Monday 24th November

Woke up in Elliston and the wind had dropped and the temperature was cool. We packed, we had camped on the first really green grass of the trip, so it was luxury not to have to dust everything off before packing it away.

We slotted down to the Friendly Grocer and Many filled up our trailer with supplies and we caught up with the local policeman who told us how he went to court when younger for doing 228Km/h on his early model K100 - I don't think he was suggesting we should try and replicate his efforts.

I had gone down and posted my postcards and bought a couple of extra stamps. The Post mistress was new, started 1st September, so we had that postal service work in common.

We checked out a couple of spots for some disposable gas cannisters - finally got some at a sort of hardware come rural supplies shop.

We rode the hilltop road and then headed North West towards Streaky Bay. There are some caves on the foreshore and we dropped by to check them out - really fantastic - it was here that we found that the rear shock on the bike has all but ceased to work - then on to Venus Bay - the power was off so everyone had gone fishing or stayed at home in bed - it's a bleak place and we were glad to ride over to Port Kenny for lunch - Port Kenny would make an ideal movie set for a B grade movie about a love affair that is just left hanging and unfinished.

We had a good lunch in a shelter shed as the wind attempted to whisk the food from our hands and then Sue went to the pub and asked to buy some Chardonay- the guy in the bar had never heard of it - he said "have to order some" - so he started writing shardonay - Sue kindly corrected him.

We decided over lunch that we had had enough wind so we turned for Minnipa to visit Pildappa Rock - fair bit of dirt road which we took slowly as the rear shock is pretty stuffed. When we got to Minippa, I made some phone calls re a new shock - holy smoke - $2,700 - gulp. I can get our replaced with non original for about $1200 but it would take about four weeks and we have to send our shock to them so they can remove our computer controller and have it fitted to the new shock. We will see if we can get home with our current one and get it replaced when we get home.

Pildappa Rock is just terrific - you will have to see the photos to appreciate it - I won't try and describe.

The only annoyance was some inconsiderate person had parked his jayco caravan right next to the rock ruining any photo op except a Jayco trade photo.

Tuesday 25th November

Happy Birthday Tim - hope you had a good day. The wind dropped in the morning and Mal did some photos and some sketches and Sue had a close in encounter with a Dusky Swallow - best photo of the trip so far.

In the afternoon the wind came up and Sue bunkered down with a book to read and Mal braved the wind to work on his drawing on top of the rock.

We had our solar shower out and both enjoyed a hot shower in the local toilet by hanging up our shower from the ceiling.

Great day - bit windy - but hey you get that sometimes.

26th November

The wind settled over night to light gusts this morning, however it had cooled to below 20 degrees. Mal wandered over the Eastern end of the rock where the water courses and erosions look like the Scottish highlands from the air, however given that the small depressions were not filled the comparison came to an abrupt halt and we were back in dry Australia.

We packed up and were getting near the end and a giant spider climbed out of gear we were packing - they are so hard to chase away because they seem to get territorial over their new "found" home -

We were under way and riding along enjoying the early morning sunshine and a soft cool breeze when the road changed to a rougher surface and out pops a spider on the inside of the windscreen and he starts to climb up the Perspex - Mal is testing out his adrenalin glad at maximum throttle - yep it still works. We grind to a halt and after some difficulty get rid of the offending hitch-hiker. Mal's heart rate is still running fast when we pull into the small township of Minnipa.

We ride through to Windinna and have coffee at a very presentable Café - at this point we decide that Eyre Peninsular is done for this trip so we get on line and book three nights at Mt Remarkable - so Sue can try and photograph some of the numerous birds that hang out there.

We pass Iron k*** - just an open cut mine turned upside down - like up red brown giant cupcake. Well some one thinks it's sweet - however, while we need these mines to live in the industrial age we live in - maybe the BMW frame has some "Iron Knob" derived steel on the very bike we are riding.

Port Agusta is buzzing with after school traffic, as we get some groceries and ice and bang down the highway towards Adelaide - the traffic is in more of a hurry than us - but we travel at close to the speed limit to reduce the number and speed of overtaking traffic - as we slow to cross the railway line into Mt Remarkable a freight train blows loud and with what seems like a 1,000 freight wagons he plugs on towards the North.

We find our booked campsite empty this time and nestle into Number 14 with a sense of familiarity. Quintin and Anne from next door invite us to join them for afternoon drinks, so after we are all established we pop over, stay for drinks, share a BBQ and wander camp wards as a thin moon hangs in the night sky - what a great ride and a pleasant evening.