Having abandoned the idea of trying for a BB2500k IBA ride today I was off for a sub 1500k ride on my Harley-Davidson® Road King® from Darwin to Alice Springs. So I was up at 3.30am, had the obligatory oats, sultanas and nuts for breakfast in my room and set about packing the bike. Once done I rode from the carpark to the front of the Medina, checked out and was happy the night staff agreed to sign my witness forms. Then a quick trip up the street to the United Service station to fill the tank and the jerry can with a start docket time of 5.02am.
So out of Darwin in the dark I rode and I soon enough found myself in the 130kph zone but going a little slower than that for two reasons, animals (cows) and fuel management. I needed to make sure I got to Katherine without having to waste time topping up out of the jerry. Less than three hours later I rode into Katherine, the 24 hour BP was still out of PULP, but the Shell was thankfully open.
After a quick stop I kept heading south planning to ride until empty, filling from the jerry and heading to Elliott to fill up. I made it to Daly Waters on fumes and pulled into the service centre that was packed with early morning grey nomads. I parked my Road King out of the way, used the facilities and filled from the jerry can anyway because the fuel in it was cheaper. Unfortunately my helmet took a dive here and landed square on my Sena SMH10 smashing the helmet clip, so I had to resign myself to completing the ride with a silent GPS, no hands free phone and no music. The latter not really anything more than a missed opportunity but the GPS was obviously the biggest loss, "Turn left in 2135 Kilometres".
The next leg to Elliott was uneventful and I was making good time. Another quick refuel keeping an eye on the Harley-Davidson due to the number of locals that always seem to just hang around. I also needed an energy hit so I broke with tradition and grabbed a Cherry Ripe out do the fridge and wolfed it down with some warm water out of the pannier.
Riding further south through Three Ways I nearly stopped to take a photo at the road sign pointing the way to MT Isa but continued to Tennant Creek where I refueled. Never mind, I'll get the photo next time. Tennant Creek was much more sedate in the day time so I took 15 minutes to relax, have a rest and a chat to the staff in the servo.
I knew I needed one more fuel stop before Alice Springs and distance wise the obvious choice would be Ti Tree, however after my night time experience there last week there was no way I was pulling in there, so I stopped in a rest area that put me within range of Darwin on a full tank and filled from the Jerry. Ti Tree was quiet and deserted on the way past, I left it that way.
I was still making really good time, it was still light so I took some snaps of the Devil's Marbles and some interesting hills near Barrow Creek. I arrived in Alice Springs not long after dark, filled the Harley-Davidson and the jerry can and found the Desert Palms resort that had been recommended to me by one of the local FarRiders, coldcomfort. The accommodation was away from the chaos of the main streets and had a code access security gate at night, nice and safe parking for the Road King
I called coldcomfort who'd offered to share a beer or two and as it turned out had organised some dinner for me at his home. I was grateful for the lift to his place, the food and the company, notebable because prior to tonight I'd never met him. One of the marvelous things about sharing an interest in motorcycling. Coldy dropped me back at the Desert Palms and after lining things up for a quick exit in the morning I set my alarm and crashed.
Links:
Spotwalla Map of whole ride
Day 2: Alice Springs to Broken Hill
Day 3: Broken Hill - Home
