Another day in Paradise...

Last night we had a wicked dinner at Gemma and Matt's good friend Donna's house. She made and awesome dinner and I met her brother and his wife who is from Rio. It was a great time with lots of terrific wine.

Early this morning Matt unleashed Mister Big and Ruby, their two dogs, on me to wake me up via licking my arms and face. It was early and we were off to watch Gemma ride her new horse. It is a retired race horse and he is beautiful. The stable had 7 horses, one of which was new colt. Very cool. He was very interested in seeing new things.

Then it was off for a well deserved breakfast of crispy bacon and scrambled eggs on toast. Yum!!! It was great to sit right on the ocean as the wind howeled by with my Chai latte in hand.

Then it was off to see Paul on his new motor yacht -- a 50 foot sweet boat. This is the beginning of the summer with sailpast this weekend So I helped him load up the boat with a ton of flags and banners. Beautiful day to sit on the ocean especially in this wicked boat..

Now we are resting by the TV watching a car race and just resting....

I wanted to say hi to everone and also sorry that I am not out still suffering along the Gun Barrel. Kim arrives on Wednesday and we head to Ayers Rock for a few days and then off to Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef and then Brisbane and down to Sydney to stay with Chompy and Jon and help Chompy in her recovery after her surgery on the 24th of October. Not sure if we will be able to update the blog as we will be on the road a lot so thanks again for checkin in.

Thanks for tuning in to the blog and hope it gave you a little perspective of my crazy world and the beautiful country of Australia. If you have not been yet go get a ticket before you miss out.

Thanks again for all the great messages and hope you are all doing well. G'day Dave

See a doctor?

Jon and Kim were telling Matt to make sure I see doctor. I knew that it was a simple sickness thing and would fix itself with time. Especially now that I am out of hell...

When Matt picked me up at the Perth airport he looked me over and said "TIME TO SAIL".
We cruised home, grabbed the trailer full of stellar gear and met up with Andrew down at the river in Fremantle. The weather was great and I was a little unsure about going in the water the way i felt. Oh well, you only live once. Matt pulled out his 95 liter free ride board, a brand new carbon mast and boom and a brand new maui sails sail and said here you go Davey...

To tell you the truth, I did not remember how it all fit together but he helped me through it and I was ready to go. I also asked him to bring Gemma's wetsuit but he forgot it. So I was in shorts and thanks to Andrew as he allowed me to use his 1mm top.

It has been at least 10 or more years since I stepped on a windsurfing board in Mexico and after not doing it for another 4 years previous. I am always surprised how stuff comes back and soon I was off out into the middle of the river. There is another sandbar so I restarted and made it back upwind from where I started as well. Holy crap....soon I was rippin' and everyone was pumped at the little Canadian as I yelled yahooo.... what a great way to spend the afternoon and I felt much better after and the water was fine....It was also just nice to actually be in the water....

We finished the evening of with some great Thai food and watched 8 mile...

I wonder what tomorrow will bring? D

Time for another Movie...

Well trying to rest up here in Kalgoorie before I fly off back to Perth to enjoy the wicked company of Matt and Gemma....

So here I am in the movie room in the house. It rocks....Kim we're gonna put one of these in our house...

Warren and his family have been so awesome in getting me here and taking care of me. It is so amazing to meet amazing people where ever I travel.

PS I am still shaking from the adrenalin I recieved this morning...

Shot of Adrenaline!!!!

Holy Crap. I knew when Warren said he wanted me to try his factory KTM I was in for a kick in the pants. For those of you who have not read the last post, I will update you. Warren Strange is a Rockstar rider from Australia who retired from racing a long time ago but still races for KTM for desert races. He just got back from the KTM factory in Austria where they took him through all the secret stuff. To give you an idea of this special race bike he used I will give you a few facts.

A normal 250 four stroke makes about 34 horsepower. His 525 stock might make about 45 horsepower which is a lot. Well this race bike has a special redesigned top mount frame that is longer and lighter , factory forks which are about 15 thousand dollars and are amazing, all bolts on the bike are titanium and finally a special engine which makes, get this, 75 horsepower! The engine alone is about 20 grand. All made for him to win the Finke Desert Race which Don Tocher, Kim and I have to do!!! The bike cost in total about 70-80 thousand dollars.

When he started it up, I could not believe the power. This bike will do 200km an hour and Warren knows as that is what he does on open roads in the Finke. It will wheelie in any gear and will go in 5th gear at 175 km per hour to 200 in 6th in a second. All you have to do is be brave enough to pull the throttle.

He warmed the bike up and took off down the street. Everyone rides from home here. It is not legal but the cops can't do anything about it so they don't. The noise from this bike as he opened it up was amazing. He was soon back in the driveway handing me his helmet and I borrowed a pair of shoes from Ben. Normally always wear the gear but I was just taking a spin.

Let me just say this bike is hard to start off. When you disengage the clutch, it sputters a bit as it does not like going slowly. I eased to the end of the block and went up to 4th. Holy crap my body came to life... I did a couple of passes and it was faster than any car I had been on. To give you an idea Warren raced his friend a while ago who was on a Yamaha street 1800 ccc road bike. The KTM blew it away...
When I came in Warren said "Dave you have to open it up"! This is something Don Tocher would say to me. I was very reluctant as this was no machine to mess around with. But I eased off and went to the end of the block and opened her up in first then second. My YZF250 does about 100km I have done that in 6th gear full out. In second gear on this bike I was doing 100km down the street with the front wheel off the ground. OH MY GOD!!! It was insane. I followed it by a few more passes taking it to third and pinned it. I cannot here describe the feelings. I had to get off as I knew if I did a couple of more I would take it to the edge..somewhere I did not want to go. When I came in I was shaking. Awesome. Warren got back on and did some 150km wheelies...he is insane...I have to get one of these bikes. The photos I got of him are funny as I got him far away in a wheelie and the next one we could only get the rear wheel as he was going too fast.

Now I am ready to tackle the day....d

You never know....

I have always stuck my neck outside of the box. It is the only way I know how to live and I think it is the only way to go. Early on in the race I knew we were going to be in trouble with the way the race had to be run. To try and cater to two different groups with two totally different focuses on what they were achieving.

When i met Warren Strange i knew he had it figured out. He had his big RV and all the comforts that you need out in the desert. I was lucky enough that he and Dee and her husband Mark welcomed me into their world and allowed me a cool drink of water or to rest up in an air conditioned unit for a while to try and get my body to normal which was impossible out there.

When I got sick Warren also knew that I had to get out of there. Believe it or not, we were sweating over a liter of water out of our system each hour. The funny thing was that you never sweat. It just goes out. Even though I was peeing a lot, most were not -- a very bad sign. Warren told me that I should come out with him as I would never last out there trying to recover. After being taken out, my goal was to take photos and capture others. But it was clear after listening to people that I should take the opportunity and hop into Warren's business plane and get the hell out of dodge!

Early this morning, his pilot flew in and landed on the remote airstrip which is also the road. They picked us up and soon i was flying in luxury, 26,000 feet above the hot desert I was just riding through. It was there that I grasped reality of where i was...in the middle of frikkin nowhere!!! The desert is so vast here you cannot comprehend it. I was happy where I was now.

We landed and Lisa, Warren's wife, picked us up and took us home where she cooked us an unbelieveable meal. It was incredible. The thing I have been so lucky with in life is meeting people who understand the suffering that I have taken on and then somehow want to show you the other side of that. Well I think I have found it.

Warren was one of the worlds best motocross riders in Australia and the US and his trophy room is awesome. Their new home is wicked and after I write this, i am going into the 12 seat movie theater to watch a movie and sip some ice cold coke.

Brad and Ben ride dirt bikes as well and race their rally car around the outback here on the edge of Kalgoorie. They are 17 and and 14 and Ben is just recovering from a get off on his new 250F where he broke his tibia. OOCH!

They have a wicked garage of KTM's and Yami's and Warren's race bike which is rumoured to be the fastest in Australia...it is cool to meet superstars..

I just got back from lunch which was a hot calimari salad and it was the best thing I have tasted in a long while.

Brad took me down to the Super Pit Gold Mine which is the largest gold mine in the southern hemisphere. Warren and his family run Strange Drilling which contracts out drilling rigs to the desert. He also has designed his own rigs which he will sell overseas. He says i have to come back to do the Finke Enduro Desert Race...I think I will.

Oh No!!!

The problem with racing in a hard environment is that sometimes it is made even harder by the people doing the event. Just to let you all know I am overwhelmed by the awesome support you have given me in your kind words, however, I collapsed out on the race course with a bad virus yesterday. A virus is not something that would normally stop me but out in the middle of the outback they said if they were not there in 1 hour I would be dead. They have seen it before.

The day before, Warren Strange dropped out due to illness as well. I met Warren at the beginning of the race and he is one reason the event is even happening, as his rv is being used to set up drink stations that are enabling the race to keep going. He was helping me with water and stuff as well and he is a former top motorcross champion and is an awesome guy. He also owns Strange Drilling and this morning his plane flew himself and myself out of the middle of nowhere. I wanted to go on and get better, however, like people know so much better than me that staying out there would mean that I would be sicker longer and have to get taken out further down the road.

I am now staying with him and his awesome wife, Lisa, and their two kids Brad and Ben who all ride dirt bikes so we have a big common interest. Lisa cooked us the most amazing breakfast this morning and I am now booking flighs to move up to Alice Springs to meet Kim. If I could explain to you what we were going through and what people are still going through I would, but it is unimaginable. A lot more will be coming out. Most are already being picked up on the road each day.

Cool things
The first day I was cruising a long with 30km headwind and a kangaroo bounced right across the road in front of me...very COOL!

Second day we saw wild horses right along the road running alongside us. How do they live out here. Also almost stepped on a Scorpion tuesday night around camp. We are out there. Way out there. I will write more later but I am as sick as a dog right now. I lost 10 pounds also...mini dave out

Snakes, Camels, and darkness

It is one and half hours to go and last night in Laverton, they had a big party which included horse racing, a big band and dinner. We checked it out and it was true outback. Pretty crazy.

Just had the race briefing and we have to watch out for snakes, mainly at night, as they lay across the camp and you can step on them. Hard to find a doctor out here in any sort of speed. Also tons of camels and they are very aggressive as the males don't want us around their flock. Also darkness here can kill you. Good luck finding your way if you stumble out of the camp as there are no lights and you WILL not find your way back.

So off for a powerbar then Hammer Time!!! dave

Oh my god!!

Holy crap, you are never going to believe where I am right now. That is right, I am in Laverton in Western Australia and it is hot -- damn HOT!!! But I am not hot as I am in the back of a wicked RV with full air conditioning and I am writing to you on a wicked computer that is on satellite hook up. Wohooo!!!! This is in the middle of nowwhere and there is nothing around, not even any wildlife. And it is 30 degrees which is very hot for here at this time of the day and it feels like double the temp of when it was super hot in Vancouver. The race will start tomorrow at 10 am and now everyone is a little scared of the weather, the sun and everything....

I feel good though and am pumped to be travelling here. They figure no one has ever ridden this road as it would be impossible without support. No water and you die which many people have almost done when they get stuck out in their car

Should be a humdinger and the people are all really cool and well it is pretty cool so far.

Kim, I can't wait to see you at the end in Alice Springs for a glass of wine. Everyone, I will be in touch along the way when we can get on this wicked machine in this awsome RV


Yahooooooooo!!!!!!

The Journey Begins

Hi all - Jon here trying to pick up where Dave left off. I've just arrived back in Sydney after an action packed week in Perth where Dave & I survived sun, snakes, red back spiders, pubs, clubs and my inlaws!

Friday was a day of packing and last minute shopping for electrolite drinks, bike boxes and sun screen. Before heading out for the 'last supper' Matt, a top chiropractor in Perth, made sure Dave was properly aligned and ready for the challenge ahead. Maybe Dave should have seen a psychiatrist as well?

With carbs in mind, we decided an Italian feast in the port city of Fremantle would be perfect. Fremantle was the scene in 1987 where for the first time in 132 years, the America's Cup was to be decided outside of the US. With one of the windiest coastlines in the world, Dave and Kim will surely be back to perfect their kite surfing in the near future!

An early start on Saturday morning had us down at the bus station by 6am to meet the rest of the competitors and load up the gear. Dave was able to call in last night with an update, and said the trip to the famous gold mining town of Kalgoorlie went well and provided a chance to talk to the other cyclists, enjoy a lunch stop in Merriden, and observe scenery to match the title of the movie playing on the bus - 'The Incredibles'. Dave also saw his first Kangaroo - in the ditch, and not moving...

Tents were quickly set up on arrival in Kalgoorlie, but as Dave started to unpack his bag, he discovered some of his drink mix had escaped to create an interesting sticky surface over all his clothes - perfect for catching all the flies he will encounter in the days ahead.

Next stop, Laverton.

Here we gooooooooo

Well this week has gone by so fast and I am glad as soon Kim will be joining me down here for some awesome travelling. But before the fun begins, I will have to endure a bit of torture.

Tomorrow I head off to the race via a 2-day 1000 km bus trip. Yeah, should be fun!

The race will start bright and early Monday morning from the town of Laverton. I am excited and very intrigued about all the cool things I will see along the way.

Hope you have enjoyed the Blog so far and thanks to my Sweetheart Kim for setting it up! Since where I am going there are no cell phones, no internet I will be trying to contact Kim and Jon via satellite so they can update the blog for me and keep you posted on the goings on of the race. If we can't, we can't and I apologise for that but i am sure I will come up with something...

I wish to thank Chompy for picking me up at the Airport in Sydney and making sure I found my passport and caught the Quantas Bird the next day. Thanks to Gemma and Matt for having me for the whole week and showing Jon and I such a wicked time and letting us use their computers and feeding us Sultana Bran Cereal. And thanks to Jon Rutledge who has taken time out of his schedule to show me around and take all the wicked shots that you are no doubt enjoying. He is showing off a beautiful place that we all need to come and experience. The slide show back home will be incredible!!!

Thanks again for all the kind words and encouragement. It is those words that will keep me keeping on during the 12-day hammerfest!!! G'day litte D

Sticky Beaks?!#?

Her name was Michelle and she was excited as she asked us if we were from America. We quickly retorted that we were from Canada. She had just had her honeymoon in the US with her husband Warren and she said they had a wicked time.

We quized her on the cabins as they had a wicked one. As we made it up the hill to her place we met her husbannd and she said these boys just want to have a "sticky". I had no idea what she meant, however, Jon told me it is short for "Sticky Beak", which is the replacement for 'being nosey'. Get it Sticky Beak. I love it...so she shortened it even further by saying we want a sticky.

I love the sayings here!

These cabins are awesome with their own water and appliances and theirs overlooked the water. Quite cheap to rent as well. They told us all the cool things we must see and so we were off to find them all.

Incredible surf, Quokka's, deadly snakes, bikinis - you name it we saw it.

It was then time for lunch and we made our way back and had a great lunch on the water before catching the 4:00pm boat back to the city. That night we had a great dinner with Nick and Flick, Gemma and Matt and Criag, Jon and I. Tomorrow is my last day to get organized before we head off..Kim - sweetheart the last photo is where I am bringing you...looking forward to starting...d

Rottnest Island

Rottnest Island is 12 km off the Coast of Perth. It was founded by the Dutch and when they checked it out, they saw these huge rat like creatures, hence the name Rottnest or "Rats Nest". However these are not rats at all but rather Quokka's which are marcupials and are super cool. They use to be in the Western Territory, however, now only remain on Rottnest Island.

This incredible island is about 10 km across and there are no cars on it and the government now runs it and it has these little cottages on it that you can rent. There is a huge waiting list and it is done by lottery. The reason? Well imagine a 24 plus km coast line with surf, windsurfing and endless sandy beaches where there is absolutely no one. It is incredible.

The ferry over is 45 minutes and you can hire bikes with the ferry company or bring your own. There are a few places to eat and drink and the rest of the island is just beautiful land.

As you can see, the water is amazing and the beaches even better. The one sign I did not like was to watch out for the Dugite Snakes. Yes they are deadly!!! Basically the first question I ask Jon when I see wild life is "Can that Kill me". The answer this time was yes so I was not too happy when we rounded a corner and there in the middle of the road was a Dugite. He scurried off in a hurry and I was now certain that off the road was out of bounds for me!!!

We rode around the entire island and at each outcrop there was an amazing beach. Because it is winter still here, there are not that many people so the beaches are deserted.

We met a lady from Perth who was here with her husband that heard us talking and asked if we were from America....