So we're moving house but they will only pay to move one of our vehicles. That means I have to drive the other one, myself, with only the dog as comapny (my wife flew up early because of a training course). I hope you're not expecting a Steinbeckian opus here, and that my title hasn't misled you. It's just that with my baseball cards all packed away, I feel like I should post something to the blog rather than let it go stagnant for a couple of weeks. Enjoy. 

First, some background. We're moving from our house in Bunbury to Derby, some 2500 kilometers away. That's if you take the overland route. I'm taking the coastal route, which will add some distance but is more popular. Suffice it to say we're looking at about 1500 miles or so. For a point of reference, it'd be like moving from San Diego to Billings, Montana. Only if you didn't leave the same state. Yes, Western Australia is that big. 

Our first stop is for a rest break in Badgingarra, a little country town with a roadhouse and not much else. Maybe about 80 people or so? That's actually bigger than some of the places I'll stop. Raleigh (our King Charles Cavalier spaniel) met a new friend. He was the pudgy old dog who lives at the road house, and who came waddling over to say hello when we got out of the car to stretch our legs. It looks like he has gotten a lot of treats over the years from people stopping by. After some mutual sniffs, it's back in the car and on our way. 

Lunch brings us to Geraldton, halfway up the coast and, at 36,000 people, easily the biggest town on our journey by a long ways. Too bad it's just a lunch pit stop, because it's Australia Day today (January 26). To celebrate, Geraldton is having a wife-carrying competition. No kidding. I heard about it on the radio. Now, the person you carry doesn't have to be your wife, but she does have to be at least 17 years old and weigh at least 45 kilos (about 100 pounds). And apparently, the best way to carry your wife, according to the event organiser, is "upside down, with her arms wrapped around your waist and her head at your knees."

I couldn't make this stuff up.

More later, including a possible hurricane approaching?