Day 245
Winter is here and the cool temperatures make it unnecessary to get an early start. I got up before sun rise and made a small fire in an ancient cast iron stove and put the kettle on.
I invited our neighbor for a cup of tea. He’s 68, living out of a tent and travelling to billabongs and deserts to photograph the birds of Australia. I told him it was an interesting hobby but he corrected me and told me that it was “a passion.” He later showed Cher and I some pictures and they were professionally done, with every minute detail in focus, well-lit, and in poses that suggested something about each bird’s personality. When I mentioned that the Ravens here sound like American Ravens until the end when they made a noise like they’re being strangled. He knew exactly what I was talking about and called it the choking baby noise, and told me that birds have different accents depending on the region they inhabit in Australia. Bob left and Cher and we both agreed that we never could have imagined that we would meet so many generous, kind and inspiring people.
Our long slow morning put us on the road by 10am. It was still only about 15 degrees out. With more rolling hills and a little bit of a tail wind from time to time, we cruised at 18 kph. Although the roads are winding and hilly we now have a shoulder to retreat to when the road trains pass.
A sedan with three men stopped in front of us and like maniacs twice, each time they were kneeling in the street with large lense cameras snapping photos of us. Eventually we stopped and got to talk to our paparazzi. Who were these crazed men? All in their 70’s they were from Italy on a one month tour. We are by far the youngest travelers in Australia.