18th February 2008

---

18th February 2008
Woke up on Long Island to more torrental rain and wind. today We left the island with regrets that we hadn't seen it at its best. However it had been a great chaance to catch up with Jo after three years and to meet Alan. We really enjoyed their company and hearing of their plans for the future. They told us all about life in Moranbah and the mine where Alan works in the office and Jo drives one of the buses which collect the miners after work and delivers them for their shifts. Jo told us about her property in Maloola which sounds idyllic and we really hope to come back and visit when they get back there in a few years time. Jo and I caught up with all the family news and made plans for our next get together. Jo had bought her computer with wireless access to the net so we were able to book up some more motels and trips further north which was really useful.
Alan and the big red car got us safely back to Mackay without incident -no floods ,no wild animals, a really tame journey after the recent adventures.
I haven't even got the camera out once. It is suffering from damp so until we have a dry spell I am giving it a rest. I have had to add some pictures from earlier in our adventures! You can see me and my camera, us dressed for travel, our friends the Darks, and us composing the travel blog.
Thanks Jo and Al for organising the weekend ,we really enjoyed our time with you.
We have just been out in disaster struck Mackay for supper where there are signs of the clear up going on here. The SES guys are parked up by our motel ready to assist with anyone needing help. A lot of the shops are still not open as the staff have not come to work as they are cleaning up their houses in the north of Mackay which has been worst hit. The flooding has subsided very qickly and the Pioneer River looks quite benign again but it has left a horrible mess and smell behind and it is still raining albeit not torrentially.
Tomorrow we catch the plane to Cairns and we are hoping the tropical monsoon weather will not follow us there!

---

Comments

[helen and ron]

have followed you all round so far feel like reading this listening to a wet wet wet album at least your not freezing cold like us

[Annette]

rain
DO hope it stops raining for you soon.