202 On Tour

Day 22, Saturday 23rd August – Maintenance Day, & THE TIP

On the tools at 8am, and to add to the challenge virtually the first thing I do is cut my right thumb with my new Leatherman…Liz says it was a graze, but I definitely saw blood and it’s still a bit sore and bandaided up two days later.

Which reminds me, I had burnt my arm on the exhaust last night when i was digging us out of the bog – Liz said, and I quote “Unless its a third degree burn, suck it up and lets get going.” She may have been a bit hungry

The key challenge for the day was to realign the sidecar so that it leant out rather than in.

Lean in is bad
This compromise from the on road fix 2 days ago was the cause. Distance to close was 45mm
Shade tree mechanicing at its finest. Our neighbour Mark and Emma not only gave us their Starlink password, they also lent me  the green groundsheet and accessed a chisel that Bruce had said would make my life simpler
Just part of the debris field

A quote from me to a WhatsApp Group chat at 11.58am

“Fuck me dead. I have been out wrenching in the sidecar since 8am in hot, windy and only somewhat shaded dirt, and Lizzie has been feeding me water the whole time. So i come in the aircon for a quick respite and a bite and am greeted with A DOZEN COLD GREAT NORTHERN ZERO ALCOHOL BEERS IN THE FRIDGE I COULD HAVE BEEN CHUGGING ON😱”

Liz’s response

“Derrick forgot to mention the toasted ham and cheese sandwich, chocolate croissant, water on demand, medical aid for a cut finger (although struggled to find the cut?)
And waiting to see some progress before rationing the beer. 12noon now so one can down!”

We had been measuring the gap on a bit of paper as i variously jacked, fought with ratchet straps and at times just plain old bounced the sidecar up and down

Measuring stick. Marks from top right  showing progress in reducing the gap

Things went so well towards the end I even changed the air filter. A first for me😁.

And then I was bought back to earth after a km long test ride when Liz noted a burning smell and I realised I hadn’t re zip tied all the bits and bobs. Luckily was only the protective sheath, so some more electrical tape fixed that, and then

WE WENT TO THE TIP (OF CAPE YORK!)

Just in time with some cruise ship passengers and crew. They did offer us champagne, and take our pics👍

We walked around via the beach and back via the hill for the full experience/views.

Made it back to Punsand in time to order from the Wood Fired Pizza menu (very important!) and then an early night, since tomorrow will be a long day of mostly dirt given the way the roadhouses are spread out.

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