Day 9 – 7/4/13
All Good. I am still happy on The Bike!
But the very strong wind against us stays the same. We made it until Tennant Creek..

Day 10 – 8/4/13
My motivation of the day was the idea, that we would arrive at the Devil’ s Marbels. Great round stones perfectly balanced on each other. I thought that it was one of the places where my favorite Australian television programme, called “ocean girl”, was filmed. Watching that as a child probably planted my dream of visiting Australia. Before reaching this magic stones 110km of straight highway waited for us. At the horizon the street faded away as ending into water. Left and right nothing but red soil, little green yellow bushes and once in a while a tree. Cars get more seldom, maybe every 10 minutes! My strategy: No more thinking about kilometers, just keep looking around, think about other people’s and my life and wait for the “fatamogana”. Suddenly I saw one: 4 Japanese on the bicycles going norths
Reaching this stone formations was spectacular, and we could camp right next to them..Marc was angry with the wind..I was happy with my stones and a sky full of stars.

Day 11 – 9/4/13
We were lucky, that none of these giant stones started to roll at night, so we could continue our journey through the desert. No change of wind, no change of Marc’s mood. To keep my motivation alive I just appreciated that it wasn’t so hot because of the strong wind. 88 km we made till our rest place. No more fatamoganas, but a increased amount of aggressive flies. You would laugh if you could see us walking around like Imker, with a net around the head. I did so too (at first).

Day 12 – 10/4/13
On every rest place we come there are fire places. We never used them before. Cooking on the gas cooker was almost impossible due to the strong wind. This morning we tried. I am pretty untrained in this basic survival skill. Long time to cook porridge..maybe also because we put some magic in the fire to change the wind. It even worked right away! For the first time the wind wasn’t against us. What a difference! Was it Magic or was it just the way that leaded us more west??! Anyway a hot day, I could really feel that the sun is a very big fireball. The nature gets more and more drier. I liked the light green grass which looked like big “moos bueschel” and white trees with very green leaves. Kind of eucalyptus tree. Sometimes these trees are black with no leaves. A nice surprise was our short meeting with Hans and Luise. A dutch couple from Nijmegen stopping at the side of the road to offer us water. They could be my parents. Never ride a camper without having a full thermosbottle with tea in the backhand. We got some, some food too and the best apple I have eaten since leaving Germany. We made 112 km constantly attacked by flies, which even while riding try to get under my sunglasses. Seccond cooking trial on the fire worked well. Even my rice.
On these free rest places where we camp are most of the times toilets and water, but no showers! No problem for me, I learned Mandi style! Useful even outdoors in Australian nomansland!

Day 13 – 11/4/13
I arranged our way so we would arrive on my birthday in Alice Springs. It meant that we had a pretty long way to go the other days. In the morning we passed Ti-Tree, with the shortname on the signs, same like me when I was younger TT. No change in the endlessness of the outback, the linear straight road and the headwind. Marc said cycling against the wind is like climbing a mountain all time. So what a good alpine training for me. Annoyed by the millions of flies we put the klamboe for a peaceful lunch with bread and baked beans. Followed by a power nap, a bit too long. 55 km we still had to go around 4pm. We could only have stopped a side the road. Camping in the wilderness accompanied by the harmless australian wildlife. A new experience sunset while pedaling. Continued by pedaling in the dark with no lights. The first stars I saw was the southern cross, leading us on our straight way. We arrived finally and happy to be identified welcoming by the German couple we met 5 days ago. Marco and Vezire.

Day 14 – 12/4/13

Waking up on my birthday in the desert is special and people who are enlighten a fire for you instead of candles , too. Nice to have such good company that morning with the two Germans and the French couple Amandine and Romain. My birthday wish for back wind didn’t complete..the last 105km waited for us with headwind.
Sitting on the red soil under a tree on a truck parking place for a short rest, renewing energies with some last crackers, my skin fully salted by the sweat and observing how a big termite transporting some crumbs in turbo speed away, make me suddenly realize that these moments of this simple rhythmic life of cycling, eating and sleeping are so unique. Arriving in Alice Springs was for 14 days my major thought. As our travel started with a lot of hills it ended so. Only this time it looked like the southern part of France close to the Pyrenees. Marc agreed. Arriving finally did less to me than I thought. Maybe because only I was finished, Marc is only halfway on his way through Australia. Anyway it was my biggest birthday present! Followed by: Being able to recharge my mobile phone. Receiving so many nice birthday wishes made me very happy! Thank you! Sentimental too. Realizing how much I actually miss you!!