26     April          Tumby bay   Josie wins and convinces me lots of nagging to snorkel Tumby jetty   its another overcast day with an icy breeze blowing . To go snorkelling I wait until Josie is in the water  because I don’t trust she s going in in these conditions . I launch myself of the jetty this way you cant change your  mind in mid air  .People fishing on the jetty think were nuts I agree if only  I could find them .Well it was worth it there was plenty of growth on the pylons and some toilet pans and other  paraphernalia  still no leafy sea dragons .20 Minutes is my maximum in the water and I start to shiver uncontrollably a quick rinse and its off to the hot bread shop for a cappuccino and cake . Now  that s more like sane behaviour on to the jetty with our squid jig and im talking to a yachtie while Josie is fishing . and then I hear this squealing  .Its like a piglet being murdered and she has this whopper squid just out of the water so I have to stop my conversation and race over to her and land the squid on the jetty . Well my chat is finished so after a while I have a go and you guessed it  I land a pissy little squid . And have a look at Josie she s lovin it rubbin it in now she wants to measure them . Men you know the feeling don’t you if only I had a gun .
27    April   Cowleys beach and where back in the water Josie is a little apprehensive as it is a surf beach  after a while I convince her to come out to deeper water and have a look . I get her out there and while im watching her I see two fins swim past so I calmly say we might swim over to that rock and watch the dolphins .Crap that didn’t work she s gone hysterical   . Josie swims towards the rocks on the shore against my advice and braces herself against a rock while a wave crashes over her . A look of fear and terror on her face just before the wave hits .Now im thinking crap I have to go in there and get Josie . But eventually she makes it to shore along the edge of the rocks .Off to port Neill and Josie wants to go snorkelling around jetty I will never figure out a woman’s ill logic  . We  snorkel around  jetty and I ask Josie why she was okay around the jetty and she said that she felt safe from any shark attack  I was thinking the opposite with fish offal going over the side .Water was exceptionally clear at port Neill
28    April         Arno bay and it has a great mangrove boardwalk with lots of bird life Must be entering the silly old fart stage of my life couple days ago left lighter in bottom of stove and it went off with a bang  frightening  a few travellers .Today I turned on gas and its hissing and spitting and when I light it the whole stove top was a fire ball still got eye brows so nothing too serious gotta love chinese made products .
29    April        Coastal drive to Wyalla and port Augusta nothing to look at here camped at Fitzgerald bay did the shoipping washing etc etc boring boring boring  .  Drove to Wilpena pound and climbed Mount Olssen Bagge Josie stopped three quarters of the way up I went on to see the pound from the top .
30        April    Wilpena pound and Josie and I walk to Hills homestead   said goodbye to Josie and walked to  Edowie gorge and from there I climbed out and made a straight line to  the edge of pound . Made my way to marys peak through bush in some places the scrub was so thick I had to part it and walk on top of it  a bit of free climbing involved to get to marys peak but nothing to serious .Some young blokes up there Olly and Lou took the short route up the peak . Back to camp and im starving and thirsty that lazy Josie was talking on the phone while im fading away with no food or beer being handed to me what good are women.
1    May    Walk into pound along bridle gap track about halfway we leave track and head for eastern side and check out the changes in vegetation . After about 2 kilometers we turn and head for the main track  nice walk on level ground passing through grasslands ,mallee and cypress pines .Left pound and walked Bunyeroo gorge Josie s not happy she doesn t cope well with walks after midday .
2  May         Today we drove the Brachina gorge geological trail and spotted some yellow footed rock wallabies with quite striking colours Josie spent ages here I was bored started thinking about beer and chocolate it helps .
3     May    Wilkawillina gorge another cold morning I head off with my jacket ,gloves on and bini it’s a sexy look I think it will catch on trend setters . Josie is keeping up im a little worried  I tell her to pace herself you have to last all day .But you guessed it a woman will never listen to a man and even when hes right he s still wrong . So sure enough having a great time in gorge and the first little whimpers start and then turn into a torrent if it was water she would have flooded the desert .ON the return trip and the whining subsides and turns into endless chatter there is no peace in a mans world when a woman is within earshot . Anyway due to the monotonous drone of miss freakin wonderfuls voice im not watching where im walking and I suddenly realise that princess powder puff isn’t going to walk where I do .You should see the look on her face when she realises that where walking on a slope of about 70 degrees this is gold the look of terror on her face . So I say you can go up or down if you go down and fall your fall will be shorter   so Josie takes the down ward option my delicate tactfulness and charm work every time .Harden up princess your in my world now .   Another cold night so I make a beaut camp fire and sit there emptying stubbies till eleven oclock .
4    May      Crappie day drove to Port Augusta and shopped fuelled up for next leg  . Polda rock turtle rock and Mt Wudina  are all granite outcrops some with informative trails .
5      May Ceduna caravan park again and we clean car and do our washing I go fishing for squid and it seems everyone else is catching them but me . Looks like beer and chips tonight .
6    May   Denial bay markets and princess is getting her shopping fix jams relish and cake no super model diet here .  Drive to Point Sinclair fishing of jetty  I go to mens  room for relief and some body please end my suffering .Josie has got line tangled on fishing reel and decides to take it apart only to drop parts of it on to jetty and disappear through cracks .End of fishing it should be legal to eradicate such pests you know what I mean .
7     May       Chadinga conservation reserve and we walk up the sand dunes and admire their unusual  form .Stopped on cliff tops and noticed  about thirty dolphins swimming together very slowly in a sheltered bay . Sat there for an hour having a coffee when we realised that they were mating we didn’t swim here .       Fowlers bay conservation reserve and we have a full moon no not mine or Josie s so we go for a sand dune walk to the highest point and check the view .
8  May    Fowlers bay and we meet the local dog a brown kelpie and he followed us around town  Sand dunes have been approaching on the town and some streets have already disappeared .Drove to head of Bight  $5 p p to get in had a great chat with two blokes who got to run it for a week while staff were on holiday .The job was offered to them in a pub how good is that .
9     May    Camped on edge of Bunda cliffs big cook up today as were are crossing WA border that way we don’t have to throw out our fruit and vegetables .I went for a walk and Josie cooked she volunteered for it how cool is that .Woo hooo we have crossed the border and in to WA  .Ninety mile strait now don’t throw your steering wheel out the window just yet there is so much road kill here you will be all over the road  like a Qld police sergeant on Christmas eve .Summing up on SA it has a great coast line and desert but in between that not many trees previous government must have  had a policy of if it moves shoot it and if it doesn’t chop it down .The people were always friendly waving as they passed in cars  .SA is definitely the driest state .
10   May    Nuytsland conservation reserve and we camp near a sink hole were the limestone has eroded away and the roof has collapsed .We stop at a small sink hole called a blow hole because the small opening creates a strong breeze caused by atmospheric changes .I climbed in just to make sure it was true .Turned of highway  on to dirt road to Israelite bay driving along we see a large black snake on road stop for photo but hes a little cranky at the dust and noise from the car  and has a go at us  , we got our photo and yes Josie is okay snake wouldn’t even take a bribe of five thousand dollars prices have obviously gone up  . Further along road and we come to a gate covered with undies bras phones torches and hats .Josie gets a sparkle in her eyes and I know shes thinking more fashionable items for her wardrobe . So I make it clear one item off  that gate and ill go without her some times a bloke just has to stand his ground with a female .Driving further and road becomes more like a track and gets rougher .   Arrived at Mt Ragged cant wait to get out of car  that was the roughest crappiest road ever .Try to climb to peak from campground and theres no track gave up after about four hundred metres of pushing through scrub .Back at camp and I notice solar battery is leaking no lights or music tonight Pooo .