Part I: 28 Days Later - Outbreak at Wilderness Farms
Our original plan post-farming had been to hike and paddle up the beautiful Katherine Gorge for a few days. However, with Dev and I incapacitated and Em and Ben ticking time bombs for illness, we decided to rent a room at a local homestead for the night. Despite our regrets about the gorge, this turned out to be a great decision as Emily became ill that very night. Ben miraculously never came down with any symptoms – I’m guessing it’s due to a Samson-esque power in his massive curly hair (which he hasn’t cut since we were in Boston). We’re still not sure where the bug originated from but we’re guessing it must have resulted from either something in the organic soil or from something in the river, which was the source of our drinking water.
Part II: Breakdown on the Stuart Highway
The highway between Katherine and Darwin stretches for about 300 kilometers and is speckled with just a few small one-street towns and roadhouses. We had traveled 130 kilometers north of Katherine, near Hayes Creek, when Ben, who was driving, noticed a strange rumbling coming from our car. Just as he wondered out loud whether it was the road or the vehicle, a tire suddenly blew out and Ben managed to safely slow us down and bring us off the road. Once we got out we realized the tread on the spare tire had managed to completely peel off like a candy wrapper, resulting in the rest of the tire to collapse and pop. We then realized that the shoulder on which we had pulled over was no wider than the car itself, on a curve, sandwiched between a guardrail and oncoming road trains.
At the roadhouse, Ben continued to coordinate with RACQ as we huddled over our pints. “I saw you guys stranded there and I just thought that if I didn’t pick you up and something happened to you all I wouldn’t be able to live with myself,” the woman said, exasperated with worry. To our amazement, she then offered up her camper trailer for two of us to spend the night. This gesture was a huge relief to us, since only two of us could ride back to Katherine with the tow truck, leaving the other two at the pub. Now the only real issue was that Emily would have to miss her flight from Darwin the next morning.
Ben and I arrived in Katherine around 10 pm that night, not the least bit thrilled to have experienced a second tow truck ride in less than 2 months. We begrudgingly checked into a pricey motel and the next day made our way to the mechanic to check on poor Alby. Two tires later (and one Wilderness Farms paycheck down the drain) we made our way north again on the same damned stretch of Stuart Highway that seemed to now be mocking our aspirations of making it across Australia in one piece.
Part III: The Backpack Crisis
As soon as we drove up and Devin went to pay and check us in, he quickly realized that his daypack was missing. This daypack contained most of his precious possessions: his wallet with IDs and credit cards, his cell phones (both American and Australian), his digital camera, his GPS, his newly acquired light-up poi balls, as well as the canvas bag itself. We tore through the car to see if it was tucked away somewhere, but alas, it was nowhere to be found. We called the roadhouse where he had spent the night, but the barkeep who answered was less than helpful and we eventually found that the backpack was not on their property if it had been. Concluding that it had either been left in the Hayes Creek parking lot and stolen, or had fallen off the roof along the highway, we were at a loss for what to do. Between this distress, residual illness, and the emotion of Emily’s departure, Devin was a bit out of sorts.
In between, we had a tearful goodbye with our fourth Musketeer at 3 am at the Darwin airport. Since then, we’ve spoken with Em via email and she had been doing great at the Daintree Zoo – walking wombats and relocating crocodiles to name some of her awesome activities. Miss you Em!