Despite the luxury of proper bed I was awake at 5:30 am. Tried to go back to sleep. 7:00 am I went for a walk. Found a great coffee shop. I had coffee and a croissant for breakfast. Good coffee, ordinary croissant. Went back to room and packed up. Rang Stephanie to wish a happy birthday. She tells me she flying to Sydney for 1st final and seeing the game from a corporate box with Nick?
Ask about Caleb, his season is over. He is very disappointed.
I go to Telstra shop to sort out issue with my Prepaid account. Helpful storeperson can't help because I didn't buy the phone there. Puts me onto phone to talk to service desk. My heart sinks! I know from bitter experience this will not end well. I explain problem and told 4-5 working days despite their email saying 4 hours (it is now 36 hours). I rant knowing I am wasting my time. I'm sure Telstra have service desks overseas so you can't track them down and ...... I give up.
Buy a foot long from Subway and head off. I rock the 1st 25 km mentally raging against Telstra. At Gindie I take break and rest in the shade. I'm feeling out of sorts. I haven't eaten enough, I'm dehydrated, I should have had a rest day in Emerald.
I eat my lunch and drink a litre of water with some Gatorade. I tell myself my attitude is wrong. I get back on the bike.
The afternoon goes slowly but my attitude improves because the scenery is now stunning. I am riding through the Minerva Hills. My energy is low but I stop and take lots on pictures.
I reach a Rest Stop just outside town. Already well populated with crusties and their vans. Decide to head into town. Have tea and scones at cafe. Just past town there is a roadhouse with a caravan park. This will be my home for tonight. $17.50 for site on best grass of trip so far.
Not long after I set up my tent a banner appears across the road from the caravan park. Apparently the roadhouse is a checkpoint and refuelling stop for the Variety Club Bash. Not long after a stream of decorated and modified cars arrive, a lot of v8s but also some old fire trucks and other heavily modified vehicles. They make a lot of noise and queue to buy fuel.
At 7:00 pm I go into the roadhouse to order their "chilli con carne" special. The Variety Club guys are still getting fuelled. The local service clubs are cooking them dinner at the Showgrounds tonight. Some of the participants are in fancy dress. I talk to one bloke in sparkly dress with dangling earrings. His petrol bill was $120. Tomorrow they are heading to Taroon. Good I think, they won't bother me. I was wrong.
After dinner I am reading in my tent when suddenly it was midnight. Oops fallen asleep in my day clothes again.
No comments:
Post a Comment