June 30: Not Bored On The Nullarbor
As I planned my route west along the Nullarbor Plain for today’s ride, I wasn’t sure how I would end up responding to what has been described as a several hundred mile arid, flat, almost treeless straight road with severe weather conditions. But I found myself enchanted from my first few miles in early morning fog until the end of day with the sun casting a pink and orange glow over the trees in the distance.
Leaving the Nundroo Hotel Motel, a remote outpost with a combination service station, café, and budge motel, I pulled out of the dirt parking lot in the early morning hours. A thick blanket of mist hovered over the ground, its white color standing in stark contrast to the bright orange dirt and green leafed trees on the sides of the road, creating a magical sense of solitude.
Riding the Eyre highway with the Great Victoria Desert to the north and the Great Australian Bight Coast to the south, I spent most of my time alone on the road, freeing myself up to sing, think thoughts of gratitude, and pray for loved ones. I was especially grateful that the fierce sidewinds common to this area were relatively mild today.
After traveling for an hour and a half, I turned south towards the Head of Bight Lookout. I parked and hiked down the wood boardwalk to feast on the spectacular ocean views – sharp vertical orange and brown rocky cliffs jutting out of the turquoise and cobalt blue waters, frothy white waves crashing against the stones and ledges, and off to my left, a stunning light pink and gray sand beach.
Continuing west after returning to my bike, I passed several warning signs alerting drivers to keep an eye out for wild camels, kangaroos, and wombats. Although I heeded the warnings and monitored my speed carefully, I couldn’t help chuckling at how different these signs were from the ones back home.
I gassed up in Border Village and stopped for the fruit inspection when leaving Southern Australia and heading into Western Australia. The female inspector was quite friendly and asked several questions about my Oregon license plate and my riding escapades.
As my ride neared its end, the setting sun created a glorious pink and orange tint in the light blue sky, settling over the tops of thousands of eucalyptus trees with tall leafy branches stretching proudly upwards. The tableau reminded me of some of the stunning scenes from the Lion King movie of vast stretches of beautiful land undisturbed by human inhabitants. I hummed the song “Circle of Life” in my head while chuckling at my good fortune. What a great day on the bike.
