Now for something different

It's been a while since I got really smoky. The two big teenagers in this shot are trying to get their driving practice hours up, and it was good to get them to drive 1.5 hours to Enfield State park. We did a good 25mins of dirt roads as well, which was a first for my Mr E.

We had left a bit later than planned, so there was no time for biking, but we got the billy on the fire, then the espresso coffee pot, then the chappatti pan for freshly made chappattis and to top it off, on to the coals went my trusty camping frying pan for bacon and eggs.
The kids cooked up a feast!

It was a curious spot, still scarred by shallow pits and overgrown piles of discarded quartz that gold miners leave behind.
It was SO quiet, just the birds and the trees, and it was fun to imagine it covered in tents, with hopeful labouring men, the hill denuded of trees, and steam powered quartz crushers banging away.

It was good to get out. I think that I would like to use the need to complete 120 hours practice before a driving test to continue to explore around us.
For the record, he's now done almost 14 hours, but has 15 months before he can sit the test - loads of time!