Australian vacation, day 5: the Pinnacles

I first visited my sister in Australia in July 2007. I went with such high hopes and enthusiasm. And it all went down hill from there. The theme of the vacation became "what are the odds?" What were the odds that both of my checked bags would be lost on two different flights on my journey to Australia? What were the odds that one would be returned to me missing two wheels? What were the odds that I would miss one of the three flights on the way over and on the way back? What were the odds that it would be raining and freezing on our bridge climb in Sydney? The list goes on. So this time I went with hopes of a new theme: no expectations. You can't have disappointment with low standards, right?

Silly me. I didn't think that a beautiful sunny day at the beach in Australia would be an expectation. That's a given, right?!?! Nope. Not for me. It rained and rained and rained. Everywhere we went, rain. I heard from everyone how unusually cold and wet the weather was for this time of year. Even a tour guide mentioned that Perth doesn't have a cloud in the sky for 9 months out of the year. You get the point.

So you can imagine my devastation! I lugged all of my camera gear half way around the world, and I wasn't giving up. Kim and I drove 7 hours round trip to see the Pinnacles desert and the second we drove through the park entrance it started to pour. We sheltered ourselves in the brand new million-dollar interpretive center for awhile and decided it wasn't going to pass, so we ran back to the Jeep and started the drive through the Pinnacles.

They really are an amazing sight in person, even through a dripping car window. They are so tall! The pictures just don't do them justice. Of course I didn't get the photos I went to take, but I love the ones I got because they showcase everything I felt about that day. Kim and I couldn't help but laugh through the whole thing.

Scientific research shows that cheesy photo ops make the time pass much quicker on a dreary road trip:


I'm laughing so hard because it is pouring rain. We actually heard other tourists laughing at us from the safety of closed car windows.


Just after getting back in the car:


The back seat of Kim's Jeep is actually a great spot for photo taking: