Early morning checks...
Breakfast at the Outback Shear venue...
Parked up...
Lots of people...
Ben starting driver briefing...
Couple of good looking roosters at breakfast!!
Proudly put on by Can Assist...
Heading out past the photographer, who is repping Team Booger Mobile... Really, who wouldn't?
Lined up ready to hit the road...
On the bitumen first...
But it wasn't long before the dirt arrived...
And the carnage begins...
Lots of people assisting each other...
Plenty of long, straight dirt roads!!
Turn here!!
There were a few grids too...
Back on the bitumen for a while...
223 had a bit of a dust issue, but it was nothing that the guys in Booger Mobile could help with, so they continued on...
Buzz Like You had a flat tyre, which Damian and Angus stopped and helped them change...
Cows!!
This one was on the left, then at the last moment decided it wanted to cross the road...
Dirt roads continued...
Thumbs up from these guys - they didn't need a hand...
Onward and upward!!
Over a canal...
Then back onto the bitumen...
Better give way to this guy...
There he goes...
Thankfully, the boys were turning right, and were only behind it for a couple of hundred metres!!
Looking happier... selfie time!!
Back onto the dirt...
Another team stopped... They were waiting for assistance from the Ambos...
A large concrete doover... Anyone want one?
Past some houses...
And more canals...
Back onto the bitumen for a while...
Big silos!!
And back onto the dirt!!
229 was coming back out to the bitumen with an unwell navigator...
Into the fun stop...
Throwing a bit of extra fuel in...
Then back onto the track...
Past the secret squirrel government installation...
And back onto the bitumen...
Tanks for the memories!!
Through Boree Creek...
Then back onto the dirt...
And back onto bitumen...
Welcome to sunny, downtown Lockhart!!
Damian's speed... 34!!
Quick parade through town, before heading to lunch...
Can flood here!!
Nice old building...
At lunch in Lockhart...
After lunch, it was time to hit the road towards Albury...
Of course, dirt is never too far away!!
This section was more like a goat track!!
But it wasn't too long before it opened up again...
And then there was bitumen...
But not for long!!
Causeway!! Not too many of these in the 2014 esCarpade!!
Nice little creek...
What's this wet stuff on the windscreen? It tried hard to rain, but all it really did was annoy the boys and make the windscreen smudged!!
Back onto the bitumen...
These boys didn't need a hand... they were having a comfort stop!!
Back onto the dirt, as it continued to try to rain!!
And then the bitumen again...
It was around this point that Booger Mobile began to play up like a two bob watch... coughing and spluttering... surely the boys couldn't have picked up MORE crap fuel???
Lining up for an impromptu parade through a small town (the home town of another entrant).
Back on the road...
By this stage, Booger Mobile was really going badly...
But the boys made it to the muster point, ready for the grand parade into Albury!!
The officials looking... err... official!!
Parked and praying...
OV2 preparing to spray the boys...
Proceeding towards the grand parade, hoping for a clear run...
Uh oh... Booger Mobile's temperature was beginning to climb, as was Damian's stress level!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Booger Mobile stopped with a clunk and a bang, after overheating... Damian feared the worst...
Coolant was exiting...
MW2 stopped to give Damian a hand... after about 1/2 an hour (with Booger Mobile's thermo fan running to try to cool it down), they attempted to start it... Nothing.
Taking the air cleaner off the carby, they could see it was bone dry inside... No fuel!! The fuel hose was removed from the carby to check the flow from the pump... a trickle at best!!
Luckily, there was an auto parts store across the road... In keeping with trying the simplest thing first, Damian went and bought a cheap plastic fuel filter, removing the old one and installing the new one... Vroom!! Booger Mobile started!!
The fuel coming into the clear fuel filter was orange and cloudy... It would seem that the crap fuel theory was pretty accurate...
The boys finished the route notes, thus completing the 2014 Camp Quality esCarpade!!
This awesome Coupe deVille was at the esCarpade finish point...
Last one in...
Happy!! The boys finished!!
Booger Mobile had been making some strange scraping noises, so the boys decided that a good clean out was in order to check if it was something serious, or just dust/dirt in places it shouldn't be...
Cleaning out the radiator...
Under the car...
A quick squirt on top...
Wheels and tyres...
Up and under...
Once it was done, Booger Mobile started and the engine temperature was way down... Hopefully the clean out will make the trip home in the morning more pleasant!!
Driving to the hotel, Booger Mobile's strange scraping noises had all vanished... Fingers crossed!!
Damo and Angus ready to head to the closing function...
The venue...
Woot!!
The place was packed...
This is the category Team Booger Mobile fit into...
Damian and Angus receiving their certificates from Tim, the new Chairman of Camp Quality.
The overall fundraising total for the 2014 Camp Quality esCarpade - an incredible $1308788.96!!
And next year... the start and finish points are...
Narrabri to Goondiwindi!! There is a rumour that the rest day will be in Longreach, but this is to be confirmed later (after the initial course survey has been completed).
Damian and Angus have made it to the end of the 2014 Camp Quality esCarpade - a few hiccups along the way, and a few things to sort out before next year...
Stay tuned - it will be awesome!!
Congratulations on finishing! Stay safe on the homeward journey.
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