DAY 11

Friday night at the Caravan park in Millicent a random dude says to Anders that it has been reported hail this night. Okey Anders thinks, but starts to listen more closely when the guy says the hail will be the size of golf balls. They are sleeping in a tent and in the best case the tent will be broken, in the worst case the tent gets broken and the boys get injured. This night they sleep on their belly with their helmets close by.

The hail is absent and the storm passes but with the boys only noticing heavy wind. The wind wakes up Anders at 03:00 and it is another long 5 hours until they are getting up. They are taking a short leg on 50 k’s. It is raining for the first time on this trip and the boys put on their rainwear while packing down the tent, bags and food.

To cycle with rainwear is not very comfy, at least not for the first two hours when you are half wet and half dry. Anders can not stand this feeling, he prefers to be either dry or soaking wet – not something in between.

With the storm from last night the tailwind they have so desperately been waiting for came. Not a lot, but just enough for the bike to roll better than it do with no wind. The rain increases. The leg starts with flat roads before some hills pops up here and there. It’s too cold to take longer breaks so they only take short stop, where they eat a banana and share a small can of tuna.

They are getting closer to Mount Gambier, the last city before they get into a new state. Until now they have been cycling in South Australia, and tomorrow they will cross the boarder to Victoria if everything goes according to plan.

3 k’s before Mount Gambier, Anders and Lasse stops at a disused gas station – the rain showers down. Anders checks the map, only 3 more roundabouts and then take a right and they arrive at their destination. “Motel today?” Anders asks Lasse. “You know i’m not hard to convince on a rainy day like this. And also it is Saturday” Lasse replies. Anders smiles and agrees. He knows that Lasses motivation rises with carrots and not whips. Although this doesn’t mean the whip won’t be used, as it is more than 100 days left of this expedition.

The motel room is enormous with 4 bedrooms, bathroom, minibar and tv. The air conditioner is set to 30 Celsius and spread their clothes out to dry. The tent is folded out over one bed and Lasse lines up all his stuff on the other. “I actually don’t have that much with me”. A whole bed is covered with clothes, socks, shirts, pants and equipment.

And then a question the boys want to ask Australia. Why is the shower heads mounted permanently with none adjusting possibilities at the height of 160 centimeters? Be it every Caravan park or motel. Not all people in Australia can be so short or is it some kind of universal design where Australia have found the golden middle ground?

Tonight an reward awaits for Anders and Lasse. A founder ones told Anders that no achieved goals are to small to be celebrated. The reward can be a can of coke for leg that is completed and celebrated with a can of coke, a week on the bike celebrated with 4 beers and a pizza or bigger things achieved rewarded thereafter. That’s why they checked in at a motel today, that’s why they will by a bucket from KFC and that’s why they are taking a couple of cold beers tonight.

Tomorrow a really though leg awaits, over 90 k’s to Portland. The weather forecast says rain and 15 meters per second in wind from south vest. This is a leg they do not wanna think about more than necessary.

Aweosmestralia – a normal life is boring