Coober Pedy- Barabba

A long driving day today. I was up fairly early, had a quick shower and packed up. While I was packing up, a strange thing happened. A group of about 8 pigeons walked around from behind my car and kind of surrounded me and my swag. I'm guessing they were after food, but it was still strange, that they walked in. I recruited the lovely man across the path from me to help roll up my swag. Lester (I think I got that right) was heading to Ularu for a couple of weeks with his family. Do you remember me telling you about the necklaces Jane makes, out of the bush seeds that look like acorn hats? Well I happened to park under a tree last night, and woke up with several of those little hats in my bed! I also found out how she gets the hole in them- snap off the stalk! That's also when that amazing spicy smell is released.

I left the park and go about 500m along the highway before I remembered my fuel gauge was on empty, so I went back. My receipt from the Stuart caravan park also got me 3c/L off my fuel which was nice. Then I hit the road.
And then I found the caravan park I'd been looking for last night! At the sign for Williams Creek, about 2km past the turn off to Coober Pedy. I went for a drive, and it's called Riba's, and they have underground caves you can camp in and it's really cool! I didn't see Dad's coffee peculator though, sorry Dad.
There wasn't much after Coober Pedy for a while, just the odd road house. Then I came across a change in the road. It suddenly got really wide, and there were odd lines across the road. I was wondering if it might be an emergency airstrip. Sure enough I got to the other end, and there was a  sign, RAAF emergency airstrip!

Emus

There are melons everywhere along the road here again. You could be forgiven for thinking a tennis ball truck had rolled. They are still quite small and yellow, that's exactly what they look like. There were also lots of emu hanging around beside the road...
I had an interesting experience this afternoon. And I'd say I'm sorry if this is an over share, but I'm not. My bladder was in dire nee of a bathroom, and I was still 40km from the next town, and it wasn't looking like there was going to be any toilets before then. I don't think I've told you about autonomic dysreflexia yet. It's my body's reaction to pain or discomfort that I can't 'feel' in the conventional sense of the word. When this happens, my blood pressure rises, I get really nasty headaches, I get a fever, my legs shake even worse than usual. So here I am, 40km from a bathroom, freezing cold, my face burning up, and a splitting headache like someone has hit me with an axe... So I pulled over on the side of the highway, my side of the car facing away from the road, praying the ground is as solid as it looks. I've sat on the side skirt (or whatever it's called) of the door, trying not to fall out the door, trying to get my pants down, thinking this used to be so much easier!!! I somehow managed to get undressed and pee, without falling off, but then I had to do it backwards, without sticking my foot in a puddle! Well! That was even more interesting than getting out in the first place, but I did it! It would have looked so funny if anyone had seen me! And It's handy to know that, if absolutely necessary, I can pee without a toilet. See, these catheters are handy for something- external plumbing! Over share, I know.
And 35km down the road, I was really happy I had chosen to stop when I had. Because 5km short of the toilets, there was a traffic jam! Out in the middle of the desert! Ok, not really the desert anymore, but certainly a long way from anywhere you would expect a traffic jam! I turned off the car and read my book for a while. After about 20 minutes the traffic started creeping forward, taking about ten minutes to get past what was holding us up, which I think was a truck that had lost its load. They had the whole crew there, police, fire brigade, ambulance. Some of the firies were bagging up uniforms. And in the middle of it there was a guy pulled over in a truck, looking somewhat sheepish. And me feeling so relieved I had stopped when I did, because that was awkward enough by myself, without having to stop on the road with all those people around!

The accident was over the 'hill'

The next interesting thing I came across, apart from more gorgeous scenery I know you're all getting sick of hearing about, was Port Augusta. Where it went from red dirt and salt bushes, to looking like the north west coast of Tasmania! I stopped in the town for a quick bite to eat, then hit the road again. I had been thinking I was close to Adelaide, but it turns out there is almost another three hours drive.

A really big salt lake

I'm staying with Brock and Sam tonight in Barabba. I had two choices, highway or back roads. Why go the freeway with signposts when you can weave your way across the countryside with google maps constantly dropping out? It was an absolutely gorgeous drive though! Again, like the country up the back of Devonport, with little ruins scattered everywhere. There was so much stuff to stop and take photos of, but I would still be on way way here if I had.
I went through Koounga, the home of the Bunyip. Didn't see any though, which was a bit disappointing...
I was making excellent time until I got to Blyth. Then I thought I had accidentally spend past a cop, except it was an 80km zone like I though. And of course she had to follow me through to Balaklava, making me very nervous and as a result, driving 20km under the limit. Then she went off to arest someone else, and I had maybe a full minute alone before I came across the next one!
I eventually made it to the house, and Brock and I went into Gawler to meet Sam for tea. Brock has been playing with bulls again, and broke his leg last week, so  between me in my chair, and Brock on crutch's, we must have looked quite a spectacle! Especially when Brock almost fell over lifting my chair off the ute... After tea we all headed home. There is a bit a a step up the front doorway, so Brock and I again got to demonstrate just how disabled we both are at the moment!

GUESS WHAT!!! My left foot has healed over! Finally, over two months later, the little one has got better. I'm keeping it covered, and putting pawpaw on it still, to protect it, but it has skin over it! My right foot is still very fleshy, but down to about a ten cent piece now!

Night all!

Distance travelled: 800km
Time driving: 8.5 hours