Day 51

Start:  Nabiac

Finish:  Taree

Distance:  18

Total:  818

Today was a challenge with the weather. I continue to be frustrated with the inaccuracy of the forecast, though it really doesn’t matter in the big scheme of things if the forecast is right or wrong; I’m going to get out on the road and walk regardless.  But if I had a more accurate idea of what time of the day to expect the bad weather it would help.  

Today my new friend Harry Wright, the motel manager, dropped me off for the last time.  This time he hauled me up the freeway about 28 miles to Nabiac where I stopped walking yesterday. He had suggested I wait to eat breakfast until I got a couple of miles out of Nabiac to a place called The Artisan Farmer. His suggestion was spot on. This very modern eatery had a coffee bar, bakery, and a full breakfast menu. Though it wasn’t that crowded on a Monday morning, there was a parking lot big enough for 500 cars and busses. And the restaurant was big enough to hold that size crowd too. The food was excellent and I’m glad I stopped. 

Then it was out onto the freeway for my usual fun. The traffic was much lighter than it had been on the weekend. The skies were overcast and it was very humid. I knocked out the first 8-10 miles in short order, then it started to lightly sprinkle. I tried to ignore it but noticed some cars began to have their intermittent wipers on as they went by. That’s never a good sign because if it’s not raining very hard where I’m currently walking, but cars coming from the direction I’m going are using their wipers, that means it’s heavier up ahead. Luckily I saw an overpass coming up, so I hurried along and stopped there to cover my pack with its rain cover. I do that when it’s sprinkling hard enough to get my pack wet, but not hard enough for me to cover everything, including myself, with my rain poncho. While standing there under the overpass covering my pack, I heard loud thunder. So I got on the weather app on my phone and saw a huge thunderstorm forming ahead. BUMMER!  Now it’s time for the poncho. I hardly got five minutes down the road after getting covered up before it started pouring. Traffic was slowing down, I was slowing down, and it rained off and on for the next 2 1/2 hours. I made it to my motel in Taree about 20 minutes later than I otherwise would have. 

Taree is a nice little city of about 26,000 population. It has several motels and all your standard eateries. Speaking of that, I think I’ll end this and go get some dinner myself. Good day. JB.