~ THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING SIERRA CARD AND EROTIC HARRY POTTER ROAD-KILLS!! (Days 2 and 3). ~

On the morning of Day 2, I did the dishes and watched all the Olympics 'wash-up' on T.V. The question being posed: Was the Beijing Olympics better than the Sydney Olympics!? Of Course not Sillies or otherwise Jacques Rogge (is that how to spell it, looks like 'Rogue' to me ..... Hmmmmm) would have said so! D'oh!! (Of course, I am a proud Aussie too!)... he winks...

We drove in to town and did some shopping at the I.G.A. store (Independent Grocers of Australia). I put up one of my website advertisements with the tear-off URL tabs.


Then we were on our way! First town was Coolgardie and we zipped through without looking too much! Somebody had piles of sculptures made out of junk off-cuts in their front yard - very clever, only in Oztralia! :-)


I read 'The Prisoner of Azkaban' and listened to my walkman CD player .... Mariah Carey droned on... (I know, I'm scared too but she is one Luscious Lass!!)

We stopped for lunch, salami and salad sandwich and some chocolate, and drink. Half an hour later we were on the road again, and that's when the real dramas began! About 20 kms up the road, I suddenly discovered that I had lost my Sierra Broadband Wireless card from my computer! Panic stations!!

A quick U-turn and a frantic 20km drive back to the lunch spot, I was sweating tonnes I can tell You! I jumped out of the Suzuki with a bound and rummaged on the ground, looking earnestly! Eureka! Card found and blogging reputation remained intact!

The next town we came to was Norseman, the beginning of the Nullarbor. A bit more grocery shopping, and I put up another website sign in the shops. We filled up with fuel and the Service Station owner said, 'Mind You look out for the Naked Nymph who runs along the road of the Nullarbor'! He fixed me with his beady eye and waggled a finger of warning! I couldn't tell if he was joking or not but was excited about the prospect of seeing the Nullarbor Nymph in the flesh! Whooaaahh Daddy! :-) The myth of the nymph rivals legends such as the Loch Ness Monster and the Abonimable Snowman! Even the B.B.C. did a story on it!

Onwards we traveled, determined to stop by nightfall! No nymph did I espy.... D*mn!! ;-) I drove for two hours until we reached the Balladonia Roadhouse and Motel. $110 for one night, we stayed in a room called a 'Donga', funny little bedrooms with ensuites, set up for the workers on the Nullarbor Highway many years ago; couldn't believe the expense, Outrageous!!

We decided not to cook and went to the Roadhouse for a budget lamb roast and veges, $11.95 per serve! While at the roadhouse, I rummaged through the C.D.'s on sale, and to my delighted surprise, found an album by 'The Beautiful Girls', my cousin's band from Sydney! Their album is called 'Ziggurats', Very hip and funky sounding!!

Back to the Donga and off to bed. I lay awake until after midnight listening to the next-door neighbors singing Queen songs at the top of their lungs! Shinook stayed in the car and kept watch..... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............


DAY 3

After a breakfast of cereal and fruit we were on the road again. I read my 'Harry Potter' book and we drove to Caiguna, got some petrol and then kept on traveling. I couldn't believe the amount of roadkill on the highway! Dead kangaroos lay here and there, dead as doornails after being struck by trucks and big 4WD's! Sad indeed! I wish that I had brought a hunting knife to cut off chunks of roo meat for Shinook!

Onwards to Cocklebiddy, I nearly missed it as I was thoroughly lost in Hogwart's happenings! I grooved on down to the strains of Madonna's greatest hits! Singing along with 'Erotica' halfway across the Nullarbor is just a bit surreal I think! Harry Potter, Madonna ... two of the biggest Pop Culture Icons filling my head! I decided then and there that I would make up the Trinity of Pop Culture 'God/desses'! Except I'd have to fight off the Simpsons I guess!

'The Fatherspirit Show'.... visions of interviews with 'Harper's Bazaar', 'Vanity Fair' ... and 'Aussie Pig Shooters' (I woke back to reality there!) magazines filled my ambitious head! .... 'Fatherspirit thrills the world with his sexy travel blogging!'... well I can dream can't I!? .... get back in the glam game Honey!!

We passed through Madura, a tiny settlement where we had stayed in the past; a Very grotty motel here! Yuck! I was driving now so Harry and friends had to be put on hold!

Stopping at Mundrabilla, where fuel was 'cheap' apparently, $1.80 per litre! Ouch! The journey continued and we reached Eucla, where we hoped to stay the night! 'All rooms booked out, sorry Love!', the Motel Lady said.

So, we had no other choice but to keep traveling, across the Western Australia/ South Australia border and on to Border Town! I was really pleased that I could pick up a signal for my computer here and grinned like a Cheshire Cat who had just got the cream! My ranking at Trafficera, with the Amazing TruPartners team, had slipped from #1 to #7! Yikes!

I bought a C.D. at Border Town, 'Absolute Garbage', Garbages' Greatest Hits! You gotta Love Butch Vigg and Shirley Manson right! So, humming 'I'm Only Happy When It Rains', I paid $60 for a room for the night and we unpacked and let Shinook out for a stroll.

Dinner was hamburgers cooked in the camp kitchen and an ice-cream at the petrol station shop! Then a hot shower and off to bed!

Thanks to everyone who is reading my travel blog and a special 'Hi!' to Matt and Donna... and JoAnn too! You all rock guys!

..... and That's Your daily bread! :-) x