Richard says I am like a shark: they have to keep moving to breathe and I have to find new challenges or I feel I am not learning anything in life. Francois Peron National Park in the Shark Bay area provided me with my next test because vehicle access was only along deep sandy tracks. The main places we wanted to visit were Big Lagoon, Cape Peron and Skipjack Point.

Although I do most of the four-wheel driving Richard has an important position as my co-driver. He briefs me on the conditions ahead while I focus on negotiating the immediate ground. This team co-operation seems to work well for us and with an $800 rescue fee if we got stuck and couldn't get out we certainly needed to use all the skills we have.

The 10km track to Big Lagoon was twisty in places and had lovely views at the peak of the cliffs before descending down to the lagoon. We were camping there for the night so took some time to explore the area, which used to be an inland salt lake but is now a tidal lagoon. While the tide was out we had a leisurely walk along the sands and came across some quite large mud crabs desperately trying to run away from us plus two dead turtles. I just caught a glimpse of the pretty shiny shells before having to scurry past with my hand covering my eyes.

To get a photo overlooking part of the lagoon we walked back up the sandy track where we came across a guy taking air out his tyres and his wife lifting heavy boxes out the boot in an effort to get the car out of its bogged position in the sand. He said he'd be out soon so we carried on by. By the time we got back round we found he'd made it out only to find another couple stuck in the same place. Luckily their friends were not far ahead so they radioed them to come back and tow them out.

We were starting to doubt whether we'd make it the forty odd kilometres or so up to Cape Peron and back without getting stuck. Maybe I'd bitten off a bit more than I could chew this time, so Richard put his drinking glass up as a reward if I got us there and back without any problems. An ordinary plain glass may not sound like much of a prize but it is to us because we only have one of them (I broke mine) and it makes cold drinks taste a lot nicer than out of plastic or a ceramic mug. Richard named it the Mickey Thompson glass challenge after the American off-road racing champion.

We woke up in the morning to a sight we haven't seen for months - thick grey clouds and rain. A large furry spider was also unhappy about the situation as it had tried to find refuge under the fly sheet of our tent. Rather than trek up to Cape Peron in the miserable weather we decided to drive out the park to the nearby town of Denham where we could shelter from the rain and use the caravan park facilities.

The following day the conditions had improved so we set off to Cape Peron where we wanted to do the Wanamalu Trail return walk along the cliff to Skipjack Point where turtles, sharks, rays, dugongs and dolphins hang out.

About half way into the drive the sand track ended and we entered a large area of a white hard looking surface which on the map was labelled as a birrida. These are dried up salt lakes with a thin hard crust over a bog. There was no formal path so we weaved around the holes and craters until getting back at the sandy track near Cattle Well. At this point the loose sand got deeper and the driving more difficult, with me swinging the steering wheel one way and then another like on a kids cartoon.

We were the first to arrive and had the whole beach to ourselves. The red sandstone cliffs set against the white limestone sandy beach was a picturesque sight. The only thing spoiling the scenery was the whiff coming from hundreds of birds such as Shags and Cormorants which gathered on the coastline. If only cameras could record smells!

The cliff walk was pleasant enough although when we reached Skipjack Point the tide was out so we only managed to see a couple of turtles and rays swimming in the water below.

Later in the afternoon we started the journey back to Denham. We expected to come across the same conditions as on the way up, but where the deep sand had previously been it was now much smoother and shallower and much easier to drive on. Much to my delight it dawned on us that the grader must have been up and improved the track making it much easier for me to win the Mickey Thompson glass challenge!

However, no sooner had we realised this then the track conditions changed again and I slowly grounded to a halt as I entered an incline. Richard jumped out and scooped armfuls of sand away from the tyres and pushed the car backwards as I put the car into reverse. We managed to get free and Richard got back in the car but as soon as I drove a few feet forward I got bogged again. We repeated the same procedure but this time I reversed quite a way back and onto a harder area which gave us more room to build up momentum to get through the sand. It worked and we were free and managed to get to Denham without any other mishaps.

The driving was thoroughly enjoyable and as rewarding as the scenery. Although I didn't feel like I deserved to win the glass after getting stuck, Richard handed it to me for all my effort and not getting us so completely bogged that we needed to call for rescue.

Katy