Day 224
Most days are hot and dry as we are heading further into the outback. We have found that it’s cooler in the end to cover our skin by wearing long sleeves and long pants. If you don’t, the moisture evaporates before it has time to absorb the heat from your body. We put 50 km in by 11am and by 1:45pm we were on smooth level roads. After the long rest in Bali it has taken us the last 14 days to finally feel like we are capable of pedaling all day.
Every grey nomad that we met makes a suggestion about where to stop ahead and when we receive several suggestions about the same place we know it’s a must. Although when we arrived at Daly Waters we were slightly underwhelmed. A friendly but very busy parking manager riding an old mountain bike with a the head of a stuffed animal horse fastened to his handlebars showed us to a dusty little spot without a spec of grass and not much shade. I guess we shouldn’t complain the attendant had the look of an old cowboy, with his wide-brimmed hat and sun wizened face. If his wrinkles were like rings on a tree he would have been over 100.
We were tired though so we shrugged it off and showered and prepared to catch happy hour. This was the first bar we had been in the last 8 months and the best decision we made since leaving Darwin. 3 dollar drafts led to burgers and some real outback culture. Quickly the bar filled up and we were surrounded by tables of grey nomads. They were there for the live performance. We received our burgers which were the size of throw pillows. Probably so you could take a nap while eating it, and a huge basket of fries. Then the performance started. It was an eclectic mix of heartfelt stories, songs, poetry and humor.
As we looked around we realized that we were the youngest couple there by 20 years and the last of our bias towards caravans disappeared. Here were a bunch of pensioners, traveling around the country, socializing, meeting new people, seeing new places. It’s like a golf club but the membership is larger and cheaper and if you don’t like the weather or your company, you leave. What could be better? We have met couples well into their 70’s braving the dirt tracks, camping in the desert, and having adventures. Albeit in all the comforts of home, but they are some of the happiest, friendliest people we have met, ever.