Ingham to Bilyana rest area

 Ingham to Bilyana rest area = 79km
Cummulative totals = 3556km and 23,557km
Bilayana rest area = free

Well we had an enforced rest day yesterday ... as you know when we got here on Sunday it started to rain in the afternoon around 12.30 and it didn't stop until late Monday night.
We tried to leave on Monday morning thinking that the rain had stopped and when we looked at the radar it was showing clear or very light rain ahead.  We were about to take the tent down when it poured with rain and just continued lightly for the next few hours with every now and then a heavy pour down.  This continued until well into the night.
Now Monday is Queens birthday in Oz and in Queensland Coles, Woolies and shops with the exception of IGAs are by law suppose to close on Sundays (Dave Watson who works for IGA Warwick says so that it is a strange law!) so we made allowances for that and had our Sunday dinner with us.  So Monday we are needing food - bread and dinner so in goes Neil and for some strange reason I think that the supermarkets probably have to close on a public holiday ... I was right nothing was opened except for maccas, kentucky and subway So Neil got us 2 turkey foot long subways for dinner.
When he came back I reassessed our food which consisted or about 10 biscuits, 4 pieces of fruit cake, 2 rows of weetbix and 5 muesli bars plus the 2 subway rolls.  So that is not much food for us who constantly pick at food, so we had to budget.

 Kouta always has food as we make sure he has extra packets so he is not starving but as usual he looks longingly at the food we eat and we both weaken and give him some of our food ...

 We have 4 weetbix for brekky with extra nuts ... I am thinking that is not really enough to get us to our first break!  So we packed up, everything is damp but the tent and all our belongings are dry it is just the bags that are wet.  We are both suffering from Tent Fever and I think Kouta is and we are grumpy when we pack up, just wanting to get out of this dump ... we always get stuck in Ingham, the campground is nice but it is miles from the town center so really there is nothing to do when there.
We set out and picked up a loaf of bread at woolies and margarine and banana.  We head out hoping they have improved the road between Ingham and the Ranges which is about the 17km mark.  They have improved the road and we have a shoulder to ride in this time.  Just before the range we took a break at Jones Road ...

 Before we got here we saw a sign saying they had completed a Ingham-Cardwell realignment ... so we are thinking have they done something to the hill ahead.  This hill is narrow and winding both sides and last time we came up this way there was a car accident at night - so they closed the highway both ways (which causes havoc) and again the next day to retrieve the car they had to close the highway again for at least 1 hour but we were fortunate that the police let us up and over during the retrieval simply because we were already going up the hill when the closed the road.  Now this really caused chaos on the Bruce highway as there is no alternative and the traffic queue was loooooooooooooong!
So to our surprise the hill has been completely redone.  First they have a overtaking lane going up on both sides and a wide shoulder, 2ndly they have a side road at the top for the lookout which now crosses over a bridge at the top so that means they have shortened the hill and levelled it out so the hill is shorter to ride.  They have done the same for the other side.  If you look at the profile you can see the 13% which is actually on the side road.  So it was a great ride going up and down.  They also have put concrete alongside so no cars can go careening down the mountain side.
By 38km we are feeling a little weak and hungry - the subway sandwiches are just not enough to sustain us.  We stop and eat some bread ... and I can't believe my luck I find $1 ... I never find money so when I do this calls for a photo!

 while sitting there I spot this eagle (not sure what type) in a tree so I quickly go back and get the camera ...

 it is sitting there watching the traffic and I had to get Neil to squawk and flail about so it would take off ...

 We get to Cardwell just on lunchtime and stop to dry off all our clothes as the sun is peaking out.  Honestly the 2 bikes look like a Chinese Laundry shop with all our knickers, cycle shorts and shorts hanging off our panniers so now they are laid out in the sun on the picnic table!
They have redone along the esplanade at Cardwell and it is very modern and nice now.  Our spot has a nice view of Hitchenbrook island and looking at it it is very hard to see where the island ends and the mainland starts as it is so mountainous ...

It is only another 20km to the rest area and we have a very strong tailwind so that helps.  Just out of Cardwell we come across roadworks and it is controlled by traffic lights as only one side of the highway is usable.  So we go through the green lights and we know that we will not get through this set of lights before the traffic coming in the opposite direction has the green light.  I am riding as fast as I can as I can see there is NO WHERE for us to go when the oncoming traffic comes through - usually we can ride outside the cones when the oncoming traffic comes through as they never wait for us to completely get through, so I am beginning to panic and pedalling my legs off watching for the oncoming traffic and seeing the cars that came through with us way in the distance, so we am watching and as we pass the traffic light controlling the oncoming traffic I see it is green and we both acknowledge the drivers to thank them for waiting for us ... I tell you it was a relief ... lucky the car at the front of the traffic light waited for us as like I said they never wait for us!
So we get here to Bilyana and we have been here several times.  Quite a few here especially caravans, last time we had alot of backpacker vans but I don't know where they will fit in tonight if any come now!
Tomorrow we get to Mission Beach ... I forgot to mention we had 20mm of rain at Ingham, Innisfail and Tully had 120mm which means that Mission Beach had the 120mm and there is more to come but maybe not as much!  Fingers crossed we can get there tomorrow before it starts up again!