Blue Mountains/No Mountains

I've hired a car for 2 days and headed off into the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. The idea is to do some 'bush walking' on some of the trails. I'm just getting my bearings and get one or two good photies of the mountains in the hot sunshine (see attached) when a huge storm whips up out of nowhere and rolls around the hills for the next six hours. After about three, the electricity cuts out in the hotel - for 2 hours. Not a huge problem - I have a torch and planned to head out for dinner in the very cutesy village of Leura where I am staying. However poking a nose outside I see the electricity is out across the village. No matter, drive to next town. Electricity out there too. Drive 20k west... still out. Drive 40k the other way before street and traffic lights are finally on again. Assemble sort of dinner from various outlets and head back. That said - pizza, red wine and Aussie election coverage on TV = happy Martin.

This morning I got up to find the village completely fog-bound so had to have 2 capuccinos a pastry and a newspaper waiting for it to clear (the sacrifice). It did clear - in the village. Trails still foggy - and no mountains to be seen of any colour, just a wall of grey at the lookouts. In some ways I preferred it - cooler for walking, fewer tourists and the insects had disappeared. Maybe I would have felt differently if I hadn't seen the views briefly yesterday. I got 3-4 hours walking but then the rain arrived and that was that.