We went to Rylstone where the council had made the showground available to CMCA members free for the week after the rally even when on power.
We had a pleasant morning tea with those who travelled with us from Mudgee. We all walked into town for lunch and did a bit of shopping and a bit of stickybeaking. The ladies spent a good deal more time in town than the menfolk.
I chatted to a guy sitting outside one of the cafes and discovered that he was acquainted with an old friend from the days of the CMI project at AWA who has a property near here.
In the afternoon, we had a lively happy hour with ten of us entertaining one another with stories of our first meetings.
In the evening, we went to one of the pubs in town for dinner. The food was pretty good and the local wine was quite acceptable.
We had a little adventure going to a picnic and camping spot called Dunn's Swamp in the Wollemi National Park with four of our friends. On the way we came upon a dead Wombat in the middle of the road and I had to do my ranger thing and move him off the road, an action which was much photographed.
At Dunns Swamp, we observed the birds on the lake, chatted to some of the campers, and walked around the park a bit..
We had a picnic lunch and chatted. A friend in a fifth-wheeler who was camping there offered us tea and coffee which was much appreciated.
I had got in touch with an friend who had worked with me at AWA in the mid seventies on the CMI project. He was an architect we employed to ensure that the transportable building we were required to design and build for the RAAF was architecturally sound. He did a marvellous job and contributed considerably to the success of the project.
Alan had invited us to visit their place outside Rylstone in the afternoon. He had been in town on an errand and turned up at the Motley just before were about to set off and he escorted us to the property.
He was particularly keen to show us the wonderful; scenic features of the property, the highlight of which was the views from the top of a 1080m (3550 ft) mountain called Baldie Peak.
He suggested that we use the little Motley because his Subaru has inadequate ground clearance . The road up the mountain was quite a challenge with very steep sections, very rough sections and some hard to negotiate sandy sections.
Alan was amazed at the performance of the Terios which handled all the challenges with great style and apparent ease.
The drive up the mountain was more than worth the effort as the views from the top of the mountain were really spectacular. The whole trip was amazing with many different kinds of bush, several different kinds of geology, and lots of birds and even a sighting of the resident Grey Kangaroos.
Sadly there was a lot of haze which made it hard to see best views including the expanse of the Wollemi National Park which in good conditions are clearly visible pretty much from end to end.
This was an extraordinary experience and a wonderful adventure and we felt thoroughly privileged to have been allowed to witness all the beauty of the property. It is always a pleasure to meet up with old friends from long ago and pick up the friendship again but this visit was something special.