Our Tracks Continue

Our tracks finally look like we may actually be making a circle back towards Melbourne. We haven't had internet access for a few days so we still don't know if Trox' bike shipped yet. We have driven over 1300 kilometers since we left Firth Park on the 15th of November. For us that is actually quite a high daily average but the rain has kept pushing us on looking for DRY!

Our Route

2 December 2010

Hard to believe December is here and in the very near future I will be 60! The rains continue but are at least now just thunder showers occasionally. The 24 hour rains have stopped. It is unbelievably wet no matter where we go. The weather/news reports that this is the wettest and coldest November on history here in Victoria. The "cold" is nice but the wet could let up a little. We have made our way to the Big Desert area north and west of Melbourne. We are currently at Lake Hattah which is part of Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. As we entered the park we were greeted with this sign.

What about Birds and Monkeys??

It is pretty country although very different than what we have been through. More shrubby than trees and obviously not a very wet region (normally). The area has obviously burned not too long ago. Driving in the right side of the road was all burned and the left was still nice and green. At least the road made a good fire break. We are currently parked next to a pretty lake and Trox is off riding.

Bunyip

The lake is way out of its normal bed and lots of trees look at risk of drowning. There is a blue-green algae in the water and so there are warnings to not have any contact with the water as it is dangerous stuff. Too bad as I'm sure Trox would love a swim and I wouldn't mind a wade. They aren't even allowing canoes on the lake.

I think those trees are supposed to be on dry ground

Pretty pretty

All along the Murray River Valley I kept saying "this reminds me of California!!" and it DID! There were hectares of orchards and vineyards. Apple trees, citrus, peaches, apricots, plums, cherries and row after row of grapes. Then there would be a field of ground crop. Unfortunately because of the rain many of the crops may be lost. The wheat is ready to harvest and a few fields have been harvested but others are just too wet to get the combines into and the wheat is beginning to rot. I talked to a woman at a roadside stand where I got eggs yesterday and she said her apricots should be ready before Christmas but that it looked like her whole crop might be lost because of the wet. She said the fruit is just rotting on the trees. Australia's economy is beginning to slow down a little - which is good for us because it makes the green back a little stronger - and with crops being lost it will slow even more. Some of the vineyards looked like they had been planted in the middle of a lake.

We continue to see some neat birds - spotted a Major Mitchell's Cockatoo on the way into the park this morning. They have a very pink crest and as we drove by he opened his crest so I am sure that is what I saw. Too bad we couldn't get a picture. I did get a pic of this baby guy - Trox says he is a Myna. I was able to watch Mommy feed this little guy.

Young Myna

and of course the Kookaburra continues to be our friend - waking us up at sunrise with his laughing call.

He laughs all the time!

I promise to try never to complain about mosquitos in the states again. OMG have they been horrid. The other night we camped in a park right on the Murray River and we spent what seemed like all night fighting mosquitos. We never did figure out how they were getting into Bunyip but we'd kill a bunch and then 30 minutes later have another mob of them to kill. It was kill or be killed! The flies have also started to be a nuisance and we're told they are everywhere in Australia and you can't get away from them either. They don't bite but are very irritating as they always head for your face and mouth - yuck! I tried wearing my mosquito netting over my hat today on my walk and it worked great to keep the flies off! Looks dorky but who cares.

We saw two rainbows yesterday at our campsite not far from the park so I guess the rain has a good side. The sky is always changing and can be very pretty.

Very blue where it isn't white and/or wet!

3 December 2010

We moved on from one lake in a desert to another. Now we are at the Pink Lakes in the Murray Sunset National Park. This is actually all one big park (or at least it seems to be) with different names. We arrived out at the Pink Lakes area last night near sunset and the sunset was spectacular. I have never managed to photo a good sunset with my new camera but Trox and I think we have figured out how to do it and if we get a good one tonight I will try.

We are staying here for another night. We got rain last night but it had stopped by the time we got up. The ground was pretty soggy but dried up/soaked in pretty fast once the sun got warm and the wind picked up a little. The lakes here are actually pink during the day so I guess they come by their name honestly. I have to look up why they are pink - maybe algae? They used to harvest salt from this lake so odds are that it is salty.

Trox has gone off for a ride after patching his tube - it now has about 5 patches. Luckily he has a spare tube with him but yesterday he had two flats on his ride. There are lots of burrs here and they actually warn you to be sure you have your patch kit. This is very pretty country but definitely not somewhere you want to be when it is hotter. My guess it hit high 30s maybe even low 40s (at least 100F) here today and this is cool for this time of year.

view out our back window

the lake really IS pink!

5 December 2010

Ended up spending two nights at Pink Lakes area. The sunset on the second night wasn't quite as spectacular but I did get a picture.

not the nicest sunset but pretty none-the-less

Headed out early on the 4th and went exploring around the tour road. Found this sign which explains the pink.

Pink Flamingos, eh?

Ends up it is an algae, like I thought, that produces Beta-carotene - the stuff that turns carrots orange as well as oranges, egg yolks and lobsters. And the stuff that turns Pink Flamingos pink. The lakes are 800 times more salty than the ocean. The lakes dry up in the summer which is when they used to harvest the salt which is 99% pure and then in the winter they refill from underground water which bubbles up to the surface.

We found another lake where we stopped to have breakfast and I scattered some of Billie's ashes. The views here are nonstop and it is very desert although not high desert like the four corners I still think she would have liked it.

Left some of Billie here -
S35 02 04.6 E141 45 24.7

Once we left the park we headed for Hopetoun. On the way there we happened across this little guy crossing the road and he was nice enough to stay put on the side long enough for us to stop and Trox to get a picture. He is wonderfully camouflaged. We don't know what kind he is but will try to look it up when we have access - he doesn't have much of a tail.

A shingleback lizard

Once we reached Hopetoun we planned on entering the next park on the list but instead drove around the town to check out the rest stops. Ended up finding one with power and GRASS AND HOT SHOWERS next to a nice little lake all for a very nominal fee. Decided to spend a night and now have decided to spend another night also. It is HOT but with power it is relatively comfortable inside with the air conditioner running full out.

Late yesterday afternoon a storm blew in and it rained and blew for sometime. The rain stopped before dark and this rainbow appeared and was complete. It lasted for at least 20 minutes if not longer. It did go double for a short time and was amazing to see especially because it lasted so long.

This rainbow lasted a long time!

The sprinklers came on in the middle of the night and of course we were in direct line of fire (ummm water) and Trox rapidly climbed out of bed to close windows before we got flooded inside. As the lights came on in the other caravans (there are 4 or 5 of us here) we figured they were doing the same. Managed to get buttoned up with very little damage - one cushion and one pillow got wet but were dry by the time we got up this morning.

Trox made a ride this morning (very early) and checked out the town and the neighboring lake ( a different one than we are parked next to). As we came into the town yesterday it appeared to be almost a ghost town - no one on the streets and NO vehicles except ours. Almost a twilight zone feeling. Ends up the town is mostly deserted and many of the businesses are closed - all due to the drought over the past decade.