Trouble in Paradise

---

8/26 started with a lot of promise but quickly turned sour. We got to the RV rental place, learned the details necessary, and headed out on the left side of the road. By the time we got to the Sydney Harbor Bridge, Dean had mastered the driving. BUT, then he drifted a little too far to the left (he maintains a passing train created a suction effect). In any event, he bashed something on the side of the road with the left side mirror, it popped out and back and shattered the passenger window where Kirsten was sitting. It took some time to get off the road and assess the damage. No one was hurt except for a little cut on Kirsten’s finger and a similar cut on Dean’s finger from a glass sliver. We went back to the RV place shaken but very glad we bought the “no worries” extra coverage for the unit. After a few hours of waiting, we swapped into a different unit and were on our way again. This time we made it out of Sydney eventually (it is a very large city), found regular freeways, and were on our way. The whole time Tammy was “encouraging” Dean to “move a little to the right.” We are staying at an RV park in Cessnock, a little town somewhere in the Hunter Valley, which is a famous wine-growing region. We had a beautiful sunset, found a store to stock up on groceries, and spent the rest of the evening putting stuff away in the RV. By the way, when we arrived at the RV park at 6:30 p.m., it was closed tighter than a drum. We could not find our cell phone to call the after-hours check-in number (and we promptly concluded that we had left it in the windowless RV back in Sydney). We eventually found a payphone and got checked in. While putting things away, Kirsten found the cell phone (yeah!). We are laughing about it all now. The adventures continue, and we have more memories to share . . . .

---

Photos

Mirror
Notice there is no window glass!

Sunset
Sunset at the Hunter Valley.