Canberra
Distance Travelled - 36.4 km
Had a very disrupted night last night. When I finally got around to setting up camp it was after 9.30 pm and the night sky was looking very clear and starry. There was no wind to speak of and things were looking quite pleasant, albeit perfect conditions for very cold weather. I went to bed with the tent set up next to my car in the parking lot at the church.
About 12.30 am I woke up to the distinct sound of rain on the tent. I don't know how long it had been raining but the edge of the pillow that was up against the fly wire opening of the tent was damp, not too wet but damp enough to know too much rain was getting in. I unrolled the flap for the tent opening but did not zip it closed in the hope that it would keep the rain out but let enough cold air in that it would stop any condensation forming on the inside of the tent. Went back to sleep.
Woke up at 1.15 am to the sound of much heavier rain and noticed a significant dip at the bottom end of the fly where the water was pooling on the roof. To my dismay I also noticed that it was leaking in. Obviously the combination of a large volume of water causing the fly to sag and come into contact with the mesh of the tent and the build up of condensation on the underside of the fly was enough to allow the water to seep through the fabric of the fly. As a result there was a not insignificant puddle of water on the sleeping bag and as I moved my legs to kick the water off the fly my socks got somewhat wet. I was not altogether happy.
Not wanting to get any wetter inside the tent and knowing it could be difficult to dry the tent out I decided to get out of the tent and put the damp sleeping bags in the car, laid out across the top of my gear and then I moved the empty tent up the nearby steps and poked it undercover to keep from getting any wetter, what I should have done to start off with last night and what I will do tonight.
Slept intermittently and uncomfortably in the car as I hadn't had a chance to rearrange the gear in the back to allow me to lower the seats down and stretch out as much as possible. The rain was still heavyish and I didn't want to get any wetter or dampen any gear by rearranging the car then. Woke up numerous times between then and 6.30 am when I finally got up. Dried the fly off as much as I could with my towel and packed it away. Gave the tent a rub down too on the stretcher near the foot end and packed it away.
I left the church and went searching for a Maccas so I could post the blog and get a coffee. Having sorted that I headed to the War Memorial and got there by just before 8 am. The sky was cloudy but appeared to be clearing a little and there was the tiniest hint of sun breaking through the clouds. I set up my table next to the car in the nearly empty car park and stretched the fly out as best I could, inside out, over the table to see if it would dry any further. Given that it was still only about 2 degrees and there was no wind I didn't really like my chances. By 9.30 am, however, it was pretty much dry so I packed everything away and then headed to the War Memorial to take a few photos at about 9.45 am. Took a couple of shots through the closed gates and returned the camera to the car.
I spent most of the day wandering through the other exhibits and spent about 20 minutes in the research section looking up information about Uncle Noel, Grandma's brother, who saw action in P.N.G. in World War 2. Found some stuff that I hope will make interesting reading later.
Left the memorial just after 3 pm and went to the Canberra Glassworks. It was very interesting to watch some of the artists creating stuff in the workshop and the techniques they use to do it. Looked through the gallery and shop at some very nice but very expensive pieces. Made sure the hands stayed in the pockets as "all breakages must be paid for" signs were everywhere.
Left the Glassworks just after 4 pm and went for a stroll around the area for a while before heading back to the car to get out of the increasingly stiffening breeze and associated coldness it brought with it. Spent some time reading and then went back to the War Memorial to do a little more night photography. Once I finished there I went and got some tea and then headed off to the church car park. Spent time reading, writing my blog and sorting photos whilst I waited for the rain to abate and then set up the tent, under cover, and got ready for bed.
Tomorrow I will look at a few of the other galleries in town and then organise to start heading back to the coast to finish off the NSW lighthouses before entering Victoria.
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