Hats, coats, and warm woolies
There’s a Gale in Tasy! – Well, I’m being a bit dramatic, but it certainly felt that we were in the middle of a full blown gale at times!! Welcome to life in Tasmania. The island is beautiful, a sprawling terrain of rugged mountains, jutting snow peaks, yellow and green patchwork farmland, and soft sandy beaches. Aside from the breathtaking views, the weather is another topic altogether. Let’s talk extreme rain and chilly weather for a moment…
As soon as I arrived, the rain gods decided that they would treat me to the best they had to offer. It drizzled, it snowed, it poured cats and dogs, it blew in sideways, it sprinkled, it hailed, it sleeted….I think we went through just about every type of precipitation known to mankind. My feet were always wet, I wore the same five layers of clothes the entire time (simply because that was all I brought with me) and, by the end of the trip, I would have gladly stuck pins and needles under my fingernails than spend another night shivering and trying to sleep in the backseat of our station wagon. Before, I go further. Yes, we did sleep in the back of the station wagon….for the entire trip. Don’t ask why. We just thought it would be fun.
AND IT WAS! I had a truly fabulous time and we honestly found more humor in our I’m-so-I-cold-can’t-feel-my -ingertips situation than misery. Given the opportunity, I’d hop back in our green machine, nicknamed DeeDee, in a fraction of a minute and do it all over again (except with a parka and three pairs of wool socks).
Oh yes, the wind was fierce!
But I’d do it all again…The tales are true. Tasy’s scenery is magnificent. Sure, at times we had to struggle to see sights like Mt. Field through thick cloud cover. Absolutely, we had to stand under a tree’s in hopes of a rare glimpse of Cradle Mountain. There were a few rare moments of sunshine. During these interspersed opportunities, one must be prepared to jump out of the heated car, rip off warm gloves and hope that fingers don’t freeze while taking a few pictures. Saying this, I only brought my camera out when the rain, drizzle, fog, etc. had lifted and, well folks, that didn’t happen very often. So, with the ideal pictures perhaps forming in the back of your minds as you read along the next several blogs, just use your imagination as I guide you along on our eight days of Tasy holiday.
