Backtracking

We spent last night in the Barossa Valley. This shot from Bethany cannot quite capture the scale and beauty of the valley that you see when you actually stand there. Of course, it doesn't help that some fat guy is blocking half the picture.

Honor the GPS performed very well getting us here along a scenic route yesterday. LK quibbled with her a bit, but on the whole I have high hopes the two of them will learn to get along for the good of the team - especially since we are exploring Tasmania and New Zealand in the next part of our adventure.

I have been the designated driver this trip and even I must admit I have fallen into a very odd habit of going past wherever we should be and having to backtrack. On Friday I decided we could let Honor and LK both have the day off and I plotted a simple route to a couple of wineries a few miles from the cottage.

We got to the first one easily enough, and it was just a quick jog over to the next. Fifteen minutes later when we got to the ocean, I had to admit I had missed my turn.

Then on Saturday we went back to the Salopian Inn for dinner. We had been there once and driven past it earlier that day, so no need to plot a course. And by golly we arrived easily. Going home was a bit of a different story.

I was more or less on autopilot since we had driven to the cottage many times in the past few days. Sure, it had been in daylight, but how would that be a problem? My passengers obviously were of the same mind, because none of them noticed that the trip back was taking lots longer than the one out.

I suspected I had missed the street when I saw a sign for a Camel Farm, something I was pretty sure I hadn't seen earlier in the trip. So I did the obvious. I kept driving as if nothing was wrong.

When we reached an area that everyone knew we had never seen before, it was time to turn back. It was the longest 10 minutes I have ever driven.

Yesterday we located the Dovecote Cottage in Tanunda, where we are staying. It is on a very quiet back street, with only a few other properties. It was still being cleaned so we drove off in search of lunch, after which we decided to ditch our bags in the cottage and have a wander.

It was Jaki who first pointed out that I had driven past the cottage.

And then we went in search of the Sculpture Garden, a pretty spot up here. Never did find it, but it was only a couple of miles of backtracking to get back to where I knew where we were.

I am coming to the conclusion that after 10 days of homelessness, I am becoming a man without direction.

Hobart tonight.