2013 esCarpade Day 2 - Dalby - Boonah - Lismore

Waking up in Dalby on day 2, Angus and Damian decided that they weren't going to be able to do the morning run, however if they could get a new fuel pump in time, perhaps they could make it to Gatton in time for the school visit.

Skipping breakfast, it was time to see what was wrong with the fuel pump.

Old pump removed...  Looked fine.  Pulled it apart - seemed fine... put it back together, and the damn thing pumped fuel like a fountain!!

Still, Damian wasn't prepared to continue without replacing it, since it had already proved that it wasn't to be trusted...  The boys were sent on a wild goose chase, from auto shop to auto shop to Ford dealer, to wrecking yard to wrecking yard to yet another wrecking yard, getting progressively further from Dalby towards Toowoomba.

At the final wrecking yard, the worker there who was helping Damian in his search for a fuel pump asked if Damian had tried the Dalby Engine Rebuilders... no, he hadn't.  Of course, this was back in Dalby - about 1km from where Angus and Damian had stopped for coffee earlier in the morning, and on the same street!!

They not only had one, but they sold it to Damian at trade price, so a big thanks goes to them!!

The old pump was removed by Damian, and the new one fitted... 



Looking good!!  New fuel hose was run, and hey presto, the boys were on their way!!

Sadly though, by this stage it was nearly 10am, so the school visit at Gatton was out of the question.  Damian programmed the GPS for Boonah and started going... there were lots of roadworks on the journey!!

Selfie...  of course!!

Heading towards Toowoomba...

Scenic streets of the Toowoomba outskirts...

And going through town...

Then time for the delightful downhill section...

And still more roadworks!!

The downhill stretch was a bit slow...

Damian stopped to let a huge tonka truck cross the road, and after that, it was smooth sailing past the roadworks and onto the dual lane section!!

Heading away from Toowoomba towards Brisbane...

Sheesh, how far away is this place?

Past some hay bales...

And a big orange, although nowhere near as big as the one at Gayndah!!

Yet more roadworks...

And of course, past a red elephant... why wouldn't you?

Still driving...

The scenery was pretty, although Angus had a bit of a sleep at this stage so he'd be fresh for lunch!!

Looks like the driver of this car is sleeping too!!

Nearly time to turn off the highway...

And past the Amberley barracks...

Of course, with more roadworks!!

Past a plane on a stick near a row of palm trees... as you do!!

Past the Queensland Raceway...

 

And along yet more roads...

By this stage, Damian was starting to worry about the fuel situation...

Some army trucks trundled past...

More roads...

Could it possibly be further?

Uh oh... the gauge seems to be reading E for enough...  and there was still quite a few km to go!!

Damian was really starting to worry, and keyed in the nearest BP...  it was 9.9 km away...  would they make it?

Yes!!  This is the fuel gauge when Damian stopped to fuel up...  He put 43 litres into a 45 litre fuel tank!!  Talk about a close call!!

Parked up at the lunch venue!!

Although they arrived just after 1pm, and lunch was scheduled for 1pm, the boys still managed to be one of the last to arrive... how does that happen???

Damian called Tony - Camp Quality camp leader extraordinaire, all round nice guy and Boonah Ambo to say come for a visit... in exchange, Tony got to be in a selfie with Damian!!

Ben with the afternoon driver briefing...

Lining up behind Team Ryan waiting to be breathalysed on the way out of lunch...

1, 2, 3, err... potato?

Hitting the open road, but this time, following the route notes for the first time on Day 2!!

Woohoo!!  Dirt!!

And causeways...

And some machinery in the middle of the road... Damian was so busy ensuring he didn't crash into the grader and roller that he forgot to take a picture of them!!

Epic scenery...

Following Team Ryan still...

More dirt...

It's always fun on the dirt!!

Turn left at the T intersection, onto bitumen!!

Whee!!

Old rickety bridges...

And more bitumen driving... these route notes were fun to follow!!

Even some corners thrown in for good measure!!

Booger Mobile might need to duck to get under this train bridge!!

Fire!!  Hope it's not an esCarpade entrant!!  (Of course it wasn't, it's a grass fire!!)

The roads got narrower and more windy...

But still plenty of awesome scenery!!

How about winding across an old bridge?

And a very steep climb - the picture doesn't do it justice!!

Now following the Clowns...

Past some old farmhouses...

Another train bridge... this one considerably taller!!

See!!  Had a nasty bump on the causeway entrance though!!

A very rough creek crossing...  There is some video footage of this, so check the video highlights at the bottom of the blog when they are available!!

Parked at the Cabanossi Stop!!  Had a bit of cabanossi and a drink, then headed on!!

Woohoo!!  More water!!

And more water!!  Some of these made a good splash, so hopefully there's some decent video of them!!

Another train bridge...

And a rickety wooden bridge...

And for something completely different, a cattle grid!!

More dirt and downhill runs!!

This bridge made a disheartening rattle and clank when Damian drove over it...

The creek was pretty though!!

Cruising along!!

Under yet another low train bridge!!

Back on the bitumen for a while...

Stop!!  Railway Crossing!!  No trains to be seen though...

Back on the dirt...

At one of the slow zones (past houses), Damian was flagged down by a resident... fearing the worst (some residents are irate about lots of cars driving up "their" road), Damian stopped and was pleasantly surprised to receive a $10 donation from the young child there - apparently he decided to donate his pocket money!!  What a champion!!

Damian and Angus were still following the route notes at this stage, however most of the other teams had decided to head straight to Lismore via the bitumen, having lost an hour when they crossed the border (due to Daylight Savings Time).

Sadly, the boys were directed to drive bitumen straight to Lismore, thus ending Day 2's route...

Lismore!!

Err, where's Lismore?

Might be down this road...

Past these cows?

Over this bridge?

There it was!!  The boys checked in (to let the officials know that they had arrived safely) then checked in (to their hotel for the night).

Dinner was at the Lismore Workers Club...  The streets of Lismore were deserted!!

As was the venue...  Unaccustomed to being one of the first few to arrive at an esCarpade event, Damian thought maybe he was in the wrong place!!

Some of the Qld esCarpadians arrived...

Damian and Angus looking the goods!!

"Miss" esCarpade 2013 was the night's entertainment, and was a truly frightening experience!!

Ben... err... Bev, looking fine in his... err... her... frock!!

The full set of Qld entrants!!  First night in NSW, showing some Qld pride!!

Tony (808 aka Purple People Eater) left Childers earlier in the day, and arrived at the dinner venue, much to the excitement of all!!

So that was day 2...  No doubt day 3 will be just as exciting!!

Stay tuned for some video highlights!!