Home is where…the cars are!

Hello, I’m finally back in Melbourne!

The one thing I really missed when I was overseas was driving so I planned to go for a nice long drive first thing after getting back. Tom wants to go for a drive too so we combine our forces.

The “forces” turn out to be too little red cars with shiny wheels.

After arriving at my house Tom asks where we’re going to go. I shrug.

Tom: “How long have you got?”
Me: “All day.”
Tom: “I have a route. It might take us about 5 hours though.”
Me: “I’m down, let’s do this!”

As it’s the first drive of 2012, I treat myself to some topless action.

The roof rarely comes off because:

1. It’s annoying to take the hard top off because you need two people.
2. I dislike driving around populated areas with the roof off because I don’t like getting looked at.
3. If it rains I’m screwed.

Having said that, driving a convertible through some nice quiet roads changes everything. If you haven’t done it before, you will understand when you do.

It’s also nice to look up every once in a while. 🙂

I led the first part of the journey as it’s the way I usually go.

After about an hour of driving we get to the turn off and Paddington Micra takes the charge as I’ve never been this way before.

After some very nice roads we end up at this look out point.

I think to truly make it into the Roadster fraternity you have to take a shot of car pulled over on the side of the road with mountains in the background. Let me in to the club guys, I finally got that shot!

We enjoyed the view a bit more, even if the view included some soiled abandoned mattresses. Ewww!

Time to head off again as by this time it’s getting a wee bit hot with no roof on and I need a drink. We enjoy some of the best corners I’ve driven for a while and end up at Lake Mountain.

I’m so in love with these trees. I initially thought they were dead from snow but then I realised that they had been destroyed in the Black Saturday bush fires. 😦

They make a really pretty backdrop so I slow down a bit here to take some photos and also because I got hit in the neck with a stone that flicked up off the road. Hazards that come with the job!

When we get to the top there are go karts on a dirt track and kids on flying foxes zipping down above us. I figure Tom know’s all about this until he gets out of his car and says “I have no idea what is going on. This wasn’t here last time I came.”

By this stage we’d probably been driving for about 3.5 hours. I might have had too much sun because I’m fairly certain I can place the mx5 in a perfect position where I can jump off a flying fox and into the back of my car. Tom talks me out of it on the grounds that he doesn’t want to break it to my friends and family about how I died in a tragic flying fox suicide mission.

Did I mention there was a jumping castle?

Me: “Hey has your car been scrubbing? Because mine has scrubbed a few times.”
Tom: “I think the body of my car has hit the ground 3-4 times.”

Hah! After coffee and a quick check to ensure the sump is still holding oil we move off again.

I can’t remember where this is, but we had to take a pee stop.

Where I spotted this creepy gigantic man hovering over our cars.

By now we’re pretty hungry so we make our way to Beechworth Bakery.

I had this raspberry cheesecakey custard thing which was pretty freakin awesome.

So after 6 hours of some excellent driving, we finally make it back home. Mad props to Tom for the commitment to the drive!

Good friends, good roads, good cars, good weather and good to be back. 🙂