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Photos, photos, photos
Click on this link or the thumbnails below to go through to the gallery for each leg of the ride:
Royal Flying Doctor Service:
Leg 1: Tanami
Leg 2: Canning Stock Route
The Simpson Desert
Birdsville became my hospice for 3 days whilst I waited for my chest infection to clear up. Both mind and body were glad of the need for 3 days R&R. I’d been on the trail for nearly 10 long weeks, and was wearing down. This was not a good feeling knowing the challenge of Australia’s toughest desert still lay ahead.
Three days R&R came and went quickly. The chest infection was well on the mend, and I was fresher to boot. Winds at Birdsville were still miserable; blowing the wrong direction (for me), gusting to near 80km/hr, but largely only during daylight hours. The retreat of storm clouds signalled better weather was on its way. A short recon’ out to Big Red with my back-up team revealed my worst fears. Any crust on the dunes had been blown away; see photo of big red below. I’d have to ride on soft unconsolidated sand, and on sand far finer than any I’d ridden up until this point. Big Red was way tall, but I’d already been warned “there are tougher dunes out there than Big Red”. My spirit sank as I begin to fear that I’d bitten off more than I can chew on this desert crossing. I’m also heading up the steep face of the dunes, and will diverge from safety (my nearest 4WD track) as I track further west. I will surely get significantly faster as my load lessens, but also need to consider a good margin of safety since there is NO WATER beyond Eyre Ck.
