Day 3 Merredin to Southern Cross 108 kms

The noisiest night ever last night with freight trains streaming through the campsite (or at least it felt like that), road trains racing each other out the front and Collis snoring all the way through it. Some of us got very little sleep, where others got 8 to 9 hours. We all tried to stay in bed after 6 am but being awake usually means toilet time so I may as well get dressed while I'm up and about. Now I may as well have a cup of tea and breakfast. Nearly everyone was up and about by 6.15am. I tried!!!
Today, history was made. Woody was on the road by 7.30 am and riding in the middle of the pack. John and Ben were the last to leave but soon caught the rest of them. The group were riding together in close formation today and it was lovely to see and easy to follow them. We had 3 or 4 peloton going today. Poor old Ben seems to have caught the cold that has been floating around and his chest is very congested. He is finding it hard to cycle but he won't come off the bike.
The group came into morning tea and lunch virtually all together. It was a cold, crisp morning but ended up a lovely winters afternoon. The scenery was mainly wheat fields and the start of the salmon gums. The salmon gums up north were more of a golden color but here they are more pinky color. They are my favorite gum tree with the white gums a close second.
The caravan park we chose looked pretty run down and old but once we settled in it turned out to be lovely and clean with some pretty good facilities.

The recreation room was taken over by us and we got the fire going which kept us warm as well as some were able to cook their steaks on top. Collis, Annie and I headed off down to the Railway Hotel for dinner and got the biggest meals ever, so much so Collis was unable to finish them all off once Annie and I stopped. John had some great news from home but I better not say what it is as I'm not sure if the news has gone any further yet. Watch this spot.

Day 2 Northam to Merredin 160 kms

I was lying quietly in bed this morning thinking how lovely it was to just lie there, nice and warm, for a few more minutes, when I think I hear someone fiddling with the outside of the truck. The next thing I know the zipper has gone up and I have a torch being shone in my eyes. Whoever it was probably got a bigger fright than us as he shot off like a scared rabbit. I was definitely awake now and desperate to know who the intruder had been. We found it quite funny but I can imagine just how embarrassed the person must be feeling.
The temperature was hanging around 5 degrees but didn't feel too bad once I got dressed into the thermals and jeans. Next job was to find out who entered my bedroom (discreetly) so I walked into the camp kitchen and asked quite loudly "Alright, who was it?" Poor Paul owned up very quickly and he was looking for his jacket that he had left in the back of the truck yesterday. The jacket had spent the night out in the weather so was a little damp.
Kirsten was just about to leave when she discovered 2 flat tyres. We thought they must have been tampered with overnight so we pumped them up and away she went. Apparently she only got as far as the turnoff before they were both down again so they had to be changed. This put her and Mark way back in the group but they are pretty strong riders and soon caught up alot of ground making morning tea with time to spare. They were a bit scared we wouldn't wait for them and we quickly reassured them that we would always go back and look for them if they are overly late.
They all took off in thick fog this morning so had to take extra care on the road. As the sun broke through a huge number of great big spider webs were exposed in the trees all along the road. It was an eerie sight but quite beautiful. I hope someone took some photos of it so I can put it on the blog. Once the fog lifted it was a clear blue sky until around lunchtime when the cloud came over, it got chilly again but no rain. The day ended with clear skies once again.
We started following the water pipe today and at times there were 2 running together. This is the first time we have noticed 2 pipes together and assume it may be due to the increasing population and the demands for water out this way. Amazing the number of repairs on the pipes and it must be a continuous job.
Paul did his personal best today, having ridden only 120 kms before today. He has done very well and Richard rode with him to make sure he was OK. Paul, Richard, Jim and Woody have decided to take a cabin tonight but the rest of us will be camping. At the briefing I informed everyone that it was predicted to be 2 degrees at 6am so it would be best if they remained in bed until at least 8am when they say it should be around 8 degrees. I don't think this will happen but I can only try.

Day 1 Perth to Northam 100 kms

The alarm set for 5 am and we woke just before it went off. Collis wasn't happy as he thought we didn't need to get up before 5.30 am - rubbish, Kathy knows best. Even though we had got up so early we still didn't make it to the Bell Tower before 7.30 and we had told the riders to be there by 7am. I rang a couple of them to let them know that we were going to be late and everyone was there except Annie who was at McDonalds for breakfast (what happened to our diet this leg). I had packed everything ready to load the night before but we had extended the trailer whilst in Perth and everything was chaotic and just got thrown in. We should have plenty of room but it will take a few days to get organized.
Martin and Debra, who rode with us on Darwin to Broome and live in Perth,agreed to lead the group out to Midlands. They would only do it if Collis got on the bike and joined the group. With the new trailer extension which is an upward extension, we need a step ladder to be able to reach the bike rack.
My little folding step, which I found at a rest area and I like to use to access my bed and Collis wanted to desperately throw out,came out of the trailer and used by Collis (reluctantly). I had to drive the car out to meet them and I was a bit nervous pulling the trailer after the damage I did on the way into Perth.
Everything went smoothly and it was great to catch up with Martin and Debra. Getting the bike back onto the car was another ordeal so I'm not too sure if I will have the energy to ride much this leg especially if it is going to take forever to get the bike on/off. The next stop was McDonalds for early morning tea shouted by Cycle X. Then we went onto The Lakes for the real morning tea and Theo was there waiting to join the ride. His sister had cooked us a cake for morning tea and I had made some pikelets so we had a good spread.
At 5.30 am it was pouring rain in Perth central, we have had a beautiful day weather wise with no rain and a wind which blew gently up their behinds. The Gods keep blessing this group. Everyone was into camp by 3 pm, tired but happy to have completed the first day without a hitch. Chris, who injured her leg on the last leg, is back on the bike and seems to have managed well on her first day. The newcomers Jim, Richard, Paul, Mark, Kirsten and Lorraine all survived. The returners are Annie, Georg, John T, Pat, Ben, Peter, Woody, Chris & Theo.
Paul and Richard disappeared very early in the evening and we presume they were a little bit exhausted after their first day and of course Richard had a long overseas flight a few days before the ride. The rest of us mostly cooked in and sat around and chatted until around a very late 8 pm. We are becoming night owls!!! The nights are very cold and the only place to get warm is under the blankets.