Day 112 - Not normal

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Rolleston - Carnarvon Gorge NP 91km

It was at KM 60 when Louise said, half question, half statement, "what's wrong with us that we are so normal?" She had just finished reading another chapter of Liane Moriarty's Reality Noir "Big Little Lies", while I prepared lunch. Surrounded by dry cow poo, ants who wanted to eat my lunch and with the sun burning the lefthand side of my right calf, the question came as a little surprise. I took our status quo into consideration, a lunch break in the middle of friggin nowhere, sitting on a dusty road, before I answered: "if this is normal then I love to be wrong!". We both laughed as did the cows watching us from a distance.

This little episode happened on a day that grew more and more entertaining by the hour. And there was hardly anything 'normal' about it. Kerstin jumped a fence in the early morning hours to steal some oranges from a tree right next to the General Store where they cost $5.90 a kilo - not normal. Half an hour into the ride, Kerstin choked on a bug that made its way down her throat, we stopped instantly only to find a $2 coin stuck on the highway, right under my front tyre - not normal. We were clearly on a winning streak against normality.

We kissed the A7 Carnarvon Highway goodbye after 20km and hit the most spectacular gravel road which lead us for 48km towards the Carnarvon gorge. I confessed to Louise that the stay at the caravan park in Rolleston generated a light identity crisis. I felt we had nothing in common with the people we shared the space with. One of them was a classic case of "PFO", nursing language for "pissed and fell over" (he told everyone who wanted to hear, that he broke his shoulder). Another lady looked so unwell as she shuffled from her caravan to the bathroom; I was not only worried she wouldn't make it, but also swore to myself in that moment that I don't want to end up like her. So pedalling on a dusty road at 15km/h felt blissfully normal. 

Just us and the road

Another extraordinary thing that reminded us how perfectly abnormal this day was, was a sighting of three Brolgas, one of Australia's most iconic and largest flying birds. While they are not endangered, it felt like something very special to see them in their natural habitat. We moved on to the next curiosity of the day, only a few moments down the track. Over the last few days I contemplated various outside the box ideas what kind of skills I could acquire on this tour. From learning how to fish to getting a basic truck licence to learning to ride a horse... the latter probably the most feasible one... although? Anyway, the universe sent me a sign that it may involve horses when we ran into these guys.




As the beauty of Carnarvon Gorge moved closer and closer, we sensed that this is special place. And that, whether you consider yourself normal or not, one is truly lucky to be able to visit such a natural wonder. The campground awaited us on top of a hill, with spectacular 360 degree views, both left us speechless. Before we embraced for a very windy and mostly sleepless (Louise) night, we indulged in the best stargazing of the trip so far, And at each sighting of a shooting star, I wished to be perfectly normal. 

Or not? 



Final light at the end of the day

Location: Carnarvon National Park, Nandowrie QLD 4722, Australia

Comments

  1. FrancieJune 2, 2022 at 9:14 AM

    Another fabulous description and love the pic of yourselves with the horses. My writing going well and I am thinking lots about the family as I write about my siblings. One of my stories is going to be included in an Anthology called "Tales of the Pandemic". Looking forward to seeing that in 'real' print as only have seen my words on the computer screen and an Officeworks print!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Louise SensiJune 2, 2022 at 2:59 PM

    Fantastic news! You must be stoked.

    ReplyDelete

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