13th May - Kings Canyon to Alice Springs - 358kms today 3883 so far

We woke early to get away on the longest dirt road ride so far - 155 km along the Mereenie Loop.  Breakfast at the resort was very expensive but we needed full tummies for the challenges ahead.  The day was already warm so we were only wearing our riding jackets and pants with no lining.  We had already lowered the tyre pressures even though there was 15kms of sealed road before the gravel road started.

The track was quite variable with hard packed clay interspersed with loose gravel, soft sand and corrugations.  Alan had to stop several times to re-attach his two empty spare fuel containers.  He will have to fit carriers if he wants to carry fuel in them.  My Suzi will easily travel the 600 kms between fuel stops on the Tanami but Alan may need more than 10L extra fuel to make it.  I will bring a 5L can just in case.  Half way along the Loop we met a grader.  This is bad news for bikes as we like to travel in the wheel tracks that have been cleared of loose gravel by our four wheeled friends.  The grader erases the wheel tracks and also spreads an even coating of gravel or sand over the track, which is akin to riding on ball bearings for bikes.  We managed with a few sphincter tightening moments.  It took us about 3 1/2 hours to finish the Loop.  We plan to stick to 150kms/day on the dirt sections of our trip and I think that is the right distance.  Its quite tiring constantly scouring the road ahead for possible dangers and steering the best path.  It doesn't give you much chance to look at the scenery either.

After leaving the dirt and getting back on the tar we stopped at a look out over Gosse Bluff which you can see in the distance.  We met a bunch of Ulyssians out for a day ride and one of them told us that the Bluff is not the usual upthrust piece of sea bed, but a crater caused by a comet 460 million years ago.  The inside is a bit like Wilpena Pound.  One of the riders had a DR650 and I asked him about the noise in my engine.  He didn't know if it was serious or not and when he started his bike it was noisier still!  I have found a Suzuki dealer in town and I'll take the bike there tomorrow.
We turned East and rode through the MacDonnell ranges and I recognised some of the features like Ormiston Gorge and Glen Helen, where we stopped for a bite of lunch.  The folds in the layers of  rocks were fantastic. The Finke River was flowing and the gorge was full of water giving nice reflections of the rocks.

We pumped up the tyres to road pressures.  When I was getting back on the bike I got my right foot stuck on the footrest and the bike toppled over on its side.  It took Alan and I all our strength to pick it up.  Dear knows how we'll lift Alan's GS if it ends up on its side.

We arrived in Alice at 4 pm and were treated to magnificent views of these cliffs in the setting sun.  Note how green the verges are!  We took a while to find the registration place because of the incorrect directions given to me by another rider.  Then we went to Chris Fior's place to pick up the key for the accommodation she has offered us.  It was used by workers as temporary accommodation when her husband ran a building business and is very comfortable.  Chris invited us for dinner and we met her boarder Briggita who is working as a speech therapist in the remote Aboriginal communities.  Chris' son Alex has some containers he rents out and we might be able to use those to store the bikes until August.