1997-11-29 Margret River -> Karri Valley Resort, 130 km, 21km/h (most we ever did in one day)
Started at about 10h30,
coffee in M.R. Nice flat countryside, almost all drivers wave,
(taking backroads, of course). Pass a couple of vineyards, mostly
flat, no grapes yet. Started to get hills after about 40km. First
stretch of gravel road about 4.5km long. Not too bad, but a bit
bumpy sometimes, due to rain erosion. Stopped for a photo on the
road. Stopped for lunch of crackers at Alexandra Bridge camp
ground. This was NOT a town. In fact, there was a small general
store where we bought some chocolate and granola bars and some
orange jice and then NOTHING for the next 90km!
Flat for a long while on the Cockburn
highway (good name) and then hills for the next 40km on Stewart Rd
until the resort. We passed 500km, 600km, and our old long distance
record, but we were damn tired. Stopped for a break at the Donnelly
vineyards, but the wine store was closed. We say 3 squashed snakes
on Stewart Rd. Saw some freshly squashed kangaroos that smell like
shit. Ch. saw salamanders (?) on the road and some lizards like
skinks, but with long tails.
We are hearing an animal that sounds like a monkey in the karri forests, but we haven't seen it yet. Saw one live kang. by the road and three at our campsite after 20h00. They like to eat grass under the street lamps. This resort is expensive, but they claimed that every room was booked. Camp site was mostly deserted and we set up between a couple of beers. Watched the stars untill 20h30 and walked to dinner at the resort's clip joint. $57 for kangaroo satay and leek soup entrées and pumpkin gnocchi and a demi-bottle of Hardy's champagne from S.A. followed by two hot chocolates (with very little chocolate in them). Nice view of artificial lake. Tired as hell, we went to sleep. Cold.