Friday, May 1, 2015

1 May - Day 5 - Into the Eye of the Storm

We left Goondiwindi at 7:30 this morning. After fuelling we decided to skip breakfast and get a head start hoping to minimise the effect of the storms forecast for SE Queensland. Unfortunately due to a mix up in the navigation instructions we headed off in the wrong direction and rode nearly 200km before we realised we were now 200km further from our destination, not closer. Given the conditions, rain and wind, and the extra distance that needed to be covered it seemed unlikely we would reach our destination of Maroochydore tonight. At every fuel stop people were amazed we were riding and when we told them where we were going it seemed the weather was going to get a lot worse. We had no choice but to ride stopping only for fuel every 200km, and when we refuelled at Dalby, it seemed that we might still make it.
By 4pm most of the daylight was gone and we were riding on roads which were completely surrounded by water on all sides. Stopping was not an option - no shelter and a real chance of being caught in a flood. The photo above (not mine) captures a little of what our conditions were like although not as sunny.
By the time we reached Toowoomba, it became clear that we were not going to get to the Sunshine Coast and changed our attention to finding a motel which could accommodate the whole group. Fortunately we managed to do so quickly and at the moment we are all busy drying out our gear. Not sure what tomorrow will bring. The forecast doesn't look good but we're hopeful of reaching our destination tomorrow morning.

This radar map shows what we are dealing with. We're right in the middle of it.



Total Distance 602km

4 comments:

  1. What would a good trip be without the occasional adventure... riding in torrential rains with the threat of flooding... high winds or torching heat... isn't that why we ride... ;-)

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    Replies
    1. I must admit that I actually enjoyed it for a while. As you say it is part of the experience. In this case though it has trashed an event which many people have spent a long time organising. Hopefully we can salvage some of it tomorrow and Sunday.

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  2. 200kms in the wrong direction, wow thats bad. Hope the culprit got an uppercut for that gaff.
    Still beats working though.

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  3. Hope the event gets salvaged. I don't mind the occasional 'gully washer' when riding, but it does get old fast.

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