The moment I woke on Day 3, excitement pulsed through me. Was it snowing outside? Was the sun out?  I checked.  Hmmm.  Relentless but not driving rain.  As always Jeanette and I would not be thwarted.  We packed the car, booked out from the accommodation then headed westwards.  Our initial goal was to reach the Gordon Dam approximately 13 kms away, driving to the conditions.  It was not snowing nor was it very cold (but it was a long way from being hot), so we had no concerns about slipping on the road with ice.

Our trip passed road cuttings with signs. 

Before long the signs indicated aspects of the Gordon dam and power station infrastructure.The lie of the land became more mountainous and we marvelled at very deep gorges plunged below. 

We looked down on quarried flats. 

Then we neared the end of the road. 

Of course we got out of the car and walked in the rain with wet tablets trying to take the best photos we could and hoping not to permanently damage the technology.  The hill sides dropped away dramatically.  The misty grey greens as the rain squalls passed over the slopes were picturesque in a way that reminded me of traditional Chinese landscape paintings.  The shape of our landscape is different: a the mistiness is usually around the base of mountains in Chinese images whereas the mist covered the top of our mountains and hills. Nevertheless there is a similar sensation when I see both, principally because of the height and steepness of the landscapes.