Day 5 | York Williams Road: hey! back on the dirt
71 km | zzOz total: 270 km
My brother, Peter, once told me his first parachute jump was easy. The second was the tough one.
First time around you blunder along, not quite knowing what’s going on. Ignorance is bliss.
With some experience you find that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, you have a much clearer understanding of how much can go wrong and the consequences.
That’s kinda my situation. When I initially set out across the continent, the day after the Victorian bushfires back in February 2009, my initial aim was Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road, or maybe cross the Nullabor. Somewhere along the Mawson Trail the plan changed and by the time I was climbing Mt Chambers, without the bike, on the way to Arkaroola, the thinking changed to the Dry Season up north.
By the Oodnadatta to Finke sector remote travel seemed not such a big deal, the Gregory National Park lead me to believe I hardly needed a track.
Talking with CJ just before I departed Perth I surprised us both by admitting certain levels of trepidation about my peculiar transcontinental trajectory. There’s weather, it’s currently mid-winter, the distance, potential bike issues etc.
Funny, once I’ve set sail it doesn’t seem such an issue.
There’s only the next 70km today to worry about.