 |
|
All funds raised during my ride across Australia went to either the Australian or New Zealand Heart Foundation depending on the donor’s wish.
It was a thrill to be named Best Individual Fund-raiser for 2011 by the Queensland Branch of the Australian Heart Foundation.
Special thanks to EVERYONE who supported my ride.
It was a thrill to be named Best Individual Fund-raiser for 2011 by the Queensland Branch of the Australian Heart Foundation.
Special thanks to EVERYONE who supported my ride.
Day 34 - May 3rd, 2011
REST DAY
NARRABRI - NEW SOUTH WALES
REST DAY
NARRABRI - NEW SOUTH WALES
Narrabri – Rest Day
I was determined that today would be a quiet one!! Pat was off to a game of bowls at Narrabri Bowling Club at 8:30 am, so I went up to the Bowls Club with her in the van, and while she played bowls, I wandered back down the main street and enjoyed this very pleasant town. A few things struck me – there are some very nice buildings in Narrabri – there is a pretty bumpy main road in Narrabri – there is a fabulous bakery in Narrabri – this is a NSW town yet they don’t do reverse in 45 degree angle parking in Narrabri, the Coles Supermarket is an ugly building!!
Pat likes it as a town – there is only one main street, she doesn’t get lost!!
After bowls, Pat did a couple of loads of washing, and the day was warm enough that it all got dried before the chilliness of late afternoon sets in!!
We decided to attend to the bike before lunch – just as well we didn’t leave it any later!!!! My “bike technician” decided to “retire” the rear tyre, move the front tyre to the back, and put a new tyre on the front. Meanwhile I dirtied my hands cleaning the chain.
All went well, until we tried to pump the swapped around / replaced tyres up, when for some reason – my bike pump started to splutter and stammer and belch air out from where it shouldn’t, and I couldn’t get beyond 60 psi of pressure pumped into them (100 psi was what I was after).
Now what to do!!!! Couldn’t believe it, everything had been working well, why would the pump splutter out now????? Where could we get help??????
Fortunately "Shane" had contacted me via my website hoping to ride some of the way with me between “Coona” and Narrabri, even though he lived at Wee Waa (great place names aren’t they!!) – so – a quick call to Shane for help!!! He gave 3 options – “Sports Power”, a local gym that is also a bike agency, and then a fellow biking enthusiast who worked here in Narrabri.
We took the much blasphemed pump into Sports Power – whose owner “Tony” took up the challenge to get the beast working!! Tony told us he had three dreams as he was growing up – one was to be a farmer, another to own a sports shop, and the third to be a sports commentator!! To date he has fulfilled 2 of those – a successful grain, sheep and cattle farmer, now a sports shop owner – and while not a sports commentator yet – he certainly has had a very creditable cricket career with NSW country in his day!!
As well – he obviously was a man determined to get to the bottom of a problem and fix it – slowly but surely, he used a process of elimination to identify where the problem with my pump was – and fixed it. I don’t think many others would have been so thorough!!!! To top it off – when he heard what I was doing – he made no charge for all his hard work!!!!! What a great bloke – it certainly sees us on our way feeling more comfortable!!
And then a txt later with Shane offering to lend me his pump for the rest of the journey if I hadn't been able to get it fixed - people are so helpful!!!!
The extra time taken attending to the bike pump meant we didn’t make it to see the giant telescope, or around the cotton centre – but I am very certain it won’t be the last time I will be in Narrabri – the race-course here looks like an appealing venue to attend a country meeting at in the future!!
A tally tonight, shows I have biked 3886.36 kms – I reckon about 700 kms to go – I am starting to get that “nearly home” feeling!!! There is now only one more week to go – but 700 kms will still take some pedalling!!!
 Pat in action with her Drake's Pride International bowls at Narrabri. |
 Narrabri Bowling Club - 3 rinks, very nice club!! |
 Coles Narrabri - sorry guys - but how did a building as ugly as this get to be built in the main street????? |
 Pretty shop - and food to die for!! |
 The very attractive Westpac bank |
 Narrabri Post Office |
 The main street of Narrabri |
 Narrabri camp site - by a wishing well! |
 The bulging tyre - that got replaced - doesn't look as bad in the photo!! |
'If I can bicycle, I will bicycle' Sir David Attenborough
