Left the coast angry and unhappy. Anger propelled me halfway up the range, but left me without worn out and tired the next day. A lot of walking ensured. Usually when I'm up this way its wet and cold. That was not the case now. Bright blue sky and baking sun. Oh for some coolness.
The range seemed to have grown from last time. For every up hill walk, there was a flying downhill coast. But that just meant another long uphill walk. Before long I was groaning with each downhill.
Just outside of Ravenshoe in the rest area, I met Geoff from Towoomba:
His Penny is from 1882, and travels with him. He was kind enough to give me a beer and a ride. Been a long time since I've sat on one, and I was glad to get back to my safety bike afterwards!
The next day it hit 32C. I suffered badly. Tiredness, headache, and then nausea feeling. It took a bit for me to realise that I wasn't drinking enough. Soon as I did, I was off the road, in the shade and force drinking. Was a timely reminder to be aware of the conditions. With the temps above 30C from now on, I decided on 30minute drink breaks. Been going well since then. Also toned down the effort so not sweating also.
Stayed a night in Mt Surprise. Met Shane - also on a cycle there. He'd started in Darwin. With a $10 a night camp fee for bicycles, I had to stay. Also ate four burgers and got to listen to Russels' snake talk.