Day 172

Date:- 2 September 2010
Distance:- 98.26 Km
Distance to Date:- 10246 Km
Start:- Quinninup Caravan Park
Finish:- Coalmine Beach Holiday Park - Walpole
Comment:- Up at 6.15am this morning after a good, dry nights sleep. Had breakfast while watching kangaroos grazing and listening to birds chirping. Phoned the caravan park owners twice to pay for the night. Once prior to packing and again before I was ready to depart. No answer. I departed leaving my contact details.

On the road by 8.15 am and rode the two km back to the South Western Highway and straight into some hills. Beautiful overcast morning with not a breath of wind.

Stopped at Shannon Camp Ground to check it out, about 11 am. Its about 500 metres off the road and sports a new unisex toilet block with 4 suites each with toilet, basin and a shower. Hot water is supplied by a solid fuel hot water service which the customer has to light with the supplied wood.

Met with three couples at Shannons and received a nice cup of coffee and some very nice fruit cake. Departed Shannons about 11.45 am.

Not far out of Shannons it started to drizzle so I stopped to put my wet weather jacket on. While I was stopped another cyclist appeared. It was Louis from Sydney. I think she said she flew into Perth and was going to cycle back to Sydney. Her husband accompanied her for the first few days then flew home. She wasn’t carrying as much gear as me and she was on a road bike so considerably faster than me. She was staying in Youth Hostels.

I have been riding through a number of national parks all day. Greater Dordagup National Park, Jane National Park, Shannon National Park, D’Entrecasteaux National Park and the Mt Frankland South National Park.

Today would rate among the hardest I have had to endure. It was drizzling, then the sun was shining, then it was drizzling again, then the sun was shining as it drizzled. Consequently I got a little wet which wasn’t too bad. I was just cold or chilled to the bone. Someone told me the road was flat. Why do I believe what I hear? The road was narrow with no shoulder and most undulating, up one hill down the next. Not much flat road around here. To top it off a grader had just reworked the gravel on the side of the road. In my favour, no trucks and very few cars.

Arrived in Walpole about 5 am and straight to the visitors centre to find a caravan park. I was directed to the Coalmine Holiday Village about 5 km east of Walpole. Cycled out to the park and it was still raining. I decided to spoil myself and took a cabin with a heater, and other facilities. Turned the heater up full and spread all my wet gear out to dry.

Had numerous cups of tea, coffee and soup to warm me up then cooked tea and then onto my diary.

Tomorrow if the weather is fine I will head for Denmark a distance of 66 km.