(I remember 9 years ago, sitting on my bedroom floor in front of the television, pregnant with our second child...watching the events in New York city in disbelief...and wondering if the world was about to end.)
We knew today would be a long one, and we were prepared. However sometimes things just don't go to plan...
We packed up early and left Karijini at 8am...just enough time to arrive at Tom Price for a tour of the mine. The rain continued throughout the tour, but we really enjoyed seeing all the massive machinery, and learning about the mining industry and how it all operates. This is the third town we have visited that exists purely for mining...which must make them very interesting to live in.
After the tour (still raining heavily) we head off towards Exmouth, another 650km. Because it is so wet we decide to take the longer route along a made road, not wanting to travel in the wet and in in the mud!
The trip is quite easy, and we stop at a basic roadhouse for petrol and a $10.50 bucket of chips. You don't have much to choose from around here, it's at least another 250km until you will see anything much at all.
We are traveling well, and it looks like we will arrive in Exmouth earlier than expected, when Grant pulls off the road to check the tyres...and we have a flat. We were about 100km from Exmouth, it's about 530pm and luckily it's still light.
Now this is our second flat tyre, and we feel much better prepared. The spare is on the roof rack and so much easier to get to...but where is the jack? It's been put back where it belongs...underneath the metal framing which holds our fridge, food tubs...and is packed completely full of stuff. Luckily we have borrowed a friends whiz bang jack, and can get to it easily. Well over an hour later we are still trying to get our massive car jacked up high enough to remove the wheel...but it just isn't happening.
We are also stopped beside a dead kangaroo...the smell is starting to make me feel sick, and eventually we have to move the car along the road just to get away from it. The boys were being fantastic. Playing by the side of the road and keeping out of the way.
Eventually we realized that we would have to get out the original jack...this took some unpacking and maneuvering but we got it out...by now it is pitch black, getting colder...and we are definitely feeling very isolated on a lonely road with absolutely no traffic....it's just us. We are thankful that's it's not a real emergency, manage to keep our sense of humour and finally change the tyre. We arrive in Exmouth at 9pm.
We are staying in a proper caravan park, which we desperately need...showers/washing machines ($5 per load!) and power. We do notice quite a difference in the type of people staying in the bigger caravan parks...lots of retired couples living up north for the winter months. We seem to have created a bit of interest by arriving so late, and in such a mess, so we get lots of visitors the next day, enquiring about our late arrival the night before!
We spent the next day basically getting ourselves sorted out. Tyre repaired, 3 loads of washing hanging in the sunshine, food shopping, car sorted out...and even managed a coffee in town. Dinner at the in-house Italian restaurant...and everything was good again!
Cazz xx
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