Stage two

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Second Stage


It was Friday, I had booked the day off, and again I was up before my alarm.

I dosed from 03.30am and eventually slid out of bed at 04.00, as I needed to be away, nice and early.

I had promised Caroline that I would make her a cup of tea before I left, though she declined the offer.

Today I was driving down to Bega, as the second stage of the truck was finished and was ready to collect.

I also had last Friday off, and did the same thing, but the box was still in manufacture and wa nearing the powder coating stage, Peter Moore of Carragher Steel, invited me down to have a look at the box, before the final stage, as things could be adjusted, before the powder coating, just in case.

Any way, after some minor tweaks we had been advised that the box was ready and we were both really excited.

Basically, it just for storage, not to sleep in, as we still intend to tow, something, what we are not quite sure, but as the better weather is upon us in Canberra, we intend to make full use of getting out and about.

I left the house at exactly 04.40, the spare wheel had to be strapped on to the Cruiser and the engine warmed for 5 minutes, (A habit, past on by the Weynss family) and I pulled out of the under ground car park, at 04.50, whilst Caroline gently “Hurded the Pigs in”.

The day started to break at around twenty five to six, It’s the most awesome drive, and I arrived again for a Coffee and a brekkie roll in Comma at about 6.40am.

In and out of MacDonald’s, I flew, slipped the hot “Skinny Chai Latte” in to the cup holder, and placed my Egg and Bacon Bun on my lap.

I smiled as I drove past the Stihl dealer, where only last week, I had got great service and a bill for $15.00 bucks, which included a fully fuelled and lubed chainsaw, that was ready for action.

I turned left in the little town, now the best part of the journey was to come, the climb up in to the Brown Mountains. Then the long decent in to Bega.

The day’s was up and beautifull, I love this journey, its so open and unspoilt, the only sad thing is the amount of dead Kangaroo’s and Wombats there are on the sides of the road, as its such pastoral land and good grazing for Roo’s and Wombats, I ‘m sure the farmers are not as tolerant as I am and so enthusiastic about the wildlife.

As I went past a paddock, I saw a Kangaroo, that looked like it was talking to a horse, hey, it might have been just doing that, how can I say it wasn’t , I wonder what they were saying to each other.

I was also lucky enough to see an Emu, standing on a fence line, it had its feathers all fluffed out as if it was drying itself in the sun, Gosh I can’t remember the last time I saw an Emu.

Last weeks run was beautiful, I had and easy 3 hours each way in the most beautiful weather, up and over the Brown Mountains, I picked a coffee up in Cooma, and also dropped our new chain saw off, to be “Looked over” by a Stihl Technician, before being started, we honestly do not take any short cuts, “Excuse the pun” on our safety, and as we have not had a chain saw before, so we thought it was money well spent to have it started for the first time, by a specialist.

I switched the UHF , whilst climbing up, the mountains, just to make sure I didn’t meet a wide load coming the other way, without any warning.
My run was clear, I had an amazing view of the Bega Valley to my left hand side, about 65 K’s away.

I arrived at Garragher Steel at 07.50, one of the boys, watched me in as I revered the cruiser in to the work shop, turned the truck off and went and unstrapped the spare wheel.

It took six of us, to lift the new back from its stand and on to the back of the landcruiser, and when sitting where it was meant to go, looked absolutely fantastic.

I did a couple of pictures on my Blackberry and emailed them to Caroline, who was on her way in to the office, she asked me to do this, as she was also excited as this was the near completion of the landcruiser.

You may remember when we had the first stage of the back completed, the day we went to Rebecca and Murray’s wedding in Kangaroo valley, and as soon as the first stage was completed we were designing and planning the second stage.

Since purchasing the truck in March this year, we have had a project on, every month.

We have had a front colour coded bull bar with 9500lb Warn winch, up rated old man Emu Suspension, Spot lights, Snorkel, and turbo timer.

Within the first stage box, a deep cycle battery has been in stalled along with the battery amplifier, pure sinewave inverter and under the bonnet a hi output additional starting battery was added to complement the original one installed, all this has been done, to hopefully giving is a vehicle capable of another serious adventure.

By 9.30 th second stage had been bolted to the truck, It had been paid for, all paper works completed, hands shaken and I was pulling out of Bega on my way home.

I called Caroline to advise her of my progress and said that I would make it to Pipers lookout, which is at the top of the mountain, where I intended to pull over and have a snooze, as I was tired.

Unlike the Patrol, I can not tilt the seats back for a nana, so I sat in the drivers seat a snoozed away for half an hour, and woke feeling semi refreshed.

I started off on my journey again, heading down the mountain, thoroughly enjoying my surroundings when I saw a dead juvenile Wombat on the side of the road which was about the size of a jack Russell dog, on its back, paws in the air, “Definatly Dead”, so sad.

I got back to Canberra, about 1.30, I phoned Caroline and asked her if she would want me to drop past and have a look at our new acquisition, which we she did, So I dropped past and gave her a call, so she met me outside her office.

Her Opinion was the same as mine, what a great piece of engineering, that we were both so pleased with and looking forwards to.

It is a public holiday in Canberra on 3rd and the 10th October and had the option of going down to the Bournda National Park, strangely enough near Bega, and the week after that we have hired a new Mark III T Van and are going down to th e50th Anniversay of Parks Radio Teelescope of Friday 7th October , and on Saturday 8th October we will actually goi around the inside of the Radio Telescope and on the evening have a classical music evening, at the dish we are all excited about.

If any of you regular blog readers remember the blog, Twinkle Twinkle little star, you may remember Caroline taking those awesome pictures, of the celestial events such as the M42 Nebula, the Horses Head Nebula and the “Jewel Box, well all that was done at Peter Starrs observatory in Coonabarabran, (The Dendy Observatory) where we have been twice before.

This time, we are taking 16 People including ourselves from our 4 wheel drive club, for this weekend and when everyone goes home, Caroline and myself will have an extra 5 days camping out in the Warrumbungle National park, which we are really looking forwards to.

Now the better weather is on its way, we intend on being out camping as much as we can, using the truck and so on.

Just going back to the Bournda National Park, next week I said to Caroline we can just throw the swag (Bed Role) in the truck, which we can sleep in, and Caroline said, Yes that’s fine. (Is this really my wife, or has she been swapped by aliens) Somebody we work with, the other days, said “Your mad you to” sleeping out in a swag, with all those Spiders and Snakes.

And Helen, thinks I ‘m a sook !!

On November 5th we are camping out at Wee Jasper for a Jaffle Iron Cook off and Bush Cocktails evening with our friends and are in the planning stages of our “Jaffle Iron Spectacular and Kangaroojack Cocktail, if anyone has got any good Idea’s email them to us, on Kangaroojack’s Travel Blogs site.

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Photos

The New Back
All powder coated and ready to roll home.

The Back end
The back end, before powder Coating

Setting a trend
Two more Cruisers, waiting to be done

Both Stages
Stage one and two, together

A great sign
We saw on the way to Bega