June 16th: Overlanders Way Rest Area to Julia Creek – 68.8 km
Day 246
We waited till the sun came up today to roll out of the tent – it was windy as usual, and cold. Spending the past 8 months in tropical weather, we found ourselves shivering in 7 degree weather.
Cold and windy. End of our summer time.
It was another beautiful day. Seven hours of cycling into a constant 25 kph wind is hard on the legs.
We passed several open fields with nary a tree in sight. It was immediately decided that for our own sanity we would take a rest day in Julia Creek. Our legs are now quite resilient but such a slow pace over a landscaped the changes very little is a bit like waiting in traffic, on your way home from work. You’re tired, the sky is blue, the birds are singing, but you don’t care, you just want to get home and the more you watch the odometer, the less it moves. Right now you would leave your car on the highway, if it meant you could instantly be at home.
We both have had such fantasies. I fantasized about leaving my trike on the side of the road, grabbing my camping equipment, and hopping on the back of one of the passing trains. I even went as far as to tell Cher that the train was probably slow enough that we could jump on. She wasn’t amused by my unrealistic fantasy when she was trying not to quit. We normally keep these daydreams to ourselves when we are pedaling. They aren’t great for morale and the can also be contagious.