November 18th -19th

Ingham to Big Crystal Campsite to Townsville.

Total trip 450 miles

Sometimes on a tour you have to just deal with a crap session on the bike. Today was one of those days. Uneventful and dull. When your counting roadkill you know it's a duffer of a day. I put in 30 miles and called it neck at Big Crystal Campsite. The camp is our first government run ground so it meant paying online for a permit. It worked out a £3.50 for a plot with showers, tables, fire pits and access to a great swimming hole. I'm really enjoying these swims in natural surroundings. There is no creeping into the water trying to catch your breath. They are warm and soothing and a far cry from the Wolverhampton to Walsall canal.

Tomorrow I ride for Townsville to stay with a family for two nights and have a day on Magnetic Island. 

I cycled to Townsville in the worst head wind I have ever riden in. The will to carry on was being seriously tested. I don't often shout out while riding unless it's at a RV hogging the road but today I let out a few expletives, loudly. 

It was a case of head down and get on with it. I had to think of things that could be worse and when you stop to think like that it puts a head wind into perspective. 

Any bad day blues have been soothed by the wonderful hosts Peter "Mozzy" and his wife Kay. They have an amazing open plan house that Kay designed. It's certainly the first house I have been in with a 25 metre swimming pool. We are going to chill for a couple of days and look at changing the route as I'm here to enjoy myself and when you have to pedal hard downhill otherwise you grind to a halt that isn't my idea of fun.