My response:

Dear NRMA,
Your promise to “seek assurances from the Australian Government that the Carbon Tax would not force up the cost of fuel” is absolutely ridiculous! I’m a member and I strongly object to any attempt by the NRMA to campaign against what will be a minuscule rise in petrol prices. You are also ignorant of the current proposal to more than adequately compensate low income earners for any increase caused by such a price on CO2 emissions. For you to ignore this and insist that petrol prices remain the same is attempting to negate any benefit of such a policy.

I didn’t see the survey to take part in it, but rest assured if you do go down this path you will not get another year of membership out of me. I don’t want to belong to and fund any organisation that digs in on climate action, I’ve got a reliable enough vehicle that I don’t need your services.

Where was the NRMA voicing its concern on the gulf war when it resulted in a massive increase in petrol prices? The whole idea of a price on emissions is to drive (no pun intended) people toward less polluting ways.. How does that happen if you succeed and the CO2 price is matched by a reduction in other taxes. The poor/low income earners will be compensated, so you’re going in to bat for people who can well afford any small increase in petrol prices.

How about you lobby the petrol companies as they seem to have forgotten that our dollar is up and that the hikes they jacked up during the last instability in oil prices seem to have stayed high.

The NRMA should be exercising some social conscience and supporting the price on CO2 emissions, something which excessive car use and failure to invest in public transport, electric cars etc.

Arguing that price at the petrol pump is the only thing that matters is the trademark of a sociopath. It’d be like going back a few decades and arguing that removing lead from petrol was too expensive and that kids getting lead poisoning wasn’t an important factor. Transport emissions are a significant slice of the overall green house emissions and you are arguing that they be ignored.

A bit of advice: take your feigned outrage over a tiny rise in petrol prices and instead use your lobbying effort to campaign for charging stations, commitment to electric vehicle research and roll out.

To argue for the govt to make sure it reduces tax by exactly the same amount that the CO2 price puts on is missing the whole point. Yes, it will cost more, that’s so that people reduce their emissions to keep their costs down. Low income earners will be compensated, so you aren’t doing this for poor people who can’t afford it.

Perhaps spend the time to look at what you’re asking and to consider the environment a bit more. You seem to be pushing for some good quality greener outcomes elsewhere, so just try a bit of consistency. The CO2 price/tax/whatever rise is nothing compared to the middle eastern oil price rises.
If we can get on to electric: we can rely on Australian sunshine rather than scamming oil company petrol prices.

regards,
Nathan Lee

I would urge other members to tell NRMA what you think of their attempts to sabotage action on climate change in this way. Reduction in emissions from driving would also reduce a slew of other pollution that our obsession with cars has given us. We need to move to electric cars, widespread public transport (filling existing black hole areas and people getting out of cars) and fund renewable energy. The NRMA demanding petrol be taken out of the equation is not helping any of that.

The boys even got to rock-nerd it up (geologists). Was fairly well roasted and a little bit sunburnt on the neck by the time the day was done. Think future trips over the summer will be down south as far as can go.. The several kilometre hike in motorcycle leathers was interesting though.

Here’s some pics with commentary from their current trip to the Simpson desert.. They should rent their “skills” for drought breaking as they have had the same situation 35-40 years ago in the same areas of Australia with widespread flooding. Combine with my abilities in my month of leave between last job and current one: you’ve got an unbeatable rain producing family. Sister I wouldn’t know: will tell you when she actually takes a holiday.

This trip is in one of their growing number of travelling Adventure vehicles: An Australian made OKA off road beast of a 4WD with Dad’s many conversions and improvements (e.g. solar cells, living area improvements etc).

Anyhow, on with the show. So note: this is “proper outback” none of that hug the coastal bitumen crap the rest of us call a trip out of the city. This is The Simpson desert. There’s mention of “big red”, so to explain: it’s a monster sand dune that kicks off the journey. Here’s an article talking about a motorcyclist getting up it.

Anyhow everything is looking a little greener than usual, but here’s my old man’s “guest” (well I didn’t bother asking) commentary (click on the pics to get a bigger view):

Simpson Desert – August 2010

Not easy to find anything resembling a desert. To even get to the first dune – called Big Red, but according to serious sand drivers, not very big at all – required a bumpy long detour around a long lake lying up against the dune.

Simpson - Near Big Red

I forget how many dunes there are between Birdsville on the Eastern edge and Dalhousie Springs on the western fringe, but it is a lot – and so far the view from the top of each one has been different enough to keep the drive interesting.

Simpson - 1000 dunes to go

Not the sort of setting I expected for our first night on the trail. Eyre Creek – flowing, with lots of small fish and heaps and heaps of bird-life. We stayed for two nights.

Simpson - Eyre Creek Camp

Where is the desert we came to see? Hard to see the sand for the wildflowers. The red dunes set them off perfectly.

Simpson - Flowers

The OKA is remarkably capable of getting up the steepest dunes with a minimum of fuss despite all the axle-hopping dig-ins left by the pretend off-roaders, but there were a few that had the top couple of metres covered with dry wind-blown sand and a couple of times I got a bit complacent and had to back up a couple of metres before revving things up a bit.

Simpson - OKA nearly at the top

As always happens, there are always plenty of spectators to see the mistakes.

Simpson - Spectator Galahs

Not always plain sailing. The angle of the tray relative to the cab is not a design feature. Apparently they are taking it with good grace and humour but you could imagine the worry at every bump. Been driving like that for several days.

Simpson - Vehicle with bent chassis

And some more flowers. Shows the biggest and showiest and there are dozens of smaller ones just as spectacular once you get close.

Simpson Wildflowers - Poepple's Corner

And the account of the OKA’s 4WD capabilities.

The @##%$$^ rig very nearly ended up a smouldering heap half-way up the first dune.
Stopped for a coffee half way around the lake detour and let the tyres down a bit and also put it into low range 4WD
I was VERY confident about the capabilities so when I arrived at Little Red and saw the toys hooning up the sand with the tyres at 18psi and with their turbochargers on the point of disintegrating, I figured I would show them how it is done – so I decided to leave the tyres at 35psi (and made sure those at the starting gate knew just in case I fell flat on my bum) and headed up the slope in second low range at just above idle. Got about 5 metres on to the sand and ‘failed to proceed’. Bugger!!

Reversed back, muttered to the assembled smirkers something about too heavy and tyres too much pressure) and let the tires down to 24psi as seems to be pretty standard for OKA owners. Gave it a bit more revs. This time I got about half way up before having to reverse back down.
Damn and !@@W#W$%#%^&*

Of course I got plenty of advice from the experts – let your tyres down to 18, wind her right up and go back through the gears keeping the revs up, leave it in second and flatten it, etc etc.

Tried all of the above and the absolute best I could get was about three metres from the top. Tried about 6 times and things were getting desperate – but the family drinking wine at a table and chairs they brought to the top of the dune had a bit of light entertainment to liven up their afternoon, so I guess it wasn’t a complete loss for everyone.

What a disaster. The trip was over before it started because even if I managed to get over, I mightn’t be able to get back.

Anyway, couple of blokes in utes had said they would pull me over if I wanted but by the time they came up, I had decided to make it on my own with the help of the sand mats. Put a mat behind each back wheel and reversed back on to it. Limited slip diff on the back and normal one on the front, so figured that would get it off to a flying start.
Put it into gear and let out the clutch (gently because the ceramic clutch doesn’t take kindly to any abuse) and what happened? Exactly bloody nothing. Well, something happened of course. Betty reported that the front left wheel was spinning but the rear wheel I could see was just sitting on the mat doing nothing at all. Huh!!! Limited slip diff not limiting? Other blokes said no, neither back wheel is turning. Hmmmmm!

Put it into high range 2WD and it tried to drive off the mat. High range 4WD and same thing happened. Drove off the mat and stalled it.
Back into low range 4WD and the OKA – GREAT vehicle by the way – just ambled up to the top of the hill. Mouth of the ute blokes opened and they said that their vehicles couldn’t do that.

Smiles and HUGE relief all round and the trip was on again.

Still don’t know how it could happen that a transfer case could get just the front shaft driving without the rear shaft but it did happen. Reason I couldn’t get anywhere was because it was in front wheel drive. Guess it says a lot that I was able to get a nearly 6-tonne vehicle almost to the top of the first dune with the two back wheels not driving. When I first moved off after selecting low 4WD on the detour, there was a loud bang. Sounded pretty awful but I figured it was just gears getting into mesh or something and the vehicle moved off OK so my heart rate went down to normal and I didn’t think any more about it.

Anyway, I was so relieved at the outcome that I didn’t bother going down to Big Red to show them how to do it and just headed off into the setting sun – or something like that.

I’ll leave Big Red for next time. Piece of cake!

and bit of one of Mum’s email from the start of the journey.

..
We are now by the banks of the Coopers creek at Innamincka. This is our 3rd visit to this small centre. 1st in the 70s in the Range Rover and camper trailer via Strezleki track when we couldn’t get down the Birdsville track due to wet road conditions. 2nd in the Cessna when we flew in briefly. Seems more evidence of mining as in fuel cost now. Still a very small centre. Tibooburra is bigger. Tibooburra has gold as its attraction initially it seems. You actually have the choice of two food and fuel outlets there.

We went north from T through the Toona Gate and then on to near Epsilon in Qld last night. Tony did his bit for the wildlife at lunchtime yesterday – helped a bull ant get a chunk of salmon home to its nest and then later he pulled a joey out of a new, deep cattle grid just as we were entering the Sturt reserve. We stopped waiting for a ‘roo to get off the grid and then wondered why it wouldn’t go far from it and was raring up on its hind legs looking t us and the grid. T twigged that there might be something in it so he got out. He had to pull the little one out twice because the first time it went straight back over the grid and down again!

Seeing lots of budgies out here. The emus and kangaroos were particularly evident in the park but in NSW as well. In the cattle country this side of the park hardly any. Only seen one lizard so far. The 3 nights 30 kms from WC we heard heaps of frogs in a “lake” nearby. Seeing quite a few white parrots and here at the creek/river there are lots of white water-birds – some with spoonbills getting little fish from the clay-coloured water. Everywhere has had rain and though roads from WC and Tibooburra have opened up there are still heaps closed here. The road we came into town on is very well built as was the road across the top as we came off the Stokes track. That up to and from Toona gate had many bypass sections where the road had served as a marvellous catchment and dam area for the water. There was always evidence of the first(last?) vehicle through when the road was very wet. For kms some unfortunate had a skating time, leaving deep tracks.

Getting warm enough in these parts. Nights are quite cold at times. We have heating and good doonas so no problems.

…

Called in at a geothermal (hot rock) power unit just out of town. Not functional as they had trouble with a blow-out just one week shy of production some time back and now the rain is holding things up a bit. The blow-out cause H2S to corrode the metal it seems. They now predict production in a year or two using a different spot, close by.

So there you go. Sure beats the working caper (though does require a lifetime of working to afford such things I guess). Reads like a wildlife documentary almost. David Attenborough would be proud. Or maybe the Leyland brothers?
I guess it’s the prime time for wildlife with all the rain and growth around.

Or how about the constant stream of scumbags who do the cowardly hit and runs on pedestrians and cyclists. Like on the 27th of October this one who hit and killed an elderly man got out and then took off. Or on the 12th of November an 11 year old girl hurt out the front of a school by a driver who got out and then again took off. Or 18th of  October another elderly guy hit, broken pelvis and leg and the driver “reversed, drove around the victim and left the scene”. A 9 year old was hit by a car driver who then “sped from the scene” in Brisbane.

Or let’s look at cars vs cyclists: 19th October teenager charged with killed 39 year old cyclist via hit and run. A cyclist suing the RTA over unsafe road where he was hit and run and left blind and brain damaged by a car driver.

Too true.. Particularly in Sydney.

Or we could even look at motorcyclists (presumably motorcycle thieves I should point out): police search for motorcyclist who hit and with assistance from two men in a car fled the scene.

I mean fair’s fair: How many cyclists have done hit and runs leaving people dead and in hospital? It’s pretty hard to hit someone on a bicycle and not end up about as damaged yourself.

I’m sure there are some, but compared to the deluge of drivers just doing hit and runs on pedestrians that make the Sydney Morning Herald for just the last month: shouldn’t we be calling for a ban of cars from roads? Instead we have twits like the (thankfully)EX transport minister Carl Scully stating emphatically “Cyclists do not have the same rights as motorists on the roads” and uttering such utter garbage as:

.. also acknowledge that it is motorists who pay fuel levies, tolls, registration and licence fees, as well as the huge cost of buying and running a motor vehicle. Apart from a negligible amount of GST on their equipment, cyclists pay nothing towards the cost of the roads they wish to use and rely on motorists to fund most of the cost of cycling infrastructure. Being more aware of this may make more cyclists a little more sensitive to the needs of the motoring public.

I barely know where to begin with this stupidity:

• Cyclists pay taxes, unless, like in Carl Scully’s world they’re all dole bludging hippies.
• Cyclists also pay for licences, registration, tolls, fuel levies if they own a car.
• The personal cost of buying and running a motor vehicle as something worthy of respect by cyclists (who presumably get their bikes left by santa claus) is about as relevant as stating the running costs of a lawn mower. No one twists your arm to buy your vehicle, just like no one twists your arm to buy a bike
• Complete ignorance of the taxation system is how I’d sum up the notion that roads are paid for entirely by motorists’ fuel levies, tolls and registration. Cycle ways aren’t funded by car drivers, they’re funded by TAX PAYERS which happens to include a mix of car drivers, bicycle riders and non drivers/non riders.
• Seemingly complete ignorance of the notion that people ride bikes for more than just recreation. For a minister of transport it boggles the mind to realise that this numpty doesn’t realise that people ride to work and that people WANT to ride to work more.
• Ignorance of the fact that car drivers are the ones that need to be more sensitive to the needs of cyclists who are exposed on the roads and who can have their lives snuffed out by a moment’s inattention by a driver (who might, as the articles I listed above, just drive off and leave them bleeding in the gutter)

Anyhow, it’d be nice if there was even the slightest attempt of fair coverage without the hysterical “cyclists are evil and must be banned from the roads” when there’s a one off  incident. After all, for every cyclist that’s a healthier (well.. aside from breathing petrol fumes.. but that’s another issue) and not burning petrol to get to/from work or using up space on public transport: that’s better for society.

So how about a bit less demonising in the press of those who are doing the more noble thing and pedalling to work.

I’m clear to point out several things (to be fair):

• they’ve gone into some much MUCH crazier terrain and parts of the world (e.g. mongolia, russia etc)
• but they have backup 4WDs, celebrity status and the resources of the BBC to get them through whatever happens
• but I pay for all my shit out of my own pocket

The real long way round

I think they had a great trip and I think the cringe motorcyclists have with a series like the long way round is that they’re firstly a bit jealous that Ewan and Charley got paid to do the trip, got free gear, bikes etc and have backup/organising team. The series shows the complaining/troubles they have along the way, which to people who have done some big trips on motorcycle: those bits are the memorable ones. I might have to hold this off to another time to rant about arm chair motorcyclists, so I’ll get back to the videos I want to show you.

Anyhow, this series called “Ewan and Thingy – the wrong way round” might get a chuckle out of anyone who knows about “The long way round”.

Ewan and Thingy

The final episode is up so must be time to blog about it.

Ewan and Thingy

For a playlist on youtube with all of them go to the Ewan and thingy playlist. Or for the hyperlink click challenged: here’s the lot of ‘em. Thanks to bigface.tv for making this!

Episode 1 – Preparations

Episode 2 – Shoes

Episode 3 – Indigenous species

Episode 4 – Bitten

Episode 5 – Pulling out

Episode 6 – Love and hate it

Episode 7 – Under par

Episode 8 – On the fence

Episode 9 – A whiff of friendship

That’s all folks.. Hope you enjoyed it.

I got back from my most recent touring and then had to sort out what to do with the bike. Tossing up whether to try and sell it in a short time was complicated by the need to get something fixed under warranty. The day I was due to drop it at the shop, London had some very heavy snow (reported as “The heaviest snow in 18 years” but actually wasn’t but still enough to grind everything to a halt).

Snow on the bins shows just how much fell.

So instead of riding in the snow Scott and I had a snowfight, built a Calvin and Hobbes inspired snowman and explored the surrounding snow covered countryside.

Scott next to my snow smiley on the Northwood golf course.

The fix and store bike plan got delayed a day or two and I ended up hiring a van on wednesday to get the bike up North to the warm, dry garage of my mate Chris (thanks again Chris!).

My Daytona 675 tucked in for a roadtrip.

Got back at 5 in the morning or there abouts and had to be awake waiting for my mountain bike bag to be delivered (another thing that had been delayed thanks to the snow). Luckily it turned up and I rushed to pack, sort and chuck out ready for my flight to Hong Kong.

After a stopover in HK to see friends, I am finally over the jetlag (flying against the sun is always harder).

HK skyline from Tunde's place.

It’s strange going from snow to summer, especially with the crazy bushfires in Victoria that have sadly killed so many people. I’ve been up close and personal with bushfires while growing up (have done a bit of burning off and fire fighting on occasion) and the footage of the massive fires in Victoria is quite scary.

Next up I’m looking at getting a bit settled back in the wonderful land of Oz.

Like any safe rider I decided I was spending too much time worrying about something and not enough about riding itself.

My solution (courtesy of my trusty roll of Gaffer tape):

Perhaps the love of long life milk is an inverse thing with the love of short life bread. Although those bread sticks straight out of the oven are great, by the time you’ve got them unpacked at home and left to sit on the bench for 5 minutes they’re rock hard and stale (ok, I’m exaggerating.. 10 minutes tops!).

Anyhow, think when I’m back to the UK I shall swing by the Borough markets in London and get some non homogenised, full cream milk and just wallow around in it. Well, that or just get the pancakes and clotted cream at The Garrison, still my favourite breakfast place in London (though damn their 11:15 cut off for breakfast orders..).

Time to get moving as the weather isn’t looking great up North through france. Want to swing by the Millau bridge in the clouds on the way. Hopefully it won’t be too windy and icey. Then Paris, Calais, ferry to UK, London. Pack up life, maybe sell bike and head home.

This is the video version of my earlier trip report: UK to Lisboa, Portugal and gives the visuals to the route I took and the joys of a puncture the night of departure, proving once again that Murphy’s law can find you anywhere, although I was obviously riding too fast for Murphy and his rocket sled disasters.

As it is my first attempt to coddle my range of videos I took along the way into some semblance of a structured, interesting journey (rather than a bunch of shakey, bumpy disjoint image soup) it took me quite a bit of time to figure out how to effectively use the tools and how not to “over cook” the result. I think it is like powerpoint in a lot of ways: sure, you could use the equivalent of the powerpoint typewriter transition every time you transition a video, but you’re a twit if you do.

I would also have liked to put a bit of music on the track, but am researching how best to source that stuff:  MusicLoops is one I found,  there are a few tunes on there I like, but really: they’re just slightly different copies of the “real” tunes by the artists I like. So you have to wonder what a heavy handed approach like say youtube has recently started doing (Youtube removes audio from copyrighted videos).

Anyhow, feedback welcome,
Enjoy, Nathan

Packing/Prep and “I’ll just check tyre pressure”

Murphy’s law struck and I found I had a puncture just before I went to head off, and was doing my usual packing at last minute. The culprit was a bit of glass causing a slow leak. So stuck a puncture plug in and hoped for the best. Bit daunting turning a slow leak into a gushing hole via the spike thing you have to use to roughen up the hole.

Murphy's law strikes

So I’d like to claim it was the puncture that mean I didn’t sleep the night before. But really it was just disorganisation and stuffing around that meant I was leaving at 4:30-5 am from Watford (north of London) to get to Plymouth.

To plymouth, ferry to santander, spain

The dark (mut not stormy) road to plymouth

Surprisingly decent temperature (was wearing summer gloves rather than winter + inner gloves). Ran into some old guys while filling up on classic/cruisers who said they were doing 1000 miles in 24 hours, crazy bastards. Although I can’t really talk.

Sun came up as I was travelling.

Made it through the night, sunrise at speed.

So ferry from Plymouth to Santander (city in the top coast of spain) takes 24 hours, just got the reclining seat option (getting a cabin is not economical because they don’t do single rooms, always doubles, quads etc and you pay for the whole thing if you’re single traveller). Was 110 pounds for a one way. Bit expensive, but last blast from Spain to Calais cost a small fortune in freeway tolls, was miserable/cold/wet like you would not believe and I’d rather spend it sleeping.

Caught the last ferry until next year. Brittany has a strange definition of running services all year round.

Spread my inflatable mattress out on the floor and got a semi decent sleep. Stupid drunk english skank woke everyone up a few times because she thought it was funny to stick her head in and scream and then run away. So sleep wasn’t the best and I hope that if nothing else she has a neighbour move in with a Harley Davidson who likes to rebuild engines a lot.

Santander and westward to Portugal

Arrived lunchtime to a brilliant sunny day. This is more like it!

Blue Skies of santander, Spain.

Not a cloud in the sky, a bit of a contrast to my last trip past this part of the world a month ago (went via Bilbao on the way back to London after my alps/pyrenees/Barcelona trip and it was pissing down and gusting like mad).

Snow ahoy! Thankfully far away this time!

I headed west along the coast and toward the snow-capped mountains in the distance, although keeping between them and the coast for warmth and to avoid having to ride through snow.

Hitting the fast roads west towards portugal.

Got a few kms under my belt and then hit the back roads. Some lovely winding roads although the trick is that there are bits that don’t get the sun and subsequently have ice on the corners (Only on the corners it seems.. funny that!).

Frosty patches where the sun had missed during the day. Always seemed to be on corners funnily enough. Had a few "wiggles" of my back tyre as I found these on the roads.

Found a spot to camp inland and down an abandoned grassy road near some farms. Woke up with frost over everything to the extent it looked like snow.

Frosty morning awaited my rise. Made a note to camp in spots that would get sunshine earlier in the day.

Amazing the difference crossing into portugal. The landscape was quite beautiful. Trailed a guy in a 600cc ninja through the canyons for fun, then pulled over to check my camera and he did a U turn and came back to see what I was up to. A bit of broken English later and we’d chatted about bikes and riding and decided to head for a petrol fill up and then go for a coffee at his friend’s work who spoke better english. Good to have some company and a bit of a chat (weather, bikes, why cars are inferior, camping and why I was crazy to be travelling all these distances alone..).

Friendly locals

Said farewell and headed on my merry way thinking that Portugal was indeed a friendly place.

Camped that night in a pine forest and had a proper fire which was quite nice and meant I headed off to sleep warmed and sleepy from the flickering flames.

A heart warming fire to doze off to sleep with. Beats the cooking stove for heart warming efficiency.

Even smelt like home as I’d used Eucalyptus (gum trees to Australians) sticks to get it going. Awoke around lunchtime with the sun finally finding me in amongst the trees and it was time to head down the coast to Lisboa (lisborne).

To Lisboa/lisborne

Racing the Christmas holiday clock I managed to find a bike store just minutes before closing time (well, actually the shop was closed, but a knock on the window got me in), the old guy didn’t have michelin pilot power IIs so I bit the bullet and replaced front and back. Got about 12-13,000kms or so out of them, so not too bad. Pity I had life left in them but don’t fancy my chances of finding sports bike tyres in Morocco so I’d rather have a brand new set.Anything would have to be better than risking the tour with a temporary plug that was already up to 1100 km!

Also replaced my pretty thin front brake pads too, so an expensive stop over. Found that the guys from the triumph place in Barcelona where I got my front fork seals replaced had done the old “tighten the shit out of things with power tools” and the guy had a hard time getting the bolts undone, had to replace them because they were stripped. No thanks to the mechanics in Barcelona who were the last to touch it. Anyhow, enough ranting and back to the touring. Many thanks to the old guy at the Kawasaki place, seemed quite conscientious and put up with an xmas eve drop in like myself.

Lights were up for xmas in lisborne and it looked quite pretty to ride through.

Pretty christmas lights in Lisboa

Stayed two days to do a bit of riding around lisborne and to find that there’s absolutely nowhere to get food on xmas eve, then headed south for more adventure.

Nathan

PS the accompanying video will be up shortly (when I finish editing!)