Day 26 Cooper Creek

Distance today 70km at 13km/hr

It’s 709pm on Thursday the 27 May 2021

We woke this morning to the full moon still shining his best before sunrise. Nice view from the tent all snug and cosy. We didn’t get to light the fire last night but it’s a nice gift to the next campers tonight.

Jeff, the manager at Mungarannie Roadhouse said they opened between 730 and 800am and I was keen for a cuppa and toast before getting underway. He charged my battery bank behind the bar so I also needed to pick that up. I demolished my 4 pieces of toast and jam and 3 cups of coffee on the house!!! Nice 👍 Jeff topped up my water bottles and 4L for the next 2 days. I snuck in a quick bit of shopping like cool mints, Mars bars and a block of chocolate for after dinner treats. All essentials of course 🤣 Jeff finally agreed to a photo that I had been hassling him about and we were good to get into our day with a happy belly, warm heart and pumped up tyres. It was a good stay at Mungarannie.

Loved the ride today!!! It started with a treat as we followed a hawk chasing critters in the low lying shrubbery by the roadside. He was darting from side to side but not having much luck at least while we were following. Little critters lived to see another day!!

Stopped at 20km for a wee wee break after all those cuppas. I spotted the best specimen of the dreaded burr bush as mum calls it, after the debacle it has caused banjos tyres.

Tirari desert beckoned today. The area is dotted with lakes outwards to lake Ayr. I could see expanses of lakes many of which still have water after the rains they had at Easter time. The blokes at Clifton Hills were commenting how green it is at the moment compared to other times in the season. It was beautiful to appreciate how lush the arid landscape can be after rain and how much the birds and flowers flourish when times are good.

So today we clicked over our 2000km big milestone yay!! 2000km and 3 deserts in we’re super chuffed!!!! The challenge is all about the journey and we’re happy to be this far into it to be sure!!! Every kms a bonus and if we add them up over time, who knows how far we will get! It’s a true adventure after all!!

We were fortunate today to have a constant series of sand hills that followed the road. Even though it was quite hilly, the sandhills provided a buffer of sorts from the southerly and made for a better ride averaging 13km/hr. We both felt more “ping in our swing” and enjoyed a better head space and positive day!!! It makes a difference with what I see also as I’m not so in my had just trying to tackle the conditions 1km at a time.

We had our next break at the base of sand hill by the roadside, great spot!! I noticed how much bird life was about mostly smaller bird like finches and willy wagtails. They were busy darting around and very entertaining to watch

The sun was casting longer shadows in the later afternoon. The angle of the light was picking up shiny reflections along the roadway. What I first thought was glass was in fact crystals in the granite rocks. They were sparkling like diamonds and we stopped to check them out closer

At about 430 we arrived at our stop for the night, Cooper Creek. It’s a quiet camp site which is great, just one other camper. The moon rose again so handsome and bright and provided the best backdrop to our fire over twilight.

The embers have lost their heat so I’m not feeling the chill of the night. I stir them to savour the last of their warmth which is delish.

During the night I remembered all going well we will be in Marree on Saturday and the post office will be closed until Tuesday. While I was waiting for Jeff to open up the roadhouse I mentioned it to a lady, Wendy who was travelling that way today. She offered to collect my parcel so I wrote an authority to collet it when they arrived. I got a satellite message from Mum during the day that wendy had collected my next parcel and left it at the hotel when I arrive. How awesome it that, thanks Wendy you’re a jet star. Your help has made a huge difference and avoided us waiting around for those days, great stuff!!

It’s time for dinner o’clock and tuck myself cosy into bed for an early night. The moon is stunning!!!! It’s a big sky night with less stars because of the moonlight and the silence is intoxicating. Night and talk soon xxx