0015 Canberra back to Gold Coast

Sunday 28^th.

After thinking I would get an early start on the way home, the late arrivals from the night before ensured this was not going to happen !  Even though most people had surfaced by 11 am, they then decided they all probably had too much alcohol still in their blood to drive,

so we should have a leisurely coffee and lunch before heading out !  As Zed’s car was still on my trailer and had to be delivered to Sydney, Zed and Dana were to drive Elsie back to Sydney while I drove Troopie and towed the trailer with his car on.  Then, once we had dropped off his car at the repair workshops, we could load my car on the trailer and I could head off to Queensland. 

0014 Lotus 2013, Canberra

Wednesday 24th April.

By morning, I was frozen !!  It turned out that it was actually minus 2 deg C last night, with ice all over the cars, so this morning, being a “free day” with nothing much organised, my first stop was at Anaconda (our nationwide camping store) where I bought a sleeping bag rated to minus 10 deg C (my other one is rated to +4 deg C.)  Whilst in the store I also found a great little utensil that enables you to make toast on your normal gas cooker – Just a little box with wire mesh on to dissipate the heat, and you pop your bread on it.  Electric toasters require so much electric power, and as I won’t have mains electricity in the US and S America, I needed an alternative.   Problem solved !

0013 Gold Coast to Canberra

(Couldn’t access the internet in my campsite, so have written this in word each day and now copy it across into my blog.)

April 22nd and 23rd – Driving from Gold Coast to Canberra.

I have driven to Canberra for the biennial Australian National Lotus Meet which is held in a different State each time.  2 years ago we held it in Queensland, and this year, “Lotus 2013” as it is called, is being held in Canberra, in our Capital City which this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary.  So an auspicious time to meet in Canberra, with lots going on. 

I left home in Queensland on Monday 22^nd April.  I am driving Troopie down, and towing Elsie on a trailer, and this combination will enable me to camp down in Canberra instead of motelling it (thereby trying to keep my costs down !)  and also, if I do manage to sell Elsie while I am down here, to leave her and the trailer behind and still have transport to get me home !!   This will be the first trip in Troopie since I have done a lot of the work inside to storage etc, so will be a bit of a test for both of us – My first trial run so to speak. 

0012 More work on Troopie

Its been a while since we got back from Thailand, visiting with daughter Sarah and her husband Benn. The weather has been terrible recently in Queensland, with rain, rain, and more rain !  But at least it is warm when it rains here !!   But I have been busy doing lots of small things to Troopie, and as I have just about finished them all, and am also about to set off next Monday to Canberra for the bi-annual National Lotus Meeting, which will warrant its own story and photos, I thought I would just document all the things I have been doing before I forget them all !  And also so you can realise just how much work goes into planning an expedition like mine - There are hundreds of seemingly small things which, if done now and done properly, can make the actual trip itself just SO much more enjoyable. This was true last year in Elsie - I spent a year getting her prepared properly, and the result was a trouble free, and therefore really enjoyable, trip. But you can over-prepare - I do not pretend you can remove all the issues that might occur - and nor would I want to as that would take away a large part of the "adventure" - but by preparing the basics properly, you can be ready for most things if they should happen.  It is no different from preparing for a parachute jump, or to climb a mountain, or for a long trek or bike ride - Take care over the basic preparations so you can enjoy it, and then deal with any set backs or issues when and as they occur. But do not over-plan, otherwise that can detract from the very adventure that you are trying to have - Leave enough unknowns to ensure a bit of excitement along the way !!