We were up at 5:30 a.m. this morning and pulled out of camp around 7:00 a.m. We had 100k to drive to Albany with our lame bus, and we headed into the unkown with positive spirits and singing “On the Road Again!”
On the drive south to Albany we slowly inched our way back into a type of reality. The vegetation became rich shades of green, the trees grew taller and developed into trees the tops of which looked like bunches of balloons, and the pasture started to look as if it might provide some nutrition for the cows, sheep and horses that grazed on it. The bus surged and stalled its way into Albany causing moments of alarm then picked up again to a more positive speed causing yips of delight from the anxious passengers.
Annelies didn’t want to risk driving into the largest metropolitan area we had seen in a long time, so Sean took his group in first, then came back for us whilst Annelies took the bus off to the bus hospital. Albany was not a bad town to be stranded in and we walked around this oldest town in Western Australia with interest. We liked it. It had a laid-back look with Aussie Colonial buildings and cute cafes. We ignored the cool, windy, and showery weather.
Annelies joined us for lunch while she waited to hear the verdict from the computer tests run by the Toyota dealer. They dealer finally announced that they did not know what the problem was, and it would take some time to fix. So Hassie and Annielies had found us another bus rented from “Busy Blue Bus. ” It was smaller, but much newer and quite cute. So we loaded up the little trailer with as much of the gear as we could from the original bus, piled in, even Annelies stuffed camel made it to his usual position on the dashboard. We were hoping to reach The Valley of the Giants before it closed at 5:00 p.m.
But, we didn’t make it. They had the gates closed by 4:45 p.m. when we arrived! So, instead, Annelies took us to see the Giant Tingle Tree near Walpole. The Tingle Tree is a type of eucalyptus and is 77 metres high. We took a short walk through a forest of variations of the Tingle. The root system of this tree is all on the ground or above ground and their trunks develop various patterns and growths that resemble something out of Jurassic Park. It was like walking in a forest on another planet.
After a beautiful drive through the forests we arrived at Quinninup Camp Ground around 7:15 p.m. After an uncertain day, we ended up back on schedule! Fittingly, the campground was one of the best on the trip – good hot showers, clean toilets, and a serviceable camp kitchen. Have you heard of Google Sky Map? Over the past few nights we have been watching the starry skies in ignorance. Lucie, one of the French girls on the other trip and whom we have been talking with, produced her “Samsung” and asked me if I had heard of it. I hadn’t, but I do now! You hold your cellphone up to the sky, then look at it from underneath. You can see all the stars and planets plus their names. It is so neat. Try it!!
No comments:
Post a Comment