As per usual, some teams were under, around or in their cars looking over issues - some minor, some not so minor...
Damian walked to the passenger side of the car and saw that he had his first flat tyre in two years...
Out with one of the spares and the trolley jack...
Off with the old...
On with the new!!
Always important to tighten the wheel nuts!!
Pump hooked up, ready to inflate tyres... Might as well pump up all tyres as needed, but also, in order to get the spare on (due to the spring helpers that damian had installed), it was necessary to let the air out of the spare tyre...
More tyre pumping...
Heading to breakfast in Warrnambool...
Great parking there... it looks like Booger Mobile is alone, but there are dozens of other cars already there...
Another fabulous breakfast, followed by the daily driver briefing...
esCarpadians practicing their song for this year...
The actual Police turned up to check out the cars... They tried their siren, but alas, it was no match for some of the esCarpade car sirens!!
This was the setting for breakfast... very nice!!
Damian checking out behind 808... time for his daily breath test!!
On the road for the first stage. 808 had already stopped in town due to front tyre issues... they would make the journey on the road...
Past the dead centre of Warrnambool... people are dying to get into this place!!
Past some nice rock formations...
And a cow and calf standing beside ridiculously well topiarised trees...
Crossing a bridge...
Past the place with the stone fence...
Onto a long, straight road...
And a dirt one...
This one had a curve, and a rock wall!!
Yet another long, straight, tree-lined road...
And one with minimal trees, but some curves...
This pattern repeated for quite some time... Past trees on the dirt...
This is FAV (First Aid Vehicle) coming ot the rescue of one of the esCarpade cars who neglected to turn left at the intersection, becoming hopelessly bogged by going straight ahead!!
Yet another dirt road, with trees lining it...
This one had taller trees...
As Booger Mobile approached this point, Damian was flagged down by some of the other vehicles... Turns out there was a rather large bog hole not too far down the road, where there were already half a dozen vehicles stuck (including Shark Mobile).
A short time later, Ben returned with some alternate route notes to get the cars around the bog hole missing only the minimum amount of the course...
Here's another tree tunnel on a dirt road... this time with grass growing in the middle!!
And a straight road with sandy soil...
Damian and Jo's daily self portrait...
Making a brief stop...
Damian had avoided a low hanging tree, but hadn't avoided a branch sticking out from the side of the road - the result - a scratch across the guard and the door...
It should buff out!!
There's the culprit...
Scenery while travelling along another straight dirt road...
This road had a bend, and scenery... but it was still dirt!!
A bridge (over troubled water?)...
Interesting dead gum tree that looked very ghostly...
Another day, another straight dirt road with a tree tunnel!!
Booger Mobile's friends in car 49, who have their radiator free from mud and doing its job again!!
Arriving in Casterton...
This must be the check in... it's got the Camp Quality flag!!
Jo wanted to pose with Mario and Luigi... so she did!!
Hey Isis... look who Damian had lunch with!!
First school visit... Casterton State School!
Graham (808) and Jo handing out lollies, chips, and a good squirt with the water soaker!!
The impressive mural on the school hall...
Peta and Rachel get up to do their thing...
The esCarpadians milling around at the back of the room...
Deano and Kylie made a special appearance!!
Deano makes a good point with Kylie!!
After the school visit, Damian went to fill up and discovered the thermo fan wasn't working... He headed back to the lunch venue to check out the thermo fan (the fuse housing had rattled loose - all good now...
However, by the time it was fixed (about 5 mins), Damian found out it was too late to do the sand section of the afternoon drive... turns out this was a good option!! There was carnage on that section, with cars getting bogged left, right and centre!!
Someone found the only way to get sleep on the esCarpade!!
Heading down the bitumen to get back to the course (after the sand).
Another dirt road...
A bridge over a small river with some rapids...
The sand was getting a little deeper, but still passable!!
Past a fire spotting tower...
The amount of water on the sides of the road was increasing!!
Heading down the aptly named grassy lane!!
Parked up waiting to find out what's going on in front...
And from the other side - you can see there are people lined up...
Ah, there's the problem... a number of cars stuck in a bog hole!!
Having decided discretion was the better part of valour, Damian (and the others who were lined up) headed back onto the bitumen to get around the bog hole...
Damian decided since he was on the bitumen, he might as well stay there!!
And arriving at Naracoorte...
The dinner venue - Naracoorte Town Hall...
Damian aiming for a large self portrait with a bunch of people in it - including Eric, Karen, Ebony and Jayden - one of the local Camp Quality families who joined the esCarpadians for dinner...
Don and Sue from FAV...
The Queensland Connection... Booger Mobile, Snot Rocket, 808 and Shark Mobile!!
Day three ended in South Australia with a large number of people still out on the track late into the night... All part of the adventure, really!!
Eventful day... relieved there are still pics!!! :) Go Booger!
ReplyDeleteLove the tree lined dirt roads... Beautiful and such a rare sight :)
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