Like smoke through a key hole

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It’s been a couple of weeks since we blogged so I need to tell everyone what has happened since.

Caroline is now slowly on the mend, as I type this, Sunday morning at 05:15, 22 May, her progress has been good. I am surprised just how much this appendicitis knocked her for six.

We would both like to say a big thank you to everyone for all the flowers, the calls and the cards, helping her get well again, and getting back to full health.

Well enough about her, for the moment that is, lets see what has been going on.

I have been busy doing drawings, maybe more like sketches and writing a “specification” on getting the back canopy built for the cruiser, and I came to a point where I was satisfied enough, with my details to send them out to three companies for a competative quotation on the build.

This detail was getting pretty in depth, but we had come to the conclusion a while ago that certain criterion was essential and the back canopy now needed to be built in two sections.

Taking in to account the tray is 2400mm long, the first section would be fixed to the truck and would fit tight up against the head board and would be 600mm long, and that would leave the second section 1800mm long and would have wind down legs so it could easily be removed from the tray.

Our simple mentality is this: our cruiser is a “Cab Chassis” and only has two seats in the cab, we have no storage space, for Caroline’s camera equipment, or anything really but we knew what we were buying and we knew what we were going to need to do.

So the 600mm section that is fixed, has a door each side, the passenger side contains our fridge that is mounted on a fridge slide so when the door is opened you can pull the fridge slide out, that gives you full access, to yep you’ve guessed it the fridge, and there is also storage above. The other side, “drivers side” there is another door which accesses the other side of the box, which is just general storage for recovery gear, tools food etc.

We realised early on that the box(es) needed to be built out of aluminium and not steel, as the weight saving would be a long term fuel gain and technically you would be getting a return on the investment.

Other important features, had to be incorporated such as lockable doors, powder coating, hinges blah blah, were all specified in the build.

I had chosen a company in Bega to build the box and had agreed to go down, last Saturday to have a look at their work, to see if it was to the standard we would be happy with and for the owner to take the specific measurements.

Caroline didn’t feel well enough to come along and it would have been an uncomfortable journey for her, so on Saturday morning at 04.22 am, I hopped in the truck and left Bruce, the Canberra suburb where we live for Bega.

On my way, whilst it was still dark I got out of the truck to try and view the planet formation that will not appear for another 45 years, though it was still dark, to no avail, I could not see the planets.

I arrived at MacDonalds in Cooma at 05.55 and was waiting outside for them to open with my travel mug in hand. As soon as it was full again, I was pulling out of Cooma, it was still dark and I was travelling through the ”Brown Mountains”.

This is what I love about being a morning person, the day started to come up, and there was snow, not a lot, but a consistent sprinkling over as far as the eye could see. I knew that Caroline would loved to have seen this and would be disappointed when I tell her about the magnificent scenery.

I was high up in the mountains, and again I had to pinch myself, it was so beautiful and such a fantastic drive, I passed a wallaby sitting on the grass, it must have had a cold bum sitting in the snow, and as I got to it, it just turned and bounded away.

I had to slow the truck right down as the higher I got, the more treacherous the road conditions became. I started to descend the mountain roads, the view, in to the Bega Valley just took your breath away, I was disappointed Caroline was not with me and I was even more peeved at myself for not having a camera with me.

I arrived at my destination at 07.31, bang on time, and the guy I was there to meet (Peter) was already there.

I parked the truck and went towards the work shop, Peter had a flat tray ute that has a Staffordshire Bull Terrier on it, I wondered if I was going to be barked or growled at, but instead she got up from her lying position, and sat on the edge of the tray awaiting some fuss, which she got.

Peter and I walked and talked around the cruiser, looking at our details, as he draped his tape measure and took specific measurements.

I had taken our fridge on the back of the truck so that he could see it and take more measurements to ensure that the fridge would fit, and it would help him visualise what we were trying to achieve.

Once all the guff was out of the way, he escorted me around their workshop, and showed me the quality of their work, and the next tray we get built, will be built here, as their attention to detail is just as specific as mine.

I was back on my way home at 09.15, obviously after giving the dog a belly rub as I walked past her, I jumped back in the truck and just looking forward to the climb back in to the mountains, then onwards home.

Climbing up through the Brown Mountains again, was just awesome, I got stuck behind a truck towing a boat and a truck towing a caravan, so I sat and enjoyed the view, and congratulated god on his handy work, in his creation of the beautiful vista.

I managed to stop at a lookout position and take a photo on my Blackberry; I just had to, to record what I had seen.

I got back to Cooma, pulled back in to MacDonalds, got my mug filled back up, jumped in the truck and set off again eventually getting back in to Bruce at 12.30 pm.

Wow what a drive, absolutely stunning, I missed having Caroline, my trusty co driver and navigator, with me but still enjoyed the majesty and solitude, the drive had presented.

When I got back, Caroline was lying on the couch taking it easy which I was happy about.

I tried to explain what a breath taking drive it had been, and I had seen snow, she seemed disappointed, but I knew I would be going back as we were going to have to go back, to collect the box once it had been built and of course I hope that she will be fully recovered by then and able to make the journey.

At this point in time, we are only having the first stage of the box built, we will live with it for a while which will help us develop our requirements for having the second stage built.

The rest of our weekend was paced as I didn’t want Caroline to do much, well anything at all. so it was just washing the truck and shopping for me on Sunday, whilst Caroline put her feet up and read a book.

Susan popped over to bring Caroline some DVD’s and to collect her mail, and I beetled around getting ready for work on Monday.

I managed to catch up with Helen on our favourite farm, in Nangus and all “farmey” things were going well, busy as usual. Helen told us that Kimba was “up the duff” again as Wally had done the deed and the pups would soon be due.

Monday came and I was back at the coalface, everyone asks how Caroline is feeling and pass on their best regards, which is nice.

Friday soon came, the days had gone, like smoke through a keyhole, I got home on Friday night and just fell on the floor.

One of our dear friends Grieg, picked up his brand new 4 wheel drive, today (Friday) it’s the New Landrover Discovery 4, “god he must have more money than sense”, Only Joking Grieg, can’t wait to see it wait.

So Saturday came again, Caroline was up for 8.00am to Skype into the Girls in the UK, they used to religiously meet once a month, to behave very badly, and this is important to Caroline, not behaving badly, but the girls night, so she Skyped in to catch up what is going on and to talk to each one of the girls.

Some times, most times they are pretty smashed and it’s hard to get any sense out of any of them, they are shrieking and laughing, and talking over each other, but its an important connection Caroline needs.

I had things I wanted to do, so whilst she was Skyping, I showered dressed and went out. I had a parcel in needed to send back to someone, then intended on heading up to ARB the 4 wheel drive place to see what date they were going to give me for the next job I wanted done which was to fix a set of front spotties to the Bull bar.

Town wasn’t busy, but the post office was closed so I intended to go to another Post Office in Belconnen and then headed up to ARB.

I went in to see the boys and they said “hey Andy, how’s it going? Do you have a spare hour? As we have had a cancellation and can fit the front spot lights right now.” This was too much of a good offer, so they took the keys to the cruiser and took it off to the workshop whilst I mooched around the store.

We try to get one job done a month to the Truck, in preparation to our next adventure whenever that will be, and I booked 4th July to get the winch fitted.

The cruiser is going to be set up in such a way that there is nowhere in Australia this truck will not be able to go.

Whilst mooching around ARB I was standing next to a bloke who was buying a spare “Old Man Emu” shock absorber, as he was of to see “Gun Shot Creek”. Wow, you lucky bugger Gunshot creek, Caroline and myself were there in 2009, and we know what a cool and remote place this is.

I was racked with utter jealousy of this fella, who said he was leaving early on Sunday morning and needs to be in Cairns by 28th May. Cairns is 2800 Kilometers and then the hop on to Cape York is another 1000 K’s.

He and his partner and the other members of the trip will be heading up to the Cape on the old telegraph track and have got fantastic things to do like cross the Jardine River and hopefully visit Sailor creek.

We wish them safe and happy travels.

We have had a message from Keith and Jan who are on their travels and have a cool device that they purchased before they left, it’s called Spot 2 Messenger, which is a GPS tracking device that can also send text messages to pre set contact numbers.

The thing we like about it is it can be interfaced with Google Earth Maps, so we are thinking of buying one, which we hope to be able to interface with the blog.

Keith and Jan are up around Wyndam, believe me when I tell you this is a long way from where I sit, they are on a 6 month + trip and we will keep you abreast of their progress.

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Photos

Our New Spotties
Having had the new spot lights fitted to the truck

Over looking Bega
A photo taken on my Blackmerry

An old 47
I snapped this 47 Series in Bunnings Car Park, it had Tasmanian plates on.

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Enjoyed the photo of the 47
Very nice!

[kangaroojack]

The 47
Hi Guys, it was in just excellent condition, and had been driven all the way from Tasmania. The new owner was just so pleased with it. Thanks for the comment. KJ

[lacey]

mhmgc
this is very nice article

[Sharing the Journey]

Love the lights ....
Looks great!