Day 424 | Finally to Ray's place: little circuit to the north complete

64 km | zzOz total: km

Inexplicably the shoulder disappears for 15 km either side of Mareeba just as the traffic increases exponentially.

Still it’s fun being back in civilisation, there’s a big Coles supermarket, food glorious food, and a fast food joint of the international hamburger variety, at least for a few hours I wander the main street and check out some of the 1960s buildings, the Tobacco Leaf Marketing Board one which is memorable.

One thing that is apparent on a morning where the temperature dropped to 4ÂșC, is that the two nylon covers to my sleeping bag are insufficient for total night time comfort, the feathers have flown. While it doesn’t take long to warm up once the rays start hitting there’s a few hours pre-dawn where additional insulation, actually, any insulation, would be welcome.

From Mareeba the road is familiar territory for 35 km or so, although back when I first scooted along here in early June the weather was rather different, plenty of gloom and drizzle, now just blue skies.

As I head west in coming weeks I sense there will be plenty more like that.