Day 127 The Finish Line.

Day 127 was going to be different than all the other days as it was going to be the last and final day of the trip and enable me to bring closure to my fantastic cycling adventure that i have enjoyed with you guys from the start to the finish. After Yern and Sharon took care of me the night before and the following  morning , Yern and I headed off to the Sorrento beach car park where we where joined by about 14 other riders to ride the last 10kms of the 15000kms to complete the Memorial ride in honour of Jim . On arriving at 1`pm we where greeted by about 25 people and  handshakes, hugs and kisses where going off, and i felt like a super star for a few minutes until it gradually subsided. But wait there's more, like  true good card players they left the best card to the very last and produced the JOKER, all the way from Mildura.Victoria. That's right folks , the greatest blogger the world has seen, Linds, had travelled all the way over to witness the final day and ride alongside his great Uncle. I was truly moved by the effort.

Lindsay and I enjoying a Champers  at Sorrento Beach

The plan was simple enough to ride together but even the simplest plans go haywire and this did. We had riders breaking away from the main group as though it was a race to the finish line (Shane)  and others who  just wanted to see how far they could fall behind.

Some of the guys greeting me and trying to touch me.lol

Doc and Grace trying to work out how to get on their  bikes.

The race is on with Clayton a nose in front and Joel trying to get in my slip stream.

Riding toward home was an effortless exercise as i knew the end was near and  coming over the crest of the last hill i could see more people congregating around the front of my home so they  could clap us as we entered  through the gate.  Around the back of the house we went to the finish line where streamers where strung across two blown up Kangaroos by Joy, and we bunched up for a photo before i could not take it anymore and broke through like a true champion.lol

Home at last.

The effort that Joy went to provide a welcoming home party exceeded all my expectations. Tea, coffee, cup cakes and Pats scones with jam and cream created a nice relaxed atmosphere.

Special  "Aroundthepaddock" cup cakes 

A nice Welcome home banner was also hung above my back door...

Soon after arriving and attacking Joy, I deciced to get my speech out of the way to thank everybody for riding and coming along to celebrate the occasion.

Hello ....do i know you.

After the slightly emotional speech , Joy presented me with a very special gift  on behalf of everybody and a caricature picture.

A commemorative plaque in recognition of my achievement, dedicated to Jim Kelly 

On a final note, it was a fantastic home coming for me, celebrating with family and friends all enjoying ourselves together. It was just a shame that so many people who contributed to make the trip a  success couldn't attend but rest assured you were in my thoughts.

I really don't know how to end this other than to leave you with a couple of happy snaps.

And to my favorite fan club, the kids for their lovely congratulation cards.Fantastic effort with all the writing and pictures.Thankyou.

As  Jim Kelly said, you're not a man until you've been around the paddock....well, i'm now a man.lol

Day 126 .Thank you everybody.

SPECIAL " THANK YOU " EDITION.

Thank you to the people who welcomed me into there homes and supported me on my trip.

Well I've been dreading to start to write this as i know its going to be a huge job to thank everybody who helped me cycle around this big Country of ours. It was supposed to be unsupported but I'm afraid i can't really say that i had no support. To start, let me start by thanking the people who welcomed me into there homes and looked after me when i visited there area.
My school mate Brian from Mylup near Bunbury who fed Yern and myself and provided  beds for the two of us on the first night, thanks buddy.

Big Brian

And my sisters friend (Jackie), Pam in Esperance who i had never met before but treated me like i had known her all my life and got me back on my feet with a luxury two day break when i really needed it. Left with presents of food flowing out of my panniers. Unbelievable Pam and thanks.

Life saver Pam.

Over and up to Sydney where Tony, Jen, Jack and Elle took me under there wing after one look at me and fed me and let me just relax like a sloth to recover for a couple of days. Thanks guys and good to catch up.

Tony,Jen,Jack,Elle,Scout and me.

Then up to Brisbane where Jim had organised Jeanette and Pietro to bring me back to life after losing 17kg somewhere along the road. Pietro who i had never met before thrilled me with his experiences in the body building world and was responsible for getting me back on track with stabilising my weight again. Thanks guys, Jim would of loved to of been around to see that he was the main instigator of the visit.

Jeanette and Pietro

Mackay was a big one, being met by Greg 20km before the town because he was so excited to see me and then having to be dropped off South of the town on my departure to the North . Made us both laugh . Kate and Greg turned it on as though there was no tomorrow. Cooking and entertaining me no end with scenic tours of Mackay. Greg helping me with my bike and sneaking food parcels in my panniers without me knowing and i finding them days later. Legends.

Greg and Kate

Up to Mossvale near Cairns to my sisters house, Deborah and Steve who looked after me like there own brother. Steve never stopped pampering me and cooked the whole time. Tours of Mossvale and Cairns, to bike shops and haircuts where not a problem. Deborah supplied me with more ointments and creams known to man over the three day period for some minor problems which i won't go into. Well done guys.

Steve and Deb.

And the lucky last is Kathy from Jurien Bay who was the only person on the whole trip to offer me a place to stay who i had never met before or new anyone i knew. True to her word she welcomed me in to her home and supplied a nice bed and a warm shower and without a fuss cooked dinner and breakfast . Good country girl.

Kathy and Lady.

Thank you to the people who blogged and commented to keep me sane and focused.

To everybody who contributed to the comment section of the blog, i salute you. Without the support of the blog comments it would of been like playing a sporting match with no supporters attending and expect the players to play at there best. Impossible. To ride around Australia and blog as you go does take a bit  of effort so the more people who got involved and enjoyed it made it easier for me and was more than happy to do it.

Without getting into too small a detail about thanking anything that moved , i am going to have to thank some very special people.

Linds, Jude, Bluce, Monica, Tim, Doc, Jackie, Grace, Frz's, Jono, Kate, Joy, Yern, Sharon,Lorraine, Joe, Carrie, Dave, Mick, Mike, Cindy,Toni, Glenda, Andrea, John.(F.C), Kelvin, Deano, Symsy, Selwyn, Mary, Colleen(Mildura) ,Daniel T, John A, Sue A,  Jeanette, Pietro, Dan J, Shane K, Louise, Meg, Brendon,  J.S. Colleen (Horsham Gang) ,Les, Pya, Tanya Du Leeuw, Dan, Tina, Mick, Pam, Stevie B, Sylvia, Simon, Megan, Georgia, Rat, Mel,Waldek, Barbie, Pete, Keith.E, Tom, Navy Steve, Heino, Patrina, Derek,  Alan, Aasta, Savanna, Breeanna, Annabell,Hannah, Luke, Jacob, Zachari, Krysteele, Xavier, Tyler, Blake, Nacinta, Peter ( Monica's dad )The Hazzas.
Also i would like to thank the guys who came and saw me off on the morning  i left, (5.30am) , J.S, Clayton, Ryan, Brian, Pete, Nah and Grant.

And a special mention of all the people who joined in over the course of the ride to join in and ride with me, Yern , Nah, Grant, Monica and her dad Peter.

Thanks to the behind the scenes workers

Pat and Joy phoning all the time and holding the fort while i was away and taking care of Pearl . Also Jackie for paying any of my bills which came in while i was away, and with the help of Doc, sending  money orders through when i was in a jam over credit cards and needed cash.
One more important guy to be thanked is Joe P for buying a new bike light and getting it to the Truckie's , Mick and Daryn to make the delivery on time on the nullabor.

And last but most important of all  thanks to the man himself who inspired me all the way, may he R.I.P

Jim Kelly's holiday home only.

AWARDS

I'm afraid no awards can be given for the best or most bloggs or acts of kindness to anybody,as you are in my eyes, all equal winners.

Unfortunately this is as much as i can do until i can personally thank you guys again when i see you.......... and as Dean Martin said to Jerry Lewis after the last show (blog) of a  twenty year partnership ..."Thanks for the ride."..and then  hardly spoke again to each other in there lives. lol

P.S. One more bloggy tomorrow at the finish line with photo's to wrap up this epic once and for all.

Bye for now,

Grant and Jim.........missing you already.

Day 125

Day 125 was the day i was going to make a dash for Perth until i woke to that farmiliar howling cold Southerly wind that Ledge point is renowned for. Decided to stay that extra day i have up my sleave and hope the wind calms down a bit. Besides not really many places to stay from now to Perth so i will just kick back and carb up.

Saturday morning i will head off towards Perth and I ended up making a decision of ringing Robin on the Bat phone to ask if the Bat cave is O.K. to spend Saturday night there. He got excited and said that he would put the special black satin sheets on the bed and run a hot bubble bath for me. So Saturday guys if you follow the bread crumbs you will no where the secret bat cave is and reveal who  Robin is.
Also i left Robin with a little quiz by asking if the Answer is "Cock Robin" ,what is the question?. If anybody knows the question let me know,if not, Robin should know by Sunday morning .

Hang on ,all of a sudden theres a knock at the door of my room. It's Joe Peci all the way from Perth, 100kms . I knew i should of turned that "tracker" off. Well thats the end of my holiday folks. lol.

Until tomorrow,

Take care,

Batboy.

Day 121,122, 123 and 124

Day 121 was a visit  to I.G.A at Northampton before leaving . Not knowing how far i would be riding today as  its all becoming a big blur of working out where i should be in relation to the time i have left. My theory is just to ride and it will work itself out later. I ended up getting 30kms from Dongara and staying at a caravan park called "S Bend" at Grenough. Wasn't too impressed with the shop shutting at 6pm and the room was a dump. Still threes always the tent, no don't do it to me, Ive had enough.lol

Day 122 was a ride to Dongara and then finishing at Leeman. Met another cyclist riding up to Exmouth. His name was Travis and is a sales manager for a house builder and is 46 years old and looked keen to enjoy the adventure. He was the first bike rider who actually had a C.B. Transmitter to listen to the truckies or caravan people. I told him that he was a snoop and he couldn't stop laughing. We spoke for quite a while as we both were interested in what each of us where doing.

Big Travis,  keen as mustard off to Exmouth.

Ended up at the Leeman caravan park and booked a room and had a good nights sleep as these parks are not busy ,which means no noise , because everybody is up North chasing the sun.

Day 123 was a radio interview with a small radio station to talk about the trip and give the ride on Sunday a plug.lol. Went O.K. i think but i don't know anybody who listened to it to find out for sure. From there headed to Jurian Bay to find my new friend, Kathy, who offered a nights stay at her house when we stayed at the same road house a couple of weeks earlier . She welcomed me in and cooked a nice meal that night and breakfast in the morning. A top lady you just don't meet too often , and at 75years old is good fun and loves the North. Good country girl from Moora.

Kathy, happy go lucky.

This  is  Kathy's dog , Lady, a  Pedigree  Golden Labrador puppy.

Day 124  I left Kathy's place and ended up at  Ledge point and booked into a studio room to chill out and now ponder how I'm going to fit 2.5 days into 100kms? Still I'd rather have this predicament than not having enough time on my side to arrive on time. With the leg still playing up and the unpredictable Southerly winds around here I'm happy where I'm situated at the moment.

Right to the end ,ah Linds. Jurian Bay.

This is where i have to concentrate and stay safe being soooooo close.

Hoo Roo, Don't forget about the extra special blog this Saturday.

Grant.

day 118,119 & 120

Day 118 was the day i left the Carnavon Gateway Hotel and proceeded to I.G.A (8 o'clock open ) for a food supply stock up and then off to Wooramel R/H some 120kms away. After reaching there and still having a bit of time and energy left in me i decided to pedal till i had enough and camp where ever. About 15 km out, a car stopped on the other side of the road and  a guy got out and waved me over to come to his car and i thought, here we go. But all was good, it was Leon and his clan offering me oranges and a cold drink. Even tried to give me some sap ,or lollie as he called it but Tina said that it would give me the shits if your not used to it. (could of done with it a few days before) Leon was expressing how much he admired me riding a push bike around and just was overwhelmed with it all. Leon Galby and his Partner Tara are from the Wooramel/Carnavon area along with Tara's sister in law Tina. I rode off thinking ,now theres a bunch of guys who are living life and getting on with it.

Tara with big Leon and the kids with me on the end..

Tina posing with me.

Kept going a little while longer and came across a scenic lookout rest stop, so that will do me for the night i thought. Rode up and camped next to a nice Dutch couple camping out of there car, Kirsten and Rutger. Both 29yrs old and have been in Australia for 18 months travelling and said that there favourite spot was  Kakadu because it was like a summary of Australia all in one spot. They only have one week to go and there off back home. Very pleasant to talk to and to spend some time with.

Rutger and his darling Kirsten.

Me standing on the hill lookout

Also on the scenic hill was a gathering of gnomes with names written on them representing peoples spirits who had died over the years and placed to look out over the  view.

Back view of the guys looking over toward Shark Bay.

Happy buggers.

DAY 119 started with packing up my tent and saying goodbye to the Dutch couple and heading to the Overlander R/H. On my way though i was stopped by Laurel and Brian who i had met the day before at  Wooramel R/H and they gave me a frozen pasta dinner and invited me into there mobile home for a cold orange juice. Brian is 84 and Laurel is 80 but both in good health. Brian used to run marathons and i think was right up there with the big boys after listening to him. He was genuinely impressed with my bike ride which i was happy to hear  coming from him. Great people, and to be getting around like that together all the way from Victoria is fantastic.

Brian and Laurel beside there motor home

Continued onto the Overlander R/H and then onto the Billabong R/H. Still with time and energy did another 45kms into the dark to a 24hr rest area and set up my tent and had that beautiful pasta dish Laurel gave me and then retired to bed.
Day 120 was going to be a  long ride to Binnu R/H and off i went excited as i knew Dean, my plumbing mate was going to be on the road driving to Shark Bay and we would be catching up with each other somewhere. Sure enough there he was with his best mate , Flavio driving and Deano asleep.

Deano on the left who was supposed to be keeping an eye out  for me , has just woken from a deep sleep.

Flavio , Deans personal driver posing for the blog and me too.

Next port of call, Binnu R/H. And typical when i get there their shut (Sunday)so i have to keep going to Northampton other wise i will have to ration the five pieces of bread i have left for the whole afternoon and night before they open in the morning. Another 37kms on and i finally find humans and buildings which accommodate people. So i booked myself in to the so called Motel here and it started to pour down with rain Had my standard counter meal and was told by the cook after ordering soup ,steak and sticky date pudding i have a big appetite. I wonder why i thought.
Well for your information everybody, i have 477 kms to go and 6.5 days to do it in which equates to 73.3kms per day.Nice to have only that to do as bad weather is on its way. I also have swollen leg at the bottom of my shin (left) above the foot which has come out of nowhere. Maybe it  could of been a spider bite.Voltaren cream doesn't do anything. But don't worry the 19th is the day and i will now let you know the programme
1. Meet at the Sorrento car park 12.45pm for stretching and warm up lead by Doc and Jackie in Lycra.
2. I arrive with Yern 12.55pm and exchange handshakes, hugs and tears of JOY.
3.  1pm we take off at a pace Grace can manage and smile at everybody as though we are enjoying it.
4.  We arrive at Pearl Headquarters around 6pm, no make that 2.30pm and collapse on the back lawn as though it hurt.
5. We exchange more handshakes and hugs with the bastards who didn't ride and listen to them pump my tyres up and hear all the excuses why they couldn't ride ,enough by 4pm
6.  Presentation of awards,such as best Blogger and best Host on the trip plus special mention of the sponsors..5MIN (Bruce ,Linds, Cyclops, Jackie ,Doc ,Frz ,Jono etc etc ,I wonder!!!
7.  Speeches by myself and anybody else who likes the sound of there own voice.55min
8. Wrapped up by 5pm and everybody out ,because Pearl and i are going to bed for a 12 hour spooning and squeezing session:-)

Don't forget everybody and anybody is invited to the cycling extravaganza and welcome back for a coffee and one biscuit. Lets make Jim proud one more time.

I'm finally flying with the Eagles.

This  Govt thinks of everything, even roadside power stations.

With the wild flowers blooming we shall now call the North West Coastal Highway the "Jim Kelly Memorial Drive.'

Bye for now,
Grant