Mud, mud, mud and still more mud!!!!!!!!
We awoke to a beautiful desert morning at Mt Dare campground
We steeled ourselves to travel back over quite a fair part of the treacherous mud that we had come though to get to Mt Dare.
It was the same road - but - our confidence to negotiate it was higher as we had already come through it all the day before.
Then we turned off to Dalhousie Springs - onto a section of road we had not previously traveled before.
We were in for a 'treat' - if you like driving in the mud that is!!!!
The road initially was not to bad a condition - but as we got closer to Dalhousie Springs the muddy sections increased in severity and we were again looking to go cross country in the bushes in an endeavour to skirt around the mud.
We also travelled across our first Claypans today!!
It was along one of these really bad sections that Steve managed to bog his Ford Ranger and Russell drew the shot straw to go back and try to get him out.
Russell was in the mud in his thongs trying to dig the Ford Ranger out enough to get it free of the bog and he was getting cuts to his feet.
Eventually his efforts worked and the ute was free.
So on we went - with more boggy sections - and worsening conditions as we drew ever closer to Dalhousie. There was one section of mud that stretched about 5km.
Grant lost a bit of bodywork off the. Mitsubishi Challenger
What a morning!!!
But finally we reached Dalhousie springs - our vehicles looking even muddier than the day before.
Our prize, for the efforts of this morning in getting here, was a swim in the Dalhousie Thermal Springs. The pond of water that visitors are allowed to swim in was approximately 35 degrees Celsius.
Very warm to slip into on a day when the ambient temperature was already getting upto about 30 degrees.
After our swim at Dalhousie we moved off to finally begin our journey into the Simpson Desert Park - making for Purnie Bore for our lunch stop.
The Simpson Desert track we will be traversing - The French Line - begins for us just as we depart Dalhousie Springs.
The red sands of the desert are surrounding us now - but we do not yet encounter any of the dunes we will be crossing as we make our way over the next few days across the desert to Birdsville.
At Purnie Bore we have the very important job of erecting our sand flags - now a requirement for traversing the Simpson Desert.
These sand flags have quite some height - and are for safety in the desert dunes- so that oncoming vehicles have a chance of spotting your vehicle as you are passing over the dunes.
We did a running start to get off on the track again - lots of fun ding this photo!!
Our vehicles now look the part- with the red sand flags flying high as we move on further into the desert and start out over the first of the many sand dunes that we will cross in the next few days of our crossing.
Some fine tuning of our very cleverly made homemade flags is required as the day progressed!!
The other important safety measure in the Simpson Desert is a UHF tradition - this keeps you in contact with your group as each of you are traversing the dunes and all travellers are asked to use the same channel (10) so that all travellers out in the desert can periodically relay their position and other travellers will be aware of them.
It was very exciting for me to take on the first sand dune - although difficult overcoming the "freaking out" feeling as you breast a dune and all you can see is the bonnet of your car - and not anything of what is ahead of you as your vehicle goes over and you begin the descent down the other side of the dune.
Up, Up, Up!!!!!
And over the top we go!!!
It does take quite a while for me to just accept that the ruts in the sandy track will just pretty much grab your wheels and guide the vehicle in the track direction. Then you start to get past the "freaking out" feeling as you come over the top of each dune.
Even at this early time in the season ( the Simpson Desert Park has only just re-opened after the summer closure period) we do encounter quite a few other vehicles - mostly coming the opposite way to us on the same track - the French Line.
Some we just stop to let pass - and sometimes have a chat with them
Others like this Dingo was going our way for a while - running along in front of the car
Then he stopped and loved for us as we drove by!!
We travel on today until the temperature drops below 30 degrees and by this time the flies have generally started to lessen a bit - this was usually about 5pm.
Here is our little tent city for tonight.
We do have quite a few dingoes hanging around this site tonight and hear them howling during the late night hours when we are sleeping!,
And some of our 'funny' campers enjoying themselves
Happy. Hour at the Ninmoore residence!!
Russ has such an organised car - he gets my vote for the best setup vehicle!!
And then we have the inviting night sleeping abode "Chateau Ninmoore"!!
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