Day 11:Warwick to the Gold Coast" A Horrific Experience

Little did we know as we set out on our 'Last Day on the Road for a While', that we would be experiencing many moments of utter terror and bucketloads of perspiration and anxiety!

We began the day by rolling along the highway towards the mountain range containing Mt Tambourine. My GPS Navigator told us that this was the quickest route to our destination, Merrimac on the Gold Coast. I had been to parts of Mt Tambourine before and was looking forward to a pleasant meander through an idyllic rainforest type environment.

We passed a sign that read, 'Logan River' and another sign that  said,' Bogun Bridge' . I wondered whether it was an unsafe construction, or whether particular groups met on it regularly, thus giving it the name' Bogun'.

We stopped at a town called Boonah , because Skin was so excited when he spied a huge Clydesdale horse on the side of the road 

that he fell out of his car seat .

I told him that he could have a ride, but that it was a HUGE working horse and there was a chance that he might be bucked right off. Skin said I was silly to even suggest that this might happen, so over we ambled to the enormous beast. These horses were used to plough the paddocks and pull loads of heavy materials many years ago.

 

  WELL....GUESS WHAT HAPPENED?

 

You would think that Skin would realize by now that he is not invincible or even slightly competent at riding things, whether it be a large cactus, a horse or a safflower.

He decided to take take time out in an old gum tree and think about his capabilities.

He cheered up when he met a dog who seemed to understand what a banana liked to do.

Our drive continued closer and closer to Mt Tambourine and before you could say, " OH NO!" we were winding up and down hills that gradually became ' 'Peaks of Panic!". The rig breathed and heaved hard as she struggled up the hills, but after carefully steering her around the sharp bends and also saying a few little prayers, we finally reached the summit. We were so grateful to  have made it, that we decided to have a pie to celebrate. The two women in the pie shop looked very familiar. They both had short grey hair and one of them was wearing rose coloured glasses. (I guess you would have to if you worked in a pie shop! ) They both spoke in very strange accents. I think they said their names were Prude and Trude. Or was it Trude and Rude?  Having the memory of a fish I  can't quite  remember!

Anyway, the pies were absolutely delicious. Skin sat on his pie container when he finished eating his Spinach and Fetta cheese pie peering into the shop with an aloof sort of look in his eyes.

 

i must tell him to pull his pants up when he is out in public!

The two women obviously felt a little uncomfortable being watched by a banana, so they busied themselves with pie shop duties at the back of the counter.

I was feeling in a more or less happy sort of mood and looking forward to the next part of the day travelling down the mountain and then arriving at Merrimac. I could see us both sitting by the pool at my friend's house, sipping cold lemonade and splashing about in the water when we felt our bodies roasting.

We climbed in the rig and set of ...D  O..W..N..W..A..R..D..S.

Within one moment there was a sign saying, " Steep Descent, Trucks Use Low Gear'.  Was  a rig classified as a truck? Because Skin did not know,  I thought It would be better to be safe and not sorry, so I slipped down a gear...then.....down we went...the drop became steeper and steeper and I sat clutching the steering wheel not believing a road encouraging tourists could be so deathly dangerous!

The rig groaned and squealed as I alternated between gear changes and brakes. How long can you keep your foot on a brake going down a road similar to a mineshaft? I had forgotten to ask for this information before I left home and I didn't have a spare hand to phone anyone or a place I could stop.  Anyway, I didn't think I would be able to stop!

Down we went, an endless descent, heart stopping bend after heart stopping bend with a stream of traffic banked up behind us as far back as the Pie shop at the summit. Perspiration poured down our faces...we were experiencing PURE TERROR!!!!!!

Would this be the end of our trip, only 11 days after it had begun?