The team celebrated their reunion at the Palace Bar and Grill. Nancy and Todd are glad to be together again, apparently.

Journal by Nancy Olson

Today was a super-duper special day. Today was team arrival day!

I've been in Brisbane by myself for a week. Until Adam arrived yesterday, I was on my own. But today, the family has been reunited in the lobby of the Palace Backpackers on the corner of Edward and Ann Streets in downtown Brisbane, Australia.

I went for a run this morning, as has become my Brisbane routine, and then I did the shower/breakfast/Internet thing. I was anxious to make sure everybody was good to go concerning where to meet, since that decision and the dissemination of information was my responsibility. I sent the address out over e-mail yesterday, and I checked for replies this morning. Nothing from Todd, Nick, or Chanda, but Neil replied to tell me he, Colin, and Justin were in the know. See, I had a sneaking suspicion Nick and his gang would probably go to the Riverside Hotel, which was the last word he'd received before I sent the e-mail out yesterday.

I was in the lobby waiting to check into our new rooms when I heard a familiar voice yell my name. It was Chanda! Oh, frabzjous day! We collided in a joyful embrace, and then I was reunited with Nick and then Todd. They had gone first to the Riverside, but they figured it out and found their way to Palace. We stood in the check-in line for a few moments and caught up a little bit before Justin came sauntering in Joe Cool-style and said hello. Behind him, Neil ran in and hugged everybody, and then Colin. They were all laden with surfboards and bags and looked like they'd been having some good beach time in South America.

Adam returned from the gym, and the family was complete. We stood in line to check in and created some real stress for the poor backpacker/employee girl behind the desk. The Palace was kind enough to discount our rate by $3 per person, per night, but there was a little confusion about which room(s) we would get. Everything was smoothed out, and we all moved in.

Each did his and her own thing (I yapped my mouth off all day to poor Chanda, because this was the first time I'd had a teammate to talk to in two months), and then we met in the lobby at 2000 to go downstairs to the grill to celebrate our reunion and Colin's birthday. He turns 24 on the 17th, so his celebration began at midnight.

It was a festive evening, and we're stoked to be back together as a team. Now, what we really want to do is spring our vehicles from customs and hit the road!

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Nancy and Adam are reunited in Brisbane.

Journal by Nancy Olson

Tomorrow is team arrival day. Today is prep day. I went for a run in the morning and then hit the Internet to let the team know where to meet. I'd decided the Palace Backpacker's, although a couple dollars more per night, would be a better bet than the hotel on the other side of the river, because this place is convenient to everything. There're four Internet cafes on this block, there's a kitchen, and there's refrigerators. I think those things are key, so I sent a message to everybody to come here.

I spent much of the day updating journals, and then I grabbed Adam and we headed to the gym. There's a "rewards card" inside of Special K cereal that gives the bearer a free week at a gym down the street from the hostel. I joined a couple of days ago, and Adam joined tonight. He lifted while I did a cycling class, and then we got cleaned up and went to dinner. Falafels!

Since we'd stayed up late yacking last night, we called it an early night tonight. We have to be well-rested for the arrival of our teammies tomorrow!

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

At the Palace Backpacker hotel, I made a rare find: another 30-ish resident. Claudia is from East Germany, and she and I toured Brisbane together by foot.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I woke up at 3:30 in the morning in a state of confusion. I thought it was morning. I mean, I thought it was a decent our of the morning and time to wake up. I was in a 9-person dorm, and one of the Swedish girls was talking in her sleep. I had a weird feeling that bugs were crawling all over me, too. I kept thinking something was crawling on me and biting me, so I couldn't fall asleep. Finally, I put my headphones on and drifted off.

I woke up again at 0800. I got up and went to the Internet cafe to post some more of my journals. The e-mail I'd sent to Steve Erwin's zoo bounced, so I sent it again.

Tired of the Internet, I left to do some window shopping and walk around. I need some running shorts so I can start a regular running program here. The problem is, I am too broke and too cheap to buy any. Everything in Australia is super-expensive.

I did my laundry and goofed off before returning to the Internet for more typing. Also, I had to Google these red dots on my skin. What are they? They don';t really itch, but they are definitely not appealing, and I want to get rid of them! Google didn't really give me any clues as to what it can be.

Back at the dorm, I met Claudia from Germany. She's 29, so it was nice talking to someone closer to my age for a change. The rest of our little dorm roommates are probably about 22 or so. She and I went down to the Backpacker grill in the building and watched the partiers dance and schmooze. In Australia, when the clubs play music, they also play the music video on a bunch of televisions in the club, so we watched music videos and tried to talk over the loud music. At midnight, we'd had enough.

Tomorrow, we plan to go to the park oand the botanic gardens and maybe do some biking or roller blading. It'll be fun.

Mileage: 0
Weather: Hot/Nice
Final Location: Brisbane

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Here it is: the finish line of my East Coast of Oz Bike trip, the Palace Hotel in Brisbane.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I was up by 0800 and had to decide whether or not to visit the zoo. I decided to save money and just go with the team on our way back through town.

I headed south at 1000, and the weather was cloudy but clearing up. The road was narrow and scary, with absolutely no shoulder. I stopped at a bus stop to eat a salad and saw a local on a bike going down some sort of a path through the woods! Huh! I checked it out and found an old rails-to-trails-type path along the road. I hopped on the trail, and it was nice to get off the narrow roads and out of traffic for a little while. I had that sort of trail on and off for much of the first part of my ride today.

Coming into town, I stopped at a bike shop to ask the employees a good way in to Brisbane. The nice shop owner wrote out directions for me. I'd be on the Old Gympie Highway most of the way in, and then I'd be on some city road.

As soon as I reached the city, I was nearly killed twice in the first few minutes. First, a guy tried to pull onto my road from a parking lot, without looking right. "Don't hit me!" I yelled. He stopped just in time. A moment later, a guy tried to turn right and cross my lane right in front of me. Jerk store! My adrenaline was pumping, and my senses were on high alert.

I rode right into the city on the main drag, where I encountered some mega hills. Sensing that I was getting close to the area where hostels would be, I pulled onto the sidewalk to check my Lonely Planet guidebook and get my bearings. I was unpacking my book when I looked across the street and realized I had stopped, completely by chance, directly in front of the only hostel I'd read about--Palace Backpackers. The Lonely Planet said it was in the heart of the city and was a partiers hostel, and I remembered reading about it, very clearly. I am not a partier, and I don't like the idea of staying in a hostel with a bunch of young kids, but I didn't care at this point. It had been a long ride, and I wanted a room and a safe place for my bike and gear.

I paid for four nights in a 9-girl dorm at $20/night. I found my bed, showered, and was moved in by 1330. Right next door to the Palace, I found my favorite Australian Internet cafe, Global Gossip. I spent some time on e-mail (I e-mailed the Australia Zoo) and then walked around the city and window shopped in the three huge malls just down the block. I bought a book, as I was in dire need of good reading material, and headed back to the Palace.

I was reading and in bed by 2200.

I can't believe my East Coast of Oz Cycle Trip is over! What will I do with myself until my team arrives?!?

Alert: I have suddenly developed tiny red dots all over my legs, arms, and stomach, and I have no clue what it is.

Mileage:
Weather: Hot/Nice
Final Location: Brisbane

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

I was psyched to see this sign along the scenic route I rode toward Beerwah. Beerwah is the home of Steve Erwin's Australia Zoo.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I got up at 0730 and went for a 25/30-minute run, figuring today's ride would be a short one. on easy days, I want to start running, because I'll need to start a running program when we form up as a team again. I don't want to lose all my fitness gains when I put the bike away!

The run was pleasant, but it was raining by the time I was leaving on my bike. The ride was nice, and I was getting excited about arriving at the Australia Zoo, home of Steve Erwin, the Crocodile Hunter! I had made up my mind a few days ago that I will try to arrange a tour of the zoo for the team and, hopefully, a meeting with Steve Erwin. The zoo is off of the Bruce Highway, on a scenic route. From the Sunshine Coast on, the Bruce Highway is too busy for cyclists, and I'll have to find alternate routes into Brisbane.

I rode to the zoo and asked the employees who I would need to talk to about a Drive Around the World visit. I got a pamphlet and a phone number and checked in to a nearby hotel.

The owner of the hotel was very nice, but he was quite chatty and he hurled two veiled insults at me, probably without even realizing it:

Insult #1:

Him: Isn't your seat uncomfortable?
Me: No.
Him: I rode a bike for the first time since I was a kid, and I couldn't believe how much it hurt my bum.
Me: My seat is comfortable.
Him: Yeah, I guess either your seat or the bike seat is big.
Me: (inner monologue) Thanks, guy.

Insult #2:
Him: How are you going to get to Brisbane? What road? Cyclists aren't allowed on the highway.
Me: Yeah, I'm not sure. I have to get a more detailed map and figure it out.
Him: Nothing like planning ahead.

Planning ahead? Whatever. I told him it isn't rocket science and that I'll figure it out. I mean, lots of other cyclists have done it, so there is definitely a way. Solving this sort of problem is part of the adventure!

I called the zoo and reached their marketing guy, Peter Lang. He stepped out of a meeting to talk to me! He said the team can come on out, and I told him Nick or I would send him details about the team via e-mail. Cool! Now, how to get Steve Erwin to greet us...

I had a big, delicious salad for dinner and watched tv until bed time.

Mileage:
Weather: Nice
Final Location: Beerwah

I found it. The Australia Zoo. Home of the Crocodile Hunter!

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

I stopped at this unusual water park on my detour through Bli Bli. It's the coolest park I've ever seen. Like a snow-ski lift, the rope swings 'round to pick up the next person and then takes the skiier on a fun circle around the lake.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I got up at 0800 and watched the news, a rare luxury. It was raining when I left at 0930. I went to an Internet cafe in town, but it wouldn't connect to my mail server, so I ate a sandwich at the neighboring bakery and left.

The coast was very hilly, but my momentum from decending one hill always helped me get up the next, and I had fun zipping down the coast. The rain stopped early in the morning, but it was very, very windy. The weather was hot and humid, much like Cairns.

I had to take a detour away from the coast and through a town called Bli Bli, because bikes are not allowed on the motorway that cuts down that part of the coast. On my detour, I saw the coolest park ever! It was a water park where water skiers, skurfers, and wake boarders were pulled in a big circle around a small lake for some boatless fun. It was an ingenious setup. The rope went around on a cable ski lift-style, and the skiers could do a beach start from a platform or a water start at the start of the "ski-lift" area. It was so cool. I've never seen anything like it. For $28 you could play for two hours. Too bad I'm broke!

As I was leaving the water park, the rain started to pour down, big-time. I was drenched. I pulled into Maroochydore and inquired about camp ground prices. Whoa! This tourist mecca is pretty spendy! A dorm bed at the local backpacker hostel was $19, and I had no option but to stay there. I had avoided hostels for my entire trip, but high prices forced me to give it a go. I locked my precious Santa Cruz and my B.O.B. trailer to the stair case and moved into the dorm.

As I was unpacking my stuff and getting ready for a shower, I realized I had left my bag full of photo CD's and other computer stuff at the Internet cafe in Noosa! I don't know what's wrong with me. I've turned into a moron. That's moron with a capital MO. MO-ron.

I showered in a panic and headed to the nearest bus station. A ticket back to Noosa cost me $7.10 and one hour of precious time.

I jumped off the bus at the Internet cafe (Travel Bugs) after sitting on the bus for what seemed like ever, felt my hip pocket, and realized my wallet had fallen out. I sprinted down the street like a crazy person, waving and screaming at the bus to stop, but my doggone flipflops made me too slow to catch it before it sped of down the street. I ran into the Internet cafe and asked the nice girl inside to call the Sunshine Bus Co., explaining what had just happened. She talked to the dispatcher and was told the bus would be coming back in a few minutes after circling through town. I grabbed the stuff that I'd left at the Internet place and ran off to the bus stop where they told me to wait.

My bus was the second one, and it felt like an eternity waiting for it. The driver handed me my wallet and told me the bus back to Maroochydore would be the next one. Whew. I had all my things. I cannot tell you how relieved I was, nor can I tell you how stupid I felt.

I was back in Maroochydore by 1720, and the rest of the day went quite well, with my three-hour detour completed and my money and photos safe. Thank goodness. I went to McDonald's for a Diet Coke and won a Big Mac in their Pictionary peel-off game. Cool!

I went to bed early, and my doorm mates were quiet and considerate.

Mileage:
Weather: Rainy
Final Location: Maroochydore

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The road to the Sunshine Coast. Looks long, but it's oh-so-close to Brisbane! Click here to view a map of the Sunshine Coast.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I got up at 0830, packed, said goodbye to Spud, and left at 1030. I had a bowl of cereal at McDonald's and then began my 65-km ride to Noosa. I'll be veering off the Bruce Highway to ride along a stretch known as the Sunshine Coast. It'll be nice to ride on somewhat smaller roads and view the ocean for a few days.

At the top of the Sunshine Coast is Noosa Heads, and at the bottom is Mooloolaba and Caloundra. Just an hour north of Brisbane, this beautiful beach area is a favorite getaway for tourists and Brisbane residents.

It only took three hours to get to noosa, and the ride was very hilly. There was a 1.2 km, steep downhill grade into town, and I felt like I was flying as I descended the hill. I pulled into a street with coffee shops and markets and bought some fruit as it began to rain. I had a coffee at a local shop and talked to the locals about where I should stay. My days of cheap accommodations are over. Now that I'm near the city and near the tourists, prices are high. Because of the rain, I had to get a real room, and the cheapest room I could find was a pub room at the Royal Mail Hotel for $40. Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark.

Well, at least the room had a tv. I watched American Idol and an Australian reality show called "My Restaurant Rules" and then hit the sack.

Mileage: 65
Weather: Rainy/Cool
Final Location: Noosa

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The historic Imperial Hotel in Gympie, is more than 135 years old. Owners Gary and Georgia were kind enough to let me stay for two nights free-of-charge. This is how the Imperial looked in the late 1800's.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I got up at 0830 and had my pineapple for breakfast. YUM! Soooo good.

I decided to take a rest day in Gympie, because my legs were pretty ripped up. I checked with Gary and Georgia, and they said it'd be alright.

I spent 3.5 hours on the net, broke for lunch, and then spent 7 more hours on the net. Wondering what I could possibly be doing for that long? I was writing this journal and posting other people's journals and photos. It takes a long time!

Back at the pub, I enjoyed live music and lively conversation. It turns out Gary is a pilot! I think he and my dad would get along very well. He and Georgia are new to the publican business, but the Imperial hotel that they own has been around for more than 135 years!

I hung out with Allan and Siri, who were also staying at the pub, until I was too tired and had to go to sleep. They live in Brisbane, so I hope to see them there.

Mileage: 0
Weather: Rainy/Cool
Final Location: Gympie

The Imperial Hotel as it looks today.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Roadside fruitstands like this one, called "fruit stalls", dot the highway all up and down the East Coast. Here, I experienced the BEST PINEAPPLE EVER!

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I left the Red Roo Hotel at 0830 and totally forgot to take a picture of it, darnit! It took me 15 minutes of fast pedalling to get out of town. As I entered the Bruce Highway, I saw a sign that said "Gympie: 82 km." No problem. I was looking forward to Gympie, because Flame (the Rock Star/bar maid from Rockhampton) gave me the name of a pub in town that her friends own, and I was excited to meet them.

There was a lot of road construction just south of Maryborough, and there was no shoulder for most of my ride. At about 0945, I stopped at a pineapple plantation fruit stand and, for $2.00, had the best, sweetest, most incredible pineapple of my entire life. It was like candy. I bought another one for the road.

The ride was a breeze, and I arrived in Gympie at about 1330. I stopped at McDonalds, as per my standard operating procedures, and had a cheeseburger and Coke. They gave me directions to Mary street and the Imperial Hotel, where Flame told me to ask for Gary or Georgia and to tell them Flame sent me. There was an enormous and excruciatingly steep hill leading to Mary Street, and I just barely made it up the thing with my trailer in tow.

At the Imperial, Gary hooked me up with a free pub room, and I was psyched to see that it was the best pub room of the trip. The bed was a queen and super-comfy.

I showered and changed and found an internet cafe. The guy there gave me 30 minutes for free! I decided to take a break, so I did some window shopping and then returned to the pub for some reading and rest.

Downstairs, I had a nice conversation with Spud, who works at the Imperial. During that conversation, some drunk idiot sat next to me and interrupted our conversation. He started talking about how he hates George Bush and a bunch of other politicians, so I treated him poorly until he finally left. Spud and I talked a bit more, and then I went up to my comfortable bed for a wonderful night's sleep.

Mileage: 85
Weather: Sunny/Cooler
Final Location: Gympie

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Ok, so, I didn't get a picture for this day. So here's what my new Sexie Coffee mug looks like.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I was up at 0800 and out by 1000.

The ride was good, but there was no shoulder, and that makes me a little nervous. I stopped at a place called Sexie Coffie about 13 km from Maryborough, because I was in the mood for good coffee and a good way to waste some time. I was feeling happy and lazy. It was a good decision, as it turns out, because the coffee was excellent, and I will definitely bring the team here on our journey north.

I arrived in Maryborough by 1330 and found a nice pub to stay in. I was just really craving a pub room after spending a week in my tent. Max at the Red Roo Hotel hooked me up with a big room for all my gear. I'm the first Marine Max has ever met. That means I had to be on my best, most impressive behavior.

It was still early in the day by the time I moved in and had a shower, so I went out to peruse the nearby mall and drop of my film. There's an Internet place at the local cinema, so I spent two hours there and then did some more perusing at the mall after picking up my photos.

I also decided to see a movie: 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. I was pretty disappointed. Their other collaboration, The Wedding Singer, was so much better.

I went back to the Red Roo and was asleep by 2300.

Mileage: 60
Weather: Sunny/Hot/Nice
Final Location: Maryborough

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

A view of turtle beach, where the sea turtles come to lay their eggs, and where the babies just finished hatching only about a week ago.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I had a big day today!

I awoke in the turtle hatchery campground (the hatching season ended only a few days ago, so no baby turtles...turtlets?) at about six in the morning, with rain sprinkling down on me. I jumped up and put my sleeping bag, clothes, and everything else that needed to stay dry, into my North Face Waterduffelo (dry bag) and moved to a tree where I could set up a tarp over my tent and things. I rested a bit and watched the sunrise over the ocean from within my tent.

A bit later, I got up and went for a short 20-minute run on the beach. It was a great run, but my ankle was hurting. I went back, changed into my bikini, and put my laundry in the wash. I hit the beach for some body surfing and swimming for about a half hour and then tended to the laundry and took a shower.

I didn't have enough change for the dryer, so I had to hang everything on the clothesline to dry, which meant I had to kill another half hour. I grabbed a trashy gossip magazine and headed back to the beach. It was an amazing morning, and the beach was beautiful. Finally, I packed up, grabbed the laundry off the line, and headed out.

I needed to check e-mail before heading out to Childers, because I suspected a town as small as Childers probably wouldn't have Internet. I went seven kilometers in the opposite direction to use the net at Bargara, because I had to make sure the e-mail I had sent to our subscribers had gone through. It hadn't.

After using the net, I found a $7.70 salad bar and piled fruit, lettuce, cheese, vegetables, rice, and brussel sprouts as high as I could onto a plate in order to get my money's worth. I couldn't even eat it all...oops.

I didn't pull out of town until 1430, which meant I had to race to make it the 60+ km to Childers before dark. The race was on!

It was a nice ride along a country road, but I was disappointed that there was no shoulder. Luckily, traffic was low. I got to Childers at 1720, and all the pub rooms were closed for renovation. There was a disastrous fire at a backpacker hostel herenot long ago, and 17 or so travellers were killed. Because of that, all the lodges, etc., had to renovate to conform to new fire regulations, and they are still closed for those reno's. I had to go a couple of kilometers north to the other side of town to a campground.

The caravan park was full of backpackers who were employed as fruit pickers, so I was worried about possible noise from partiers. But, for $10, I couldn't afford to pass up this campground. Heck, the humor on the bathroom door was enough reason to stay at this campground. On the men's room door was a sign with a male stick figure and the word "MANGOES." I didn't think much about it, I mean, this place was populated by fruit pickers, afterall. And I was too tired to notice that it was misspelled. It didn't click in my head until I saw the sign on the women's door: there was a woman stickfigure and the words "NO MANGOES." HAHAHAH. Man-goes and No Man-goes. Too funny. I appreciate that sort of humor.

I set my tarp up over my tent using my bike and a power terminal as supports, and laid out my camp. I had fruit, cheese, crackers, and Vegemite for dinner and went to bed early. I went to bed with the Blackeyed Peas playing through my headphones.

I needn't have worried about loud fruit pickers. They were well-behaved, and I slept well until morning.

Mileage: 68
Weather: Brief morning shower/Partly cloudy/Nice
Final Location: Childers

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

I came across this huge spider and had to take its picture. It was the size of the palm of my hand! YIPES!

Journal and photo by Nancy Olson

I got up at 0730, and Gabbi left at 0830 to go to work in Bundaberg. Luckily, Ajay and I will be able to meet her at the cheap Indian buffet in town for lunch. Cool!

I got a lot of work done on the Internet while Ajay worked on the ute all morning. He had to fix the brakes and the clutch.

Finally, at about 1300, we were ready to go. We would probably miss the Indian buffet and Gabbi, unfortunately. We pulled into town right at 1400 and went into the restaurant with the buffet. We asked if Gabbi had been there, and she had not. Well, at least we hadn't made her wait! We went ahead and ate lunch, and then we headed to the bike shop.

The shope wouldn't have it ready until after 1700, so we killed time by driving to a marina nearby. We also scoped out a place for me to camp near a turtle hatchery on the beach.

Finally, we picked up my bike and then headed to nearby Bargara. It's a cute, new town on the ocean, and I suspect it will be like any of the nice Southern California cities in 10 or 20 years.

I had a deadline to meet, and I needed an Internet cafe. The one cafe in town was closed for the night, but the nice lady inside let me in when I showed her the most dejected and sad face I could muster. Whew! I had an e-mail to send to our Drive Around the World journal subscribers, and I had to get it out that day!

After the Internet, Ajay and I went to the pub across the street to eat. We shared an amazing seafood platter and sat and talked for an hour or so. Finally, after delaying goodbyes for as long as was possible, Ajay dropped me off at my campground, where I was bitten by no fewer than 23 gigantic mosquitoes.

Mileage: 0
Weather: Perfect
Final Location: Bundaberg

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

This is not my happy face. Here I am, hopelessly broken down just 10 km outside of Baffle Creek. I need a special tool to remove the cassette and unstick my chain. I'll be loading onto the ute in the background for a ride into Bundaberg.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

Well, I am writing today from Baffle Creek, still. I tried to leave, but a mechanical failure caused me to be delayed another day. Here's how it all went down:

I got up late, and it was raining. Early in the morning, I'd had to jump out of my tent and cover it with tarps to keep from getting soaked. Fitful sleep made me want to sleep late into the morning. I got up and did a little work on the Internet, and then we had some breakfast.

I prepared to leave, and we said our goodbyes. Gabbi gave me some cool felt juggling balls that she made, and I gave Ajay a USMC sticker, because he's a big military enthusiast.

I finally got on the road at about 1240. Just as I left the driveway, I saw a huge spider camped out on my handlebars! YIKES! I quickly pulled over and flicked the uninvited hitchhiker off with a stick. Yech. I HATE spiders! (Speaking of spiders, Gabbi and Ajay have a HUGE huntress spider living behind a cabinet in their home. She comes out at night to catch flies near the light, but she never comes down to where somebody might accidentally get too close to her. She is big and beautiful and terrifying.)

I finally got back on the road and realized that my shifting was a bit hesitant. I figured I'd fix it at my first rest stop.

Well...ten kilometers down the road is a small town called Rosedale, the intersection for which is at the top of a small hill. I climbed the hill and attempted to shift to an easier gear near the top. Just then, my sluggish shifting turned into disastrous shifting, and my chain went beyond what should have been its stop limit and ended up getting stuck between my spokes and the rear cassette. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but the cassette wrench is the ONLY tool I didn't bring with me on this cycling trip. Who'd have thought I'd need to remove my cassette? (The cassette is the pyramid of chainrings attached to the rear wheel of a multi-speed bicycle.) I removed a couple of spokes in hopes of making enough space to free the chain, but it was stuck. I also tried to take the chain apart, but the link I needed to access was inaccessible.

SO...I had to walk to the nearby school and call Ajay and Gabbi's place. Ajay said he'd ceme and get me. While I waited, several nice people pulled over to ask if I needed help, including a pair of Swiss tourists in a big camper van. In a few minutes, though, Ajay appeared in his "Ute" to rescue me. His utility vehicle, a flat-bed rear with a car front, had recently been in an accident and needed brake and transmission work, so we went back to the farm. I called around to bike shops in Bundaberg, the town I had been heading for when I broke down, and found one that could do the work immediately. It was about 70 km away. Ajay worked on the car, and we decided to wait until morning to head to Bundaberg. I was disappointed, but one more day with my new friends was a nice prospect, and we got to eat leftover Thai pumpkin soup for dinner! YUM!

After dinner, we watched Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and had a delicious desert. I even got to do some Internet work. Tomorrow, I will try to leave again.

Mileage: 10
Weather: Rainy morning/beautiful rest of the day
Final Location: Baffle Creek

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The beach at Agnes Water, where Ajay and Nancy surfed and surfed.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I woke up with Ajay and Gabbi's dog, Sera, sleeping outside of my tent. Ajay had tried to coax her to follow him when he went to move the goats from one pasture to the next, but she wanted to stay with me...how sweeeet... Ajay has five goats, including two babies whom he and Gabbi had to raise by hand when the mother died in labor. One of them is named Boof, and he wasn't feeling too well today. Boof's sister is PJ (I think...I get the goats confused). They have another bigger goat, an Afghan goat with beautiful, soft, white hair, who likes to shake his head and make funny noises at people. His name is Weasel. I forget
the oldest goat's name, but he is stubborn and rules over the other goats like a dictator. Ajay's male dog, Sheba, the pride-and-joy of Gabbi and Ajay, had to help move the stubborn goat out of one pen and into another by barking and nipping at his heels. A couple of times, I thought for sure he would get a big head-butt.

After we moved the goats, I went on a walking tour of the ranch with Ajay. He pointed out the dams and water sources, the big old primary trees, the old cattle dip (where the ranchers used to dip the cattle in insecticide), and an old shed full of junk and treasures. The cement cattle dip was etched with the date 1047...I can't imagine the history some of those giant fig trees have witnessed. They are the only living things that have been around for the entire history of the cattle property.

After the tour, I worked on the Internet all morning, and we finally decided to head to the beach at about 1400. All three of us headed out to Agnes Water, and Ajay and I rented long boards for surfing. The waves were inconsistent as could be, and the wind made them choppy. At times, they were huge and powerful and scary, and at times they were teensy.

After about an hour of catching short little mediocre waves, I finally caught a real beaut and rode it all the way in to the shore. It was awesome. I felt like Gidget! Unfortunately, the guy who rented me the board was there on the shore motioning for Ajay and me to return our boards. It was time to close up shop. We got half of our money back, so we ended up paying just $5 for an hour and a half of surfing! After paddling around on the board on my belly for so long with no rash guard and only my bikini-clad bare skin as protection against the deck of the surf board, my stomache was sore, red, and raw from the friction. Ah, but it was worth it!

Gabbi had been collecting shells and rocks and walking the beach, and we all met up at about 1730 to head home. A club next to the parking lot was having $10 dinner specials, though, and we decided to hook into some cheap grub. We ate and listened to locals jam on the guitar, and then we headed home. At home, we had a desert of pumpkin soup! It was so good that I'm afraid I'm going to crave it for the rest of my days. It had coconut milk in it. Anything and everything that contains coconut milk is El Numero Uno in my book. This "Thai Pumpkin Soup" will go down as one of my all-time favorite meals. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water!

I really need to get on the road, so I'll leave tomorrow.

Mileage: 0
Weather: Beautimous
Final Location: Baffle Creek

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

We caught some beautiful waves and beautiful sights at this beach at Agnes Water.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I was having a wonderful time at Baffle Creek, and I hated the prospect of leaving, but I had much work to do on the Internet. Knowing that my need for the Internet was the thing pulling me away from Baffle Creek, Ajay and Gabbi called their Internet service provider and connected to the world-wide web. Cool! Now I could use Ajay's laptop to get work done, and we could go fishing and surfing for a day or two longer!

I got a lot of work done in the morning while Ajay and Gabbi did their work around the farm, and then we decided to head to Agnes Water and the beach. On the way, we stopped by a surf shop to get wax for Ajay's boogie board, and he showed me some knit beanies that Gabbi had made out of wool and natural dyes. The beanies are in the surf shop for sale, and I am really impressed with how awesome they are!

We hit the beach with the boogie board, and I brought my goggles for body surfing, but we decided not to rent surfboards as it was too late in the day. I did catch a bunch of waves, though, and I was even able to stand up (briefly) on the boogie board. I definitely feel the need to surf! It's only $10 for two hours, so I think it's a must-do!

The sun set on our way home, and Gabbi had dinner ready when we returned. It was super-delicious, again, and we all ate 'til we were full. I also got a bit more Internet work finished, and I showed Gabbi and Ajay our website with the journals and photos.

Mileage: 0
Weather: Super
Final Location: Baffle Creek

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

New friend Ajay Parmanand sits on the shores of Baffle Creek, Queensland's last pristine river.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

Ajay and I had grand plans to do some early morning fishing, but nobody was awake and ready early in the morning. Instead, we went down to the river at around 0900 and tried our luck. It was too late to catch the good ones, but Ajay got a catfish on about his second or third cast. We let him go, though.

After more than a half hour of waiting, my attention was distracted by what I thought must be a silver-dollar-sized turtle swimming near the bank. I put my pole down to investigate, but I ended up stirring up a lot of mud with my feet and clouding the waters too much to see. I was unable to locate the mysterious "turtle." I went back to my pole and began reeling it in. Just then (and isn't this always the way?), I felt a tug on my line. I valiantly fought a six-inch brim and pulled him into shore. I ran over to where Ajay was fishing and had him take my photo and then remove the hook (Ajay also put the stinky chicken bits on my hook for me, because I am a GIRL, and girls don't have to touch the bait or the fish!). Unfortunately for the little brim, he had swallowed the hook. It was too far down in his throat to remove without injury, and Ajay had to practically rip his guts out to remove the hook. I would have let him go, but he was a goner. I promised the little fishie we'd enjoy every bite of him so his death would not be in vain. As Ajay was cleaning him, an big aquatic roach-like bug came out of his mouth and tried to swim back in. Apparently many fish are the host to such parasites, who feed off of what the fish eats! He was a disgusting little sucker!

So, we brought the prize fishy up to the house and put him in the fridge for later. Meanwhile, Gabbi and Ajay and I decided to head to nearby Agnes Water to see the beach and to have lunch at a Thai restaurant in town. Next to Agnes Water is the Town of 1770, where Captain James Cook arrived on the shores of Australia when he discovered the continent in that year. It's a beautiful place.

While waiting for our Tom Ka Gai soup (my absolute favorite meal in the universe), I got online to check my e-mail. I'd been in dire need to do that for several days, but the last few places had problems accessing my mail server.

In my mailbox were several old and looming taskers from Nick, including some hate mail urging me to get my rear in gear and get some work done, (because Drive Around the World comes before bike riding and being a bar maid). Ugh! Because we were all just in Central and South America, where there is a great Internet cafe on every corner, nobody quite understands that this First World country (or Queensland, at any rate) has very few internet access points and very slow and unreliable connections. That's why I end up spending a day or two in the towns that have good Internet. Anyway...

My failure to perform my duties put me into a funk, and Gabbi told me to go for a swim to get over it. That was excellent advice. I went into the waves and body surfed with Ajay until both of us were exhausted and water-logged. It was awesome! Tomorrow, I want to come back and rent a surf board.

After a couple of hours, we called it a day and headed back to the farm on Baffle Creek.

Gabbi cooked up a dinner of yummy chicken curry, and we ate teh sad little perch as an apetizer. Boy, was he gooooood! Mmmm! His excellent flavor allowed me to get over the guilt I felt over having killed him before his time, and we planned to fish for some more of those tasty brim tomorrow morning, before I have to leave.

Life is GOOD!

Mileage: 0
Weather: Brilliant
Final Location: Baffle Creek

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

It was difficult saying goodbye to new friends Suzanne, Maddie, Sam, and Chris Dougall.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I had a lazy wakeup at 0800 and met Suzanne and Chris downstairs for breakfast. Suzanne made a wonderful Texas dish of egg, cheese, and tortilla chips scrambled together and placed inside of a corn tortilla. Last night, Suzanne and I discussed the difficulties of finding proper Mexican-food ingredients in Australia. Her biggest regret is that she cannot get Velveeta, and it is impossible to import it. Actually, you can't even find orange cheddar cheese here. It's all white. She said it's also impossible to find ingredients for making real tamales, which is a bummer because I wanted to give her a good recipe.

I really did not want to leave my new friends. I just felt a real connection with them, and it is sad to have to move on. I think I'll see them again, and the Realfs, too, when my team comes back through Miriam Vale.

Suzanne surprised me with a CD by Shannon Knoll, runner up for Australian Idol (their version of American Idol), and they gave me an "I love Australia" koala keychain, too. I gave them my Nora Jones "Feels Like Home" CD, and it was a very teary-eyed farewell. We have a very special connection, and I am so thankful to have made such a wonderful new friendship.

On my way through town, I stopped by the visitor's center to say goodbye to Greg Realf. There, he gave me the name and address of some friends near Baffle Creek and said I should pay them a visit. Since the other introduction he made went so well, I said I'd stop in on Ajay and Gabbi at Baffle Creek.

My chosen route will take me off of the Bruce Highway (YEA!) and along a smaller country road to the coast, and then it will shoot me back onto the Bruce Highway to the south, at a town called Childers. Childers is three days from Miriam Vale that way.

I enjoyed biking along a quiet country road for 50 km until I came to Baffle Creek, where Greg had told me I was to make a right onto the driveway just over the bridge.

I turned onto a driveway covered in tall grass and came to a closed gate. I went through the gate, closing it behind me, and greeted the goats I passed along the way. About a hundred meters up the drive, I came to another gate, behind which stood a small storage shack and a house under construction.

I timidly yelled out, "Hello? Ajay?" I was praying Greg had called ahead to warn them of my arrival.

I needn't have worried. Ajay Parmanand came out of the storage building, which was converted into a cozy one-room home, and introduced himself. He gave me a generous lunch and then we did a short tour of the property. Ajay has several head of cattle, a couple of horses, five goats, and two dogs. He and his partner, Gabbi, have planted all sorts of fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs, and are working on getting certified as an organic farm. Ajay impressed me with his knowledge of grasses, insects, trees, and all the species of plants and wildlife on his property. Ajay's ethnicity is Indian, and he is from Fiji, where his ancestors were brought to mind the cane fields. I asked if his knowlege of farming comes from his life in Fiji, but he said it comes from reading books, researching on the Internet, and experimenting.

By the time we finished the tour of his property, Gabbi had returned from town, and they invited me to stay the night. I accepted, and Ajay and I went down to Baffle Creek, which borders his property, for a swim. The water was refreshingly cold and full of jumping fishies. Tomorrow, we will try to catch some.

After our swim, we each enjoyed a hot outdoor shower and a delicious meal prepared by chef Gabbi. I set up my tent and went to slept under a big mango tree in the yard, thankful for all of my new friends. Missing the Dougalls, I fell asleep to the CD they gave me.

Mileage: 50 km
Weather: Perfect
End Location: On the Baffle Creek, just shy of Rosedale

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Chris and Suzanne Dougall (and dog, Kid) survey their property from high on a hill. Their cattle ranch, or "station", is a pleasant home where young cattle go to grow up into big, strong, beef cattle.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

We had an early morning at the Realfs. This disciplined family wakes up early to prepare for work and school, and it felt good to be getting an early start. The whole house was awake by 0600, and I was treated to a delicious bowl of Milo cereal, which is a little bit like Coco Puffs crossed with Frosted Flakes. DEE-Licous! Over breakfast, we discussed the possibility of me going to meet friends of the Realfs, Chris and Suzanne Dougall. Suzanne is a transplanted Texan, and she, Chris, and kids Maddie and Sam live on and operate a cattle ranch (which, in Australia, are called cattle stations).

Torn between getting on the road and going to see the Dougalls and their ranch, I had to remind myself that I had plenty of time and only one opportunity to meet the Dougalls. Greg phoned Suzanne, and I received an invitation to go and see them.

I NEVER travel in any direction other than South, whenever I can help it, but I actually went about six kilometers back up the road and out of town to the north in order to pay a visit to the Dougall family. When I arrived, I was greeted on the long dirt driveway by Kid, a beautiful cattle dog with a friendly disposition.

Suzanne and I talked for a bit, and I explained to her a little bit about what I was doing in Miriam Vale, and then I met Chris and got to know the two of them a little bit. I also had the privilege of meeting their two terrific kids, big brother Sam and younger sister Maddie, before they left for school.

Later, Suzanne and Chris and I went on a 4X4 driving tour of their property. They have acres and acres of grazing paddocks full of cattle, most of which are a type of Brahman. We were on the hunt for some kangaroos, because I wanted to see them, and Kid had fun running around in front of us and scoping out shortcuts and places to swim. We saw quite a few roos, but they're difficult to snap photos of. Chris pointed out the differences in the cattle breeds, talked to me about his ranching practices (he works with the cattle's natural herd instincts, rather than against them, creating a happier animal, a better job, and a better product), and showed me the blue gum, iron bark, blood wood, and paper bark trees. I learned about the importance of bugs such as the dung beetle and dung fly, which help to fertilize the soil and break down the cattle excrement. We saw where the cattle graze and drink, and I learned the importance of rotating the paddocks to keep the nutrient content high in the grass. I also learned about the importance of checking the watering holes for dead kangaroos, which end up there as a result of dingo chases, and create a danger to the cattle who might drink in the decaying animal's bacteria.

I am going to arrange for an educational visit to the Dougall ranch with my team, and I hope school kids will be interested in learning more about Australia's beef producers and life on a real Australian cattle ranch (station). What do you think?

By the end of the day, the Dougalls and I were fast friends, and I was pleased to accept an invitation to stay the night. The guest room was fantastic, and I enjoyed an incredible steak with au gratin potatoes for dinner, prepared by the host with the most, Chris.

I am so glad I decided to go and meet the Dougall family. I feel certain they will be lifetime friends of mine--and not just because Suzanne is a Texan, like me. They are just amazing people. I have to thank Greg and Phillipa Realf for introducing us. Amazing people always have amazing friends. Thanks, Realfs.

Mileage: 6 km
Weather: Beautiful
End Location: Miriam Vale

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Nancy with Phillipa, Greg, and Kelsie Realf at their home in Miriam Vale. Through Greg, Nancy has made nine new friends.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I left the camp ground at about 0900, and I was feeling like I was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There just isn't alot to see along this stretch of the Bruce Highway, and what you do see isn't always that pleasing to the eye. I saw a spider whose abdomen was the size of a 50-cent piece, and it scared the heck out of me! As gross as it was, I still had to get a picture of it.

I was getting pretty hungry a little after one, and I decided to pull over for some lunch, even though I only had about 20 km to go. I had some pita bread with cheese, Vegemite, and chutney, and then I got back on the road. Just as I pulled onto the pavement, I realized my tire felt low. Dang! I had a slow leak. Rather than patch it or change the tube, I decided just to pump it up and hope it would last me to Miriam Vale. As I was stopped on the side of the road, two cars stopped to see if I needed help. See, Australians are awesome people. The second car offered me cold water, and they gave me a big bottle of H2O with ice in it. That was an incredible treat on this hot day.

When I arrived in town, I checked out the first caravan park I came to. It looked a bit crowded, and the spot that wasn't crowded was next to the stinky bathrooms, so I moved on. There was a visitor's center one kilometer further south, so I went inside. I was met by smiling Greg Realf who, after a brief conversation, invited me to stay with his family just down the road. He has hosted a number of guests from all over the world, and I immediately took him up on the offer.

We both had errands to run, so I got directions to the house and agreed to meet there at 1730. By then, wife Philippa and daughter Kelsie would be home. I stopped to use the Internet in town and was offered a place to stay by another nice Aussie local. When I told her I already had a place, she (Melissa) said I should stop by for some barbecue, at least, and I agreed. Unfortunately, I couldn't find her house after using the Internet, and I had to get over to Realf's. I know she must think I stood her up, but, well, I didn't mean to!

The Realf's live in a cool eco-friendly home that Greg built, and their hospitality was warm and genuine. We had a delicious spaghetti dinner and got to know a bit more about each other. This is the part of solitary travel that is so enriching--I've made wonderful new friends all over Queensland. Phillipa teaches mentally and physically-challenged children, Kelsie is an aspiring gymnast, and Greg is running for city council. One of his biggest concerns is preserving Queensland's only pristine river (meaning it has no dams and is 100% natural), Baffle Creek. They own quite a few acres along its banks, and active/caring citizens meet regularly to try to keep the river pristine.

The Realfs have invited my team to stay on their property and have a barbecue when we swing back through on our way north to Cairns. Now, that would be fun!

Mileage:
Weather: Fair/Partly Cloudy/Extremely windy
End Location: Miriam Vale

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Ken and Carmel O'Dowd displayed remarkable hospitality and generosity when I was a guest of their beautiful O'Dowd's Irish Pub. They are impressive people and wonderful friends, and I wish Carmel could have come along with me for a leg of my cycling tour.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I'm leaving today.  I got up at eight and packed.  I realized the blank CD's I bought yesterday are defective, but, luckily, one of the guys staying at the pub is a computer geek, and he burned my images to a disk of his own for me.

I said goodbye to Swampy, Bernie, Cora Lee, and Bill, and I got all of Bill's contact info. I went by O'Dowd's Irish Pub to say goodbye and take a photo with Carmel and Ken.  Carmel said she wants to go with me, and I wish she could.  I think I'll see them again when the team swings back through Rockhampton.

I went by the store that sold me the defective CD's and exchanged them for a Black-Eyed Peas CD.

I finally pulled out of town at 1040 to begin my 75-km ride to Mt. Larcom.  The headwind was absolutely FEROCIOUS.  It was worse then ever, by far, and at times I was barely able to make forward progress.  Somehow, though, time went by quickly.  I was just happy to be on the road again, I think.  I was pleasantly surprised during my ride to see the O'Dowd's drive by me, not once, but twice!  I don't know where they were going, but it was super-cool to see them.  They honked and waved the first time, and then they pulled up next to me to talk the second.  Oh, it was great to see them.  From there, I had only 15 km to go, and I was getting tired.  With the wind, I was twice as slow as normal.

I arrived at a camp ground at 1530 and paid $6.60 for a spot.  The weather was windy and a bit chilly, and it looked like rain, so I set up my tarp.  I cooked vegetable lasagna, the last of my freeze-dried Mountain House meals, and coffee.  I spread some cheese and Vegemite on a piece of pita bread and topped it with fruit chutney.  Wow!  That's pretty good!

I finished up my day's journal entry and went to bed at 1830 with Nora Jones' new CD, “Feels Like Home”, playing in my headphones.  For a while, that was the only CD I had, and I can listen to it all day, every day, without getting sick of it.  It's all the music I need on this cycling trip.

Mileage:  73 km
Weather:  cooler, windy
Final Location:  Mt. Larcom

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The Fitzroy Hotel, also known as the "Swamper's Pub", is located in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

Today was supposed to be the day I left, but I realized I needed photos of all the characters here at the Swamper's Pub.  So, I decided to stay one more night.  I have a ton of notes on the regulars at this pub, and I've tons to write about, but I don't want to say anything that might be misconstrued.  Instead, I will just say that this is a really interesting lot, and I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  The people who are staying in the hotel, and the people who work here, are really wonderful.  They are good, caring people, and they would do anything for their friends, myself included, except give you money, because they don't have a lot of that.  But they'd give you the shirt of their back, and I do feel privileged to know them.  They've really welcomed me into their family here.  I wish I could say more about the amazing people I've met here, but that stuff is for my personal diary...and maybe for the book I might write about this experience one day...

I could write volumes on Robin, the middle-aged woman with a face full of piercings and a see-through mesh tank top that revealed another piercing. She's facing a third conviction for stabbing man with a knife, so she was closely monitored by the bar staff that night. I didn't mess with her. I believe that if someone is scared, he or she should say he/she is scared. I was scared. I wish I had a photo of Robin.

I spent most of the day updating journals, taking photos, and burning images to CD's so I could take them with me.  I also stopped by O'Dowd's to see Carmel and Ken, and then I went back to Fitzroy's to do more Internet work.  I even worked the bar for about an hour when the bar maid became ill. That bar maid, bless her heart, asked the question I had been dying to ask of the patrons at the Swamper's Pub. Out of the blue, she piped up with, "What happened to all of your teeth?"

The question was directed at the people at the bar, in general. When nobody answered, she asked again, "What happened to all of your teeth?"

Dumb looks all around, and then, "What do you mean?"

"Your teeth. You're all missing teeth. What happens to them?" she asked, more clearly.

Nobody really answered the question, probably because it was directed at no one in particular, rather than directly at somebody. Swampy did mention that his tooth had been broken by a beer bottle inadvertently bumping into his face.

That evening, Bill treated me and about five other friends to a wonderful dinner at a nice Thai restaurant.  I had some incredible yellow curried chicken.  My favorite!  Thanks, Bill!

When we returned, I had to get back on the computer to finish updating my journals, and I finally got to bed at 0245.

Here are images of my new friends:

My Rockhampton angel, Bill Duguid. He is the "publican", or owner of the Swamper's Pub, and he is my new friend. His hospitality is amazing.

This is Wally the Walrus. He lives in Gold Coast, but he was a guest at the Fitzroy for a while. He's totally loveable. Likes to whistle. Very polite and sweet like a big teddy bear.

I can't remember their names, but these two are regulars at the Swamper's Pub.

Regretably, I can't remember his name, either. He's the "Seafood Guy." He's the one who supplied me with my first taste of mud crab my first day in town. He pays his way at the pubs, etc., with fresh seafood.

This is Bernie. He's a great guy who frequents the Swamper's Pub and often helps out the owner, Bill. I am now privileged to call him a friend, and he went with Bill and the group to the Thai restaurant on my last night in town. The night before, he knocked out a guy who was drunk and tryin to pick fights with the clientele. One punch.

This is Gary, Cora Lee's significant other. He tends bar at the Swamper's Pub and helps out around the place. Cora Lee also works there. Gary is a real sweetheart, and he's a great friend to have.

Mileage: 0
Weather: Cool, Windy, Rainy
End Location: Rockhampton

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

At the horse races in Rockhampton, Nancy's new friend the jockey, Craig, won first place in the first race of the day...but the horses were so fast that nancy chopped off the winning horse's head...

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I got dressed and ready, because I knew Bill wanted to show me the ropes at the rugby fields.  I ate some Rice Krispies for breakfast, but here they call them “Rice Bubbles.”  You have to love the subtle differences...

After an uneventful trip to the rugby field, I jumped back on the Internet.  The problem with the Internet at the Fitzroy is that it uses the same phone line as the debit system, which, in Australia, is called EFTPOS.  Don't ask me what that stands for, 'cause I haven't a clue.  All I know is that, every time somebody needs cash, I get kicked off the Internet.  Likewise, my Internet use causes the machine to reject the first try.  I feel bad, because I know it's a pain in the tushy for Flame and Bill and the clientel to have to tell me to hop off the net every time they need to run a debit.  Sorry, Bill!  After a little while, Cora Lee came upstairs and told me I couldn't use the Internet at all today.

Well, that's alright, because today is race day.  I stayed here in Rocky to see the races, and that's what I needed to do.  I rode to the tracks with one of the hotel guests, Warren, who owns and trains trotters.  They are the horses that trot really fast around the track and pull a little buggy behind them.  He and I went to watch the thoroughbreds, and I was excited to see Craig, the jockey from O'Dowd's Pub, race.  He was in the first race, so I put two dollars on his horse and two dollars on another.  Craig's horse won, although the other horse lost, and I ended up winning $5.00.  How 'bout them apples?  I only had time to stay for one more race before it was time to go help Bill at the rugby matches.

It was a slow night.  The population of Rockhampton is too small to fill two separate venues, and it seems most of the town was at the races.  There weren't many people at the rugby matches, and I didn't sell many drinks.  By nine p.m., I was ready to go to bed.

I put my earplugs in, and I was able to go to sleep very easily.  I slept blissfully through the night.

Mileage: 0
Weather: Sunny
End Location: Fitzroy Hotel, Rockhampton

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Nancy found a job as a bar maid at the Fitzroy Hotel for a couple of days while resting in Rockhampton.

Journal and photo by Nancy Olson

I cycled over to the Fitzroy (About two miles) and moved into my new room.  It's a no-frills place, and my room was private and cozy.  Yesterday, Bill asked if I want to work for him on Saturday, because he needs somebody to sell beverages to the spectators at the rugby matches.  Huh.  Ok!  Sounds good.  It'll be fun, and I need the cash.  I worked on the Internet in Bill's office most of the day, and then he asked me if I wanted to learn how to pour a beer.  Well, I guess I need to learn before the matches on Saturday.  I worked the bar for half an hour and then returned to the Internet for a few more hours of work.  At about nine, I was summoned to the bar and worked until closing at about 0130.  I am a bar maid.  (They are not into political correctness here in Australia; bar maid is not considered rude or degrading...) Not my chosen profession, but it's an interesting change of pace.

Even though I was extremely tired, I had difficulty falling asleep in my new surroundings.  I think I just wasn't comfortable in this pub environment.  It's sort of a sketch part of town, and I'm unfamiliar with the clientel and the general vibe.  Outside, a man and woman were screaming obscenities at one another for several hours.  I finally fell asleep at around four in the morning.

Mileage:  0
Weather:  windy
End Location:  Fitzroy Hotel, Rockhampton
Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Bill Duguid (pronounced "do-good") stands in front of his Rockhampton pub, the Fitzroy. Bill provided me with several free nights accommodation and lots of wonderful new friends and memories.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I awoke in my lovely new surroundings at around 0800, did my laundry, did some quick window shopping, and hit the library to try out the Internet.  Wouldn't you know it, my e-mail was down.  That was a bummer, because I had big plans to get some much-needed work done!

I called Bill over at the Fitzroy pub and went over there to try my luck on the net again.  Still no luck, so I went downstairs to hang out with the people in the pub.  Bill bought me snacks and refreshments all day until he decided to show me Yeppoon.  Yeppoon is a beautiful city on the ocean, not far from Rockhampton.  I drove, and we had a nice tour of the area.  It was really strange being behind the wheel after riding my bike for so long, and it was stranger still driving on the wrong side of the road!  In a right-hand-drive car, everything is reversed.  Even the lights and windshield wipers are on the opposite side.  Every time I went to activate the turn signals, I ended up turning on the windshield wipers instead.  It was a big mess, and I just couldn't get it right.  Without fail, I turned on the wipers every time I went to make a turn.  Ugh!

I was getting tired, so we finally headed back to Rockhampton.  Bill dropped me at O'Dowd's by nine.  It was then that I had my first Australian beef.  I ordered a steak, and it was the size of my plate.  It was accompanied by delicious mashed potatoes and vegetables, and it was more than any human should consume in one sitting.  Delicious!

Tomorrow, I will move into the Fitzroy and, hopefully, work all day.

Mileage:  0
Weather:  Hot
End Location:  O'Dowd's Irish Pub, Rockhampton

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The Rockhampton Pipe Band's drummer beats on as the sun begins to set on St. Patrick's Day at O'Dowd's Irish Pub.

Journal and photos by Nancy Olson

I was up by 0800 and on the road by 0845.  I awoke with my belongings slightly wet from rain, or dew, or something, but it wasn't a big deal.  I'll have to dry out my sleeping bag when I arrive in camp tonight, I think.

For the first hour or two, I had no wind, and that was super-sweet, but it picked up later.  The first thirty or forty kilometers went by very quickly, and I was psyched to finish this final leg on my 330-km stretch through the nothingness between Mackay and Rockhampton.  I stopped for a quick break at a service station along the way, and I couldn't resist a chocolate chip cookie that practically jumped out at me from beside the cash register.  With the cookie and a diet Coke, I was on the road again.  In the 100 kms to Rockhampton, I only saw maybe one other station, and I had a cold lemonade there.

I pulled into Rockhampton feeling triumphant and rewarded myself with a fish fillet meal at McDonald's.  Yummy!  I need to get out of this McDonald's habit!  At home, I never eat at Micky D's.

I had been planning on staying at Riverside Caravan Park, which is recommended in my Lonely Planet guidebook, but when I arrived, I decided I should maybe press on to a pub, instead.  My shoulders were feeling painful, and I longed for a comfy bed.  I pulled out the guidbook and was reminded of a highly recommended pub in town called “O'Dowd's Irish Pub.”  Irish pub...SOUNDS GOOOOOOD!!!

So, I jumped back on my bike and blazed a trail to the pub.  I parked outside and walked in to be greeted by a throng of partiers in green hats.  Imagine my luck!  I had arrived in Rockhampton at 3:30 p.m. on St Patrick's Day!  The party had started without me, but I was quickly asked to join the celebration by local legend Swampy Marsh.  Swampy, whose real name is Brian Douglas Patrick Marsh, made the mistake of touching my back, which was soaked in sweat from my day's ride.

“Are you Irish—Whoa!  Is it raining outside, or is that you?” he asked.

“I'm afraid that's me,” I said.  “I'm a little sweaty from my ride.”

They all enjoyed throwing questions at me about what I'm doing, where I've come from, where I'm going, and why in the heck I'm riding a “push-bike” down the East Coast of Australia.  Swampy and his friends, Bill and Cora Lee, were eager to have me join them for some St. Patrick's Day fun, but first I needed to get a room and secure my bike and gear.

Ken and Carmel O'Dowd are the proud owners of beautiful O'Dowd's Irish Pub, and Ken checked me into a room (for ½ price) and summoned some blokes to help me bring my gear upstairs.  What a treat it was to have help with my things, for a change!  They brought the stuff up, and Ken put my bike on one of the two single beds.  Ha!  The Santa Cruz Blur would sleep well tonight, and so would I...the beds were brand new and super comfy.  For $15, I had A/C, laundry, a beautiful room, and clean bathrooms and showers.  Nice!

Downstairs, I rejoined my new friends and was introduced to a famous local jockey named Craig.  I also got to find out a little more about Swampy Marsh.  He was a famous champion fighter in his youth, and he was even a double millionaire once...but that story will have to come later.  They were a great group, and I had fun hanging out with them for a couple of hours.  They told me the real fun begins Saturday, when everybody would be out at the horse races and the rugby matches.  They said I should stay, so I agreed.  I've never stayed in one location for so long!

Later in the evening, a pipe and drums band came in and entertained the pub patrons with beautiful bagpipe tunes.  The bagpipes are my all-time favorite, so it was a real treat!  My new friend, Bill Duguid, it turns out, owns another pub in town, and he and I and Swampy and Cora Lee all headed over there to see how things were going.  The bar maid, Flame, came over to pick us up.  Flame is awesome.  She has bright pinkish-purpleish-red hair, and a million-watt smile.  She's a singer/guitar player in a band, and tending bar is her way of making ends meet.  I want to hang out with her more, because she's just so cool.  And smart.  And she doesn't drink or do drugs.  And she rides a Harley!

At Bill's pub, the Fitzroy Hotel (aka the Swamper's Pub), we ate mud crab, spring rolls, and other assorted goodies out by the swimming pool.  I had a great time, but I wanted to call it a night.  I told my new friends I'd see them later, and Bill got me a cab back to O'Dowd's.  It was an early night, and I was pleased to lay my head on a real pillow, on a real bed, in a real, clean, beautiful pub.

Mileage:  100 km
Weather:  Sunny, hot, humid
End Location:  O'Dowd's Irish Pub, Rockhampton

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

These great-looking birds are loud, sleep-stealing pests, but you have to love them for their beauty. They can be pretty friendly, too.

There are beautiful rainbow lorikeets and white macaws here, and they are super-duper loud and aggravating. Their chatter woke me up at about 0700, and I was not too happy. They’re beautiful pests.

My country-and-western-loving neighbor, Errol, a widower, invited me over for coffee and toast. Like most of Australia’s Queenslander men, Errol seems lonely. We chatted a bit over a mug of milk-coffee, and then I got up to pack my gear. Later, Bill came over to wish me a good morning and invite me for coffee, and I had to turn him down.

On my way out, I filled my containers with rainwater and then said goodbye and snapped photos with Bill and then Errol.

I set off at about 0845 with Salt ‘n Peppa playing through my Walkman into my left ear. I kept the right ear free so I could hear traffic coming up behind me (we drive on the left side of the road here in Australia). The signs indicated that I have more than 190 kms to Rocky.

The ride to Marlborough was uneventful and sunny. I had decent cloud cover overhead at times, and that kept it from getting too hot. There were very few road stops on the way to town. About 30 km outside of Marlborough, I ran down to the last little bit of water in my bottle. Uh oh. The headwind had become very strong 20 km ago, drying out my throat and forcing me into the smallest gear on my big chainring. I knew I’d be ok without water for just 30 km, but I didn’t like it.

I finally arrived in Marlborough at about 1515, and I found the pub Biker Brian had told me about. They have free camping in the back…AWESOME! I went to the convenience store next door and had a cookie, Powerade, and a diet lemon drink. I chatted with the locals at the pub and then paid the bar maid $2 for use of the showers before setting up camp. I cooked a meal of Mountain House Lasagna and coffee and then sat in my tent to rest my back and write in my journal until about 1930.

I went to the pub for a couple of hours to chat with a 60+ year-old man, Rudy, from Austria, who had spent years riding his bike around Australia. He told me about the benefits of eating raw foods, drinking lots of water, and drinking apple cider vinegar. It must work alright for him, because he looks about 40.

I went back outside and fell asleep, feeling thankful for my bug tent and thinking about my friends back home in the States.

Mileage:
Weather: Hot/Sunny
Location: Marlborough

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

On the way to Clairview, I met Brian, who is cycling to raise money for the children of Tibet. His website is www.brian4tibet.com.

The banging and clanging of construction on the roof of my pub woke me at about 0745. I left at 0830 to stock up on provisions, call my mom, and fill my water containers. I started heading south at about five minutes to ten.

I had a strong headwind right from the start, and the sky was cloudy. A tiny bit of sprinkles fell on me for a few minutes, and I was wishing for a bit more rain.

I was headed for Clairview, where I knew there would be a pub and a camp ground. Just about 12 km outside of Sarina, I met a guy on a bike, towing a trailer, who was headed the opposite direction! This was the second biker I’d met, and the first with a trailer. His, too, was manufactured by B.O.B. We stopped and chatted at length about our respective cycling trips.

Brian, in his 40s, is from the UK originally, but he has been living in Australia for more than 16 years. He’s on a 10-13 month ride to raise money for the people of Tibet. He has Tibetan prayer flags and a “Free Tibet” sign on his trailer. If you want to read about his charity or find out where he is now, go to his website at www.brian4tibet.com.

Other than my encounter with Brian, here was nothing very eventful about the ride. On the way, I passed a couple of small gas stations and stopped at them for cold drinks.

Clairview consists of a few buildings right along the beach, and I stopped for the evening at Clairview Beach Caravan Park. The nice woman there gave me a $4 discount, and I ended up paying $6 for showers and a tent site. In camp, I met Bill, a nice old man with a great personality. He was just the sweetest thing. I guess he’d been living there for a number of months and was widowed some years back.

I showered and sat down at the pub to chat with the locals. I had my journal with me so I could get caught up, and I asked one of the guys the name of the caravan park. He told me, and then he added, “It’s a nudist colony.” Hahaha. That was a good one, and he had the whole crowd (4 people?) laughing.

I turned in early, just as the sun went down, and I watched as little lizards darted from the bushes on my right out to the field on my left. I actually had a tough time falling asleep, partly because sweet old Bill had left his light on for me thinking I might need to move my tent under his awning if it started to rain, and partly because of all the ants on my tarp and the birds jumping around in the trees. That Bill is so sweet, and he refers to me as “Love” and “Lovey,” in classic Australian fashion. Meanwhile, my other neighbor played really great old country-and-western music, and I finally fell asleep.

Mileage: 92 km
Weather: Fair/Strong Headwind
End Location: Clairview

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Peacocks roamed freely in the Beach Tourist Caravan Park. These perched themselves on the fence next to my tent.

I got up and did about a half hour on the Internet before cooking up a breakfast of meat and eggs. I bought a bus ticket for the 330 kilometers of desolation between Mackay and Rockhampton, and it was slated to leave at 1330. (FYI, Cairns to Mackay is mostly sugar cane fields and a tropical rainforest environment. Below Mackay, it turns into cattle country and becomes much drier. No longer would I be travelling along stretches of wet cane fields and over full and clear rivers. From here on, it would be hot and dry.)

I packed up camp and left for town at about 1000 and inquired with the information girl at the bus station about the road to Rockhampton. I just was not feeling good at all about boarding a bus and riding south. I mean, my goal is to CYCLE from Cairns to Brisbane, not take a bus. The info girl said there are places to stay along the route, no problem. Next, I went to the police station to talk to the cops about it, and the officer there couldn’t give me any reason not to go to Rocky by bike, other than it is boring and there are only two lanes, one lane each way. Well, that describes the entire Bruce Highway, so I wasn’t convinced.

I went back to the bus station and cancelled my ticket, and then I went to a pub to change into my cycling gear. There, two blokes kept buying me beers (“You gonna have a beer with us, or what?”), and the guy named Gary bought me lunch. I spent the next few hours turning down invitations for more drinks. I wasn’t there to drink, and I needed to get on the road!

I just had 35 km to travel that day, because I only wanted to go as far as the most southerly town before the blank stretch north of Rockhampton. Hit the road at 1530-ish and arrived in Sarina at 1730. There, I got a pub room with A/C for $20 and chatted with the locals about 9/11 and terrorism. The attacks on Spain were just a couple of days ago, and it was on the news again in the pub.

Upstairs, I watched an Australian made-for-tv movie called “Go Big”, ate leftover Chinese, and then hit the sack.

The next three days will be 100 k-ers.

Mileage: 35 km
Weather: Hot/Headwind
End location: Sarina

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Getting ready to hit the road and head south to Mackay.

I was up and checked out by 0830 this morning, and I stopped at the BP station’s Internet to download some images and send a few e-mails. Today is sunny with a massive headwind, and my quads glutes are shot.

It is only a 50 km day today, though, and I feel relaxed. My hands and fingers are feeling less numb since I put the padding on my handlebars, and I almost have full feeling back in my fingers!

Along my route today, I stopped for a Popsicle and then a hamburger at local service stations. I arrived at my destination, Mackay, at about 1330 and checked in to Beach Tourist Caravan Park for $11. It looked like rain might be in store for the evening, so I set up a tarp above my bug tent.

I hopped on the park’s Internet for about an hour and started writing my Bicycle Tour journal. The computer wouldn’t let me open e-mail attachments or disk files, though, so I was unable to post the journals and photos that Neil and Todd had sent me. I’ll have to do that tomorrow, I guess. One hour on the net cost me $6! The Internet here in Australia is expensive, usually quite slow, and very hard to find. Internet was all over the place in Central and South America, but here in Australia, it is extremely difficult to locate. Weird, huh?

I cooked up some Mountain House Teriyaki Chicken, watched TV with other campsite guests, and then hit the hay.

Mileage: 50 km
Weather: Sunny/Massive headwind
End location: Mackay

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Me with my new friends from the retirement home.

I got up, ate leftover chicken and beets on bread, packed, and waited for the pub to open at 0930 so I could check out. I mailed Mom’s card and then stopped at the Internet.

There, I was delighted to met and chat with a busload of retirement-home residents who were out on a Friday field trip to nearby Arlie Beach. They were delightful, and they really took a shining to me. They were impressed by my ride and the fact that I am a U.S. Marine. My new friends, Dick and Doris Jones and John and Joyce Rowe, used to be cane farmers, I think, and they are just as cute as can be.

After some work and some mingling, I hit the road at 1135, to be greeted by a horrible headwind. I was thankful to get a little bit of rain to cool me down late in my ride.

I stopped at a Mobil Roadhouse (service station) for a chicken sandwich for lunch. I then rode on in to Calen and checked into an expensive but nice cabin at St. Helens Caravan Park. There, a nice old man and a yellow lab greeted me and helped me get settled.

I cleaned up and then jumped on my bike to ride to a little market about half a kilometer up the road, and I realized I'd forgotten my helmet. Bike helmets are compulsory in Australia, and cops will pull you over and slap a fine on you the moment they see you with a bare head. I learned this the hard way by forgetting my helmet in Cairns. Luckily, the cops let me off then. It's ridiculous, because I always ware a doggone helmet. I know how important it is. Somehow, though, I forgot again. The moment I realized it, I thought, "Man, I hope I don't see a cop car." Seconds later, I saw a cop car headed right for me. They were really sweet, and they let me off without a problem. I did apologize, and we ended up having a nice chat. Argh! How can I forget my helmet?

I rode back toward the caravan park and worked on the Internet at the neighboring BP station for a while before going back “home” to cook up some pasta and sauce I had leftover from Chile!

I was pleased to sleep in my sleeping bag on a nice bed with cold A/C blowing and lots of good stuff on TV.

Mileage:
Weather: Fine/Light Rain/Headwind
End location: Calen

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

With this new bug tent, I will enjoy more restful and more comfortable, bug-free nights.

I was roused from sleep at about 0800 this morning by spitting rain. I jumped up and covered my tent with a tarp and then began moving my belongings under the roof of the eating area nearby. I had actually planned to sleep late this morning, but I am glad for the rain. It will help keep my ride cool today.

It really rained down hard at times. I mailed three post cards, said goodbye to Elizabeth and Bert, and hit the road at 0935. It was pouring down rain when I left.

Elizabeth warned me for the second time about the stretch of road between Sarina and Rockhampton. I’ll have to look into that. It’s about 330 km of road with nary a town or village. A few locals have said it is too dangerous and remote for a lone girl on a bike. But it requires further investigation, because most people think this whole trip is too dangerous for a lone girl on a bike.

The padding strapped to my handlebars really helps, and my gears are shifting great. I did have a flat in my trailer tire this morning from a sticker, but I fixed it very easily. Again, I patched it instead of replacing the tube. I also fixed a bent pin in the piece that connects my trailer to my rear fork. By the time I had a breakfast of cornflakes, coffee, and grapes with my UK friends, it was time to go.

I keep forgetting to mention that there have been umpteen million dead frogs along the road between Cairns and here. This morning, a lot of little baby frogs and toads were in the road trying to dodge the falling raindrops. A few must have ended up under my tires, but I concentrated on avoiding them. It helped me pass the time.

I had a good ride to the next town, Prosperpine, but had to stop at an Internet café to check for word from Nick about our shipping date. The rain had stopped by then, but the skies were still dark. I had intended to travel another 22 km to a camp site down the road, but two hours on the net and a sudden cloudburst made me opt for a pub room in Prosperpine, instead. For $20, I got a private, clean room with no A/C, but with a nice breeze through the balcony doors.

I showered and walked to the local grocery store, where I bought a roasted chicken, cheese, beets, and bread for dinner. I also bought and wrote a birthday card for my mom, whose birthday is on the 15th of March.

I did laundry in the hotel facilities, worked on a Land Rover Certified testimonial, and went to bed.

Mileage:
Weather: Rainy/Horrible headwind
End location: Prosperpine

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

This is the view of Queen's Beach from the Coral Coast Caravan Park in Bowen.

I awoke at 0715. Thanks to the new tent, I had no new bug bites, but the hard ground did have me in pain. My sleeping mat is thin and worthless, but I haven’t the cash to buy a new one, so I’ll just suck it up.

I had a dip in the pool, where I met Michele and her husband, both from Sydney. I sat in the sun for a little while to try to even out the incredible farmer’s tan I have been developing. My hands were still hurting, and my fingers were still numb. The ring finger and pinkie fingers are worse, I think.

I showered and changed to ride to Target with Michelle, and then I came back and had a sandwich and grapes for lunch and lounged in the pool for the rest of the day. Now, that’s what I call a day off!

I did some route planning for a couple of hours in the evening. I have a big 100 km day tomorrow, followed by another the next day. Today, I put some extra padding on my handlebars, made from a section of my sleeping pad taped to the bars. I hope it helps.

I had a nice chat with Bert before calling it a night.

Big thanks to Bert and Elizabeth Cockerill at the
Coral Coast Caravan Park
Soldiers Road
Queens Beach
Bowen 4805, QLD

Mileage: 0
Weather: Sunny and warm
End location: Bowen

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Me and the Japanese cyclist I met at the caravan park in Ayr. He's riding from Sydney to Cairns!

I spent an extremely fitful, itchy, uncomfortable night in the caravan park. There were just too many insects. I moved into the bathroom, finally, because it was screen in, and slept on the bench in there. The light was on, and it was really hot and stuffy, but it was better than bugs. I slept on and off until 0500 and then moved back outside to my campsite and got inside my bivy sack. I slept until the sun woke me at 0800.

Last night, I saw somebody come into camp on his bike, and I went and introduced myself this morning. He’s from Yokyo, Japan, and he’s been riding his bike north to Cairns from Sydney. Wow! That’s a long haul! We swapped info about campsites, hotels, and food places along the route, and then we took some photos and said goodbye.

I went directly to the camp store to buy that bug tent and then headed south.

My hands and back were hurting a lot. There’s a nerve in your hands that receives too much pressure on it from the bicycle handlebars, and it gets irritated after a while. My pinkies and my ring fingers have been numb since the beginning of my bike trip, and now my wrists and the palms of my hands are hurting. I think I’ve developed a little carpal-tunnel syndrome in there.

At 50 km, I stopped at a fruit stand to rest and get water. It was a very hot day. After the fruit stand, I experienced a massive headwind and severe hand and back pain until I arrived at my destination in Bowen. The kilometre indicators along the road were wrong, and when it said I had only 10 km to go, I really had 17. Ugh. I was in pain, and I just wanted to be there!

Fed up with the headwind and the extended distance, I pulled into a service station to rest my aching back. There, I met a woman (Colette) and her teen daughter. Colette was searching the parking lot for an opal that had fallen out of her ring, while her cranky daughter wined and griped. I helped Colette search while the daughter just complained and pouted. Colette asked me if I have a good bike so I don’t have to pedal very hard. For some reason, that struck me as funny. Then, she saw the Queensland license plate that I had found on the road several days ago and strapped onto my trailer and said, “Huh, so they still make you register your trailer, eh?” God bless Colette.

The caravan parks were five km from the Bruce Highway, and the road faced directly into the wind coming off the sea. At the first caravan park, nobody answered the door. I took that as a sign to go on to the next one, so I went a bit further up the road. I drove by another, but it smelled like dead fish, so went on. At the third, I hit the jackpot.

I asked the older, dignified lady at the desk (Elizabeth) if they give discounts to people who are raising money for Parkinson’s Disease. She had just had a woman (in her 40’s) who has Parkinson’s in the other day. Elizabeth gave me the name of a German doctor in Atherton who has made great strides with treatments for that woman and others, and I will give Todd the info so we can contact him. She and her Husband, Bert, also gave me two nights free in the nicest caravan park I have ever visited.

I took a shaded area by the pool and settled in.

I went to bed at about 1900, after a shower and a chat with my campground neighbours from the UK.

Mileage: 120 km
Weather: Sunny/Hot/Headwind
End Location: Bowen

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

This is no way to camp in Australia...the bugs will eat you alive.

I was up a little after 0500 and hit the road a little after six. I only had 78 km to go today, but I was feeling very tired and unmotivated. I stopped a lot to just sit and rest along the route. I stopped at a fruit stand and had a mango milkshake and a little bit of fudge. The milkshake was incredible! After that, I had just 30 km to go.

I pulled in to Ayr, my day’s destination, at 1111, and the local pub recommended that I stay in the caravan park rather than the backpacker’s place or the hotels.

I paid $11 for a camp site in the shade. By noon, I was showered and resting. I was really looking forward to vegging out. I snoozed in the shade for an hour or so, then I left for an Internet café. I stopped in a camp store on the way and looked at an inexpensive insect-proof tent. I left and spent two hours on the Internet updating journal pages, and when I returned to the camp store, it was closed. Darn.

I laid down under the stars and tried to get some sleep, but the bugs were biting…

Mileage: 78 km
Weather: Sunny/Hot
End Location: Ayr

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Anthony Lafragua (top left) taught me a little bit about the Aboriginal culture in Australia. His mother was an Aboriginee, and his father is Spanish.

I slept in until after 0800, and I couldn’t leave until after 1000, because the pub didn’t open until then, and I needed to retrieve my key deposit. Today would be a long ride to Townsville, more than 100 km south of Ingham.

I made good time to a famous tourist stop called Mango Madness, where I had a mango juice and a banana and refilled my water bottles.

The lemon Tang that I put in my water bottle was key, and I hammered on down the road, inspired by thoughts of my new cyclist-friend, Noeline. I hammered along in my big chainring all day, and the gears were shifting great after the tuning job I did on them in Ingham. I have to thank my friend Jay Zech at Gungho Bikes in Pennsylvania for teaching me the intricacies of the rear derailleur. Thanks, Jay!

The day was very, very sunny and hot, and I kept passing by a lot of cool, clear rivers. Finally, I stopped at Clearwater Creek, where some kids were swimming, and jumped in. I’ve been warned about swimming in Australian rivers; the locals tell me the crocs love American tourists. Since so many locals were swimming, I figured this river was safe. Ahhh…it was cool and refreshing. Just what the doctor ordered.

I got back on the bike and made my way to Townsville, and the first thing I saw on my way into town was the local Land Rover dealership. I stopped by, but it was Sunday, and the place was closed. I went into the main part of town and ended up at The Strand, which stretches along the waterfront. I rode by the recommended backpacker’s hostel, but I didn’t like the looks of it, so I asked about a pub room. On my way to find the pub, I stopped at McDonald’s and talked to some Australian ex-Navy guys for a while. After they moved on, I started talking to Anthony and his friend, Scott. Anthony struck up a conversation by asking me if I’m Canadian. That’s a popular question, after people here my non-Australian, non-British accent.

He’s in the tourist industry, has a 5-bedroom house that he rents rooms out of, and offered me a place to stay for the night. I accepted, and he and I and his friend/housemate, Wilma, talked and watched television. It was very kind of him to give me a free, safe place to stay for the night.

Anthony is half Aboriginal and half Spanish (mom’s side/dad’s side, respectively), and he teaches the native culture in Australian schools. He used to run an Aboriginal dance troupe, and he can play the didgeridoo so beautifully that I was left speechless by his performance. He’s been practicing for 15 years, and he is amazing. I promised to send him a postcard from a far-off place, and he promised to send me a recording of his didgeridoo playing. I wonder if I can put that on the website?

Anyway, it was great meeting another terrific Aussie (Australian hospitality rules!), and I got a good night’s sleep in my private, air-conditioned room. Thanks, Anthony!

Mileage: 130 km
Weather: Sunny/Hot/Headwind
End location: Townsville

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The cutest little green tree frogs were camping out around the water fountain in Ingham's public library.

I woke up at 0830 this morning in order to get to the library in time for my 0930 Internet appointment. I could have slept all day…

At the library, I saw the cutest little green tree frogs congregated about the water fountain. I think the librarian’s children must be taking care of them or something. It was weird to see so many (about 6) cute little frogs inside a building.

The library closed at noon, so I went back to my pub room to work, intending to do some writing on a press release and write an expedition summary for North Face. The plan was to type it up and send it from the slow restaurant Internet I used yesterday. The problem was that I left the disk in the computer at the library (oops), and the Internet at the restaurant was broken.

Knowing that Nick needed the article right away, I worried over how to get it to him. I ended up calling my mom in Idaho, dictated the corrections to her, and asked her to send it to Nick. She’s a champ, and she got it done for me. I was on the pay phone with her for what seemed like an hour dictating changes as she typed. Thanks, Mom! Mission accomplished.

Feeling relieved and in the mood to celebrate, I went to my pub for a cold drink. There, as luck would have it, I met a crazy (crazy in a good way) Australian woman named Noeline Otto, who used to race bicycles on the track in the 60’s. She and I hit it off the way a couple of bike-crazy cyclists would, and we sat and talked at that bar until midnight. I met her friend, Marita (only Noeline can call her “Rita”), and their other friend, Arthur (Noeline affectionately calls him her “good little mate”, and he rolls his own cigarettes, one after the other. He was carrying a dead bug around in a plastic container, and they told me the story about how it had crawled into his ear at the pub last night, and started crawling in toward his brain. He went crazy, fell down on the floor, and had to be rushed to the hospital, where they removed the intruder and sent poor Arthur on his way.). She also introduced me to the pub owner who, as a young man, was a very successful cyclist back in Italy.

Noeline Otto is a tall woman in her 60’s, with five grown children and several grandchildren. She still rides her bike every morning, and her pride and joy is her new, Italian road bike, an Orbea, with top-of-the-line Campagnolo components and an electric-blue paint job. She had retired from racing for quite some time until she jumped back on the bike in 1994 as therapy for her rheumatoid arthritis, and has been “pedalling ever since.”

She has white hair cut in a flattering buzz-cut style, thinly plucked and pencilled eyebrows, double-pierced ears with silver hoops and pink gemstones (pinkish-purple is her favorite color), a black shirt with white roses, black hot pants, a gold heart in the middle of her right front tooth, a tattoo of a rose on her left forearm (it’s covering up what used to be a heart with some fella’s name on it, and Noeline was the first woman in North Queensland to be tattooed), a big silver cross pendant on a chain around her neck, and a great-big personality that makes you just want to be her friend. The locals know that wherever Noeline is, that’s where the party is.

As a young woman, she packed up her five kids into a mini-bus and left her Italian-stallion husband who made the mistake of fooling around on her (Her ex-husband was dying of cancer many years later and came around to visit her, saying to her, “You’re the only woman I ever loved; you’re my best mate. I’m sorry for what I did to you.”) She arrived in Ingham, a very Italian town and home of Australia’s yearly Italian festival, and was welcomed into the community by the locals. She has been there and done that. She was even a bouncer once (got beat up in an unfair fight and then got her revenge in a fair one), and she has been a bar maid, too. She’s a tough lady. Her mates respect the heck out of her, and they told me so, and she has taught me a whole lot in the 4.5 hours that I’ve known her.

I have Noeline Otto’s contact information, and I’m going to send her a bicycle-spoke bracelet like the one I’m wearing, only hers will be pinkish-purple. I hope to see her when the team drives back through Ingham on our way to Cairns.

I have a feeling the characters I meet on this cycling trip are going to be the heart of my experience.

Mileage: 0
Weather: Sunny/Hot/Headwind

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

A typical pub room in Queensland, and my typical mess inside it.

I was very happy when morning finally rolled around, and I was up and packing at 0600. By 0700, I was on my way. The next town, Ingham, should have good Internet, and I’ve been told the pubs have good, cheap rooms. I can use some good sleep!

The road to Ingham was pretty flat until I hit a mountain range about 18 km north of town. Everybody had warned me about it, so I was expecting something massive. As it turns out, it was a pretty simple hill, and it didn’t take long to reach its crest. Of course, towing that heavy trailer of mine, I did have to put the bike in granny gear for a slow ascent. There was no shoulder on that stretch of road, but somehow I got lucky and didn’t have a single car pass me on the hill. That was serious good luck, because the mountain road had some dangerous blind curves. At the top, I snapped a photo of Hichinbrook Island down below.

I arrived in Ingham at about 1015 and found a nice pub room through the nice gals at the local visitor’s info center. For $15 per night, I have cold A/C, showers, and a small, clean, private room.

After settling in, I set out to find some Internet. Ugh. It was Slooooooooowwww. It was so miserably slow that I couldn’t get any work done. The library is fast and free, so I went there. The problem was, you are only able to book 30-minute sessions. I got a tiny bit of work done and then my time was up.

Since I couldn’t do any work, I went to the bakery and bought an Australian treat—a meat pie. WOW! These things are incredibly good. They have a nice, buttery, fattening crust, with some sort of meat and spice inside. I had meat/tomato/onion and then had to get another for later, it was so good.

I had a cold drink at the pub, reserved one more night’s accommodation, and then went upstairs to work on my bike. I spent a long time on the derailleurs, and they were perfect by the time I put the tools away at 2200.

Mileage: 50 km
Weather: Sunny/Hot

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Signs posted along Cardwell's shores warn of recent crocodile sightings.

I woke up at about 0730/0800 and set about trying to adjust the rear derailleur on my bike. I did a miserable job of it. I never can remember which screw to turn which direction, so I’ll have to look it up again on the Internet. It’s shifting a little rough.

I left at 1010, and the nice people at Banana Backpackers wished me good luck. By 1130, I was half-way to my destination in Cardwell, so I stopped for lunch at a rest station. I have some Mountain Home freeze-dried meals with me, so I cooked up some turkey tetrazini on my camp stove. I was back on the road by noon for the final 20 km to Cardwell.

I arrived at 1330 and cycled out to the oceanfront. There, I saw crocodile waring signs. I had heard on the news that locals had sighted a big croc in Cardwell, so there isn’t any camping allowed around there right now. I was napping on a park bench when an 80-year-old man stopped by. I told him my story, and he offered me a place to stay at his retirement home. I accepted and then did some Internet work before meeting him at the pub next door. There, I met some of the Aussie locals, including Eric and Frizz.

After more work on the Internet, I retired for a night of fitful sleep on my crappy little sleeping pad on a hardwood floor. Not too comfy!

Mileage: 50 km
Weather: Good/Hot
End Location: Cardwell

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

A rainy day near Cairns, Australia. This tropical area is marked by mile-after-mile of sugar cane fields.
Journal and photo by Nancy Olson

It rained very loudly most of the night, and I was thankful to be safe and dry inside. The big, fat raindrops and the frogs and bugs made a loud sort of jungle music outside all night. The sky was still fit to burst when dawn rolled around.

When I awoke at 0630, the McConnells were all getting up and ready for work. Jane cooked up a wonderful breakfast of steak and eggs (what a treat!), and then Ian got a call to deliver some equipment to a customer (he runs Babinda Hire Service in town). Their driveway is several kilometres long, so I hurried to get my stuff ready so I could catch a ride to the highway. After a quick photo with the family, Ian and Tessie and I got ready departed. At the Bruce Highway, we unloaded my gear and said our “see you laters.” I hope to stop by with the Land Rover convoy when we head through on our drive through Oz. Our route will take us right back by here on our way to Cairns.

Well, I was about to start pedalling off when I realized my trailer had a flat tire! I was pulling out my patch kit when two sugarcane farmers came by in their truck and brought me to their shed where I could hide from the rain shower that was blowing across the fields toward us. I chatted with them over the noise of the morning shower while I patched the tube and put the tire back on the trailer. I have spares for my bike, but I still need to buy a couple for the trailer tire!

It was still raining when I hit the road at 0930. I reached Innisfail quickly and easily and located a bike shop on my way through town. The rain had stopped by then, too, so it looked like luck was on my side. I purchased a couple of spare tubes and stopped for a cheeseburger at McDonald’s at 1130.

The weather was clear for a short time before another downpour hit. At 1330, I took a short rest under the shelter of a bus stop in a little town called Silkwood. From there, I had only 24 km to go to reach my destination in Tully. I rigged up a little map case for my handlebars out of a Ziploc bag and two zip ties. Now I can read my map while I’m riding, without taking my hands off the bars.

I arrived in Tully under a dry sky, but I was pretty wiped out. I felt sleepy, my shoulders were hurting, and I was having a little chaffing from the pad in the butt of my shorts…My trailer was feeling very, very heavy, and I just wanted a nap.

I arrived at a nice hostel, Banana Backpackers, at about 1530-ish. There, I had food, a shower, and a cold drink, and I stopped by the Internet.

I don’t have much money, and Australia is super-expensive, so I spent a little time figuring out a budget. If I eat PBJ from now on and camp in cheap caravan parks, I can send $250 per month to my bank, leaving me with $150 per month to spend. The plan is to eat a lot of fruits and veggies and sammiches.

I think I’ll probably ride tomorrow and then have a day off so my muscles can get used to pulling this trailer.

Mileage: 85 km
Weather: tropical showers

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

This watch indicates the time is 2147. That means it is 9:47 p.m. to you civilian types.

I use military time in these my journals, and it is based on 24 hours in a day.
For those of you who are new to it, it goes like this:

1:00 a.m. is 0100, 1:00 p.m. is 1300
2:00 a.m. is 0200, 2:00 p.m. is 1400
3:00 a.m. is 0300, 3:00 p.m. is 1500
4:00 a.m. is 0400, 4:00 p.m. is 1600
5:00 a.m. is 0500, 5:00 p.m. is 1700
6:00 a.m. is 0600, 6:00 p.m. is 1800
7:00 a.m. is 0700, 7:00 p.m. is 1900
8:00 a.m. is 0800, 8:00 p.m. is 2000
9:00 a.m. is 0900, 9:00 p.m. is 2100
10:00 a.m. is 1000, 10:00 p.m. is 2200
11:00 a.m. is 1100, 11:00 p.m. is 2300
12:00 a.m. is 1200, 12:00 p.m. is 2400 or 0000

You simply count the hours from 1 a.m. to noon, and then you add the p.m. hours to 12:00. For example, 7 p.m. would be 12 plus 7, which is 19. That becomes 1900. Many other countries use this type of time, and it keeps you from confusing a.m. and p.m.

Nancy's rig. It consists of a top-of-the-line Santa Cruz mountain bike, known as a "Blur", and a B.O.B. trailer for hauling camping gear.

Journal by Nancy Olson

It's raining cats and dogs, and the forecast is for more of the same here in Cairns, at least through Thursday. Actually, this whole week is scheduled to be pretty rainy, and it gets slightly drier the further south you look. It is for those reasons that I have decided to leave today, Tuesday, 2 March, 2004.

My plan is to cycle from Cairns to Brisbane, approximately 1100 miles down Highway 1, the Bruce Highway, which runs North/South along the east coast of Oz. I ordered a bicycle cargo trailer from B.O.B. Trailers, and it arrived yesterday at my hostel, Leo's Budget Accommodations, right here in beautiful downtown Cairns. Now I am all set to haul myself and my gear down the road for a few weeks of cycling adventures.

Very quickly, I'd like to recommend Leo's to anybody who might be headed for Cairns (Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef), and who's looking to do it on a shoestring. I got an excellent deal on my room, and they provide breakfast (toast and tea) and dinner (some sort of tasty, starchy meal). But stay there for the staff. They are amazingly friendly, and they make you feel right at home by greeting you by name whenever you see them. They are awesome!

So, I woke up to the third rainy day in a row this morning, and the forecast promises little improvement. Planning to go ahead and start heading south toward the sunshine, I stopped by the map store for a more detailed East Coast map and the grocery store for some provisions. After fiddling around most of the morning and into the afternoon, I was finally ready to go.

I left Cairns at 1:30 p.m., an unfavorable hour, and in unfavorable weather. Ah, but it felt great to be on the road! I had been holed up in Cairns for nearly a week, just waiting for my trailer to arrive and taking care of Drive Around the World work. I was thinking of shooting for the city of Innisfail, about 80 km down the road, with a backup plan to stay in Babinda if the hour became too late.

I ended up deciding upon Plan B, which was to stay in Babinda. I was sitting under the awning of a coffee shop in the little one-street settlement when a pickup truck pulled up beside me.

"Where are you from?" asked the friendly looking, middle-aged man inside.

I told him California, and he asked if I had a place to stay. He and his daughter, Tessie, who was riding with him in the car, helped me put my bike and trailer into the truck bed, and we all headed off to their home.

As it turns out, this was my lucky day! The McConnell family is amazing! I was in for a real treat when I arrived at their home, a real "Queenslander" house which, I found out later, had been moved to their property in two halves on the back of two semi trailer trucks. Ian introduced me to his wife Jane upon arrival, and I was given access to a much-needed shower. It had rained on me the entire 3.5 hours I'd been traveling, and I was ready to add a little soap to the water.

The McConnells and I sat around talking for a good long while (I did most of the talking, I'm afraid, yapping on about the Naval Academy, the U.S. Marine Corps, the Pentagon, Drive Around the World, my bike trip, and my life story.) while Tessie cooked a scrumptious dinner of mashed potatoes (my favorite!), chicken stuffed with creamed broccolli (another favorite!), and veggies. Yum! It was delicious. After dinner, I showed them www.drivearoundtheword.com and tried to explain a little about our programs.

I've never had so much fun talking to people about our mission. They were just so warm and inviting that I couldn't stop talking! We had fun visiting until about 10:00, when it was finally time for bed.

Just as I was falling asleep, I saw a flash of light along the wall, out of the corner of my eye. And then I saw another! It was bright, and it was traveling in a haphazard sort of diagonal pattern. There was no real method to its madness. It was just this bright, scary light, tiny and mysterious. I thought maybe it was a little alien come to dissect me and probe my brain. I thought it was either that, or a firefly. Luckily, it turned out to be a firefly. Very lucky, indeed, as it was soon joined by several more little lights. Unlike the fireflies we have in the States, which just flash for a fraction of a second, these stay lit for several seconds. That was the source for my confusion.

Anyway, I fell asleep under the light of my little buggy friends while the bullfrogs croaked loudly above the noise of the pounding rain outside. It was a beautiful night in the country.

Northern Queensland is the tropics, and they grown massive quantities of mango, lychees, pineapple, jackfruit, and SUGARCANE. The latter is the area's big cash crop, and you see it stretching along the road for miles and miles and miles. This region reminds me very much of Costa Rica, and they even have a lot of the same birds (giant parrots and such) and trees. What I didn't see in Costa Rica were flying foxes, which I have a tendency to refer to as "fruit bats" or "fox bats." A flying fox is a gigantic bat that feeds on fruits, especially lychees. They are considered a pest, but, gosh, are they incredible to watch! They're huge, maybe a foot-and-a-half long with a 2.5-foot wingspan. And they soar like birds, very graceful. They sleep hanging upside down in trees all day, and they they emerge in hoards when the sun starts to drop. That's when the farmers have to worry about the disappearance of their fruit crop!

I put in a good 55/60 km on Day 1, and I'm looking forward to a similar day tomorrow. I am excited about my new friends, the McConnells, and about the prospect of several weeks on the road making more new friends.

Stay tuned!

Nancy

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The last time I saw the sun was during the snorkelling cruise a few days ago. Rain or shine, I'm leaving tomorrow...

Journal and photo by Nancy Olson.

MY TRAILER ARRIVED! I test drove it, and it works like a breeze! I’m all set to go…if it ever stops raining…Did I mention it has been raining for three days? The snorkelling day was the last day of sunshine we have seen. We were lucky the sun held out for us until we finished out Barrier Reef excursion!

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

You'd cry, too, if the stupid airline put a gigantic dent in your bike frame! I've been told by my insurance company and by the airline that I will recive no compensation for this damage. I feel like a terrible mother, incapable of taking proper care of my precious bicycle. Sorry, Nick...Sorry, Santa Cruz...

Journal and photo by Nancy Olson.

I got a late start today, at about 9:30 a.m. I did my usual work on the Internet, and then I went to the mall to find some provisions, such as sunscreen and a camera battery. No luck with the camera, but a local battery shop did offer to charge it up for me, so I’ll be set until I run out of juice again. (I left my charger in the Land Rover, and the Land Rover is on a ship…)

I'm still crying about the dent in my Santa Cruz.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Wandering around in the rain in Cairns, I spied this sweeeeet old Land Rover. I want one!

Journal and photo by Nancy Olson.

Today, I went to the bike shop to see Vince at about 9 a.m. He had fixed my brake, and I thanked him profusely for it. Later, I went to the Internet café, again, to do some work on the Drive Around the World journal page.

Later, I watched “Along Came Polly”, with Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston, at the local theatre. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad, either. I love those two actors, so it was worth seeing. On the way to the theatre, I saw a cool old Land Rover.

When the movie was over, I did some route planning for my bike trip and decided I need a minimum of 23 days to travel the 1100 miles to Brisbane.

After that, it was dinner, more Internet, and than Dr. Doolittle on tv. I love going to bed early!

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Wally: the friendliest, most lovable fish on the entire 2000 kilometre stretch of The Great Barrier Reef. Wally loves scuba Divers, loves snorkellers, loves everybody! And he weighs about as much as YOU do!

Journal by Nancy Olson.

Today was a beautiful day for being out on the ocean. It was hot, but it was bright and sunny, and perfect for snorkelling. A bunch of backpackers and I had a diving cruise scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to celebrate the 23rd birthday of one of Leo’s employees, Kerrie.

We snorkelled on two reefs, and we had a nice lunch and some birthday cake. In the water, I practiced diving down as deep as I could go. I had to equalize the pressure in my ears by blowing out through my nose in a procedure known as “val-salva.” It keeps your ears from imploding, so to speak. I had a great time swimming around with the beautiful fishies and the brilliant reds, blues, yellows, and greens of the coral reef. I even found a sea turtle! I swam up to him, and he let me grab on to him for a brief moment before swimming off to another part of the reef. There was also a huge four-or-five-foot fish there named “Wally”, who was so friendly that you could pet him and give him hugs! Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is just an incredible national treasure, and it is impossible to describe how unbelievably beautiful the brightly colored fish and corals are! I found several bright-blue starfish, and one neon red one that looked like they must have been spray-painted with glitter paint! Unbelievable!

On the boat, I met a guy from Boston, and we swapped travellers’ stories until the boat docked back in Cairns harbour. Unfortunately, our boat docked too late for me to go mountain biking with Hayden!

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Leo's Retreat is the best budget hostel in Cairns, boasting tropical air-conditioned accommodation in the heart of the city. It has a swimming pool, pool table, internet, café, and a games/video/TV room. The original historical Queenslander building captures a friendly atmosphere almost like home, and the staff calls your by name!

Journal by Nancy Olson.

I was able to sleep until about eight this morning, which was a welcome improvement over yesterday’s 4:00 a.m.!

I put my bike together last night, so it was ready for sorting today. I went to the Laundromat and tried calling USAA (my insurance company) and Qantas this morning. Good luck with the laundry, but no luck with the bike problem.

Later, I ended up biking to a nearby shop, whereupon I discovered damage to my front brake pads and shoes. I was directed to Edge Bicycles, where Vince set about fixing the brake. He is the Santa Cruz dealer for Cairns.

I left the brake with him and went to my favorite Internet café, Global Gossip. There, a cool employee named Hayden admired my sweet Santa Cruz bike and invited me for a ride on some local trails. After my snorkelling excursion tomorrow, I’ll stop by to meet him at 4:30 for some trail riding.

I also finally reached USAA, and they said they’ll contact me about my claim. I have my fingers crossed.

Business settled, I went to the mall to waste time in the A/C.

Later, I showered, had a free dinner at Leo’s, and then went back to the mall for a movie, “Stuck on You”, with Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear. Not a bad flick!

I went to bed early after watching a little tv. The gang from Leo’s is meeting tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. for a snorkelling excursion to the Great Barrier Reef!

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The very "Aussie" decor of the living room of the Kangaroo Backpackers hostel in Sydney. Since I was the only one up at 4 a.m., I decided to snap some photos!

Journal and photo by Nancy Olson.

I woke up in the clothes I’d sat down in last night, when I’d intended to do some reading. The local time was four a.m., and I needed to use the bathroom. I had to go down four flights of stairs to the bathroom, so I was very awake by the time the toilet flushed. I watched a movie until 7:30 a.m. Adjusting to time changes is quite difficult!

I went out into the rain to find an Internet café and a map store. The map store was like AAA and requires a membership, and it didn’t have the maps I needed, anyway. It was getting late (10:00 a.m.), and I needed to get back to the hostel, change, and catch a taxi to the airport for my 1:30 flight to Cairns.

After waiting far too long for it to arrive, I finally met my taxi. I think the cabby was mad because I didn’t tip him, but he had a lot of nerve to be uppity about my bike box being a little bit cumbersome. So what if it doesn’t have any handles on it!

I had a nice flight with lots of television to keep me occupied. It was fun looking down and seeing the Great Barrier Reef on our approach. Eight dollars got me to Leo’s Budget Accommodations, where I was treated to an A/C, fridge, TV, and double bed for the price of the single I had reserved online at Bootsnall.com.

I love Leo’s. It is very clean and friendly, and the staff knows EVERYBODY’s name. They are awesome.

When I opened my bike box, I discovered a huge, heart-breaking ding in the top tube, just on top of the “B” logo. So sad! I’ll have to sort it out with Qantas and USAA tomorrow. Tonight, I had a free Leo’s dinner and enjoyed the luxury of my A/C and tv.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The International Date Line is an imaginary line on the earth's surface that approximately coincides with the 180th meridian (LONGITUDE), and separates the calendar date. Traveling east across the line takes the traveler back one day; traveling west takes the traveler forward one day. Without the date line, calendar confusion would result for the traveler. With the date line, Nancy lost an entire day when travelling to Australia from Argentina!

Journal by Nancy Olson

Today is Todd’s birthday. I woke up around mid-morning, and he and I headed out into the city of Buenos Aires for breakfast. His main mission was food; mine was finding an Internet café and a trailer for my bike tour.

We walked for 15 or 20 minutes before deciding on a place on Florida Street called “The American Café.” I mentioned that I was thinking of ordering a calzone, and Todd decided that sounded pretty good. They were about 14 pesos, though, and I decided to wait and get one at Speedy Pizza for 3 pesos. As it turns out, I ended up eating a slice of Todd’s crazy sausage-egg-cheese concoction (Boiled egg in a calzone? Honestly!). His “chico” was bigger than his head! It was big enough to feed three people, and the crust was heavenly!

Later, at the hotel, we hooked up with Nick and Chanda to depart by taxi to the house they had rented for the month. Todd and they are planning on working, while I’m planning to bike down the East Coast of Australia.

Once we had dropped our bags, we headed out to the streets to locate a bar for Todd’s birthday beer. Everything was closed, even at 4:00 p.m., so we went to the mall (Pacifico Mall) food court. Nick’s quesadilla was better than anything we’d eaten in Mexico—ask Chanda.

Later, something wonderful happened: Todd handed Chanda and me his ID and credit card and asked us to buy him some clothes that would be appealing to the ladies. We were personal shoppers! We labored for a couple of hours searching for the perfect items. In the end, we had two Mistral shirts, dark blue jeans, black shoes, and a button-down, black, short-sleeved shirt. Perfect! And all for under $100!

We found Nick and Todd in an Irish pub, and Todd put on the jeans, shoes, and black shirt. They fit like a dream, and he looked HOT! He was transformed. I feel so happy for him and his great new look.

After a beer, I had to rush back to the apartment to catch a cab to the airport. My flight was at midnight on Aerolineas Argentinas.

I had a pleasant ride to the airport, arriving with plenty of time to get my bike box wrapped in protective plastic, check my bags, have a gander at the duty-free shops, and board my flight, which had an intermediate stop in Aukland, New Zealand.

On the plane, I met a backpacker we had chatted with at Machu-Picchu! She was sitting just one aisle over. What a small world!

The flight was uneventful, with four wonderful movies that I slept right through. Just east of New Zealand, at about 12 noon Buenos Aires time and four a.m. New Zealand time, we crossed the International Date Line. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, we lost Monday entirely. I lost an entire day! I reset my watch for the 24th, and we just sort of skipped out on the 23rd.

Thirteen hours after take-off, we touched down in Aukland for an hour layover. After that, it was just a 3.5-hour hop over to Sydney. I passed through customs quickly and started calling hostels. It was 9:30 a.m.

I ended up at Kangaroo Backpackers in Surry Hills. I set out to find “Cheeky Monkey Multisport”, finally arriving by bus and purchasing cycle shorts and a jersey from nice shop-owner Adam. I’m out of luck for finding a bike trailer, though, so I resorted to ordering one online. I also booked a flight to Cairns and reserved a hostel room there.

I had some wonderful Indian curry and nan (bread) for dinner and went to bed early. Actually, I fell asleep in my clothes while reading my Lonely Planet Australia guidebook.

Tomorrow: Cairns!

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.