Day 4

April 29, 2011- Day 4

Where- Cape Liptrap to Paradise Beach

Lunch/Dinner- Beef & lamb sausages with homemade relish we bought and corn on the cob. Pat loves lamb, I do not.

I'm lame and wanted to watch the royal wedding today. No TV. Que homesickness.

        This morning I set my alarm to wake me up in time to watch the sun rise on the beach (because we're on the east coast). When I looked out the van window there was a dingo standing outside eating something out of the burt out fire pit. Dingos are like small foxes basically, but I'm not sure if they are considered dangerous or not. It left before I got out of the van so I didn't have to find out for myself if it was dangerous or not. Pat was being a sleepy head so I went to the beach alone. The sun had already risen just up over the horizon, but everything still had a nice warm morning glow to it. I'm so used to sunsets at the beach that it's nice to see a sunrise. It was a beautiful way to start the day. On my way back to the campsite I heard about 5 different types of birds are chirping and singing at each other. They were flying all over the place and generally putting on an exciting morning bird show. I also saw a couple of bunnies on the road as I walked to the bathroom. Quite a wildlife filled morning. After eating left over french toast and drinking our morning coffee (using the very last of the drinkable water we had with us) we took off back up the dirt road and found out way off of the cursed cape that had us lost so many times!

        We stopped in the “biggest” town on our way to the next campground to get some supplies. The town ended up being smaller than Colville but Pat had a great time commenting on how it had to be “at least 5 times the size of Colville.” No Pat, this town only had 5 churches, Colville has at least 8. We had a fun time buying our groceries from the little po-dunk stores. In front on a pet store there was fresh grown vegtables that it looks like the owner just brought in from his garden or something. We picked up some apples and inside found that he was also selling homemade jams and relishes as well as local eggs. Well hot dog, we bought all of these things as well! Can't pass up a jam with a handwritten label and list of ingredients on the front. This place reminded me so much of Colville that it almost made me miss the little place. Because we were in such an urban area we were able to get internet reception and hung out in a park for a while researching our next few campsites. We're trying to stay at as many free campsites as possible because between the cost of the van and the cost of fuel we're already paying quite enough. There are a lot of state parks along the coast so finding free campsites isn't too difficult. There is also a hotline to the Parks Office where very helpful people will tell you where you should stay. I have developed a whole new appreciation for the park services that the government offers.

        Since today was day two without a shower finding a way to clean ourselves was high on the priority list. We had read that there were free showers at the site we were staying at, but that turned out to be incorrect. Serious bummer. I would have settled for a cold shower at this point. I was at the point of explaining to Pat how we could use a bowl of cold water to wash ourselves with when we found out that the town nearby offered hot showers. Great news! We arrived to find that hot showers are apparently going for the the exorbitant rate of $4 for 5 minutes. There is clearly a shower monopoly going on in this area. Oh well, we had discussed the idea of paying to go into a swimming pool just so we could use the showers. Instead we decided on the weird hot shower stall that was basically on the side of the road. Either way you have the distinct feeling of being slightly hobo-like. If anyone wants tips on how to make the most of a 5 minute shower, I definitely have some suggestions for you. It felt so good to be clean! I guess it's good to develop a new appreciation for the things I take for granted like showers and drinking water.

The campsite is right by the ocean again which is always nice. I'm afraid I'm going to get tired of seeing beautiful forests and oceans by the end of this trip, the way you get tired of seeing cathedrals and museums when you travel in Europe. It's such a shame when it happens and you sort of feel like a terrible person, but I guess at some point it's a bit inevitable. But no worries yet, tonight we still enjoyed our walk on the beach. We're at a spot along The 90 Mile Beach which is the longest strip of continuous beach in Australia. The sand is a nice dark golden color too which is pretty cool.

        This evening I wanted to watch the Royal Wedding on TV but there wasn't a pub nearby to do so in. I started feeling a million miles away from society and for some reason that bummed me out. I had a small episode of feeling homesick (for civilization I think) and wished that I was in a home somewhere feeling warm and settled and watching the wedding on TV. I know I probably won't enjoy every second of this trip and I'll just have to deal, but does it really have to be the stupid royal wedding that makes me feel homesick?! No matter how far from civilization you get there will still be a little tiny bait shop selling newspapers reminding you of what's happening around the world. Thanks for the Herald Sun. Making hot chocolate and playing a card game distracted me long enough for my brain to remember that it actually does enjoy being here. It was a generally nice day indeed.