A Rainy Start

It took me two weeks and two days to reach Brisbane from Cairns - a journey covering two thousand km's.
Unfortunately I uncovered a strong negative correlation between increased distance per day, and meeting less people along the way - resulting in far less adventures. Sleeping in the bush every night also stunted my social activities.
None the less I was flying along in order to arrive home within budget. My biggest issue was water falling from the east coast sky. Day in day out I could expect at least some small showers, if not a full day of cold, miserable, soaked to the bone riding. I looked frantically for shelters to pitch my tent under - a process that inevitably slowed me down significantly. My skin would be wrinkly from hours in the rain, my feet numb from waterlogged shoes, and inevitably some water would sneak its way into my bags to wet my prized possessions. My camera stopped working, my internet dongle went for a swim and even my precious odometer threw the towel in. Looking into the blank screen of my odometer felt like looking into the empty eyes of deceased friend. I didn't realize just how often I look at that small screen, relying on it for information of my daily efforts. How far had I ridden? How fast was I traveling? What was my average speed?
As all this rain plummeted downwards, so did my spirits. I tried not to let it bug me but eventually it drove me wild with frustration.
On one particular day when the rain seemed to climax and everything I owned (including my tent and sleeping gear) was soaking wet, I made the decision to make an exception to my rule, and check into a motel room. I needed a heater to dry my belongings and dry out my soaking morale. So I stopped in the tiny town of Marlborough and coughed up the $50 for a single room. Luckily the lady working there took sympathy of my blue lips and sad frown and bumped my booking up to a double room with an en suite.
The room was a dingy small building with a tin roof that echoed loudly under the thundering rain. I liked the sound. It smelt musty, the television didn't work and the windows whistled in the wind. However, I had a roof over my head, a small heater and a comfy bed. I got to work drying out my gear carefully and charged my computer in order to watch a film to whiz me away to another world. The net result was positive. I left in the morning refreshed, dry, happy and determined. To add to this, the downpour from the night seemed to leave nothing for the morning - the sun was even shining!