Clearly, we had arrived on a designated “postcard” day. Balmy, warm glassy ocean, people swanning about under dazzling blue skies. This is gunna be good…we said, and about 10 days later it was good again. It was the in-between days that tended to live at the margins. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of sunshine, but a constant chilling wind around 25-40 klm was a continual reminder that the winds from Antarctica have a clear run to the Australian coastline. You were never quite sure that, when opening the van door, a snow flurry might blizzard in. The pilot light for the gas fridge was blown out so frequently that I ended up gaffer taping the side of a Nutri Grain box over the vent (again, the gaffer tape – lovin’ the tape Jerry).
The upside was , that for most of the time, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Each day the sunset was different and often gorgeous. The early evenings were spent with a watchful eye on the horizon, cameras poised for ‘the shot’.
Of course, Long Beach was the highlight of the stay. . Now for those who dream of beach driving, but fear the soft sand and the rising tide, this is the beach for you. You don’t have to let your tyres down. Hell, you don’t even need 4WD!! This we learned by watching the locals, who barreled straight onto the beach with neary a sideways glance. Only the tourists, dutifully spent half an hour with the compressor and guage (for those not in the know, tyre pressure is reduced down to around 23psi when on the beach or dune). So, girding our loins with local knowledge. Tamika and I enjoyed a lovely, trouble free 10klm beach run into Kingston for supplies. The next day, Tamika had her first ever beach drive.
As you have already read and seen, we didn’t exactly starve on Christmas day. We did discover there is a learning curve on the fire pit and accompanying sundries however. I’m sure Tamika will let you know when she has truly mastered the art. We have also allowed ourselves the luxury of not timetabling our moves other than a notion of where we want to be and when. So, a few days after Christmas, we decided we had been Granited out and it was time to move on.
Amazing pictures John. Glad Christmas went ok as we had. Tamika sounds like she is enjoying the life on the road. A bit hard at times to accommodate all cooking facilities while on the road. Happy New Year to you both and keep up the great stories.and safe travelling. Paula & Jim