Day 4 Rest Day in Townsville

Today has been a rest day in Townsville and we were left to our own devices. I chose to start the morning off with a stroll along The Strand which is the esplanade my motel overlooks. Even at 7am the morning was quite warm and there was no need for anything more than shorts and a t-shirt.

I contemplated the rest of my day over breakfast, from my balcony looking out to Magnetic Island. There was a hill I was keen to ride up and I definitely wanted to book in a massage. But before I went anywhere I just wanted to relax and take in the view.

It’s been a quick journey so far, but it still feels like a holiday, the sort of thing I could do any old time I want. I think the true “A”dventure starts tomorrow when we head west for Richmond. Even today the forecast out there was for 38c which is pretty damn hot. And no room for detours either, basically straight down the road for 500kms.

Discussing with other riders last night over dinner the consensus was this won’t be just a physical journey, it will be a mental one as well. Fatigue is going to be a big issue and not just in the body. The long roads with the heat and dehydration will no doubt play havoc with the mind and it will be important to stay alert. We’ve also have been informed that road trains don’t pull off the road for anybody, especially not for a bunch of puny motorcycles.

But back to today. There is a rather large hill visible from the back of the motel just asking to be conquered and as I went out to get ready a few other riders had similar ideas. To say what followed was the blind leading the blind was to make light of the roundabout way we took, but eventually we conquered the hill and I have to say the view was worth it. My motel is the one sticking out to the right of frame on the water.

After coming back down the hill it was time for the massage that I had been looking forward to for the last few days and I have to say that http://www.handsinharmony.com.au did the trick just nicely. While my body is holding up I am very tight across the shoulders so the massage was also worth it.

I also caved and bought a netbook. Yes that’s right, yesterday’s update via the iPhone just took too long and I could have been out doing more interesting things, like going for my last swim in the ocean before we don’t see it again for two weeks.

Most people’s bikes seem ok but this one fellow with his sidecar discovered a sheered bolt. He is due to go to a dealer first thing in the morning to see if they can effect a repair. I sure hope he makes it to Richmond.

Early start tomorrow to try and get a goodly amount of kilometres under our belts before the heat sets in. The adventure is truly about to start and I think that we all need to be ready for it as something like this shouldn’t be underestimated.