Day 63

Start:  Woolgoolga

Finish:  Halfway Creek

Distance:  19

Total:  1000

If you read yesterday’s post you’ll recall I was concerned about how I would get from the end of my walk today on the freeway to Grafton where my motel is located. I made the comment that it would work out; it always does. Well, it worked out. I’ll explain. 

After checking into last nights motel in Woolgoolga, I noticed a couple sitting at a picnic table just outside my room. I went over and introduced myself to Al and Julie Mildred. They were traveling in the local area, were originally from Victoria where I began my walk, and recently moved to Grafton. That’s the same Grafton where I’m staying tonight and needed a ride to.  They said they’d be glad to pick me up along my route today on their way home. So we traded cell phone numbers to call each other this morning and check in, and just like that I had a plan for getting from my stopping place today to my motel. By the way, while chatting with Al and Julie they mentioned their daughter lives in Tyler, Texas. Small world. 

I got up and was ready to step off at dawn so as to get as far as I could down the road before Al and Julie caught up with me on their way home. I left at 6:20, 30 minutes before sunrise, and it was just light enough that cars could see me. By 10:00 I had finished the backroad portion of my route and it was time to get on the freeway. I called Al’s number to see if they were close to my location.  They were close enough that I elected to walk on the side of the freeway with the flow of traffic so when they caught up with me I would be on their side of the road. After about another hour Al and Julie came up behind me and picked me up and off we went to Grafton and my motel. Thanks Al and Julie for the lift!  

Earlier in the morning, before I got on the freeway, I had a neat experience. I was walking on a bike/walking path that was a few yards from the road and suddenly I thought I saw something peaking it’s head above a bush up ahead. I thought it could be a kangaroo so I stopped long enough to get my phone camera ready, then started slowly walking again. A few steps later I saw it was two kangaroos and they didn’t seem to be startled by me. Once I got even with them I stopped and started taking pictures and they actually started wrestling with each other. I kept taking pictures until they stopped and started hopping in my direction. That’s when it dawned on me that I had no idea what these two adult roos had in mind, but if they wanted to involve me in their wrestling match I wasn’t interested so maybe I should just mind my own business and head on down the road.  So I finally got some up close pics of a couple of frisky kangaroos and I guess this entire walk has been worth it. 

That’s all I have for you on this Saturday in Aussie Land. Have a great weekend back in Murika. JB.