Just Miles Today Wednesday 3/12/08

Finally we have a day with no news and this post will be minimal. We get up with the birds, but then again we have to. The other feathery creatures here are Bush Turkeys that look like turkeys and are the size of chickens. They are protected, of course, so they are everywhere, but apparently some local kitties did not get the memo and we think there were some turkey victims during the night. Our host is not sad to hear that news.

We have a little over 300 miles today which is long for us. The weather is overcast and warm so once again we get the perfect day for driving at just the right time. We will be following the Bruce Highway north and it is infamous as the most dangerous piece of road in the country. It is a two lane with occasional passing lanes and a fair amount of traffic in both directions. The problems seem to stem from the fact that it is BORING and people tend to lose concentration or actually doze off, and there are long stretches that you spend behind big trucks or travel trailers (caravans) and the less patient among us will do some daring things to get past. The speed limit is 100 kph (62 mph) but between slowpokes and construction we are lucky to average 80 kpg. We are trying to stay alert and patient so that we only have to worry about the other guys.
The trip turns out to be a lot less boring than Kansas or West Texas and we pass through some rolling countryside, eucalyptus forests and into pineapple, sugar cane and banana plantations. We take a break in Childers and eat a Subway tuna sub (we may be falling into ruts) in the town park and fill the tank. Gas here has been consistently around $AU1.30/liter which equates to about $US4.50 per gallon. That includes a $0.50 per liter federal tax ($1.90/gal.) which represents the total difference in price between here and home. The government started hearings last week in Canberra investigating oil company price gouging and an industry representative testified that the oil companies earn about a penny and a half per liter while the government is at a half dollar. He questioned who the real gougers might be and the hearings were quickly terminated. There are thieves, damn thieves and the government.

Mary takes a shift behind the wheel for the second time in Oz and you just need more practice than that to get used to the wrong side of the road. It is a nice break for John, however, and we get to Rockhampton for the night at about 5:30. This is now cattle country and Rockhampton is a well known cow town. We're thinking Abilene, Texas with cow sculptures. When we were looking for a lodging property here, there were no good recommendations on the internet. Really, every travel site that had reviews panned every place in town. We did read that the Travelodge was undergoing a major renovation so that is where we booked, and once here it only took two tries to get an acceptable room. We pressed our luck and ate in the hotel restaurant which, while not awful, was far from good. John had a pork in puffpastry thing with a bechamel sauce and red pepper coulis that needed a lot of salt and pepper to have any flavor at all,and Mary went safer with the fish and chips and the fish was good while the chips were raw. It wouldn't have hurt us a bit to have skipped the whole thing.

This post is much longer than it deserves. Goodnight.

Today's local headline: FBI gets Patel, now we fight to get him back Brisbane Courier Mail (Aussie Doctor is arrested in Portland, OR and extradition proceedings are begun to have hime face manslaughter charges)