Hitching a ride home

As I said yesterday, we started the walk back to the car. I still had my camera out and managed to capture some 4x4 action. One small vehicle had managed to get itself stuck after going off the track and was getting towed out by another. It made for an interesting photograph, just a pity I wasn't on the right angle to fully capture the fun. Then we watch another vehicle try to ford the stream away from the track. They needed weight at the back to stop it nose diving into the water - again a great photo opportunity. So I captured these moments in the camera and then completely forgot them when the prospect of a ride back came about.

"You taking passengers?"
"Sure, if you want a ride back, no problem."
"Got room for two?"
"Ah sure if one of you doesn't mind sitting in the back, I don't have a seat there but there's a bit of room."

At this point the pain I was experiencing took over from common sense and I accepted the ride back. My long suffering husband/assistant folded himself neatly into the back of the small Suzuki 4x4, while I got the comfort of the front seat albeit without a seatbelt. Our driver informed me that it wouldn't be necessary anyway as he wasn't planning on having an accident.

"You comfy back there?" he asked my husband, "cos you are actually sitting on a shovel - it's wrapped up in a towel but you should be ok". And so we started the trip back. The track had been battered heavily with the rain over the last week and the potholes were more like small swimming pools making for a very bouncy ride. Our driver was very chatty and telling us all about the locals and what they get up to with their vehicles and their fishing trips each week. I took comfort in the fact that our driver was very familiar with the track - right up until he decided to run off the side of the bank and take the fun route.

By this time I was clinging to my seat, the door and anything else I could grab onto while wishing the seatbelt actually worked. We skidded from side to side over the loose shingle on the beach, bounced up and down over the small hills and then suddenly we were airborne. Seconds later we hit the gound with an almighty thud and our driver started to apologise profusely. It even took him by surprise! The two men were concerned about how the jolt affected my back and all I could think about was my husband bouncing about on the shovel wondering if his backside hadn't been sliced and diced.

We got talking about how others use the track around the bay and the silly things they get up to. I mentioned the photos I captured of the 4x4 that was stuck earlier...

"Oh that was me!" said our driver.