Unlike rainy day three which saw us climb Satan Mountain, day two was gorgeous and sunny, and we packed quite a bit in.
First up (after the hearty breakfast) was our pony ride.
hearty breakfast – of champions
xxx
After we returned to the tent from the ride, we decided to make the most of the fabulous weather, so we donned the hiking shoes and took a walk along the river.
Excited to report that my new boots fit perfectly, were extremely comfortable – and there were no bruised toenails!
xxx
It begins.
xxx
Ubiquitous intrepid hiker photo
xxx
Wombat hole!
Judging by the number of burrows, the area was pretty wombat-heavy. Because they’re nocturnal and we were in bed by 8pm, the only wombat we spotted was the quite adorable one who shuffled around the tent in the very, very early hours – un-photographed (because, sleep).
xxx
Ubiquitous camping kiss photo!
xxx
I wasn’t kidding when I described the river as running low – yikes!
We walked for an hour or so until we hit a fairly steep hill and turned back – it was quite hot and we hadn’t really prepared for a very long walk. The next day we discovered that this walk was the end of the Devil’s climb – so probably good that we didn’t try our hand at the hill or it could have turned us off entirely!
xxx
After lunch we decided to explore the area a little more (and get into the air-conditioning).
The GPS in Panzo-the-car provided little assistance. Fortunately we had our handy-dandy topographic map – and there weren’t actually many places to get lost.
xxx
So much dirt road! And fording a couple of streams.
xxx
Spotted many animals, okay – mostly cows and sheep – sensibly staying out of the heat.
xxx
The wonderfully named Soap Suds!
xxx
When too many photos of fences are barely enough.
xxx
This is astoundingly inexpensive to someone who is accustomed to average prices of >$1.5m for a house on a standard-sized block.
xxx
After arriving back, I swam briefly in The Leech Pond, then we lazed about and watched the wild goats foraging at the neighbouring cottage (no zoom – that’s how close the other cabins were)
xxx
This was followed by dinner of champions – lamb soup we’d brought with us from the stash in the freezer.
xxx
And a sit and a read in the hammock – which I’m fairly sure was my first time ever in a hammock (such a sheltered life!).
xxx
The break was VERY relaxing and the area was lovely, but we’re unlikely to return soon as I think we saw most of what there was to explore. The trip has definitely re-sparked the desire to do more of this type of thing. We’re not about to go out and buy a tent (again), but will definitely seek out more tent-like experiences!
It’s super-interesting that without internet connection I’m able to do all of this *stuff* and still have ample time to laze about reading, pottering and thinking – makes me realise I could be doing a lot more with my weekends. Though of course there is the matter of grocery shopping and chores – and worky work, which I’m going to attempt to put a stop to (the weekend working, not the working entirely, though that would be super-awesome!).