Day 59 – Mon, 6 Sep to Carnarvon

Today was going to be a short transit day. After a long and terrific night sleep, recovering from yesterday’s snorkelling, I hit the road around 8:30am

It was a quick ride back to the North West Coastal Hwy, although some cattle, emus and a terrified sheep added some interest to the trip. I was only 100m (if not less) out of Coral Bay and I was back on the coastal plain. There was no wind today, a rarity apparently for this part of the coast, so the ride was a really enjoyable time.

After reaching the Hwy it was a simple run S towards Carnarvon. I recrossed the Tropic of Capricorn, I last crossed it in NE QLD all those weeks ago. I took a slight 100km round trip detour out to the coast to see the local blowholes. On arrival a couple approached and wanted to talk. They just happened to be from Wyoming (on the Central Coast N of Sydney). I had coffee with them and another couple and later in the day I ran into them again in Woolworths in Carnarvon. I apparently stand out – I wonder why.

The entry to the blowhole road is interesting with the sign pictured greeting you. A number of people fishing from the rocks (madmen) have been killed in the area. After morning tea I headed into Carnarvon for the night. Only about 340km today – a short one.

Carnarvon is the fruit and vegetable bowl for the WA, supplying over 70% of the state’s supply. It is also the site for the old NASA tracking station that was eventually decommissioned in 1987 (or there about). There is also fishing, and a canal housing development – surprising..lol..

With Robyn’s recommendation I found a physiotherapist who could see me. He checked my left knee and it appears I have destroyed the posterior cruciate ligament which he feels I’ll eventually need a knee reconstruction. At least I know what the likely problem is, but he says an MRI will confirm the diagnosis, but he doesn’t feel there is much, if anything left of the ligament – too much backward and forward movement. We both laughed at the problem as he couldn’t work out how I managed to travel with it on the bike those initial days after the accident.

Oh well, will continue on and get it attended to on my return, at least I now know the likely problem, the reason for the continued swelling and restricted movement, and definitely no sideway movement or twisting in the knee will be tolerated – I will finish on the ground again. That’s life, accidents happen but the adventure continues.