Dokkodo: Lonesome Road of Running

Cool morning again. 12 degrees but it will rise up to 29. Tomorrow 35 degrees but rain. Weather can be changeable and unpredictable. Traffic is kind of heavy in the morning hours. Adelaide is about 100km south. Following B82 taking a look at winery, vine yard and grape hills. I enjoyed some shopping IGA, Auburn. It's Saturday, most of the stores are closed in the afternoon. An accident happened again! The shaft of the front wheel has been broken down in Rhinie. The same thing had happened on the highway near Esperance about 2 months ago. Running on the gravel road, I got to be careful. This never happens on the paved road. When the wheel is glassed by the gravel, it cannot go forward smoothly. I was lucky I had a spare shaft given at a cycle shop in Esperance. In Adelaide I will get some spares sent by Mr.Ueda the owner of the Pleasant. After 3pm, I arrived at caravan park in Riverton. I can sleep on bed for the first time in 2 days. Need to ...

90 days from Perth. Clear up in the morning. 15 degrees. When the sun shines, I'm happy enough to smile under the blue sky. What I see is wheat hills and sheep farm. Head wind blew all day, which slowed me down. When tail wind blows, we don't notice most of the time. We just got to go on even if head wind blows. After the rain, there are lots of flies bothering around. Rolling hills still last. Not too long but it lasts repeatedly. And I got to be careful for drunken drivers because there are lots of winery around here. Clare is a big town. I guess it's a town which became famous for wine business. I was surprised and glad to see Woolworths. Traffic is becoming a bit heavier. In Clare, some people talked to me. They said they had seen me on the highway. Caavan park is at the edge of the town, 5km from town center. Kind of exhausters but I made it. Just before the caravan park, a police officer stopped his car and told me to run on th...

Last night I was so exhausted that I fell asleep at 7:30. Got up at 3:30 today. Cool enough this morning to run. Where on earth has the heat gone? Chilly south wind is blowing. The scenery was all golden wheat fields around here. Oats, barley, vetch, rye as well as wheat…many varieties. I heard that Japan imports lots of wheat from Australia. Kagawa Prefecture (which is also called Udon-Ken or Udon noodle Prefecture) , where local people eat lots of udon noodles, too. A few years ago, the price of the wheat was risen because of the drought weather in Australia. Grape hills can be seen here and there. I saw winery and vine yards here and there. Georgetown is a pretty town. It is a small town, actually on my map the name of the town is written the smallest letter. I opened the door of the grocery store which was opened in late 1800s. Tusch, the owner used to teach English in Japan. He lived in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture. Late afternoon, rain sta...

I'm following Highway B82 instead of A1 but it was a right choice. B82 is a quiet highway with a wonderful view. The shoulders are narrow but the traffic is not heavy. I can enjoy running on the country road everyday. While I'm running per day, there are some towns on the way. It's not a desert any more. There are no rest area and parking area but in towns there are parks, toilet picnic tables and bench. There were no shades in the desert plain but now I can take a break under the shade of big tall trees. Actually it was very hot this afternoon over 35 degrees. I had to cool myself down several times. Water bottle is warm enough to call it hot water. Today I visited Murray Town, Wirrabara and Stone Hut. Those are really small town but pretty. After 3pm I finished my run in Laura Caravan Park. Population about 500. But there's a super market IGA. Tomorrow I have to camp out because there's no service between Laura and Clare. Clare is a...

Hill climb yesterday gave a muscle ache on me in both arms, neck, back and shoulders. It means my upper body works so hard when pushing VIENTO the buggy. Today was a short run day because the next accomodation was too far to one day. Since I left Port Augusta, there has been some small towns every 20 to 30km. Finished my run in Melrose today. This is also small but pretty town which makes me feel like living. Very tidy and neat. The population is not so large but this is the town which has every function necessary as a town.   Walking around downtown, time is passing so slowly here. I really felt like spending a couple days here if possible. *Today's Distance: 22.5km *Total Distance from Perth: 3059.3km * See More Photos

Summer is just around the corner. The temperature is around 30 degrees this week. Today I will enjoy hill climb. Said goodbye to Highway 1 and I chose country road. Old Wilmington Road was pretty quiet only one lane with no shoulders. I saw several cars passing by. Elevation was getting higher and higher. As soon as I entered North Main Road, real hill climb started up to 500m. I conquered Horrocks Pass after all. I sweat a lot but feel really refreshing. Desert plain was over with lots of green here and there. After 4pm I arrived at Beautiful Valley Caravan Park, Wilmington. The owner gave me 10 dollars discount. It's Day 86. I covered 3000km from Perth. I run 1000km per month constantly. Not so fast a pace because I took lots of day-off. VIENTO the buggy is already a part of my body. Step by step, I can go far. *Today's Distance: 44.2km *Total Distance from Perth: 3036.8km * See More Photos

Here's an article about PEACE RUN & Adventure Runner KAY... >> Japanese peace run pays Ceduna a visit http://www.westcoastsentinel.com.au/story/1905343/japanese-peace-run-pays-ceduna-a-visit/?cs=1547

Cool morning but sunny blue sky today too. After running 13km, Eyre Highway makes a turn left at the intersection. Then traffic is getting busier as cars come and go so often. 26km to Port Augusta. The shoulders are too narrow to run with my partner VIENTO the Buggy. When two cars come from ahead and behind at the same time, I have to get out of the paved road onto the gravel shoulder, which is very stressful. The scenery I see reminds me of the one in the Mid-West of the US when I ran across in 2011. It's a desert but some mountains around the highway. Wind blew from behind…yes! Tail wind pushed me. After 2pm, I arrived at a caravan park in Port Augusta. About 2km away from city center but it's in a quiet place. Here I am in a big city, 10 days from Ceduna, crossing Eyre Peinsula. Going to take 2 days off and will go down in south for Adelaide. Almost 3000km from Perth in 83 days. Seemed like I took too many off days but I feel happy I'm here ...

17 degrees, cool morning. This campsite is 20m away from highway. So noisy with road trains I woke up several times during the night. Scenes of the desert plain like the Nullarbor again between Kimba and Port Augusta. Especially around Iron Knob, all I can see is the scenes of the Nullarbor Plain itself. It was unfortunate that road house, motel and caravan park of Iron Knob had been already closed. That was almost a ghost town. Only visitor information center and public toilet were there. When people don't come around, the town won't be worth visiting. Where there's no people coming around, there'll be no service. There used to be a lot of people living here because it was the birthplace of Australian steel industry. It is just like towns in the midwest of the US, which used to be busy with gold miners in the late 19th century. The difference between big cities and isolated small towns is getting bigger. The same is true in Japan. I don't...

Cloudy. Weather forecast says it will rain today. Left Kimba after 6:30. Windy but cool. Totally different from yesterday. Next town Iron Knob is 88km away from here. Port Augusta is about 160km. Hope I'll get there in 3 days. Rolling hills repeated again and again today. But today, mostly downhill. And to make matters better, wind blew from west, tail wind sometimes. Some people stopped in front of me and gave water, food and donation to the Tsunami & Earthquake victims. It was hard to find a camp site today. I was running in the conservation park area with both sides of the road fenced. Even rest area was difficult to find. I guess South Australia has to spend more money on maintenance for the highway. *Today's Distance: 63.3km *Total Distance from Perth: 2897.7km * See More Photos 

Cool morning. Full moon was so bright I could read a book under the moon light. No one was coming in this rest area. Seemed like I was the only camper As soon as the sun rose about 6am, I started. What rolling hills! After I entered the District Council of Kimba, hills after hills knocked me down. Heavy buggy made me feel much heavier. Around noon, a car stopped and here comes a lady. She said, "Do you remember me?" "Yes! Jodie! Of Ceduna Caravan Park!!" I said. She happened to visit Port Augusta and on her way back to Ceduna, she was wondering what had become of me. It was the law of attraction, wasn't it? Miracles happen everyday, that's what Forrest Gump often says. Another car stopped when I was taking a break. Neil's family was driving around Australia. Two kids, both go to primary school but it's going to be a great experience to them, I'm sure. Travel is a part of education. Hope they will become adults who ...

Sunny, cool morning. First stop was at Kyancutta, where there's a grocery store. After leaving Kyancutta, there's no supply until Kimba 89km east of Kyancutta. Took a rest for a while. Heat comes up and rolling hills knock me down in the afternoon. Kind of tough and hard day. Took a break so many times under a shade of the trees. It's important to feel at ease while running. If I forget about this, I often feel tired and sometimes got exhausted. After running 47km, I pitched my tent at rest area 57km west of Kimba. Tomorrow's going to be a long day but I guess I can make it. The sun sets about 8pm. It's not a good idea to pitch my tent as early as 4pm. Too warm to stay in a tent before the night comes. *Today's Distance: 46.8km *Total Distance from Perth: 2778.2km * See More Photos

Some cars stopped to offer me some water on the highway. One of them said he had seen me on a paper (West Coast Sentinel) on which I appeared. He said he was a resident of Ceduna. He read the article which introduced my journey the other day. I haven't read it yet though. Some people offer me food and water from time to time but they don't even tell me their names. They do it from their own good will. I really appreciate their kindness. And I'm so glad to have encountered them at the very place and the very moment. Life is a travel, we meet someone special living day after day. Hope we have a good one. Cool and beautiful sunshine in the morning. Lots of head wind in the afternoon. Today too, I arrived in the town of Wudinna. The population is about 500, a local small town but I like it. Unfortunately, the grocery store had been closed when I arrived. Yes, it was Saturday afternoon. I'll keep going with no day off until I get to Port August...

Rained a bit during the night, but my tent was dry. Flies were quiet in the morning because of the cool wind but late afternoon they appeared and we had fun together. When there's no one to talk with, flies are good companies. I never thought about being companies with flies in Australia. Today's a short day, running just 35km to Minnipa. There are small towns in this area every 30 to 40km. Probably they are towns with population less than 100. There are a motel/hotel, pub and grocery store but no one visits. No attractions and events that people are interested in. And towns will become just a town with only the name. It's too sad. Why don't some people of populated area in Japan move to Australia? After 2pm, I checked in at motel in Minnipa. Early finish makes me feel good after taking a shower. *Today's Distance: 34.6km *Total Distance from Perth: 2692.6km * See More Photos

Wind blows always from the east. Cannot remember when the wind last blew from the west. Just kept running with no words to murmur. Took some break under the shade of trees. Flies are good companies as is usual. About 50 flies are around my face after it gets warm. Wonder why they don't get into the room and my tent. They are just shy, aren't they? After 3, I arrived at the town of Poochera. There must have been the only one hotel& caravan park in town but it is now closed. They say a few months ago it was open. Unfortunately I pitched my tent at rest area nearby. It's about 30 degrees. I feel like I'm in the green house. Calm and quiet day…it's good to live a silent life. *Today's Distance: 49.1km *Total Distance from Perth: 2658km * See More Photos

Woke up at 5 with no wind blowing. Out for a toilet and looked up to the sky with millions of stars twinkling. I recognized the Southern Cross in a second. 15 degrees, but felt so chilly. My left calf is OK now. My special treatment seemed to work well. Started at 7. Flies are still active. Not so many as there were in the Nullarbor. Very friendly as usual though. When I have no one to talk to, flies are only companies. Rolling hills annoys me, pushing hard but it takes lots of work. After 4, I got into the town of Wirrulla. The town is a little far from highway 1. There are hotel and caravan park. I chose hotel to stay in a single room. A network was available but the speed is too slow. Just checked an e-mail and browsed some pages. *Today's Distance: 48.5km *Total Distance from Perth: 2608.9km * See More Photos

Took 3 days off in Ceduna. Ate a lot and drank a lot, remembering how tough and hard days I spent in the Nullarbor. Got back on the road again. Even if the Nullarbor was over but I keep running in the plain. Carrying 16 liter water and some food, I got something wrong on my left calf. Met a cycling team who are riding across Australia from Perth to Sydney. We took photos together. I'm running on Eyre Highway, across Eyre Peinsula to Port Augusta. There are some long stretches about 100km with no supply till I get there. Tonight I completed my run and pitched my tent at the rest area. Treated my left calf well. I can recover myself by the time I wake up next morning. *Today's Distance: 45.8km *Total Distance from Perth: 2560.4km * See More Photos

Here's a certificate Across The Nullarbor, which is 2 dollars, just a piece of paper available at Ceduna Visitor Information Center. It is something like an award to me. But I had to spend whole one month running 1,200km in the desert plain until I got this paper. Although everything is going to fade out of my mind as time goes by, what I leared  or what I was taught here should be etched into my soul and I guess I must put that to use in my travel, run and life from now on. Now I'm trying to realize something I didn't know when I first traveled across the Nullarbor Plain by bike in 1995. It's not a philosophy, not a religion, either. Now something necessary and essential in my life is being built inside me Thanks, Nullarbor.  Thanks, Australia.

Adventure Runner KAY Katsuhiko Takashige successfully completed his two-legged trek running across the Nullarbor Plain (desert plain which stretches about 1,200km from east to west between Ceduna and Norseman) on November 8.  It is a part of his mission PEACE RUN 2013 Running Across Australia and New Zealand, which is also the 2nd stage of PEACE RUN Running Around the World Running 40,000km(25,000miles) on 5 Continents Around the World See also the website below as for PEACE RUN and Adventure Runner KAY KAY'S WORLD PEACE RUN PEACE RUN 2013 Peace Run Official Site Peace Run Running Around the World Peace Run Supporters Club Music: "Sora(The Sky)" by Tenkyu Pingpongs

I got up late. I was so tired I didn't hear the alarm of my wrist watch. Rain stopped, just a bit of blue skies were seen. Everything got wet. Rain suits and shoes are still wet. late start at 7:40. Soon the sun came up and got warm. Since I left Penong, I've seen some farms here and there. Part of the plain was field and farming area, where there are sheep. As I got close to Ceduna, the traffic gets busier. I feel the word wilderness is not adequate here any longer. The end of the Nullarbor finally caught me up. The view of the blue sea got into my eyes. Ceduna!! At 1:20pm, I was welcomed by a signboard of Welcome to Ceduna. Went through quarrantine inspection easily. Just asked if I had fruits and vegetables by an officer. As I was hungry, I entered a restaurant named Oyster Bar and enjoyed Fish & Chips. At visitor information center, I purchased Certificate of Crossing the Nullarbor. Then I checked in at a caravan park n...

19 degrees. Cloudy morning. Unstable weather, it might rain. Dark clouds come and go. Thunder lightening far and away. Rain started 1 hour after I had left. Head wind. The road totally wet. What I scared was a great splash the road trains made when they passed by. Got soaked into my shoes. At Penong, I bought a pizza pie and Coke. Penong is a small town, not a roadhouse, where there are primary school, police station. It's famous for 100 windmills. It was raining on and off. Inside my jacket was wet by sweat. When the wind blows, the sensory temperature drops a few degrees. Camp out tonight, there is no hot shower unfortunately. But because of rain and low temperature, there might be no flies bothering me around. Kept going on and on, after 6pm, I finished today's run at a rest area, 32km west of Ceduna. Tomorrow is the day!!! Exchanged my clothes in a tent. Felt cold and I put my lower body into a sleeping bag. A guy from a caravan parked near ...

3 days to go to Ceduna which I have long wanted to reach. It's been long but might have been short when I'm looking back now. One month…Nobody spends such a long time here in the Nullarbor except dwellers of roadhouses. Cars travel 1200km maybe in 2 or 3 days, even bikes 2 weeks or so. North wind makes windmills turning around. Saw farms where there are lots of sheep for the first time in 1 month. WInd turned into south afternoon and had some scattered shower. Sometimes the Nullarbor shines so bright like a golden field. Flies so active today, more than 100 always flying around my face. A road train stopped before me and the driver handed me a banana, canned soup and a water bottle. He said in Japanese, "Gambatte, ja matane (Good luck. See you)! Two more days, just 90km!! I'm sure I can make it!! *Today's Distance: 64.1km *Total Distance from Perth: 2425.4km * See More Photos

Cool morning 14 degrees. Cloudy but soon the sunny breaks. The east wind cools me down. Rolling hills still last, not so steep but they appear one after another. Met an ultra runner from France, Patric Malandain . He is also running across Australia from Sydney to Perth 3814km in 43 days. What a fast runner! He runs 88.7km per day even if he takes no day off. He said he would run 100km today! In 2011, when I ran across the US, he was also running across the US for Transfoot America from LA to New York 5137km in 70 days. What I'm doing now looks like nothing but kid's play. He was with support crew almost all the time. Two cars were always taking care of him. He didn't even have water bottle with him. He's a record maker but I, memories maker. We have different points of view to running but we're both runners. That's the point. We wished good luck to each other and hugged goodbye. I later knew he was 53 years old, the same age as I. ...

I woke up to find the floor sheet of my tent covered with white sand dust. Everything I touched was sandy and dusty. Rolling hills lasted for a while. Wind comes from the east today too. I had to run against the wind. No, I had to run with head wind. Not so hot as it was yesterday. I didn't have to drink too much water. I knew I had completed 1000km since I left Norseman, which means I have just 200km to go until I get to Ceduna! That was a relief. No conversation today. Just one pick up truck stopped about 300 meters ahead. He put a small water tank on the shoulder of the highway without saying anything. In it was a cold water. Thanks, anyway! Tomorrow I'll be in Nundroo, where I visit the last roadhouse in the Nullarbor. There'll be just 3 days from Nundroo to Ceduna. Then I'll be free! I can get back to ordinary life with civilization. *Today's Distance: 48.6km *Total Distance from Perth: 2313.6km *S ee More Photos

This is the heart of the Nullarbor…the scenery which I'm viewing is the real desert plain. This treeless plain made me feel like being in the planet of Mars. Then a truck stopped just in front of me. The driver got out of the truck. He said his name was Alex. "Just can't leave you a lonely traveler alone in the desert!" He handed me extremely chilled two canned coke and got back to his truck. 36 degrees in the early afternoon. But the wind, even if it was a head wind, helped me cool down a bit. Took 4 to 5 liter water today. Got to drink more under this heat and wind. 30km away from the Nullarbor, treeless plain changed the scenery into the one with some trees. Rolling hills not only let me down but up and down. This is the Nullarbor, not Rocky Mountains. After running 50km, I found a place to pitch my tent in the bush. *Today's Distance: 49.6km *Total Distance from Perth: 2265km * See More Photos