Day 19 - Borroloola to Burketown - 510 kms

Jason's Comments: Upon unzipping my swag to the emerging daylight I was reminded that all Longwell's (with the exception of Eisele-Longwell) wake up on most occasions before I. I thought I was dreaming when I heard some rustling near the upper section of my swag but my ears had not mistaken me. Apparently Chris figured the best local resource to hang his banana-hammock esque tightie-whities on was the support line for my sleeping quarters. (See this mornings pic update).

After packing up, a quick trip to the petrol station filled the primary and contingency fuel tanks for the days ride. A man at the check-out counter had a cardboard handwritten sign requesting a ride to Burketown, QLD. I was curious as to what this "QLD" stood for but rather than questioning the signage I rather informed that this was indeed the direction we were headed. My helmet was still on in the gas station so I presume this is how he knew we were on motorbikes. He quickly replied 'looks like a tight fit, think I'mna wait for the next". Not sure what I would have done had he accepted the trivial offer as the 510 k's that followed were rough and rarely forgiving.

The ensuing day would be filled with some of the worst (or best, depending on your style) washboard dirt roads I've ridden. Something akin to Aspen Meadow Drive off Brook Forest Rd. after a rough winter but prior to the grader coming through. Good times none-the-less. After a less tortuous day than yesterday it was still a good opportunity to practice Moto-style drifting out of the sandy corners all while rocking out to the oldies on the newly mounted Bluetooth helmet headset. A half a dozen or so river crossings later, some chaffed nipples (should have donned the band-aids...) and we've officially run aground in Burketown, QLD (turns out it's abbreviated and stands for the state of Queensland). Sitting now at the local restaurant/ pub with a pair of recently delivered Strongbow originals tucked neatly into some overly large styrofoam koozies. Some call them "stubbieholder's" in these parts). Can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store.

Chris's Comments: Not bad for Jason's first solo post and I think he hit all the highlights of the day. The one he missed was the 2 1/2 hours it took him to write those two paragraphs. During his writing/deleting/spellcheck cycle I noticed two rosy patches on his forehead that prove the Australian sun is doing its job and somehow burning him through the helmet. As I was rubbing my neck I realised I had sun burned my reverse gaper gap. (the 1" strip on the back of your neck between the helmet and your jacket) Damn, I guess we will both have strange tans by the end of the trip. Now it's time to try and drink this tiny beer out of every bar they have in the fridge. hiccup