Darwin to Broome I: from 20s to 30s via the middle of nowhere

Ah, thanks to you all for your birthday wishes. I had a fab day on my 30th. Due to the fact that bush fires had closed the rest area where we had planned to camp, I woke up on my 30th birthday in a service station!













No joke. I woke up in Turkey Creek Roadhouse. Bet none of you can say that, can you? I called the folks back home and then settled back into my comfy Tinks bed to be given a cuppa and some lovely cards and pressies by Pete - books and choccies and all things nice like that. After being made to wear bunny ears and bring treated to coco-pops for brekky by team Ernie (our van mates) we set off to our camp for the day - a free-camp rest area down the highway. With drop toilets it was rest area luxury so we set up camp for the day. Team Ernie had bought hats and streamers and balloons and they made the camp look sooooo lovely. I cracked open my "champagne" (Jacob's Creek Pinot-Noir-Chardonnay) and even the van mascots had a tipple. After a lovely birthday bacon butty it was time for a nap. Honest! I'd think it was my age but even the young 'uns went to bed for a bit - I think it's the heat here. Anyway, after the power-nap I had a lovely Bloody Mary and then we played Kings Bowl, a drinking game that involves cards, gimps, dares and lots of drinking - I ended up drinking the bowl which set me well on my way to memory loss. Richard from team Ernie made me a big fire (which Jon ended up being dared to jump over when he was gimp) and we drank well into the night. Dinner was the biggest steak you've ever seen - it was so big it was cold by the time I finished but it was lurvely. I was then treated to a cake that had been hiding in Ernie's fridge (thanks Ern) and after that it's all a blur. Fab birthday. Thanks to Pete and team Ernie (Richard, Rachael, Louise and Jon) for making it so special. Hic.