Day 463 | The famous Mt Isa: civilisation, of a sort
31 km | zzOz total: 14,538 km
A slow ride into town, I stopped at another hillock to admire the view, a few large chimneys looming out of the distant landscape, a big clue that traffic lights and fast food are not so far away.
Just beyond the town limits I spot a young bloke striding purposefully towards Darwin, I hope he gets a ride. In my youth we spent 3 days waiting for a ride and as I recall ended up bussing to Katherine instead. I stop and chat as 4WDs bearing 3 m high fluoro flags, ie, mining vehicles and 4WDs towing massive caravans whizz on by. No promise there.
Then a 4WD without either major attachments stops and a woolly faced guy yells out, You GJ?
I wonder if They, ie, who knows who from my past, have finally tracked me down but it’s actually only a fellow Crazy Guy on a Bike, Peter, just finished his two week frame building course/latest bike tour in the USA/Japan. He introduces himself and wife Lauren, apologising for being seen driving, the excuse is that it is a new car, they are off to home in Darwin, via Lawn Hill over the next week.
The German guy is a bit amazed, surely people can’t know everyone on the backcountry roads of Australia, but at least he has a ride to the Lawn Hill turnoff, 120 km down the road. I don’t say that it’s been more than a year since I sought out Wokko back in Carnarvon.
There’s an offer of a drink and/or citrus but it’s now only 6 km to the two big supermarkets, would have been useful yesterday, or whenever, but not needed now.
Pete’s been in correspondence over the years, the Munda Biddi, maybe other queries, one way or the other.
There are the occasional Crazy Guys in Australia after all.