Speedy Farmers at the Gasgoyne Dash

Lovely ol Eric, Irish backpacker Maz, Kristy and myself

HAVING the opportunity to mingle amongst the team was a nice feeling and to be able to help in some small way and not just stand around looking pretty was also nice.  Ha
Kristy and I were split up, put in different vehicles and sent to different pit stops from each other for the weekend.
It was a little strange to begin with however it was also a nice chance to chat to other people and get to know them better.
On the first day at the Gasgoyne, Jamie came through our stop with high spirits, Shaun maybe a little nervous about the dusty road ahead and Charlie came through with his hands cramped up.
We quickly pulled Charlie's protective gear off to let him have a breather but Charlie being Charlie didn't seem too worried about it all.  Just interested to know if he was beating Shaun.

I was lucky to be at the first stop because as soon as they'd all gone through we were able to go to the dry river bank and watch the boys ride to the finish line for day one.
I really admire anyone that can ride a bike and especially on the conditions at the Gasgoyne.
Unknown to most people Jamie is actually a handy rider and familiar with the Gasgoyne Dash race.  Charlie and Shaun on the other hand were roped into it by Jamie as celebrity riders.
It was entertaining for us because the weekend ended up being a competition between the two farmers.  The very fast two farmers!  Ha (That sentence is for you Jamie)
They could be coming last for the day and as much as they weren't happy with that it was more important that they had beaten each other.
I don't think they had trained before the race so they did great to even finish each day.
The journalist however was less fortunate.  His story was sad for everyone.  He had hurt himself physically on the first day and the track was harder then he'd prepared for.  He gripped on to that bike for as long as he could and was determined to stay until the end but time was against him and from what I can remember his hand was red raw.
We all felt his sadness that night but all we could do was give him a smile and a stiff drink.

One man I got to spend time with and quickly grew to like was old Eric.
He drove the Kenworth to the race and kept everyone amused with his dry sense of humour.
He was a tall, skinny man who walked around very relaxed but always popped up with a funny comment out of the blue.
Going to the pit stops with Eric made me smile.
He was great company and made me feel that little more comfortable amongst everyone.
Throughout my life I have come across people that have felt the need to take me under their wing.
They look at me and see me as a very small person and I know they don't look at me as incapable but they feel they should look after me?
It is not a bad thing.  I think it is really sweet and it is nice to know people have your back if you need it and I feel like this happened for Eric.
Our friendship would have looked like a willy wagtail on an old horse.
Our heights and age were at complete opposites of the scale.
For those who don't know me I have nicknames like small fry, little one, shorty and short ass.  This might give you a visual of my height in case my photos make me look tall!  I am the runt of a litter of six.

The Gasgoyne had a big Saturday night planned for everyone.  Despite everyone being cactus from the long days, they gathered their strength and went to the big tent for the entertainment.  What a show that turned out to be!
They had performers juggling and fire twirling.  A lady in her 60s with a long skirt was called up from the audience.  This is where it got really entertaining.
A slight accident with the fire and next minute her skirt was lit up.  Kristy finds these things so joyful to watch so she spent the rest of the night laughing about it.
I unfortunately missed the part where it caught on fire but I did catch the part where they were all trying to pat it out.
I will give you a small visualisation...the fire was on the front of her skirt and it wasn't in a spot where you'd like strangers to be patting!

It was our last night in the Gasgoyne so we made the most of it even though the race was continuing the next day.
The farmers had gone to bed before us in the back of a ute near our swag.
Kristy and I were keen to sleep as were the rest of the camp.  One girl who we didn't know had other ideas however.
We hear this girl stagger past and then when she found one of the farmers she told him he should wake up and have a drink.
It was really funny for us at first but after a while it just got annoying because she wouldn't give up.
The poor guy couldn't fight her persistence.
Kristy came up with a brilliant idea.  She got out of her swag, put on a stern voice and told her to leave because she was their manager and she had to leave the man alone because he had an important race to ride.
It was brilliant.
She fooled the woman and as you can imagine the farmer was extremely relieved.
Kristy has always been great at spinning yarns but this time it actually came in really handy.

The next day of the race was the last.  We packed up the camp and the guys rode back into town to the race course, where it had all began.
Kristy and I drove Shaun's ute, (yes massive pressure not to scratch or dint it)
Crazy man Ivan who was recovering from a previous bike injury of I think broken ribs and Jamie were the first back from the team.
The young guy that we thought would win the whole race could not be seen so everyone was getting worried about where he was.
Charlie came through next and proud to be in front of Shaun.  Where the bloody hell was Shaun?
Bad news came through about the young team member.  He had blown up another bike.  He was devastated but hey where was Shaun?
Then in the distance we could see the dust and farmer Shaun riding his bike home....riding it fast!  Ha
To make it fair on the guys I should get the results off Jamie and post them on here because I am sure Shaun didn't come last.

Will We Get A Pit Crew T'shirt?

Charlie, Shaun and Jamie before the start of the race.

WE had not learnt the co-ordinates to where the pearls with gold were however the morning with Kristy and Jamie were great.
What would an afternoon drive back to Carnarvon entail.
We loaded our belongings into the 4wd and hit the isolated road north.
For most of the trip I thought to myself "Will Applejack be OK, will I make Perth and shit should we have come back to Carnarvon?"
The town had come to life since our last visit.  It was lined with motorbikes and buggies and people were lined to sign up for the Gasgoyne Dash.

Kristy and I met up with the Irish backpackers and sat on a green patch of grass in the sun.
They were also nursing a hangover.
Jamie found us, handed us a shirt and we went to check on the bikes and help them prepare for the morning.

Dressing for tea that night made me realise I hadn't packed ideally.
Definitely not ideal if I was actually entering the Farmer Wants A Wife series.
I'll tell you just how poor my performance was.  I packed jeans that had needed to be hemmed since I'd bought them nearly two years previously.
I knew the jeans didn't stay up by folding.
Crud what do I do?
What anyone would do....find scissors and cut the babies!
Using blunt scissors in a rush isn't advised.
This may result in a terrible wonky cut and even worse....too short!
Ha Ha I can imagine there are readers....women readers covering their eyes with their hands saying, "Oh Alyce what were you thinking".
It didn't really worry me too much as I wasn't there to audition for the wife position.
I was there to make new friends and have a great time.
We ended the night with a trip to an interesting pub for our last beer.

We woke early and the bikes started.
Jamie gave us the run-down of the day ahead and we went to the start line.
We were handed the cameras and told to snap and video.
No worries guys, least we could do.
To be honest I don't remember how the guys went in the first leg of the race at the racecourse but I wish I could remember one team members name in particular.
A young guy and something quite special on a bike and I'm sure he is climbing the ladder of success as I write.
They all rode in and got their times before loading up the bikes and driving an hour East into the Gasgoyne.

When offered a beer I was hesitant in taking it as I knew I would need to pee along the way and with trees scarce it wasn't an ideal situation.  Especially with my bladder, however willpower failed and I took the beer.
Sure thing I had to ask them to stop without a shrub insight.
"Yeah no worries squirt, I'll pull over in that paddock and if you squat right behind the vehicle no one will see" Jamie said.
Hmm sounded do-able.
There I was squatting and trying to make it quick when Jamie decided to drive forward slowly.
If I tried to do this again I would end up on my face but somehow I waddled behind the vehicle with my pants pulled down.
Yes Kristy thought this was a great joke and now that I think about it, it was probably her idea.
We all had a chuckle and continued on the dusty track.

Approaching the camp grounds and start line was an exciting feeling.  You could feel the energy in the outback lift.
It brought back the exciting feeling I had when watching my brother in-law, Glenn Debel, compete for Australia in the 6 Day Endurance race in New Zealand.
We pulled up next to the Kenworth truck with the team we were travelling with and found the Irish girls again.
Kristy and I were feeling a little lost without Applejack and we weren't even sure where we'd sleep but we were thankful tot he swag handed to us.
Lucky Kristy and I were used to sleeping in the same bed as the swag was snug.

The afternoon was spent preparing bikes, the Irish were cooking up a storm in the trailer and Kristy and I were maybe squeezing the air filters with some sort of liquid?  Ha ha I can't remember what the exact parts were but we were doing something important.
I grew up riding horses not motorbikes, which is evident from the scar on my leg from my poor motorbike skills.

I think it was a reasonably quiet night at the camp but loud early morning with engines revving and dust filled my nose as it was kicked up from the wheels and formed a thick layer head height.
A meeting between our camp was held and we were given our directions for the day.
To be allowed in the pit stops you needed boots so I borrowed a size 9 Blundstone because again my packing had failed on me.
I was wishing I had brought my own favourite size 4 Blundstones that were sitting under Applejack's seat.

With my big boots, old jeans with the crutch torn, a borrowed cap and the Gasgoyne Dash shirt I was ready to wipe goggles and feed the men lollies.

Shaun probably saying to Charlie "Why are we doing this again?" Ha

Last minute checks

Jamie probably saying "Common fella's, bikes aren't going to race themselves!"

Jamie on the start line, waiting for the gun.

Windy and dusty....we loved being back at Carnarvon! 

Where a short ass stands to take photos

Again can't remember his name but he was a journalist that had come  from Denmark possibly?  To compete and write about the Gasgoyne Dash.   Very interesting guy.

Had to stop for a beer at the Gasgoyne Pub...bloody long drive!  I think someone farted next to Kristy and she is trying to wave the smell away?

Told you we were squeezing something!

Sunset Cruising at Monkey Mia

Dan, Charlie, Jamie, Shaun, XXXX Summer and myself sailing off Monkey Mia

THE day at Monkey Mia had been really warm so I thought it would be an amazing orange sunset on the cruise.
However the wind came out to play and the clouds fought with the sun.
To be honest I don't remember much of the cruise from all the talking and introductions to new people so it went really quick and before I knew it we were back at Applejack and being told to follow Jamie's 4wd into town.
Dinner sounded great to us!
Charlie and Shaun saw the kombi and asked for a lift.
"Oh OK I guess we can take you."
We had Tracey Chapman blaring out of the speakers and the farmers in the back.  Very funny scenario.
We had been introduced to Irish backpackers and motorbike riders from the bottom of WA and if you mix these people together you get quite and interesting time.
They were all individually great people to be around.
Jamie let us park Applejack on his land away from the rising tides of the Bay and the party continued.
All night they told us about this motorbike race they were all going north to for the weekend.
"You should come girls" he said.
"Nah I can't.
"We have to be in Perth for a wedding next weekend," I'd say.
"You have plenty of time to get there, what's the rush?"
I really wish they had of stopped asking because I had to tell them my ridiculous truth.
"I have a hair appointment!"
I'm sure there are women reading this saying "Alyce what the hell were you thinking?  Why would you even have to think about this situation?  You have been asked to join these guys, just go!"
Well you see my friends....I was in need of foils!
Many drinks later and a night spent in a chocolate brown (some may say disgusting) hot tub, we hit the hay.  Settle down readers it wasn't a romantic, candle lit hot tub, well Jamie may like to think it is. Ha
We woke in the morning and I think the first question was "So you girls ready because I'm taking you to the Pearl Farm and then we are hitting the road straight away."
We sat in the back of Applejack staring blankly at each other.
I kept asking Kristy what she wanted to do and she kept replying with "I don't know, I don't mind what we do."
It was soo hard to decide and I have failed to mention a vital part of the dilemma...the race was back up in Carnarvon!
We ended up making a plus and minus list out loud and what we hadn't realised, was while we sat confused we had been packing a bag each.
Ah stuff it, let's go!
How often do you get to be part of a pit crew at the Gasgoyne Dash?
Not often I say.
We parked Applejack quickly in the shed and jumped in Jamie's ute.
For him to take us to work at the Pearl Farm was such an amazing experience and again we are very grateful.

I'm also very thankful of the beers he gave us which resulted in the lovely hangover I had.
I felt like tiny River Dancers were performing in my forehead.
Then to make it all even more beautiful was the fishy aromas I knew I'd smell going on a boat.

We parked the ute on the sand and walked through the shallow water to where his dad picked us up in a small boat and took us over to the pontoon where backpackers were hard at work, pulling oysters apart.
The smell and look of this was perfect for my hangover.
Then to top it off, Jamie tried to make me eat one.
My stomach was really put to the test and I feel deep breathing was the only thing that got me through that morning.
The experience of seeing how a Pearl Farm operates is one I recommend (but not while nursing a hangover).
It is very intricate, delicate, intriguing and end result beautiful.
I personally am not a woman that drools over pearls but I appreciate the beauty of them.

When the tourists left the pontoon on their sailing boat Jamie said "common girls" and we were on our mission again to leave for Carnarvon.
Oh what were we getting ourselves into?

All smiles, Kristy and myself sailing with a lovely little sunset.

Jamie's panlicker.  Kept himself amused for ages collecting bottle caps.  Who needs a wife when you have a dog to clean up.  Ha

On our way to the Pearl Farm.

Jamie walked through easily however Kristy and I were waiting for something to bite or cut us.

Great morning to be on the water.

Jamie's dad.  Disappointed I can't remember his name but I do remember he was a great guy.

On the pontoon at the Pearl Farm.

Lucky I wasn't really steering this boat....could hardly see.

Yeah they are beautiful Alyce, you should eat one!  

Please Sir. Can I Use Your Toilet?

Kristy, Farmer Jamie and myself on the sunset cruise off Monkey Mia.

THE air was nippy as we drove into Shark Bay.
We found a park in town near the water and set up the toaster.
Half-way through cooking I was jumping up and down in the back trying to hold my very weak bladder.
I got control over myself and ran to the service station down the road.  The door was locked and the lady said I could only use it if I bought something.
I didn't have money with me and I didn't think I would make it out of her shop without an accident.
Again I tried mind over matter to get my legs uncrossed and back to the van for my wallet.
I was jumping around by this stage like I was a performer in the River Dance.
I couldn't even explain to Kristy what was going on I was in such a dither.
I ran back to the servo and pulled out a penny for a pee.  What a mission!  I was lucky to make the seat.

Once all that commotion was over we finished off breakfast and drove out to the much talked about Monkey Mia.
At the start of my trip a friend posted on my Facebook page that I should call in and see Pearl Farmer Jamie from the television series Farmer Wants A Wife.
When reading this I laughed but thought "Yeah right as if I'd find him".
It turns out though that you never know who'll you will run into in life.

Into Monkey Mia we go with our beach towels and water under our arms.
Once we arrived we couldn't decide what to do.  We both walked around in small circles, like lost dogs.
The sun was out in full force and we were both feeling lethargic.
As I went to take a swig from my flash camping water bottle I noticed it smelt a little off.
I threw it in the trash and said what a crappy bottle!
Off we went dragging our feet to the small convenience store amongst the small resort.
Chatting away, probably still complaining about my bottle, I grabbed a water and as I approached the counter I lifted my head and saw.....Pearl Farmer Jamie.
I said "hey Jamie!".
As you do.
He was and is such a friendly guy.
He invited us on a sunset cruise with Farmer Shaun, Farmer Charlie and other locals and mates.
We played it cool and said "oh yeah we're not sure what we're doing this afternoon but it sounds alright.
Truth was Jamie...we had zero plans.
We were now walking in circles thinking ah shit do we go on the boat or will we look stupid?
If Jamie was reading this out loud he'd probably tell you all we looked stupid. ha

On our way back to Applejack I hear, "You have to shave your armpits Alyce".
I clutched at my armpits and said "No way not these babies!".
I wanted to see how long my armpit hair could grow by the end of my trip.
I know it sounds gross but I was interested to see.
Kristy grabbed the saucepan, a razor, water and soap and got to work.
I was very hesitant in touching my pits but Kristy had a point....it wasn't a good look.

We cleaned up and went back into town to grab a carton.  We were getting pretty excited for this cruise.
I thought it was great that we had travelled so far, stopped and left each camp site and fuel stops with very few plans then ended up in the same convenience store someone I had watched on TV was at.

Lining up for the boat with our esky was hilarious as we started to think about what we were doing and the possibility of it being a bit embarrassing.  We sunk a beer to settle the nerves.  What if he didn't actually remember us.  Oh we'd still have our XXXX Summer! ha

We quickly learnt they were down to earth everyday men and didn't think of themselves as any better or worse then anyone else.
They invited us into their group of mates and we are very grateful for their kindness and hospitality at Monkey Mia.
Even if they did leave us astray.

The lovely Monkey Mia.  You might be able to just see the "No Swimming" sign on the right behind us?  Visitors aren't allowed to enter the water as Dolphins live there.

It was lovely but at a price.

Naw ain't it sweet.

Another photo Kristy will love me uploading onto my blog.

Perfect Parking Alyce

Very cheerful this morning after our experience.

I was extremely relieved to be on the road again but I took extra care of Applejack as I hated seeing him sick.
Sick for my little ray of sunshine is on a hoist, with a random mechanic underneath him, with a nervous look on his face.
I felt the only man who completely knew Apple was George from Kombi Australia.
I will introduce George further down the track, but I will say that without this man my Dance of Happiness would not have began and ended with such joy and ease as what it did.

The drive to Carnarvon was not only a nervous journey because of Apple's incident but we were feeling a little bad for not checking the service station for Oliver before we left town and the thought of seeing him on the side of the road made us giggle nervously.
I just didn't have an interest or need to have more then Kristy travelling with Apple and I.
As I've mentioned earlier I wanted some space.

We drove around 250km this day and using my Camp Australia Wide 5 book we found a free campsite on the beach before Shark Bay.
It was dark and there were vehicle tracks in the sand everywhere making it hard to know which to follow but I remember heading towards some lights of parked vans.
We stopped on the hard sand around 15metres from a Caravan on the water side.
We couldn't see the water and as we were both tired we had an early night.

Throughout the night I had found myself waking up randomly at around 3am - 4am to see sunsets, people doing odd things and then other things that Kristy by the end wasn't interested in seeing at such hours but they were all for a reason I believe.
This morning in particular was a guardian angel waking me.
I was fast asleep when all of a sudden I woke, sat straight up and looked out the back window.
I rubbed my eyes a few times to figure out what was going on.
I said out loud to myself "wow that sands flying across the ground".
Then I realised it wasn't windy and it wasn't sand.  We were in the water!
I said "Shit Kristy wake up we're in water".
Yes it quickly woke here and she sat up and sad "Oh my god Alyce what if we drown".
It wasn't the best thing to say to her while she was asleep because clearly she thought we were actually floating in water.
I took one leap from our bed to the drivers seat.
Flicked the key and put my foot to the floor.
Applejack kicked into gear straight away and I took off, leaving Kristy's crutches behind.
Once we were out we were in tears of laughter and spent the next half hour wondering if we should tell wake the people in the Caravan which was next in line of the rising tide.

Once I felt they were safe I fell back to sleep.
The water was only half way up our tyres if you're wondering but it gave us such a fright.

The morning was beautiful to wake up to.  The sand was a soft white and the air was so fresh to breath in.
We jumped in Applejack after taking a few photos at the area where we had been in the ocean in the wee hours.

If you know Kristy and I, I'm sure you can vision how we giggled all the way to Shark Bay.

We dragged Kristy's crutches for a few metres when we fled out of the water.

This morning was so beautiful.  I remember feeling so alive and Apple looked so fresh and comfy!

Every morning we were soo lucky to wake up to such gorgeous surroundings

I took an early morning walk and took photos while Kristy caught up on sleep