Onward to Woody Head

 2 more days of torrential rain. We have caught up with Sue & Mark at Woody Head near Iluka. The area is beautiful, but we are unable to explore due to the continuing heavy rain & wind. We did have a slight reprieve yesterday afternoon when we arrived at Woody Head, when we were able to have  a bit of a walk & look around & were able to snap a couple of pics. We also had a little stopover on the way here at Evans Head where we checked out the F111 museum on Sue & Marks recommendation. we are well & truly over the rain now.

Beenleigh showgrounds on the morning we left for Woody Head.

Evans Head F111 museum.

Caribou cockpit.

F111 cockpit.

Afternoon walk at Woody Head.

Yvonne near a sea foam hill.

Click here for living foam video

Beach kangaroos at Woody Head.

Lunch on a rainy Sunday at the Iluka pub.

Day .1. on the road.

 Seriously miserable weather, but the roads stayed open long enough for us to get to Beenleigh, so we are very happy to be moving.

We are camped in a very green and wet Beenleigh showgrounds. I am very happy to have made it here as I have my post op doctors appointment tomorrow at Cleveland.

FYI. here is a link to Sue & marks blog, who we hope to catch up with in the next week or so.

Click 'HERE'

The mandatory departure pic.

Beenleigh showgrounds.

Some nice old pubs here in Beenleigh.

No silos, so they muraled a building.

Another view of our Beenleigh camp with an ominous sky in the background.

Almost departing.

 We have decided to depart 1 day earlier, tomorrow (Thursday instead of Friday), but as per every time we go to leave something happens & last night the Gympie area had 17 inches of rain causing local flooding and closure of several roads. We had intended to stay at Beenleigh showgrounds tomorrow night, but that will be dependent on the road being open. With even heavier rain expected tonight, that is going to be doubtful.

We have had an extremely difficult & trying day & to top it off we dropped Rocko at Kevin Cupples house for the next 2 months and I miss the little bloke already, although I know he is in excellent hands. I have become very attached to Rocko & he is the only thing I will miss about not being home. He has rapidly become the shining light in our lives.

We are pretty much packed & ready to roll tomorrow, if the road is not flooded. It is Yvonnes' birthday on Saturday & I was hoping we could be well under way & enjoy a nice dinner out.

Introduction to trip-:

Click  "HERE" for a comprehensive list of our Previous blogs.

We are once again planning to head out into the world in our little aluminium box & head South with friends, that concludes my entire planning for the trip.

Our planned departure will be the 25th of February, still very early in the season and almost certainly very hot. We will also be playing roulette with unpredictable, possibly severe weather at this time.           Factors which we no longer control are governing our departure & return dates. The adventure will be a little shorter than usual as we will only be able to spend 2 months away.

We will be meeting up with Gail & Graham at Beenleigh on our first night & hopefully the 4 of us will catch up with Sue & Mark a week or so later, as they will be leaving a week & a half before us.

I have written & pictographed many of our trips in previous blogs and I have always tried to keep them upbeat & light hearted, so consequently it may have seemed like every day has been a fun day, but as can be imagined sometimes things can be difficult, although those times were relatively rare. I intend to keep a truer picture of this trip as these blogs serve as my memory and I am discovering that a little honesty prevents delusion.

Travelling with a partner with a severe & deteriorating illness can be extremely challenging & tends to overshadow almost everything you do. Having said all that gloomy stuff we really are still "LIVING THE DREAM" & by Gods grace & with the help of incredible friends, we will continue to do so for as long as possible. Life can sometimes be harsh & unforgiving, but being on the road seems to simplify & focus your life and prior to owning this caravan I would never have believed we would become so addicted to this life style.

Nearly every major trip we have undertaken has started with some difficulty or disaster & this one has been no exception. In the past we have had family death, flood, fires, a DVT, back injuries & this time exactly  3 weeks before departure I needed to have my gall bladder removed & a hernia repaired. So my ability to lift anything will be compromised for some weeks.

It is exactly 14 days to our planned departure & I have my fingers crossed that I will not have another blog entry until  we are on our way, because that would mean something else has delayed us.

As per usual my first image is from a previous trip.

Travelling can be truly uplifting and for special moments can wash away the worries of the day.

Yvonne on a brisk February morning, on a deserted beach, looking into Bass Straight