doing something else
Out there, when 4WDers stop for a chat they often confess they have been driving for 6 hours without a break and travelled 700km since breakfast. Ask them about some feature along the way and they look blank. No, they didn’t see it.
It’s almost as if there’s a fear of wide open spaces, that they must be traversed asap.
Cyclists love riding and they can do the same, 160km in a day on the highway, or 100km off.
See much along the way? Nah.
There’s plenty along the way even if it is only strange tracks by the side of the road, stopping to listen to raucous birds at a waterhole, or talking to locals you come across. Any bumps by the side of the road give opportunity to put your travels in perspective as well as exercising some different muscles.
Distances are huge. The road surfaces hard work. The weather conditions tough.
Riding a bike, day after day in remote territory can be hard on the body. Hard on the mind.
Burnout.
Just a reminder to plan a few days off into the schedule. Remember you don’t have to spend the entire day in the saddle.
Occasionally, doing something else other than riding the bike all day, every day, is the way to get the most enjoyment from a bike tour. It’s surprising how often it’s the off-bike experiences, or encounters, that end up the most memorable.