A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Century...

OR, "Pride Comes Before The Roadworks"

Tom is asleep, so I will get my version of the story out to the masses before he wakes. Don't beleive a word he types.

Our story begins with us heading from Cloncurry to Burke and Wills Roadhouse, to sample their famous crumbed steak once again. So far, so good. We then bent west along the road to Gregory Downs Roadhouse, past Augustus Downs where my bro used to work... also so good. We then embarked on the last 100km or so of dirt road in to Century Zinc. I was zipping along, eating Tom's dust as usual, when the road turned from a happy road into an angry road. Great piles of gravel loomed threateningly on either side, but the trusty BMW's kept us going through ruts and corrugations. Roadworks ahead, time to back off, thinks I.

Then, I swear, I was hit by a nasty crosswind. Two days before I had giggled into my helmet as I saw Tom slowly blown off the road into a spoon drain, today karma got me.

The sidewind blew my bike about a foot to the right, straight into the windrow of gravel. It chewed me up like an unwanted mintie, and spat the bike out, heading in a different direction to my planned one, and into another windrow. At this point the famous fishtail effect came into play, and I ate it. So far, so bad.

The bike came down mainly on the crash bar, and panniers, and I went face first into the surprisingly soft pile of gravel. No injury, not a scratch - you won't be seeing me today Doctor Dan. The once proud profile of my Beemer is now a sorry sight, minus the nose cone, broken mirror, wrecked handlebar guard, scratches all over the RHS, brake resevior scratched and weeping fluid.... etc.

A bloke pulled up, turns out he knew who we were, had seen us at Dawson mine in Moura. Dammit, the story is out. He lent me some gaffer tape and I set to putting the bike back together, sort of. The bike started - yay. I then rode it rather gingerly the next 40km or so to Century, all intact except pride.

Jodie at Century did a wonderful job organising our stay - we had a band in our honour in the wet mess, and the guys at Century all chipped in, with the evening raising $514 for the RFDS, none of which was spent on airlifting me out thankfully.

Thanks to Jodie and the Century boys and girls, and all who pulled over and resisted laughing at me until they drove away.