Lonely mulga (acacia) tree barely surviving in the harsh Australian outback.

5/20/08: I was up early and on the road by 8:00AM.  Brewed a pot of coffee in my little 4 cup percolator travel pot and had cereal with bananas.  It starts to get light here about 7:30 so it’s wise to wait until you can clearly see the highway as kangaroos and emus are a very real danger.  Saw 2 emu’s close enough that it required quick braking on my part.  Huge birds!!  Rolled into Coober about 11:00AM and stopped to see a friend, Trevor Berry, to see if he was free for lunch.  Trevor and I have been friends since Darlene and I first came to Australia in 2000.  He now operates the Old Timers Mine on Crowders Gully Rd in Coober.  If you are visiting Coober Pedy a stop at the Old Timers Mine is a must!!

We ate at the Ampol Roadhouse and had a very nice meal…stuffed green peppers (capsicum in Oz) and boiled and buttered potatoes.  Then, I looked at two small bright parcels of opals from Emu Opalfield and purchased both.   I felt blessed indeed to find exactly what I was looking for.  Checked into the Opal Inn Caravan Park and took a long walk around town taking photos of the tourist attractions….stretching my cramped legs and weary back  from the long drive.  Had a quick supper in the campervan.  Got to sleep around 9:00pm, but woke at 3am.