I managed to get up and out early this morning, unusual for me. But I still managed to have a good chat with Phil when he came in from work and thank him yet again for his hospitality.
After about an hour, I came across marvellous Mike, the walker. I knew he gets on the road in the early hours to take advantage of the cooler air and fewer vehicles. And there he was, sitting on the verge having a mid walk rest as he'd been on the go for a good few hours despite it only being 10 o'clock.
He had also received a couple of donations from passing motorists, so he was very happy. I chatted to
him for about 40 mins before getting underway again.
The landscape changed as I headed east, becoming more grassy and dotted with boab trees and more anthills. But these were smaller, more like the rock formations in the Pinnacles NP.
I'm not sure if that's what they were or if they were actually made by the ants. But either way, there were many of them, the extent of their spread only really being revealed by recent fires which had removed the grass to reveal
them.
There was quite a bit of burning as I moved further north, aboriginal burning I think rather than farm stuff. Lots of little fire seats all along the verges, and one bigger fire right by the side of the road which was getting a bit too big for comfort. So I kept going with as muchurgency as Gerty could muster.
Just outside Derby is the prison boab tree and a very long cattle trough. It used to cater for 5oo beasts all lined up, but then the water in the bore dropped and the flow slowed so now it's pumped from the ground by an adjacent windmill.
The prison boab is massive and was used as a lock up for aboriginal prisoners who had been walked on route to the real prison. They apparently walked 20 -48 kms per day and rested in the boab overnight. Then during WW2 it was used as storage for equipment.
The bore also fed Frostys Pool, which must be the worlds smallest swimming pool, something else built during WW2 by troops stationed nearby. Used by officers for part of the day and rank and file at other times, it must have provided real relief from the heat and dust.
I nipped into Derby for fuel, then back tracked to the Gibb River Road. The first 80 kms are sealed and I zipped along it, passing more boabs. They really are weird looking trees, like giant rhizomes sticking out of the ground and crowned with TV ariel like branches.
Then the corrugations started, the usual bone shaking sandfilled ruts that zap your strength as you ride and slow you down. I was hoping to make Windjana Gorge but stopped about 40 kms short as the sun was sinking.
I stopped just off the road clear of a crowd of Brahman cows which reluctantly moved to the side to let me pass. It's also a bit cooler tonight. Not cold just cool and quite refreshing. And it's quiet.
Morning
The air is so still here. Not even a breeze. A few birds are twittering but that is all. I love mornings like this; it makes me feel like I have the world to myself.
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