Day 240, Tuesday, 24 November, 2009

 

Distance travelled –  68.4 km
Avg speed –  18.6 kph
Max speed –  26.7 kph

Baxter Rest Area to Caiguna

We have ridden along a lot of straight roads, some up to 50km long, but there is something about this stretch of road that makes it a little more mentally challenging.

We think it is the ‘big skies’ and the long horizons that you get to see out here, particularly in the very open country. Our photos of the long road ahead disappearing into the centre of the photo only show part of what we see and feel.

In the warmth of the day the heat haze merges the road with the sky and the road seems to go on forever. Normally there is a bend in the road or a crest of a hill that helps us gauge our progress but here the road is mostly flat with only small climbs of 5 metres or less that add to the illusion that the road blends with the sky. Oncoming traffic slowly materialises out of the haze and can then take up to 10 minutes to reach us.

So after two days and 146.6km two relieved cyclists reached the Caiguna Roadhouse for lunch.

 

Zoom into the map and use the 'Satellite' layer to see our new location.

 

Caiguna Blowhole. The Nullarbor has many limestone caves and this cave entrance is less than 100m from the highway. If the cave entrance had been any closer we suspect the 90 Mile Straight would have been the 87.6 Mile Straight. It is known as a blowhole as you can sometimes feel the 'cave breathing' when the air moves into or out of the cave.

At the eastern end of the 90 Mile Straight

 

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