Tuesday

Depart Mt. Gambier - 8am

MURRAY Bridge 12.30pm

Fuel - 49lt

Klm - 381 km

= 12.6 lt per 100km

Blowout rear left tyre on our way again at 4.30pm

Crystal Brook 5.15 pm 

Having two new tyres put on. This is a huge dose of déjà vu as we spent 24 Hours broke down here in the Falcon in 69. 

Left 6pm

Pt. agusta 7.10pm

Fuel - 45 lt

Klm - 385

= 11.6 lt per 100 kl

Left PA 8pm

Arrive Kimba 10pm and stop on park bay at side of road  

Total Distance Tuesday = 930 km

Wednesday 

Left Kimba 6.10am

Woodina  7.15am

Fuel - 29 lt

Klm - 263 km

11 lt per 100km

Left  7.50am

Ceduna - 10am

Km - 211

Lt. - 24

11.4 lt Per 100km

Put on 2 new front tyres in Ceduna. We now have new ryes all round. 

Left Ceduna 11.40am

Nullarbor - 3.11pm

Klm - 300

Fuel - 39 lt

= 13 lt per 100km

Girl from Sri Lanka - Marriva

Strong winds

Car broken. Bolt on power steering pump snapped and we can't get it off with the tools we have. 

We will be staying here tonight. 

RACV Job number 1170

The above is a brief summary of the trip so far. 

To try and explain just how this trip is unfolding is very challenging, there are so many surprising facets to it. Traveling along with Ken along a route we last traveled, together, 44 years ago!!!! 44 years ago? thats a life time in between.

The detail that comes to the surface as two individuals who are comfortable and relaxed in each others company, and sit for hours and hours together is amazing. 

I'm not going into detail here as it's by and large personal and only meaningful to the individuals. It's more than mear words, much more. I will say this though, to book end two similar trips with the same participants and 44 years in between, well it doesn't happen every day does it.

Pommie Pete and his van? 

Wow, is the only way I can put it. I never knew Pete and have only Ken's descriptions to draw on. But hold on a minute, that is so, so far from the truth. To spend time in his van is like spending time with the man himself in many ways. There are so many knick knacks, switches, catches, small additions in the van that tell so much of how Pete must have viewed things. Items that make life in the van simpler, more efficient, more comfortable. He loved that van that is obvious. It's an unfolding affair that we are delighting in.

Ken  & Dave's old stories. Working on Swan Brewery on the banks of the river. My first day on a building site, jumping into knee deep concrete in bare feet and shovelling away. The crane jib collapsing and crashing down in-between Ken and I. Swan brewery stopping our beer allowance and us being very pissed off about it.  This could go on and on and this is not the place for it.

Blowing a tyre just south of Crystal Brook:

The tyre blew with a horrendous bang just as we had overtaken a road train with great difficulty. We were about 50 metres in from of him as the tyre exploded. We managed to slow down in a straight line, the poor sod in the truck had to loose all his speed as well, which he did very well and with good grace, he had observed our predicament. 

Now here's the uncanny bit. Ken and I spent 24 hours in Crystal Brook in 69 broke down with the Falcon we were in. 

A funny incident springs to mind of the breakdown, well, funny from my point of view. Ken was lifting the cylinder head and carbies off the Falcon and petrol drained out and soaked his short just around his middle area. Within a few seconds he was jumping and running this way and that like a demented maniac, shouting and swearing as he ripped off his shorts and y-fronts, even then, half naked from the waist down he tore around at a great pace holding his manhood in his hands till he found a tap to lie under and ease the burning of his balls. They were tender for a day or two as I remember. It'd did help matters much that every few miles we traveled for the next few days I kept bursting out in laughter until he threatened to knock my head off, then I had to suppress my mirth till he wasn't looking.

However, back to Crystal Brook. Neither him nor I had been back into Crystal Brook since that memorable day, until, we had that flat tyre and we had to go into the place again for two new tyres. Thats quite stunning from our perspective. I must admit, I was waiting with baited breath to see what he would conjur up this time.

We are holed up at the Nullarbor hotel at the moment, but that story will have to wait for now.

see ya  K & D