Your situation sounds very much like how I started out randonneuring in Tasmania. We were largely self-reliant, and even did without family and friends at controls. Fortunately, in qualifying for PBP2003, the state organiser was one of our trio of riders. We had a lot of fun, discovered what we really could do, and made ourselves self-sufficient in many ways. It was a great learning experience.

Not sure I could handle your climate, though.

Are you keeping an eye on the World Cup cricket?

Anyway, a repeated well done.