Leaving Rover One for Alice Springs - 3

A few words about why all this is going on. I was tasked to ferry a Toyota Troopie to Rover 1. I would pick up a Mitsi Cantor and return it to Kal after ensuring the Troopie would run the survey and transfer all the tools. I would get the Cantor serviced and determine the feasibility of back loading a "Dog Box" to the workshop in Kal.

 

Rover 1 is a brilliant little camp. Guys are all very friendly and the cook is a genius. Kiwi guy from Mandurah called Marlo. He made a banana cake that is the best any one on the planet - even my Mum - can make and topped it with a cheesecake topping finished with passion fruit. 

 

I had spent a few late nights at Rover 1 due some operational things I wanted to observe. 

 

Rover 1 is an exploration drilling camp.

I woke up at 3 o'clock on the departure morning to complete the tool transfers and hit the Rover 1 access road at sunup.

I was determined to get to Barkly Engineering to get the "Dog Box" loaded good and early.

Having sworn I wouldn't repeat the fatigue brush I had on the way up I wound up setting up another one. It wound up taking till 13:00 to get the "Dog Box" loaded and all the buggerizing around done. These things take as long as they take and to try to giddy them up is a big mistake. Jack (above) was very helpful and his outfit in TC do a fine job of mechanicing.

I wanted to make it to Desert Oaks Roadhouse 130 kms South of Alice that evening. I did eventually make it about an hour after sundown but the sleep debt I had built up at Rover, plus the long day meant I was totally shagged.  I vowed that I would curb my natural enthusiasm and take it easy for the rest of the trip. The owner and his lady friend and a backpacker itinerant worker called Tatiana were well oiled. Tatiana make me some toasted sangas and got me a beer. The owner laid some very refreshing right wing polemic on me as well as some catastrophic meteorological and astronomic predictions about the earth's magnetic poles. They had an insane dingo called Dinky. The following morning I slept till 10. This pretty much payed off my sleep debt.