13/04/2023 The Trains Will Keep Me Awake

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We met Mrs F at the bakery in Young, a large cherry pie occupying the table in front of her.  "Young is the cherry capital of Australia," she said.  "You can't pass through Young without trying a cherry pie."  Poor Roger, IBS prevented him from eating a cherry pie.  He had to watch as Mrs F and I ate his share as well as ours, and very nice it was too.  

I suppose I'll share...

Over our cherry pie we heard all the gossip from Young.  The town of Young was apparently outraged on behalf of a young girl from Young who had been rejected by a farmer from Cootamundra on the TV show Farmer Wants a Wife.  Cootamundra being just up the road from Young, the loyal denizens of Young were going out in sympathy for one of their own who had been rejected by a neighbour.

I haven't watched Farmer Wants a Wife.  I don't think I will.

Fortified by cherry pie and reunited with the sunglasses which I left behind at Mrs F's last Monday, on we went.  Yesterday's rain had all gone away and sun shone brightly on vivid green crops.  The road, bearing evidence of rain and flooding six months ago, demanded full attention. We stopped at the park in Cowra for lunch, and passed through Canowindra.  "Canowindra is the least windy place in Australia" said Roger, and was very satisfied to observe not a breath of wind as we passed through.

Young identified strongly with cherries.
 

In Wellington we set up our tent up on a grassy spot overlooking the Macquarie River, where goats nibbled happily at grass and bark on the riverbank. 


The Wellington Riverside Caravan Park provided a very salubrious camp kitchen for our dinner, and our fellow campers were congenial and just the right amount of chatty.  The weather was suitably cool without being cold, just right for tent camping.  A well-mannered crowd of cockatoos and corellas hung out in the trees and swooped to drink at the river. A picturesque old rail bridge spanned the river beside the caravan park.



It looked like an unused bridge.  Neither of us checked to see if the line was still active.

Just as we relaxed and got really comfortable a very large train came to a very loud stop beside the caravan park.  The very large train gave a very long (and loud) toot, and proceeded very slowly across the railway bridge over the MacQuarie River.

Oh, I thought.

One hour later another very large train came along and did the same thing.

I guess nothing is perfect after all. I got my earplugs out just in case.  

You can never be too prepared.


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