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Published: September 23rd 2018
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Happy First day of Spring....or for those reading this in the NH Happy first day of Fall. The sun is over the equator and is heading toward the Tropic of Capricorn so both those in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and Southern Hemisphere are getting the same amount of daylight (depending on their distance from the equator).
Headed out around 7:30 - I wanted to find someplace to have a regular breakfast. I had filled up with gas when I first hit Hughenden so I was good until I found a breakfast stop. I hit Richmond around 9:00 and found a little gas station that also made breakfast- just what I was looking for and was able to top off with gas to boot.
The terrain started out with wide open cattle grazing land - in fact, I had to stop because there were cattle along the road. I often wondered how the heck they muster the cattle when the cattle are 100+ miles from anywhere, one of the answers appears to be Helicopters. It would take days for someone on horse back to get out to some of these areas and then days to round them all
up. Once again we moved into the Kenyan or Tanzanian Serengeti. The Kangaroo road kills were getting more numerous but not a live one to be seen in the day light- in fact, other than cattle, horses, and carrion birds, not much is going on out there. After a stop in Julia Creek for gas I eventually got to a new landscape. If you have been to Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas Nevada you could take some of the pictures from there and interchange them with mine. The ground became a decidedly reddish brown color and the spots where the road was cut through the hills the rocks had a red sandstone look. Even the Ant hills were all reddish brown (see pic). The closer I got to Mt. Isa the more hills and red earth appeared. In fact, my hotel destination was the Red Earth Hotel in Mt. Isa. When I arrived I asked the receptionist if she was from India (based on her name and skin tone) she said no but keep guessing- after trying Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia I gave up. She was from Nepal (a country in northern India where the Himalayan Mountains separate China
and India) - I said how cool - I think she is the first Nepalese I met and asked if she was from Kathmandu - which she was. The Red Earth is a very nice hotel and is actually connected with the Isa Hotel to make up their own entire block with restaurant. I wanted to do some laundry and found that the hotel had free use of a laundry room ( all I had to buy was soap from the desk). I put a load in and worked on this blog and finished up yesterdays. Oh and I did manage to get a shot of the flood warning signs that are all over Australia. They let you know when somethings going to be flooded out so you don't waste your time driving there right away. Because the water moves so rapidly the road can be opened and closed in a matter of hours. As I mentioned before I don't have to worry about floods as it is dry and sunny every day this time of year. Tomorrow I will leave Queensland and enter the Northern Territory in route to Tennant Creek. Tennant Creek will be the turning point where
I start heading South again in the Outback. When I get down to Uluru (Ayers Rock) I'll head west again to get out to the landmark. After Tennant Creek I get a day off of riding with a two night stay in Alice Springs.
The ride out to Tennant Springs is a 400+ miler so I'll need to get somewhat of an early start again.
G'Day mates.
Jim
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