May 23rd: Katherine to King River – 60.20 km

Day 222

Reluctantly we left Katherine and headed off into the wild. Before we left civilization we decided to take a little bit of it with us and we bought a sim card and now have some email and phone capabilities. We are saving them for emergencies and to take care of banking and such.

With a late start we were happy to have a short day. Cher’s paw blister, from our cooking accident a day ago, continues to grow. It’s pretty gross and since it’s filled with fluid the road vibration is extremely painful as it jiggles the contents. Also the head winds continue and its a constant battle. We stopped at King River, a free rest stop with a large water container which claims “water may not be suitable for drinking.” This is more of a precaution to avoid law suits and we have found the water is fine. Using our water bottles we took a “shower.” We basically got wet, soaped up, and rinsed off. It’s a public affair, but it’s a public spot with free camping. Anyone stopping here should expect at least a couple of hobos.

Most of the spots are quite dusty and it’s hot. We put up a tarp for shade and waited for the sun to set. With few clouds in the sky it cooled down quickly and we were in our sleeping before long. Tomorrow we look forward to another short day with the promise of another fresh water swim.