Day 9 - Shark Bay to Coral Bay - 671 kms

I pulled into the old Gladstone Station ruins after dark last night and couldn't see when I was setting up my swag. Somehow I managed to put it right on top of the only chunk of cement on an otherwise clean beach. Luckily I slept all night and didn't notice it thus proving that I'm not a princess. (Reference Princess and The Pea)

I was off to a good start this morning with a 7:45AM departure, a belly full of chocolate chip cookies, (Alicia, please send more and I'll pick them up in Broome) and I was making good time. My plan to get to Coral Bay early and relax was going perfect until temptation broke my will and I took a short cut. Now most of my friends will tell you that I'm not very good at making plans, asking for directions or really thinking many things through but my success rate is generally 9 out of 10 so Giddy Up Cowboy! After extensive research (30 seconds on google maps) I determined there must be a continuous road on the narrow strip of land between Lake McLeod and the Indian Ocean and had the same feeling that Christopher Columbus must have had when he headed west and hoped for the best. For three hours I headed north on a road that became more and more difficult until I crested a hill at 100 km/hr straight into deep sand. After hitting my helmet on the wind screen and some tank slapping that would make a 1990's 80cc riding Jason jealous I decided to slow down and reassess the situation. After 30 seconds checking my phone I determined that everything was good and continued to pass through multiple gates and through deep sand only to reach a large fence with a dusty sign on it. The area had been closed to traffic since 1995. Crap. Around I turned and started the long tortuous path back. Along the way I hit a large rock while powering through the sand, bent my front rim and most likely lost my water bottles that were secured on my saddle bags. When I stopped for a break I noticed they were gone and immediately became more thirsty. Luckily I have two litres of emergency water hidden on my bike but after drinking I wished I would have emptied and refilled them at least once after starting my trip last December. Anyways, after running out of gas and having to use my emergency 5 litre container I made it back to where I started this morning. The rest of the trip went well and I even made it to Coral Bay in time to get checked in for my shark swim and set up my swag in the light. I must look fairly rough because a random guy at the campground brought me three steak shiksa bobs out of the blue and said he made extra. If your reading this random guy I am eternally grateful because my motorcycle diet usually consists of water, canned tuna and water cookie Alicia has baked for me.

And for the record I'm counting this one as a win in my "9 out of 10" record because without the meddling of the Western Australia Government my dream of navigating the thin strip of land between Lake McLeod and the Indian Ocean would have been a reality. Good Day