Day 12
29 OCT / Thursday
Esperance to between Gibson and Scaddan (25 miles)
We woke up around 7 am, showered, and then packed. Outside the motel, we wiped our bikes down and then applied a cleaning wax we bought from a bike store in town. We left our bikes in the back of the motel and headed down the street to the internet store, then on to the small mall for lunch of baked goods and ice cream. We supplied for the ride to Salmon Gums (60 miles) in the Woolworths (the mall grocery store). We walked the beach and the pier. Leaving the motel just before 2 pm to head to Mermaid Leathers. We had planned on leaving at 2 pm, but on our way out of town we stopped in at Mermaid Leathers for a tour. We met the owner, and we/I kept asking questions about the process and how he came into Mermaid Leathers. Mermaid Leathers specializes in fish skin art. Taking left over skins from a fish catch (1000s or more, net fishing), they then "recycle" the non-edible fish scales ("trash" that's Free!), and hang the skin out to dry to make a profit. They then do some cleaning, then die the fish scales, make art, and sell a product worldwide as wallets, pens, shoes, clothing, bookmarks, etc. Mermaid Leathers' products range from the use of sharks to sting rays.

We ended up leaving Esperance just after 4 pm leaving little time to bike much of the 60 miles to Salmon Gums, but we knocked out 25 miles or so. There are a few climbs out of Esperance, then the road turned flat and we pedaled fast to get here.

We stopped around 6.15 pm within yards of the road. We only found these two bushes we could set up between with large bushes next to the road that should shield us out of sight from vehicles once the night comes. The ground here is extremely hard and looks as though the ground has been tilled at one point making us sleep on 3 rows of raised pebble dirt. High straws of grass don't make it easier, and mosquitoes bit down during setup, now hovering around us outside. So we set up the bug-netting and jumped in ASAP. Didn't use our headlamps tonight for fear of being spotted by a local farmhouse across the street.

Today was great. We spent most of the day walking on the beach. The pier is really long. It took twenty minutes to walk to the end. Sammy is the sea lion that lives under the pier.  He came out of the water and laid on the rocks when Billy and I arrived (see photos).  He almost looks dead until you see his eyes open. It’s freezing, and the wind on the pier is truly amazing. It’s true the temperature is 10 degrees cooler near the shore. It’s now time to get ready to go. We are leaving Esperance tonight. On the way out we stopped by one of the tourist attractions, Mermaid Leathers. A museum devoted to shark leather and fish scales. You can buy souvenirs like shark belts, earrings, shoes, bookmarks, pens, and anything that could be made out of fish skins. The man who owns the shop, Andrew, talked to us for almost 45 minutes about his business. Basically when sharks are caught and used for food, there is a lot of trash that most people throw away, like the shark skin. Andrew and a friend came up with a way to use all the waste from the shark (mainly the skin) and turn it into leather. And apparently shark leather is 50 times stronger than normal leather.  After talking with Andrew, he gave us a free souvenir and some postcards and wished us well on our way. It’s a great stop if you are near the Esperance area. Billy and I rushed out the door, because it’s almost 5:30 now and we don’t have long before sunset.  In the rush to get on my bike, I failed to notice I was on gravel. As soon as I tried to pedal, I fell flat on my face. Billy was a true gentleman, he laughed and kept going. I was so close to the entrance, I quickly got up, even though it hurt. It’s so embarrassing when you fall. Billy and I rode as fast as we could. We passed through a very, very small town, Gibson. This is where Billy met a crazy lady that was from Los Angeles, now living outside of Esperance, who thought we were homeless. She pulled into the gas station while I was in the restroom, she quizzed Billy on where we were staying for the evening. It seemed her mission in life is to make sure no one sleeps outside. She failed to recognize that some people choose to sleep outside. We made it 30 miles outside of Esperance, and then we pulled off the road. Our camping spot is the worst one yet, there are huge rocks underneath the bug netting, and we are basically out in the open. The two bushes we used to hang the bug netting can hardly be called trees. We need to make it to Norsmen tomorrow, and it’s still a hundred miles away.