November 10th - 11th

Port Douglas to Mareeba (Warmshower Host) 58 miles.

The heavens opened big time during the night. Luckily the tent is a good one and I had angled it so the door could be open to let the breeze in but not the rain. It was a four inch downpour but as normal in the tropics within minutes it was dry and sunny. There has been a change of plan riding wise. I am now going alone for a week or two as Angela has hired a car. We are still meeting up at the end of the day but from location to location it's only me on a bike. I left Port Douglas and headed north for 7 miles to the turning point where the road goes inland. This is the start of the 8 mile hill. It was a good one. I was spurned on by drivers shouting encouragement out their windows, "give it some" and "go on brother", of course it sounds good in a deep Aussie accent. The summit of the hill gave me chance to refuel with an orange an apple and a couple of spoons of pasta sauce. You eat strange when your blowing out your arse and the easiest or quickest item to reach goes down a treat. The road stayed quite flat through some nice farmland for the next 15 miles. I stopped to try a frozen mango cup for $3 at a small farm and had a chat with the lady who ran it. It was a mango farm run by her and her husband. Guess his name?.......Bruce. It only occurred to me later that she could have been the Sheila that men in these parts talk about. I arrived at the camp site I had planned to use but with it only being 2pm I just made some noodles and pushed on another 39 miles to Mareeba and warmshower host Konrad. He lives with his young son just out of the main town. We were joined by a Polish couple and Konrads friend Dale. Dale is a complete Aussie. I couldnt work out exactly but i think he is a retired tobacco farmer. He says all the things you would expect from an Australian. "I reckon" "get myself a new Shiela" "strewth" "grog" "blaaadddyyy hell". He had some great stories, so many in fact that he tells about 3 at the same time, and so quick that it's hard to keep up. He has invited us to dinner tomorrow night as we are staying here for two nights. There are some waterfalls and walks local to Mareeba that I would like to see. First real big ride day completed, where's that Barby I hear so much about? 

I spent the day at Emerald Falls just outside Mareeba. Managed to have a swim in the pool at the base of the falls. There were no beware the crocodile signs but you can't be to careful. Konrad's friend Dale came good on his offer of dinner and we all tucked into a Polish salad, Australian BBQ steak and lamb and a bottle of the local red wine. Throw in a couple of vodka shots and a few tins of xxxx and the night was completed. Next stop Atherton and another Warmshower host family.