Day 415 | 50 km from Coen: on a bumpy road
71 km | zzOz total: 12,112 km
The Pascoe River Station track was the most enjoyable track of those I’ve traversed recently.
Just the two ruts like the Cape Melville and Frenchmans but unlike those, not much in the way of sand. The Tele was also more suitable in places for your average summer beach party.
So riding two track on a firmish surface for hour after hour, with two reasonable river crossings, the Wenlock and Pascoe.
Nice.
Best of all, unlike the Telegraph, was not having any company, no more tourists, it’s not mentioned in any guidebooks or websites I assume, I strung out two solitary nights, realising it was fabulous camping in the shade on the Pascoe River.
Just as I was about to reach Portland Roads Road, as it is officially known, ie, the road I had tootled up to the Iron Range National Park a month ago a 4WD stopped, the first people I had seen in 44 hours, they were working at the station. Seems not so many cyclists choose this route.
It was strange to be so visibly appreciated for my work, ie, cycling, by the two thunderstruck locals, one with a face, head, filled with a number of slightly faded tattoos of dubious artistic merit, teeth not the full complement.
By the time they took off in a cloud of dust, laughing merrily, they were sure it was only a matter of time before cyclists would be thick on the ground in this currently obscure outpost of the globe.