Problems, problems with everything!
Ouchy!!!
Not really but those lyrics are stuck in my head and I couldn’t think of anything else. It took a while to motivate myself to get on the bike and leave Kalbarri. I sat outside the backpackers for over 2 hours staring at the bike trying to will myself to get going. I really didn’t want to get back on the saddle at all. The last few weeks have not been too much fun (damn wind) but eventually I did get rolling but boy did I wish I didn’t.
My knee was actually sore after just a few minutes of riding so I wasn’t imagining it yesterday, but not bad enough to need to stop. The worst part was the sun. My sunscreen ran out so I bought a new one, no problem there. The problem was that immediately after applying I started to sweat a lot and the stuff just ran off. Four times during the day I put it on, but by the time I made it to Geraldton in the evening I had been toasted and there were blisters on my arms and legs. I thought about getting a room at a hostel for a soft bed but there were no spaces left at any of the backpacker hostels in town. It was the start of a nasty few days.
For the next few days I was taking it really slow. The burns were painful mainly on my left side, so I waited everyday until after lunch each day before starting out so the sun was on my right side. The late starts meant I was only doing 60km a day or so and meant I wouldn’t make Perth in time for New Year.
The Groundhog day feeling struck again while shopping for sunscreen in Geraldton. I was reading the labels to see which had the best water resistance when I hear a “look who it is!” behind me. Yep you guessed it, even hiding out from the sun in a big shopping centre I bump into the Pepsi-Max family. I swear at this point I was wishing I tied my bike onto their caravan, I’d be the same place with none of the pain 
That evening I headed to Dongara south of Geraldton. I was surprised to see a backpacker sign as I got to the edge of town so in I went. It was a very nice place, friendly, cheap and very comfortable. They even provide towels. Highly recommended by me. After stocking up on food at Geradlton I had a beautiful dinner. After lots of plain meals I cooked wholewheat fettucini with a creamy tomato, mushroom and bacon sauce. It was so rich, I put a half pint of cream in the sauce mmmmmmmm.