Travel memories. Dust and storm Ouback NSW

The relatively gentle rain and glistening green grass and trees here in the Southern Tablelands of NSW still feel a bit  strange after a season in the NT. My eyes are used to stronger greens and very red soils. We got talking about storms here and other places today. We have to be sure to have the annex tied down against wind and rain.  One memorable time we left the annex up and came back after a storm to find the canopy ripped off the caravan. That was the  weekend the same storm took the roof of the cinema in Bathurst. K has considerably strengthened the annex structure since then. A topic for another blog maybe.

Looking through files I came across these photos of a storm we travelled through one trip across from SA to here. K decided to come via Broken Hill. Not a route of which  I am particularly fond, for some reason.

 

We ran ahead of this amazing dust storm for about an hour. It was just behind us and generating a strong head wind. The dust eventually over took us and we couldn't see anything but red.


Then suddenly wind changed to directly head on and the dust turned to mud, coming horizontally at us. Red rain hit the windscreen.

K slowed down and we followed the left hand white line trying to find a place to pull off.

Just as suddenly as the red rain started it stopped. The heavy drops of water had settled the dust and we were driving into heavy drops that thudded like hail onto the car.

A few minutes later the sun broke through.

Through all that I was just cowering  in the passenger seat. K on the other hand was having fun and had the presence of mind to grab the camera off the dashboard and get me to take some photos.

So glad the master driver was behind the wheel.

Cheers Sue

A Ferg on the Move