Australia – Day 29 (Kunawarritji Community to Well 30)

Day 29 – (8/14/15) Kunawarritji to Well 30, 49.6 miles.

It is day 10 of the CSR.  We left the aboriginal community, Kunawarritji, around noon.

The morning was spent breaking camp, talking to Andy, talking to other travelers, stocking up on various groceries, refueling, and airing up the tires.

We spent $165 on groceries. This included:

• pork ribs, 10 months old, frozen (thought they were thick cut bacon!)
• milk, UHT, 1 liter
• mushrooms, small cans
• baked beans, small cans
• self-heating soup cans (to satiate curiosity and also the novelty factor)
• PB&J
• bread, frozen (2 loafs)
• hot doggy type things
• toilet paper (4 rolls)
• cookies (1 pkg)
• cheese dip (2)
• crackers
• dozen eggs
• avocados (2)
• bananas, very green (5)
• banana cake slice
• sodas (6 cans)
• string cheese

We won’t starve for the duration of the CSR, but we won’t be eating too much either.

Refueling in anticipation of a long stretch always takes time. The sequence goes roughly like this:

Ryan’s take:

1. Ryan reminds LeeWhay what the refueling procedure is
2. Ryan is task-oriented towards getting the goal accomplished
3. LeeWhay forgets the procedure we have done several times before
4. Ryan fills the main tank and auxiliary tank while LeeWhay readies the 10 Jerry cans
5. LeeWhay can’t get the Jerry cans open
6. Ryan does this
7. Ryan asks LeeWhay to check the level of the main and aux tanks
8. LeeWhay needs to confirm how this is done
9. Ryan tells LeeWhay it is the same procedure she has done 10’s of times before
10. LeeWhay says she just wants to confirm how
11. Ryan tells LeeWhay to put the key into the ignition and go to the “On” position but don’t start the truck
12. LeeWhay puts the key to the “Acc” position
13. LeeWhay states that it isn’t working
14. Ryan interrupts filling Jerry cans to go put the key to “On”
15. Ryan checks the level of the main and aux tanks
16. Ryan goes back to filling the Jerry cans
17. Ryan asks LeeWhay to hold the cans tilted at the same angle we have been doing for the last month, the angle that maximizes the fuel level within the can
18. LeeWhay comments on Ryan filling the Jerry can so full
19. Ryan reminds LeeWhay that this is so we can get more gas into the cans
20. On the next can, LeeWhay holds the Jerry can to yet another, new angle
21. Repeat 17-20 more times
22. Ryan asks if the trailer “wings” are ready to go for the Jerry cans to be strapped down
23. LeeWhay states “yes!” (obviously a little miffed that Ryan does not seem to believe her)
24. Ryan brings heavy Jerry can over to set on trailer wing
25. Ryan asks where the neoprene sheets are that go in between the wing and the heavy Jerry can that he is holding
26. LeeWhay states she meant the wing was ready because she got the wisk broom out and dusted and then Windexed the side of the trailer
27. Ryan reminds LeeWhay the neoprene sheet needs to be laid down while still holding the heavy Jerry can
28. LeeWhay looks for and eventually finds the neoprene sheet
29. LeeWhay puts the neoprene nicely and neatly on the wing
30. Continuing to hold the heavy Jerry, Ryan reminds her that she needs to put the larger sheet down on the bottom
31. LeeWhay finds the larger…
32. …
33. …

187. Finished!

LeeWhay’s take:

1. Ryan gets into an “intense” mode.
2. Ryan reminds LeeWhay what the refueling procedure is.
3. Ryan or LeeWhay starts unstrapping the empty Jerry cans on the roof and hands them down to the person on the ground.
4. Ryan or LeeWhay unstrap the Jerry cans on the wings of the trailer.
5. LeeWhay lines them up on the ground for easy access.
6. Ryan fills up the main and Aux tanks in the truck.
7. LeeWhay brushes off and Windexes the wings and the side of the trailer.
8. LeeWhay digs through the nose box of the trailer looking for the ratchet straps, velcro straps, blocking, shims, cardboard and padding (which were just thrown into the nose box by Ryan after they were no longer needed when emptying one Jerry at some time on the trail).
9. Ryan gets frustrated with LeeWhay because she is taking too long.
10. LeeWhay tilts the Jerry cans as Ryan over fills them to squeeze every last drop into them (this often leads to cursing days later when Ryan opens the Jerry cans to add them to the tank and they over flow).
11. LeeWhay hands the Jerry cans, padding, cardboard and ratchet straps up to Ryan on the roof so he can strap them down (full Jerry cans are no joke with lifting them up to the roof or lowering them down to the ground).
12. Ryan tells LeeWhay to strap and secure the Jerry cans to the wings of the trailer, but LeeWhay forgets how they are strapped.  Ryan ends up getting inpatient and frustrated and does it himself.
13. LeeWhay secures the extra length of ratchet straps with velcro and hair ties.
14. Both parties being a little miffed at each other.  They make sure everything is secure and get back into the truck.
15. They drive in silence for the next few miles.

$800+ Australian dollars for petrol, yikes!

We spent a half hour during/after the refueling process talking to the “attendant”, Taz, and all the “new to us” travelers refueling at the same time.

Taz was a 63 year old, ex-rocker who originally hailed from Tasmania. He loved Americans. Loved that we smiled from ear-to-ear versus Australians which can only manage a half-smile (according to him). Loved American music. He told us of many 60’s era musicians of whom we have never heard. He said he has not met an American that was mean or bad. He was interesting…

Well 31

We camped at Well 30 for the night.  There were two other vehicles camped on the other side of small hill.  We chatted with them and toured their palatial camper trailer that unfurled into a full kitchen and a tented room with a king sized bed.  It was amazing… and heavy!

-LeeWhay & Ryan