Day 26

Start:  Narooma

Finish:  Moruya

Distance:  26

Total:  435

What a crazy day today turned out to be. I had rain, pain in the feet, narrow roads, heavy holiday traffic, got a ride, then deciding to walk after all. I had a weeks worth of fun all in one day. 

Last night’s stay in Narooma was great. Adam has a great motel called the Top of the Town if you’re ever there. This morning when I got up it was raining right down and the radar showed even more rain coming. With almost nine hours of walking to get to my next town I really couldn’t afford to wait too long to leave. Normally I would leave by 7-7:30 when I have that far to walk. At about 9:30 I decided I couldn’t wait any longer so i cover up and head out. As I was walking out the door there was a guy, I believe his name was Ben, who was just leaving and asked me if I wanted a ride. In a moment of weakness I said yes rather than face the elements. 

So I jumped into his pickup and off we went; for about a mile. There’s a bridge over a river just on the north side of Narooma and the rain let up when we crossed the bridge. So I thanked Ben for his generosity but I thought I’d walk from there. So he let me out and I covered up with my poncho and started walking. Then it started raining again and continued until after lunch. Unfortunately the roads never dried out completely so with the combination of wet pavement and no shoulder on the road I had to wear my parka all day to ward off the road spray. 

The traffic was extra heavy today, I’m thinking because tomorrow is a national holiday in Australia so everyone was on the road early. I’m sure the same will be true tomorrow. Hopefully the road will be a little wider. 

After getting to Moruya around 6:30 I checked into my motel and headed to the Adelaide Hotel pub for dinner. I was asked by three nice guys, Peter, Tom, and Charles to join them at their table. We talked for some time; mostly about my walk and Donald Trump. This is becoming a trend. Donald Trump is a favorite topic of conversation when the locals find out I’m an American. 

That’s all for Day 26. It’s been a long one. JB.