Watervale to Gulnare Footy oval

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Watervale this morning is Windyvale, man it was blowing big time and then some. So bad, the dude in the landcruiser had to make a windbreak with his vehicle, so that we could pack up our tents without them taking off like Mary Poppins. Kirk decided to ride with us to Clare to stock up on his food supplies, as Watervale completely shuts down on Sundays. We battled the wind to Clare, on the way we stopped at the Golden Fleece roadhouse to fill our water bottles and grab some eat & ride food. We don't have the luxury of the Tour de' France riders with their support vehicles handing out snacks and water bottles along the way. So we just had to store food and water and ride heavy loaded bikes all at the same time, quite the juggling act. Sauce dripping from hamburger, flipping the bird to passing motorist angry at our swerve riding, but hey it was good to be on the road again. No more work stops holding us up,

Kirk headed back to Watervale, as he and Bruno still had heaps of work at the rose farm, we wished him well for the rest of their journey. Just out of Clare, we stopped at a winery, to have a break from the wind and sample some of the finished product, good job they don't use breathalysers on "Pissed Pushies". This strong northerly wind was fighting us all day, grey overcast skies, miserable weather. On the side of the road I picked up a pair of nice sunnies with a bright orange tint, that fitted perfectly, they must have been "On the bright side of the road" they really brightened up a dull day. A bit like "Wasting away the moments that make up a dull day, pick up orange sunnies and I'm on my way ". yes stolen from Pink Floyds "Time". However the dimension of time seem really warped when travelling on a bike for so long. Time and distance just take on new proportions that make me wonder, abut the madness of modernity, how humanity races along to "dig that hole, forget the sun, don't sit down it's time to dig another one!, Woops Pink Floyd again.

The wind is getting tougher, and its ironic that the next town Yacka is still 20 ks away, Colin and I were really putting in the hard Yakka to get to Yacka. We finally arrived to find the town all closed up for sundays, even the rundown old pub was closed for patronage. So we sat down on the pub verandah to have a late lunch, when Bip da Bip Bip Bip, a familiar blue car rocks up and its Mark and Susie, who were at the Watervale Pub Last night. So the good hosts we are, the billy was boiled and shared a cup of tea, fruit cake and a chat, before wishing them well. Once again its back on the bikes to try and make Gladstone. Tough wind, tough day, it was five o'clock when we arrived at Gulnare, still 30 ks short of Gladstone, and decided to call it quits for the day. We spotted the sign to the Gulnare footy oval, and decided to make camp under a shelter shed for the night. We braved a cold shower in the dunnies to get the roadstink off us, and heated up a good hearty stew to warm us up. After dinner we fired up our wooden musical things and had a really good jam under a big moon. The footy oval was perfect for perfecting our hand stands, although I think Colin has graduated at the Advanced walking on Hands School. I am still very much learning this craft. We set up our tents and dropped into heavy slumber after a gruelling 64 ks today. Hoping for a brighter day tomorrow, with my new sunnies, every day is a bright day!

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