We departed Madura Pass Oasis Camping Ground where we had happily camped overnight. Accommodation was free, for which we are very grateful. Some of us were still confused as several of our team members had Adelaide time on their mobiles, while others had Perth time and still others local time. I couldn't figure this out, so I just ignored the whole matter. Ignorance is bliss. Well, after a hot porridge we all agreed to leave the Oasis pretty much at the same time.
Just 2 km from our starting point, we took a brief detour to take in the views of the vast plains from the Madura Pass lookout, and pose for a few Peace Torch photos.
Thank goodness for another windless day. After Monday's experience when we ran into the headwind (60 km/h) head-on, and had to work our fingers and toes to the bone. Nothing was given to us on a plate :-) Now every day seems like a pleasant walk in the park. Today we will run 155 km altogether, enjoying a vast, arid stretch of land in the direction of Caiguna. “From the joy of night I sing the song of innocence. From the joy of day I sing the song of capacity.”Sri Chinmoy
Always looking for a good shot.
Blue sky at last!
Team B got through our 50km section quickly. (Looking at our roster of runners, this was hardly surprising!) We stopped in at Cocklebiddy Roadhouse after our running.
There we saw Samantha and Bruce, two wedge-tail eagles sharing an enormous cage. They had both been rescued from the roadside and nursed back to health. Samantha only had one eye. Australia's largest birds of prey, the wingspan of the wedge-tailed eagle can reach 2.84 metres. We discovered how eagles feed mainly on dead kangaroos, and are slower to take off than motorists realise. They will often take off into the wind, then turn back acrossthe road, riding the air current. This is how many meet their end.
Last night we went looking for UFOs, inspired by the many news clippings we had seen about unexplained aerial phenonema in the area. The Canberra Times ran this story Thursday, 21 Jan 1988: (extract)"UFO encounter on Nullarbor Plain reported...A Perth family say they were terrorised by a UFO which plucked their car from the road on the Nullarbor Plain. Police said yesterday that they were taking the report seriously after investigating damage to the car, which was covered in an ash-type substance. A truck driver and a car driver also witnessed the bizarre event after being chased by the UFO along the Eyre Highway just inside the Western Australia border." I recall this story being a big deal in Australia at the time. Several theories were proposed, but the incident has never been fully explained.We didn't find any UFOs during our own evening excursion, but noticed a couple of satellites crossing the star-flecked vault of the obsidian night sky. I was happy not to see a UFO. How would you even explain it to people?
We meet a lot of trucks on this road, including some with unusual loads like this one. Nastia waves to them all!
It’s important to savor the incredibly beautiful moments that present themselves in the midst of challenging experiences. It may be easier to be grateful when life is flush with comfort and luxury, but it is a practice to be grateful when experiencing inner chaos or external discomfort. I speak only for myself of course. Some people thrive in the elements, but truth be told, I’m a little soft. So, I pause frequently, and remind myself how blessed I am to be given this Peace run experience. I gently urge myself to stop and breathe, look at the vast sky, appreciate my amazing fellow runners, and be present for the wonder of this moment. I cannot be grateful and unhappy at the same time. So, I practice choosing gratitude. When I am grateful, I feel that I have enough and I am enough. A grateful person is a peaceful person, and that is what I am striving for out here. When I am grateful, I am living my faith that God is holding me in love in every experience. - Teekhnata
Taking a moment to savor the deliciously rare gift of a juicy orange in the Nullarbor.
We are grateful to the John Eyre Motel and Caravan Park in Caiguna who have provided the team with complimentary camping tonight. And we are happy to find a certificate of appreciation on their wall from when the Peace Run camped here in 2013, the last time we ran this route.
