Day 17 Carnarvon to Wooramel 120 kms (73.4 miles)

What a start to the day! 5 am and I'm woken by the strange sound of water pouring onto the ground very close to the truck. Then it sounds like a cyclist riding past the truck on wet grass over and over again. I wake Collis who thinks Joan is just filling the jug. It's more than anyone filling any size jug. When he opens the side flap and sticks his head out, he is hit in the face full on by a twirling sprinkler. One sprinkler is broken and has a spout of water shooting up into the air. He manages to get up without getting too wet yelling, "it's the bloody sprinklers on" and Georg yelling out "it's horrible, I am all wet, it is shooting straight in my tent." I can't open the flap without getting wet so I stay in the van listening to everyone getting up and trying to solve the problem. Collis rings the manager 3 times leaving messages and they eventually ring back and give Annie directions on how to turn the sprinklers off. Joan was running around with whatever receptacle she could find and putting them over the jets, we had plastic bowls shooting up into the air as well. Woody snored through most of the event but then said it gave him a shock to wake up to it. Ben and Theo did not surface until it was well over and both thought it was rain. Peter helped Annie turn them off and the family next to us tried to wake the reception area up but with no response. All tents, table, food boxes, eskis and chairs were saturated. Looking at the bright side, everything is looking a bit cleaner. The park were very apologetic and gave us a discount for the 2 night stay.
Morning tea was 50 kms on the side of the road and we had a visitor who we have been passing on & off since Broome. This was a man named Vic who is 72 year old man who is from the blue mountains and riding around Australia unsupported. He wanted to know who the lady was that he ran into at Broome and Kununurra and is riding with us. He thought she was part of management as she was so bossy. We all automatically thought it was one of our past riders but it turned out to be Joan he had met. He told us he will be staying at the same place as us tonight.
Lunch came early today at a rest area and the rain drizzled slightly during the lunch period. Georg and Theo rode through and Annie stopped, made herself a sandwich before heading off down the road. We have started seeing quite a few sheep (that Chris says they looked like a dormer cross sheep which are used for meat not wool)and lots of wild goats.
Chris had her first taste of a day in the car. Not sure how she felt about it but she managed to get herself in and out of the truck unassisted. She also made the sandwiches for morning tea so she isn't sitting on her laurels.

Wooramel is a funny old roadhouse that closes it's kitchens at 5.30 pm and all dinner orders to be in by 5 pm. You have to eat in the camp kitchen as they clean the floors in the roadhouse at 4.30 pm. Annie and I can attest to this as we were asked to leave right on 4.30 pm.
Vic apparently tried to sneak into the camping ground pretending to be part of our group but got caught by the manager and asked to leave the premises. Looks like he will be sleeping in the bush again tonight.i wonder how many other camping grounds he has successfully pretended to be a Cycle Oz participant and actually got away with it. It would only work in the bigger campgrounds. Vic sleeps in a hammock with a tarp over the top of him so he needs a couple of trees to tie the hammock up to.
We all had dinner together in the camp kitchen and it was very pleasant although we are a very quiet group when we are eating. Some lively conversation after dinner with Annie being the last off to bed.