Today we left Nanutarra and turned inland. We're due to climb 700m in the next three or four days as we go to Tom Price. I spend the day riding by myself and thinking about the group process. I'm trying to find a way for it to work for everyone, but that will also be attractive to the core members who will have the most to lose by changing. I hate politics, but it seems that like most people I'll be forced to act politically in order to survive in the group.
I suspect that the "consensus" that is so talked about is actually an emotional thing, rather than reasoned. That would explain why there is so much emphasis on not being negative (shouldn't that be "emphasis on being positive"?), and lack of problems with hypocrisy and mind- changing. It would also explain the difficulty of finding out what has actually been decided, since a lot of the time discussion stops when no-one is expressing unhappiness, rather than when a definite conclusion has been reached. Perhaps that too is why meetings go on so long - every time we look like finishing someone says something definite in an attempt to finalise a decision, then we have to keep talking until people who are unhappy with any definite commitment are happy again. Because there are people who are really unhappy with the idea of fixed commitments of any sort. Antoinette particularly will launch into a speech about the necessity of being flexible at the slightest prompting, but Naima and Sunny will just quietly ignore any decision they disagree with, which makes the whole process a bit pointless to hard-edged types like John and me.
I go round in circles a lot in this vein, over the next few weeks it hardens into certainty on a lot of fronts. Since I don't seem able to affect meetings or decisions in ways that I find productive I sit out, like John has been doing. I notice that some people are doing the same thing. I also spend meetings observing and forming hypothesis to test, rather than participating.
I woke at 6am, was away by 6:30 at least to the roadhouse, where I had a poo stop (a proper sitdown toilet, even. Actually, I'm beginning to get irritated with the stupid design of the standard toilet and prefer squatting). Back to the turnoff 5km up the road, then rode directly into the sun for 30km. Feels good to be back on the road and riding. Trike is ok, wound the steering out half a turn (less toe-in) to see if that helps. Can't tell the difference.
Saw a family of emus early on, bloody annoying to photograph because they run away so fast. took photos of a monolith because they don't move as much. Spent a bit of time navigating, mostly because after my Mount Minnie experience (it's 218m high) I was keen to se if Mt Stuart would be spectacular. But no, it was neither especially tall, nor stupidly short.
Stopped at house creek for lunch. As usually we have "reliable" information from motorists about the existence of a really nice river to have lunch at. As usual, the motorists are accurate to plus or minus half an hours drive, or thereabouts. Call it 100km either way unless there's a town to help them (although even then, "just out of town" can be 50km). House creek is dry, but has overhanging trees so there's a nice cool spot to sit and each. There's a lot of cattle sign and some really irritating flies so I don't linger too long.
At 66km is Duck Creek, which actually has water in it. Salty, scummy, stationary water, but at least it's water. Looks as though there are ducks and other birds here pretty regularly as well as cattle. I'm not keen to touch the water, let alone swim in it or drink it. I leave that to other members of the group (Tali will swim in it, she swims in anything). Interesting bird nests under the bridge though. My knees hurt again.