Our Travel Adventures: 15th Oct, Mission beach to Ellis

Road trip!........ So once again we wrap up the crinkly, crunchy tent, Got to be careful cos this things gotta last out to the end of the trip and its starting to get a little worse for wear, Snapped a rod as we put it up last time, everythings getting brittle and you can tell by the gaffer tape that makes it look a little like a patchwork quilt, it won't last much longer. Right, tents away and we load up the bike. Lin says she'll meet me outside the camp cos she wants to post some cards, no prob's and off she go's. A quick nip to the loo, fire up the bike and off I go. I pull up about thirty yards from the camp and wait for Lin to come over. She crosses the road and says "fancy a coffee"???, she's been waiting for this shop to open all weekend and finally, it has. Ok, so we've done thirty yards and been on the bike less than a minute, Lin still hasn't been on the bike yet, and we stop for our first coffee break. No doubt about it, Lin's finally mastered the art of slowing down.

Off at last and back on the road. You can tell we're back in the civilised world. Ya cant move for the traffic. I couldn't break the speeding laws if I wanted to. If the speed limit says ninety, then every bugger drives at ninety and on these windy roads, ya cant overtake, when you do come to an overtaking area, its like driving on a new lane Co's no one uses it. (no point in overtaking if your already doing the speed limit). We're off to Cairns today. Now where we're going and where we stay is decided like this..... we get the map out the night before, agree on the route we're gonna take, then agree on what camp to stay on. Next day, we stop for petrol, Lin asks for directions and we're off somewhere new. We stop again for petrol, Lin asks about sites, now we're staying somewhere different. For those that don't know. This is how marriage works....

The drive to Cairns is one for the memory books. I can only describe it as jaw dropingly awesome. Lush green fields of sugar cane growing in the shadow of deep green mountains, set against a backdrop of a pale blue sky. God sure was having a good day when he made this place. Lin took some good photos, but no photo could do it this justice, ya just gotta be here.

We stop on the edge of Cairns for a drink and rest. Lin has a chat with the lady behind the counter in the local supermarket, and the next thing you know, it looks like we're staying at Ellis Beach, another thirty five k beyond Cairns. It seems Lin don't like Cairns.

Hot, bothered and with sore bums, we arrive at Ellis Beach and I got to say, this place is the nuts, palm trees, ferns, twenty steps and yer on the beach. How bad's that?. We pick out our site, under the shade of a Mango tree and go and pay for the four nights we're gonna be here. That's when we find the site owner's a robing git and lay out a huge $44 a night. (I hope he reads this). Oh well, we're here now and we go set up the tent.

Now we set up the tent in much the same way we decide our destination. We look at the pitch. Tent go's here, door there, bedroom like that, Ok, that's sorted. We put the tent together and spend the next five minuets pulling it this way and that. "I Thought the door was going here" "Na, it'll look better there and we'll put the bedroom that side". By the time we've finished, the final outcome bears no resemblance to the original plan, and when I get in bed, if I'm not careful, I roll out the door. Still, we've got a nice view of the sea.

Now for the piccies..you are getting the lot today as they are all so stunning...

We leave Mission beach and we are off to Cairns...