Day 14 - On the Road to Esperance

Yesterday evening I continued east of Albany in darkness. I protest road tripping at night, believing it a waste (that it misses the point). But I just felt like driving. When I was done feeling that way, I pulled onto a side road to find a place to camp for the night. It was to be Cheyne Beach, 20km off the main highway, and my impression was that it must be a summer retreat or caravan park (it was both).

I went to the very end of the road, confirmed that the ocean was nearby, set up the car (I can lay flat in a Corolla hatchback when things are arranged), and went to sleep. A few hours later, a truck pulled in with somebody screaming out an animal-like cry as they went past me. Then out came the music. They had set up a mini-party along the beach nearby. Apparently they were looking for the end of the road too.

I lay there awake, listening to the music – some of it quite good, actually. Then there came a tap on the window. It was a young woman holding a beer, and she wanted to talk. She asked me if I was drinking. ‘No, I don’t drink’, I replied. ‘What are you doing?’, she asked. I told her I was travelling around Australia. She quickly summoned over her friends with the excited sentiment of, ‘hey guys, come see what I found!’

More interest and focus on me ensued. The woman exclaimed to her approaching female friend, ‘look, he’s young!’ (There was just enough moon light to see.) The next young woman asked, ‘do you smoke pot?’, as they both peered through my half rolled-down window? ‘Nope’, I replied. ‘Oh, you’re here waiting for daylight for surfing then’, said one woman. ‘Ah, no, sorry, I don’t surf’, was my reply. A slight pause, and then, what I found to be the most charming part – ‘Well, then what are you doing with your life?’ I thought for a moment, and then proudly exclaimed ‘I blog!’ A little more pause for reflection, and then they both hopped into the truck with the rest of their group, and they were gone. I was starting to take an interest in the conversation, but all of a sudden I was left there alone, in the dark, and quite awake. But I still had the sound of the waves for company.

Something else about the conversation I liked. When I told them I was from Alaska, they thought it to be part of Canada (this is a common impression here). When I corrected them, one then said, ‘so Alaska is the top of America?’ (That’s about the time she tried to open my locked car door too). ‘That’s one way to think of it’, I replied.

Okay – I’ve made it to Esperance, where I’ll spend Christmas Eve and part of Christmas Day. On the way over, I made stops in tiny little towns like Wellstead, Ravensthrope, and Munglinup, drove through low forest and farmland, and noticed heaps of parrots and lizards crossing the road. The grocery stores are full of happy people getting ready for the holiday.

Aussies call the Brits “POMs”, which by one theory stands for Prisoners Of his Majesty (what convicts were originally called back in transportation days).

Got to 34 degrees C as a high today.

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Day 14 – On the Road to Esperance

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