yeh , the van is a 80s model toyota , a little 4 cyl job about 2 litres big
, it drags us along and our gear at 110kmh no problems
uses a litre of fuel every 8kms doing it . I have a 120 litre truck fuel tank in the trailer plumed up t the car , and the 40 litre tank actually under the car , as well as another 120 litres of fuel in jerry cans ... fuel in the isolated places was as much as $2.80 a litre , but Im came prepared not to have to spend that much , or to have to mess around refilling several times a day .
I had to add a litre of oil to the motor after two days of headwind and hills , it gets kind of extreme at times wind wise
We have a lot of gear , but I also have my mum who is crippled up some and a 9 mnth baby , 2 kids, 6 and 11 , and my wife along , since we are waking up to frosts every second morning , we have brung a lot of bedding , heaps more than usual , ( cant actually afford U-Beaut sleeping bags that are good for the temps we get yet )
the only rule I made for everyone packing was the gear had to fit in the trailer .
The actual driving is more of a test of endurance than anything , seeing ahead for the next god knows how far but having to keep the speed down to around the 100km / 60 mile an hour mark for hour after hour after hour is a thing that takes getting used to , I call it pointing the car , cos there isnt a whole lot of actual driving involved ... foot is sitting against the body panel with the accelerator held at the right spot , no need to swap gears for the next 300 km or so .. just aiming the thing along the road keeping to the proper side of the white line .
Right now Im at my brothers place , but heading out to see the inlaws today ( used to call them outlaws , but I dont anymore , outlaws are wanted ya see ... ) stay a couple days with them , then back to my brothers for a bit , them heading back across the country again
and yeah , Im seriously LOVING this trip ....
Today I hear on the radio reports the Nulabor is closed , a couple semi trailers sideswiped each other , one carrying pesticides is posing problems for the hazmat people , the distance to and size of the spill , but the road should be open again in a couple days max .
One thing I havent photographed is the skid marks and impact marks where drivers have for whatever reason suddenly lost control of their vehicles and ended in an ugly way , the ones that have the skids marked out with dotted yellow or white paint are usually ones that ended in a really really ugly like fatal kinda way .
I am very aware of fatigue and speed , and have two backseat drivers who are as well , we stop regularly , but then the land doest scare us , I have met city dwellers who get seriously scared by the " nothingness" of the open spaces and their method of dealing with it is to get thru it as fast as possible .... that means hi speed , and long driving times without a break , a lot make it , some dont , their trye and impact marks into the railings or embankments or just the ploughed up ground where they rolled over and over are enough of a testament for me to be respectful of the limits of my gear and myself .
Im offline again for a few days from now , behave now you mob
Reminds me of that movie. They got that guy didnt they?????
