Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - 138km north of Hughenden to The Lynd Junction

Day: 021
Date: Thursday, 17 August 2006
Summary: Riding from 138km north of Hughenden to The Lynd Junction.
Start: 138km north of Hughenden
Finish: The Lynd Junction
Daily Kilometres: 106
Total Kilometres: 2762
Weather: Mild early but warm to hot and partly cloudy for the rest of the day with variable winds.
Accommodation: Room at the Oasis Roadhouse, The Lynd Junction, Queensland .
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli and apple
  Lunch:  Peanut butter roll
  Dinner:  Sausages, eggs and chips
Encounters: Saw a large herd of wild hogs cross the road in front of me.  There must have been about 20 babies in the group.  When I got to the point where they had crossed the road they were still rooting around in the vegetation at the side of the road.  As I passed, one of the adults spotted me and started chasing me.   Thanks to a huge surge of adrenalin I cranked up the pace and the hog stopped chasing after 20 metres.
Highlights: I was very happy to find that the Oasis Roadhouse was open and had accommodation when I finally reached it.
Lowlights: I fear the very rough roads are taking their toll on my gear.  The bike is going OK but a plastic bolt on one of the panniers has broken and I discovered a screw on the same pannier which was about to come free.  Also, the map kilometres were about 20km short for this section, meaning I had to ride 20km further than expected.

Journal:
I got up at 6:30am after a fitful sleep (there was an uncomfortable bump under the floor of the tent) on a windy night.  By the time I packed up and left it was 8:45am.  The road conditions were tough with patches of soft red sand, chewed up by road-trains, alternating with corrugations, and just plain rocky roads.  I was glad I had bought the premium tyres for this trip, because they are taking some punishment, and I haven’t even had to put any air into them so far.  However, the bike, gear, and me are getting very shaken up.  To offset the tough riding conditions, the scenery was attractive timbered razing land with small mountains here and there, and some pretty streams.  The road was undulating and was forever dipping down into floodways.  By the time the afternoon came around these constant small climbs were beginning to take their toll and I was feeling very tired.  I think the extra concentration required to ride on the rough road is also wearing me out.  From originally thinking I might get a bit past The Lynd Junction, I began to hope that the roadhouse there would have accommodation.  The long afternoon wasn’t helped by the fact that the map underestimated the distance by about 20km (which is a lot when you are tired!).

I finally arrived at the roadhouse, which seemed to be run by two women, and they did have basic rooms and let me have one.  I must have looked quite a sight, covered with red dust and sweat.  I had a welcome shower and checked over my bike and gear for any problems before having an early dinner.  At one point a helicopter flew in to pick up a few things.  This place is very remote.  I might try a very early start tomorrow and see if I can get to Ravenshoe (201km) so that I have a shorter day into Cairns on Saturday.  The road is sealed from here to Cairns .