The final leg - back home

 

Morning light and valley mist at Meander

By 6:15am we were alongside at Devonport. It was a rocking, rolling night after we passed through the heads but at some stage during the night the seas calmed, the wind seemed to abate and when I heard the wake up call at 5:45am all seemed relatively calm and we were sailing smoothly.

An initial pervading smell of stale drains in my cabin was dispelled relatively easily by having a hot shower with some nice fresh soapy smells. I guess it was just water that had been sitting in the drains too long.

It was still dark as I disembarked around 7 am and my car said the temperature was 9°, but it dropped very quickly as I headed south and inland.

Visiting Gray

 

Dawn gradually spread its light across the sky, highlighting intermittent ,beautiful valley mists, mists that became less attractive as they enveloped sections of the road and slowed my progress. I stopped in Deloraine for a coffee and by the time I got to Meander it was only 2°, although the sun was starting to highlight the familiar dolorite peaks of the Western Tiers and other nearby mountains.

I called in to visit Gray, an old family friend of my parents who became like the extended family we did not have in Tasmania, and spent an hour or more chatting with him before proceeding on my journey.

It was 7° as I turned onto the Highland Lakes Road, but that quickly dropped to 5° as I entered the forest.

Snow peppered the peaks near Pine Lake

At Golden Valley it was an almost tropical 9° with the sun shining brightly on that open area, but as I wound my way up the mountain the temperature dropped and till it was 3° coming over the highest point.

There was evidence of the previous night's snowfall, not only peppering the peaks but also along the sides of the road and where tyres had not yet melted it.  I was mildly amused by the antics of a car load of Asian boys, who were clearly bemused by the icy puddles at the Pine Lake car park. They were busy putting cans of beer into the ice, for photo opportunities.

Icy roadside puddles at Pine Lake

I recommended they actually do the walk to the lake, whether they chose to or not, who knows.

I stopped briefly at the Steppes Sculptures to stretch my legs, then Bothwell for a snack, before the last leg home.

It's lovely to be home, everything looks much as I left it - as it should, apart from more fallen leaves and a few more weeds grown up in the lawn.  

Ringtail possum: one of the Steppes Sculpures

The fig tree has shed a quantity of figs that are not worth worrying by now, about but a passerby had other ideas;  she picked up one and in broken English asked about it and I confirmed fig and said she could take as many as she liked, although they were not really very good.  Clearly not understanding me, I just gave her a plastic bag from the car and indicated she could come in and collect, which she did.  I hope they are not too awful - I know I would not be eating them but I have had them when they are much better.  It was interesting that my hostess in Lara said her fig tree was also late and disappointing with the fruit it produced.  Clearly that little bit further north did not make a lot of difference.