After rain for most of the night (which was very heavy at times), we awoke to a fine but overcast day. The strong winds had subdued and for a short time we considered staying in Albany for another day and attempt to go on a whale watching tour.
Nevertheless, we made a quick decision to continue with the plan to head towards Esperance via an overnight free camp near Ravensthorpe. We also expected to benefit from a tail wind for part of the trip.
It was fine when we left Albany and it remained fine for the entire duration of the trip.
Knowing that we were not carrying enough fuel for the entire trip to Esperance, we refuelled at a small settlement called Terramungup. We were surprised that the cost of the fuel was still very reasonable.
The final 80 or so kilometres to our overnight stop benefited from a reasonable tail wind and that part of the journey was made without any fuss. This part of the country is very rich in agriculture and we are seeing massive fields on canola. The country is undulating and there is a picture to be taken at every corner. We are seeing very little traffic and only a few caravans and motorhomes heading in the opposite direction.
Our planned overnight stop was at a rest stop called “Meridian”. After arriving we discovered that there was a marker in the rest stop identifying the fact that the 120 degree longitude line ran through the rest stop.
The free stop had a couple of tables, one shelter and several bins. It is located close to the road. We discovered a large branch that had fallen from a tree and “He” cut it up to assist with removal when council staff inspected the site.
Today we used our Cobb Cooker for the first time. We had purchased a 1.5kg piece of boneless port and intended to cook the pork and veggies at the same time.
Just after 3:15pm we lit the charcoal bricks and waited until they became grey. Just after 4:00pm, the Cobb was loaded with the pork and set aside to cook. Just over an hour later we added vegetables. We expected it would take around two hours to cook the pork but a quick look at 5:15pm revealed that we needed more heat. Over the next 45 minutes, an additional ten bricks were added.
Whilst the pork was cooking, “He” setup our satellite dish and with the assistance of our new “marriage saver” satellite finder, we had a picture very quickly.
By 7:00pm the pork was cooked. Our friends prepared peas and carrots and “She” prepared gravy. All in all, the meal was excellent and we all agreed the wait was worthwhile. Unfortunately we didn’t get crackling but that didn’t matter. Our friends provided a great dessert.
We have learnt heaps from our first cook with the Cobb and hopefully it will only get better.
We washed up outside before heading back into the caravan where we watched the Olympic coverage before “He” packed the satellite dish away and we headed to bed. It was cold.