Scooteroo anyone?

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Morning Scooteroo!
Have license? Grab a helmet!
See Agnes Water.

I had another early morning pick-up in Hervey Bay. I was the first one to be picked up and therefore got to pick the best seat in the house with the most legroom! Whoohoo! Pickups lasted at least 30 to 45 minutes because there was so much stuff to pack in and repack twice because our driver Stretch kept forgetting to tell everyone to wear proper shoes because of our morning scooter ride in Agnes Water and Town of 1770.

Eventually we were off and drove for a few hours with a few stops before coming to the town of Agnes Water. They predict this will be the next Byron Bay. I was a bit nervous hopping onto a scooter on my own. 1) Fear I'd drive on the wrong side of the road 2) I haven't driven a motorized vehicle in eons (read...can't remember!) 3) I'm a little sketchy on a push bike let alone a motorized scooter! I was gonna go on a 4x4 jeep ride with Louise and Anna but then our driver said I could double with him. Well, okay.

It was really funny. The scooter company was so laid back about letting out their scooters. In fact I don't think anybody signed anything! All they asked was, "Do you have a license?" (Come to think of it they didn't specify driver's license...) If your answer was yes then they replied, "Okay, grab a helmet from the shelf." Then at the scooters they asked..."Do you now how to ride a bike?" Answer = yes. Reply = "Okay your balance should be good." Then it was a three minute demo before setting off. Oh yes, there were a few reminders before setting off...no wheelies and don't crash!

Stretch was itching to go and was playing around with the side view mirrors. Whoops! It fell off! Quick put it in your bag!

It was a pretty nice ride. It started out slow so that everyone could get used to scooterooing. Of course Stretch feels the need for speed and liked to end up near the end of the pack so that we could pass everyone and get a little speed happening. It was pretty exhilarating I must admit.

The brochure kept emphasizing our ride would take us to see kangaroos. Well we only saw two in a field and I was surprised that they let us walk up to them so close. Stretch reckons it’s because they (the scooter folks) feed them but the scooter folds said they don't...the truth...we'll never know. I was joking that the kangaroos were some Disney animatronic creations that looked realistic and then hopped off if we got too close to find out.

In all I'd say we were on the road for about two hours riding the roads from Agnes Water to the town of 1770 and checked out a couple of amazing views of the ocean along the way. Mind you most of the ride was inland and we just passed a bunch of boring fields.

Lunch was next on the agenda. I actually had made up a lunch the night before so I only picked up a drink and joined Vee, Darj and Sofie for lunch. After lunch it was North to Kroombit Tops National Park. Or more specifically, Lochenbar Station, a working Cattle Station. I ended up sharing a room with Amanda & Andy, Anna and Louise whom I had met previously on the bus leaving out of Sydney. So it was nice to get to know them a little bit better. Turns out Amanda was in Vancouver last year for about 3 months and just loves it there (me too!) She said that Canada won't let Andy and her to move in because they don't have any specialized skills to offer...

Dinner was a really nice feast of roast beast, I mean beef, potatoes, soup, peas, carrots and gravy. Quite a hearty meal - I loved it! Some of the folks working at the cattle station put on a bit of a show. It was so hokey or perhaps it just seemed that way because they were drunk?!? And it sort of seemed like a staged Disney show. After dinner it was a crack at the whip. Much harder than it looks! It’s all in the wrist. haha Then the supposed highlight was the riding of the mechanical bull. A few things to be concerned about 1) getting up on the bull 2) hangin' onto the bull 3) falling off of the bull and not getting hurt. It was quite hilarious I must say. There were so many people hurtled off the front end and doing a somersault. Some people were actually pretty good at it too. The winner held on for something like 52 bucks or something ridiculous like that. Most people either held on for 2 to 3 bucks or about 8 to 12 bucks. I was only able to hang on for four. Even though I was wearing a glove my hand was really hurting. I can't imagine 52...is it normal for me to not be able to feel my fingers?

There were three guys on our bus that play the guitar and sing as well so many of us gathered around the oil drum fire and sang some songs. They were pretty good. The little guy of the group who is normally pretty quiet all of a sudden started belting out a tune - where'd that come from? I left before the campfire ended because I was pretty wiped. It got pretty cold out there and our rooms didn't have heaters so I didn't bother changing into my pj's and curled up into a ball under my covers.

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