The Albatross
Monday 19 February 2024
Another sunny morning, although it had rained overnight. We thought we’d head up to some lakes in the nearby hills and have some lunch. After yesterday we thought dodging national parks could be good idea, also it wasn’t far from home. Up we went encountering a light shower on the way up to the first lake just over 5000ft. We were nearly there when the rain came. Actually, not rain, sleet and hail, lots of it. There was old snow on the side already, but this turned things rather skaty and we were not used to this. Fortunately, the tank, whilst heavy is also AWD. The back end went sideways once, however, Tuna held it well and we didn’t have far to go to the first lake.
We decided to cut our losses at this point and not attempt to go further or higher. So after lunch looking over an insanely pretty snow fringed mountain lake (Shaver Lake) we headed back down through more hail and sleet.
I think we might skip the hills tomorrow as neither of us have the icy road experience yet in a vehicle we are still getting used too, and there are plenty more places to explore as the weather improves over the next week. Arriving back into town, where it was sunny and dry, a reward for our immeasurable suffering and outstanding bravery was well in order. There are 500 microbreweries in town, so we picked one not far from home and dropped in for a cheeky pint.
Finally, after some food shopping at the local supermarket and Asian grocer (there is almost nothing in supermarkets, not even fish sauce) we decided to head home and get our washing done. I’ve now accrued a decent pantry of sauces and spices that should do us well for the next few months and make meals more diversified.