This is Al. He’s a friend of Paul’s, a really great writer and pretty funny for an alpaca. He’s come along for the ride and is blogging about his adventures on the road too so you might like to check out his blog at http://www.alabroad.com.au

I can’t quite believe we only left Perth yesterday. So much seems to have happened. We had a wonderful farewell from Mt Lawley in the wee hours of the morning yesterday. Sheina brought coffee and muffins, Chris brought the flat tyre jokes and everyone else brought smiles, hugs and cheer. It was a great way to be sent on our way. Thanks everyone!

It was a beautiful day cycling yesterday. The winds were kind, the rain stayed away, we were welcomed into the Lakes Roadhouse (about 50k out of Perth) with a ‘Hilltop Recharge’ chocolate cake care package left by our gorgeous friend Jessica (thanks Pilbara!) on her way to work. Boy, did it work. We sailed along the gorgeous road into York, the winds at our back, the odd toot from a passing car and kind traffic who gave us wide berth. And were met by Sarah with our gear who, with a 8 1/2 month belly, joined us in York for the night. In great Sarah style she entertained us for the afternoon with stories and laughter but even she couldn’t keep us awake past 8.30. Asleep by 8:31pm.

We all had breakfast together, then coffee and with the rain coming down we said our goodbyes to Sarah, feeling quite relieved the bub decided not to make an early appearance. Can’t wait to meet wombat in 7 weeks time. And then we cycled on. The countryside again was beautiful. Undulating hills. Green green hills. Yellow canola fields. Oh yeah, did I mention the rain? It was heavy. But least we now know our panniers are fully waterproof whewee! Now waiting for the kitchen to open at 6 to fuel for a big day of 120k tomorrow. Here’s hoping for sunshine. Night.

Lying here on my bed in the Quairading Hotel after day two in the saddle. I feel like I’m on school camp. There is a gaggle of women who’ve come in from all around the region for a golf tournament dinner at the local golf club. They’re busily getting ready traipsing up and down the corridor, in and out of each others rooms, borrowing lippy and admiring each others ‘bad bridesmaid’ dress up outfits they’re all donning. One group of women looked like they made their outfits from a 1970s bedspread and they blended with the wall paper beautifully. Paul became the stand-in groom for the photo shoot. They wanted to take him with them.

Glenn is helping me understand the many complexities of the digital word.