bike by themselves.  I went to wash my Draggin Jeans after sledging Alan, but unfortunately I forgot to throw them in the washing machine !!! This is generally a bad thing not because I wasted my $2 or half an hour of my life waiting for my jeans to be washed but because I then had to tell Alan I needed some more washing powder. Why is this bad? Let me tell you about portion controlled washing powder. Alan has measured out the correct proportion and then placed them into zip lock bags for each. Which means he knows how many washes we can do whilst we are away, but worse than that I’m never going to hear the end of it.

Things I like about Alice. Whilst Alan and I were wondering around the Todd Street Mall we saw all these backpackers sitting in their camping chairs using their laptops in the Mall. We thought that was pretty cool as the mall had all these power outlets for people to use. As it turns out the Mall has free, yes your reading this right FREE Wi-Fi. And it’s at 54Mbs. I think that a few other places in Australia could adopt some Alice ideas. I went to the mall at around 10:30pm and its pretty safe, the Police and private security patrol the mall and with all the other backpackers you won’t get lonely

Cheers

a