Hi, Crookneez:

No wonder your knees are crook - that's steep hilly country! I think the suspension lockout is great idea. My bro used to live in West Cooroy, out in one of the old depression-era Queenslanders. Goannas stealing the eggs and snakes in the plumbing. Then he moved up to Cairns to be closer to the folks. Right now he and his wife are in Fiji, 180-days into a trans-Pacific trip (Baja California to Cairns) on a 30-footer. Aussies rock!

You reckon a 70+ year-old can do the Cairns-to-Karumba ride? I'd love to try it, but the last time I tried to drive it it was all under construction, with traffic diverted into the bush, from Croydon to Karumba, and I ended up hitting a 'roo just short of Karumba. I wouldn't want to have been trying to ride it on a bike then, and I wouldn't want to do it unsupported ever, although I've seen a few blokes out there. I can't find the website for whoever runs that ride - just a bunch of photos on Facebook. I'd love to give it a go - give me a chance to see Innot Hot Springs again, where my folks lived for 25 years. John