The Native Iowan

Gotta state, maybe gloat, this Ssnake is one hell of a ride. Have done over 10 hours of driving over a 12 hour day. Started in southwest NSW and am now at Goondiwindi, QLD. Only 4 hours from home. It was a great, long, enjoyable and tiring ride…

I gotta stop for the night. Not that I am tired but rather the roos and big critters come out at night and make driving very dangerous. So I get to sleep one more night on the road.

The Ssnake is behaving admirably. What a set of wheels!

Upon end day inspection I find that the grill, the very cool grill, must have taken something somewhere and is pushed in a bit. I will leave it as is for now. The bug splatter and road dirt is impressive and suits a “roadster” that is honestly on the road. I won’t give it a clean until I get home. I get about 220ks to 20 litres of fuel so that about 24 miles to the gallon… or something like that. I did open it up, pushed it real hard at high-speed, to pass other vehicles on the long straight roads that are the Newell Highway. At 100ks you can down shift to 5th, stomp on it, and get impressive response.  I have not been conservative with my gas mileage.

And I have a big, dopey smile on my face.

So I sit in a decent motor lodge at the edge of town. I’m having a beer. Have ordered some soup n salad and a beer.

I have that floating feeling one gets after time on the ocean. Some 10 hours locked in the cockpit of the Ssnake… And “locked in” is the right term. Once I fold myself into the buggy there ain’t much room to shimmy or shake. But it is not uncomfortable. Not al all. The seats hold and support my fat-arse admirably. The forward and aft movement of the seat is minimal but it works. I admit to being very ungraceful crawling in and maybe more so crawling out but once in, it works and works well.

I note that when I stand next to The Ssnake the top come about to my waist line. So, once in, yer hairy back-side is literally inches from the ground.

So I sit in the pub at the Hotel. The pumpkin soup was great. The salad is magnificent, just what the doktor ordered. And the beer is, well y’all know me… the beer is a necessity and goes down cold and fast… Another please.

I was sitting here and an elderly, grandmotherly woman walked in. The place is empty. It was empty when I walked in. I sat and waited and someone showed up. So the new comer, she comes in and being polite asks me, “… do we just sit anywhere?” I answer, “I did, but then I’m an upstanding kinda guy. You on the other hand look a bit dodgy, so I dunno”. Of course I am sitting here in a no sleeve shirt with my ink hanging out. My hair is a mess from the open windows and I have bugs in my teeth from smiling too much while driving.

Luckily she got the joke and laughed with me. Otherwise we’d have had an upset granny to deal with.

Floating, floating… about done, more later

Life is good!

Very, very good.