A real WTF ? Day today...

Do you ever have days where at the end of it, when you've sat down or whatever, you wonder how on earth it all happened? Me too, and it's been one such day today.

I didn't sleep too well last night. No reason other than I wasn't particularly tired. I find that with riding sometimes; once I've slept for a few hours and recovered the energy spent during the day, I wake up and stay awake. But in the pitch black, in the bush, there is no TV to put on and making a cuppa isn't that easy. So usually, I just listen to Radio 4 podcasts and hope their soothing to tones send me to sleep.

It didn't work too well last night and I was a bit cold, so consequently I was a bit stressed this morning, despite packing up quickly.

But no matter; my plan was to ride 100 kms to Charters Towers and have a good feed.

So how pissed off was I when two kms down the road, Gerty started to weave all over the place like she was on ice? I slowed to a stop without coming off and accepted the worst; another bloody flat tyre. 

So off came the bags once again - this time we were on the verge alongside the highway rather than up a remote track - out came the tools, and off came the rear wheel and then the tyre.  A succession of caravans passed, all waving cheerily, and two bikers who make a big effort pretending not to notice me, suddenly becoming very interested in the trees on the otherside of the road. But they were riding  Harleys and so probably had no idea at all about anything to do with bikes anyway, but they could have at least checked to see if I needed anything. So you two, may your piles forever play up and remain in your respective anus' for a very long time. 

But I was Ok and just got on with it. It wasn't hot like the other day so that was good. But could I find the source if the puncture? Nope, nothing in the tyre wall at all, anywhere.I even checked the outside to see if it had just penetrated. Still nothing, so I looked at the tube. Nothing. So I put some air into it, which rather annoyingly stayed put. So was it a loose valve? Nope. (A valve tool is one thing I've never had and one I keep meaning to get, so a thumb and the tip of a flat made screwdriver had to suffice. )

But another look at the tube revealed the cause, two  4cm scores along the tube sides but at different locations. 

And one had burst. Looked like a manufacturing fault and there was no point repairing that tube as the scores were too big, so I decided to patch the tube I'd removed two days ago but had not had time to fix. I knew that was just a thorn hole, so it was a pretty easy job. 

And while the blue set on it, I sliced the scored tube, removed the valve, and lined the tyre with the butchered tube as an extra layer. The tyre was getting a bit thin anyway, so an extra layer could save the day until at least Townsville, a tantalising 350 kms to the east.

So that all worked and I shoved it all back into the tyre and was struggling levering the tyre back onto the rim when Glen and  Karen stopped. Unbeknown to me, they had passed, realised I had a problem and so came back; how kind was that? (Harley riders please note). Glen helped me lever it back on then get the wheel back onto Gerty, and then followed me to a small taown a few kms down the highway to a servo and a proper air compressor.and to save me the weight on a newly mended flat, they took my bags in their ute. Super nice, and very cool people.

So at the servo, after borrowing old mate's air line, we had a drink and a jaw. Turns out they are on honeymoon, having married last November, but are travelling for two months up the top end in the dry season. Glen is in the RAAF, rides bikes and has just been posted to RAAF TIndall  up near Katherine. So a big thumbs up to them and many many thanks!

So after parting ways an hour or so later, I carried on riding towards Townsville, fearful that if I stopped, I'd get stranded again. I kept going all the way to just short of Charters Towers, where I stopped to eat.

 However, there was no food, the lady just having come back from a shopping trip to town. So as I bought a packet of crisps, she started to tell me all about her recent cosmetic surgery trip to Thailand, and their near incarceration by the military in the recent troubles. This was all unsolicited too, and it was the most interesting packet of crisps( chips) I've had in a long time.

The story is that she (Sandra) and her daughter both lost a lot of weight (Sandra 45 kilos, daughter Pam 60) but they had folds of hanging skin which they decided to have surgically  sorted. So off they went to Thailand, much to the annoyance of John, Sandra's husband, who right up until they left for the airport, was whinging that he needed them to stay and look after him. So they ignored him

And when they got there, they decided on more than they'd planned with Sandra also having a face lift, her eyes done, a new denture, a boob job and a tummy tuck, as well as the bingo wing flesh removed from her arms. Then I got shown the scars and the stitches - not really my thing as I am a bit squeamish when it comes to injuries after the event - but it was ok. In the end I had to extract myself and get back on the road I would still be there now. But what a nice lady. And she looked fabulous and is very happy with her bionic body. However, she did admit to having been more scared of being caught up in the recent disturbances there than any of the medical stuff.

Once back on the road, I managed another 100 kms before stopping for the night and watching the sun sink over the hills. 

I'm now just 50 kms west of Townsville, and providing we remain puncture less Nd other fiascoless I should make it by tomorrow late morning. Fingers crossed.