Thanksgiving and the Xmas Concert

It's been a couple weeks since I left you all on Phllips Island with the penquins. Time has ticked away and now it's the middle of December. Winter has settled in where most of you live and you're in the throws of the holiday rush.

Down under we celebrated Thanksgiving a week later then you, on Sunday December 6th. Michael and I had 8 friends over to our place and I cooked a $85, 15 lbs fresh turkey. It was the largest one I could get from my local butcher. I could have picked up a smaller froozen bird at the grocery store for about $50 but cooking 2 just wouldn't have fit in my Australian sized oven. This year I knew a few more Americans and was able to con them into cooking the classic side dishes. Leaving me with just the turkey, gravy, stuffing and 3 pumpkin pies.  This years festivities included some of the guests from last year and a group of new friends like Iral, Dean, Adam and Max and David (2 American's that just moved here a few months ago) So the tradiation has been started. Like so many of you we talked, laughed and ate WAY too much food. By evening time when the guests had all left and the kitchen was cleaned I was just a lump on the sofa.

The next week just flew by and before I knew so did being 40! All of a sudden I was 40 something. The day was spent at work. Where I shared a pumpkin cheese cake with my coworkers. It's the tradiation, at least in my office, that the birthday person brings in a treat to share. Last year I resisted this custom. Still hoping to hang on to the events of Portland where all the people that loved you in the office would take you to lunch. Not all was lost because my friends Dean (in the blue shirt sitting on the sofa, on the left side of the photo) did take me to lunch in the city. Thanks! Dean. In the evening I went to the gym after work (I know I am getting old!) then Iral and I had a nice dinner at an italian resturant with a view of the Yarra river and the city skyline. To top the evening off we went to the casino and paid them to entertain us for a little while. The big highlight of the day was when Phyllis called me and I got to catch up with her for a few minutes. It was almost like I wasn't 10,000 miles away. I need to thank all those people that wished me happy birthday. The new friends I have here made my tranistion much easier and the old friends I have around the world still bring me joy from so far away.

Part of the reason I kept my birthday calm this year was the Melbourne Rainbow Band had thier Christmas Concert, "Carols by Queerlight" the following night and I need to be at my best to perform well. The evening was a lot of fun. The band of 35 musicains where accompanied by the 60 people strong Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Choir and about 400 people attend the free concert. The evening was wonderful. Mother natured cooperated by not doucing us with buckets of rain like last year and kept us near 75 degrees all evening. Perfect weather to play a night time concert.
Hopefully some of you braved the long, cold, dark night and tuned into JOY fm for the live web broadcast. 

That's the big things that have been keeping me busy. I've been doing a lot of the same things you have trying to get ready for Chrsitmas. But this morning I bought the last gift! I have 2 packages to get in the mail and I'm hoping they make it to the states before the big day. There are 2 more weeks of work until the office shut down on Christams Eve. Then I'm off work until January 11th.  WAH FREAKIN HOO! It's customary for a lot of business to close for 2 full weeks in Australia. So in the middle of summer you're forced to take a vacation. I know that many of you are say... Oh boy that's a rough life! But since it's a forced leave and we are also forced to use our vacation time or take it without pay. I am short a little time so I'll be taking 1 or 2 days without pay.

Last year I spent the holidays in Tasmainia camping. This year I'll be home for xmas and then heading up to Cairns, The Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef for 6 nights at a gay resort over New Years Eve. Now that's a rough life! When I get back from that trip I'll still have 6 day before returning to work. So I might take a few and go camping. You'll have to tune in next year to find out what happens.

Happy birthday to Robin Melin on the 23rd. Merry Christmas and a Happy 2010 to everyone!

Maybe someone will make a New Year's resolution to visit Australia!

Take care and enjoy the holidays I miss you all!

The Penquins of Phillip Island

This past weekend Iral and I went down to Phillip Island about a 75 minute drive south of the city. It's a small island with a huge tourist population. A great place to surf, swim or stroll the beaches. The island has 3 main towns, Newhaven, Summerland and the biggest town called Cowes, (yep, sounds like more than one cow). There are several smaller residential areas too. But the places mentioned have at least a general store and A restaurant. There are 2 main attractions beside all the fun beach things to do. There is a world class grand prix race track that hosts car and motorcycle races from all over the world. While we were there we heard that an unexpected race recently took place when the scheduled track in Dubai had a problem. There's also the famous Penguin Parade. Many of my co-workers have told me over and over again it's a thing you must do.




Iral and I headed out about 10am and the plan was to find a caravan (RV) park to spend the night and sleep in Tommy the Tank. Once we arrived on the island about noon we headed right for the penguin park and got our tickets for the exclusive viewing area. $40 per person instead of $25 but we would be mere feet away from these guys as they came ashore at dusk. Since it was early in the day the place was deserted and this gave a great opportunity to do some exploring without the bus loads of international tourist. We strolled along the beach exploring the tide pools and a dead penguin we found washed up on the shore.

Our exclusive seating area held 150 people. The general seating area was much larger and a capacity of 500. It was hard to believe that 650 people would show up night after night to watch penguins. But trust me the do! After our stroll we headed into Cowes for some lunch and to find a caravan park. As it turned out there was something going on at the race track and just about every place in town was booked up. After about 90 minutes of driving in and out of every hotel, motel and caravan park. We grabbed a tourist book and started making phone calls. We found a nice little place on the bay side (north) in Newhaven. Julie our hostess ran a 4 unit cottage on a very quiet street with a view of the bay. Iral relaxed for a little while and I practiced. About 5pm we head to the pizza joint Julie recommended and grabbed a bottle of wine which we enjoyed by the beach. Then another stroll on the beach before heading back to Summerland and the penguin parade about 8pm when we arrived and the parking area was nearly full. By purchasing our tickets earlier in the day we didn't have to wait in any lines and were able to walk right to the seating area and got a spot in the front row. Our Park Ranger gave us the guidelines, No standing, keep control of the kids to allow others to enjoy the events and ABSOLUTELY NO PICTURE taking with or without the flash. Not only did he tell us this but it was posted about 15 timed between the entrance and the seating area. The ranger explained that these penguins are the smallest type sea birds and stand about 13" tall. They're found on the southern coast of mainland Australia, The Tasmanian and New Zealand coasts. They are an endangered species and that is a great time to view them, mating season was in full swing and many borrows had young in them.

Right on scheduled the little guys and gals starting waddling up the beach in small groups of 5 to 10. As dusk fell into night the groups got larger and in all there were probably 500 that walked past us. They would climb the first small sand dune and take a break right in front of our platform. Some would then preen or just catch their breath. Some were very brave and pushed through the masses. Others were skittish and ran for cover under the platform. All of them were just the cutest little things I'd seen since coming to Australia.

As the evening progressed Iral and I were able to keep scooting closer and closer to the prime viewing spot as others left the area. Once the crowd of creatures thinned and our ranger seem to be occupied elsewhere, I did exactly what I was told not to do (you know I had to, just cause they said I couldn't) I snapped a picture. Now before you think I'm a completely terrible person. I used the large towel we brought to cover our legs from the wind as cover. I managed to turn off the flash and then I'd bring the camera out and quickly shoot without really aiming. It took about 5 tries to finally get a good shot. But I got it and I didn't get busted by a ranger. As we walked back up the boardwalk to the main building we followed the pathway and got several more chances to see the cute little guys as they headed for home. The size crowds were quite surprising. People were massed on the boardwalk, in the gift shop, at the coffee stand and in the parking areas.

Then it was time for the people parade. A long line of cars heading back to Cowes and their own borrows for the evening. Iral and I made it home all the way across the island in about 15 minutes. We finished another bottle of wine in our room and watched a little TV before drifting off to sleep.

In the morning we took a long walk along Cape Woolamai (Wool-a-may). We spent about 3 hours out there enjoying the view of the coastline and the surfers. Near noon it was time to head back to town. Both of us had things to do to get ready for work on Monday and this was just a short trip anyway.

Happy birthdays go to all the people I mentioned before and to a few that slipped my mind. Jamie Snook, Effy Sadah and Songbok Lee. Next entry will probably be the before mentioned Thanksgiving dinner in early December.

I hope everyone has a GREAT Thanksgiving and you all eat way too much food. One good thing about being here is its summer time during the holidays so the meals are most modest and you don't put on 10lbs during the holidays.

Take care and COME VISIT me!

New Zealand's North Island

We start today with at 3am wake up call and trip to the airport for a 6am over seas flight. Yes, New Zealand still counts as OVER seas. The plane flew over the Tasman Sea and I had to go through international customs where I got a new stamp in my passport.

Iral (pronounced i-RAL) and I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare and wandered around in the duty free shops waiting for the coffee places to open and our plane to start boarding.

We arrived in Auckland near noon on Saturday, All Hallows Eve. A $75 cab ride to the Oaks Hotel and the wrong hotel (Iral laughing at the blunder, it's part of the adventure I told him.) before another cab ride to the correct Oaks Residence Hotel. Once all checked in to our new home we wandered around New Zealand's capital city, which to use a Aussie term was "very lovely". It's a hilly and green city, a lot like Seattle (in summer of course). The central business district slopes down to the water edge ofn the Waitemata Harbour. Most buildings look 20 or 30 years old with some more modern structures mixed in. There are a lot of people shopping and enjoying the sun on the streets. Many of the native Maori (Maow-ree) people are mixed in with the Caucasian New Zealanders and the tourist. It's refreshing to see the native island inhabitants so prominent. It's rare to see a Aboriginal in Melbourne and unfortunately the ones you do see are homeless and often intoxicated. The Maori's are much like the Pacific Island races. A thick stocky breed with the tribal tattoos proudly shown. I saw several women with their chins tattooed in a decorative warrior like pattern. Because of the Maori's were of a more aggressive (or defense) nature when the British came to settle the redcoats choose Australia instead. The aborigines are a less aggressive group and this simple fact meant they would be a decimated race and the Maori would continue to to thrive into the 21st century. Auckland is like many other cities with shopping districts, fast food outlets and coffee shops at every corner. There's even a pointy spire building with a rotating restaurant on top. I don't know the name of the building and we didn't go up. Having done this in several metropolis' across the globe I skipped it here. We did however manage to find time to lose $20 bucks at the local casino. I've learned over the years to keep my gambling addiction in check and we got out quickly when that 20 was gone. Luckily, Iral's not much of a gambler. After a couple hours of exploring we headed back to the hotel for what Australian's call a Nanna Nap, basically a nap to my American friends. We had gotten up early and had big plans for the evening that we'd need our energy for.

This day was more than just Halloween it was Iral's birthday. I've been sworn to secrecy about his actual age so you'll just have to guess. Before leaving Melbourne I booked us a sunset dinner cruise on a sailboat. We arrived at the dock in time to grab a drink from the nearest pub and sat to people watch for a few minutes. We quickly spotted another gay couple waiting to board the boat. When it was time to disembark we said hello to them and introduced ourselves. Our new friends for the evening were John and Wayne from Brisbane. (Mom, tell Bill I had dinner with John Wayne LOL) Walking the dock to the sailboat I noticed the name of the ship was "Challenger". This gave me a moments pause, remembering the 1986 space shuttle disaster. But Iral brushed it off and I quickly did too. Once on board our captain and crew gave us the details about our evening's events along with the safety spiel. " Floatation devices are not required to be worn and can be found at the back of the boat in an emergency." Our crew consisted of 3 people, and 14 guests. We set sail and in no time at all were moored up in a different harbour where dinner would be served. (I learned some new tricks for making movies I hope you enjoy them.) Some one was using their brain and sat the 2 sets of gay guys at the same table, which was very nice of them. The food was exceptional and we had a 3 course meal with a nice bottle of white wine and plenty of conversations. As it turned out we talked so long below deck during dinner we actually missed the sunset. After dinner we sailed out of Waitemata Harbour and into the Hauraki Gulf, under the cover of stars and moonlight. Each of us got a chance to sail the boat and lots of time to enjoy the cool night air with beautiful views of the city skyline.

After dinner a stop back at the hotel to put on our dancing shoes and a couple quick shots of Tequila before heading to the gay bars on "K" Road. We had to see how the Kiwi's celebrated Halloween and besides like I mentioned it was Iral's birthday so there was much more partying to be had. Shortly after arriving at the dance club, John and Wayne showed up. The 4 of us dance on the packed floor for several hours. Thumping and grinding to the beats along with so many others. Some people had on full costumes, others just simple things to get in the spirit and of course the drag queens were out in force! We had changed the clocks for daylight savings time a few weeks back in Australia and I don't know if New Zealand even does it at all. It doesn't really matter because the bars keep serving until 7am!!! About 3 am we had to go outside to get some air and decided it was best for us to walk the 3km (1.8 m) back to our hotel. I stopped at a 7-11 and got a BIG bottle of water and then we stumbled along our way. Thank God for the big pointy tower thing. It helped a lot to find our hotel. I'm not sure if we took the most direct route but we managed to get there. The walk and water did us a LOT of good.

Sunday morning we slept in! Our room was actually a 1 bedroom apartment with a kitchenette. We had grabbed a few groceries the day before to make some breakfast at home while trying to re hydrate ourselves more. We did manage to get out of the hotel room about noon and explored different parts of the city. Walking quite a distance through more shopping areas, up a large hill into a beautiful park before wandering back to "K" road to get a look at the area in the daylight and some late lunch. Iral had a great idea of picking our rental car earlier, right at closing time on Sunday, instead of Monday morning to maximize our investment. So at 5pm we were mobile and took a drive out of the city into the countryside north of Auckland. We made a stop at Stanley Point to get some views back on to the city before venturing farther out to a little town called Helensville. There really wasn't anything there and we never even stopped. We just kept driving our loop track back to town. It gave us a chance to see a little bit of the life outside of the big city and venture into a part of the island we wouldn't have been able to see otherwise.

On Monday morning we woke up early, packed our bags and headed to the volcanic plain town of Rotorua about 3.5 hours southeast of Auckland. The rolling green hills were dotted with cattle, sheep and the occasional homestead. It's surprising how quickly the city fades behind you and the countryside seems to go on for ever. As we entered the township we stopped at the tourist information center to stretch our legs and get some info. Getting out of the car I got a whiff of the sulfur air so many people had warned me about when I mentioned I'd be going to this town. A highly seismic country and the area we were in was dotted with geysers and hot springs so the odor wasn't a big surprise, while noticeable not over powering. We arrived at the right hotel on our first try, The Heritage. Check in wasn't until 2pm so a tour of the gift shops and lunch was in order. I managed to check off quiet a few Xmas gifts in a short period of time. We found a GREAT little mom and pop cafe on a side street and had some awesome lasagna. There must have been a pound of cheese on every slice and the pasta was handmade! Some of the best home cooked food I'd had in a while. If you ever want to go to New Zealand let me know and I'll help you find this place again.

Back at our hotel before 2pm we checked in and spoke to the desk clerk about finding a free hot spring off in the woods some place. I didn't really want to pay $100 for 60 minutes in a man made pool with 50 other people near by at the popular tourist trap and knew there must be a place the locals go. She told us about Kerosene Creek near the town of Waiotapo about 30 minutes south. Iral and I made our way there and found the watering hole quite easily. Just as we arrived the only 2 people there left and for about 15 minutes we had the place to our selves. The water was about 28 degrees C (82 F) and closer to the falls the sand at your feet was much warmer. Probably upwards of 36 C (97 F). The current was so strong your feet quickly sunk into the deep sand and your toes got toasty in no time at all. Iral and I had a GREAT time snapping photos and I played the sax for a few minutes. It's a familiar tune to some of you by now. But it was a little hard to bring my music stand and sheet music into the water so I had to play from memory. I hope you enjoy it. Like I mentioned we had about 15 minutes to ourselves and then over the course of 30 minutes 4 or 5 other couples showed up. All od them tourist as best as we could tell because everyone had and accent and not just a New Zealand one. Iral and I had dinner reservations at 7:30 so about 4pm we headed back to town to clean up.

Once back at the hotel what better way to wash the rich minerals off our bodies then to jump into the spa pool side. The hotel heated all it's water from the thermal vents and even the large swimming pool was very warm. After dressing for dinner Iral and I killed at little time in the bar. A couple martinis and off to the 1284 Bistro with a bottle of wine. (Many places in Australia and New Zealand are "bring you own" even if they serve alcohol they allow you to bring your favorite wine in. Hard spirits are not acceptable generally) The clerk at the hotel recommended it the restaurant as the best in town with authentic New Zealand food and she was right. We had an ostrich appetizer (called entrees here). Not really NZ species but exceptional flavor and presentation. I had a lamb shank and Iral had the steak. Both melted in your mouth and the steamed vegetables we're cooked perfectly. Hold on to your bell bottoms I even ate the COOKED CARROTS! Something I have never really cared for since I was a kid and still generally pick out of my food. By the end of dinner we had finished the bottle of wine. Iral order a coffee and I did my usual pushing of the limits and ordered a 20 year old glass of port. It was incredible, the alcohol evaporated off your tongue and left the sweetness of the aged delite to linger on your taste buds. We did get dessert a chocolate carmel treat. I honestly don't remember what it was called but it sure was good. At this point we were fairly tipsy and headed back to the hotel for just one more night cap. It was our last evening on the island and nether of us wanted the evening to end.

Tuesday morning we got up with no real hangover (very lucky trust me) and gathered our things. The days adventures would take us around Lake Rotorua and back to Auckland for a 9pm flight. Once we were checked out and loaded into the car. I drove us northwest of town skirting the edge of the lake to a short hiking trail I'd found on the web that was said to have 4 water falls and be popular with kayaks. My fabulous (if I do say so myself) sense of direction got us to the trail head at Okere Falls Scenic Reserve in no time at all. From the parking lot you could hear the rushing water. A short trip down a steep flight of stairs takes to to a small landing at the water's edge. However the level was so high the landing was covered in white water. But from the last step we were able to see 3 kayakers (look under the trees to the right of the one you can see) honing their skills in what looked to be fierce torrents of water. Back up the stairs and farther along the trail we saw another beautiful water fall and a side trail that led you down into some caves the used to hide the Maori women and children in time of war. The pictures didn't really come out that well so you'll have to imagine what it was like 150 years ago. The entire hike took about 1 hour and was a nice little jaunt into the woods. Giving me a taste of what New Zealand had to offer for the outdoors man. Back in our car we proceed westerly around the lake, heading back towards the capital.

We managed to get back into the city about 3pm and had to have the car back by 5pm to avoid additional day charges so Iral indulged the crazy American and allowed me to eat at WENDY'S. I had found it on our first day in Auckland and you know how I NEVER shut up about some things. Well from the moment we saw it I kept saying we have to eat there! There are none in Australia as far as I know and it's a place I would always pick over McDonald's or Burger King back in the states. Now seemed like my best and last chance. Just walking into the restaurant brought back memories of the Big Bacon Classic burgers and my mouth began to water. Looking at the menu they even had Frostys. Iral and I made our selection and ordered. It was at this point we realized they didn't take credit cards and our Australian debit cards didn't work in NZ. We had to pay with cash. Since we only had a few hours left in the country we had spent most of it. I ended up using the $15 I had put aside to place in my collection to eat lunch with. That's how bad I wanted a burger from home! We sat on the stools facing the street and watched people go by as we enjoyed the flame broiled burger with fresh lettuce, tomato and 2x onions (Iral gave me his). Everything tasted exactly as I had remembered it. Even the french fries (Aussie call them chips) were the thick cut style I had learned to love back home. We had to settle for regular diet coke since we didn't have enough cash to upgrade to Frostys. There's no 0.99 cent menu here. Damn it!

I think Iral was happy to experience it and to have me finally shut up.

Back in the car we made our way to the airport, with 4 hours to spare before our flight. I went to a cash exchange and changed some of my Australian dollars into New Zealand bank notes so I'd be able to add to my collection after all. Going through customs we learned there was a limit on liquids and gels. So the $12.50 I spent on kiwi jam in Rotorua got confiscated along with a 200 ml bottle of Bailey's Irish creme. I offered to drink it right there but the lady didn't seem impressed by this suggestion. We then spent about and hour in the duty free shops. I practically bought my weight in alcohol. Really just 4 liters but after carrying it around for 3 hours it felt like much more. Iral, I found out has a passion for expensive colognes. He bought 5 bottles in total, some were gifts to his credit, spending much more than I did on the booze. Booze in Australia is HEAVILY taxed and a 750ml bottle (A 5th) of good vodka is $60 AU I got 2 full liters for $100 NZ. 20% cheaper with just the exchange rates.

A couple more hours of sitting and waiting before we finally start to board our plane. The flight home was uneventful as most flights home are. We got our luggage went through customs where I learned I can go through the Australian nationals line since I have a 457 work visa stamp in my passport and no longer will have to wait with all the commoners in the massive tourist line.

Getting Tommy the Tank out of 4 days in long tern parking for only $70 was great! Home and in bed by 2am.

In all a GREAT trip! New Zealand is a beautiful country that I must visit again! and you should too right after you visit me!

Happy birthdays go out to Eric Hanson's his was on the 1st of November. His daughter, Ava's, was on the 10th, my nephew Matt's is on the 12th, My mother's is on the 16th, Corina's is on the 18th ( I think) and I feel like I'm forgetting some one so I apoligize!

I'm planning another thankgiving dinner this year and it's looking like it'll be the first weekend in December. Australian's don't realy understand the holiday and several key friends can't make it on Thursday the 26th. Besides it's going to be hard to cook all that food while I'm at work! This year I know a few more American's and am asking them to help out making the traditional dishes.

My next blog entry will be after that I imgine. Until then friends and loved ones take care and COME VISIT ME!

October's little adventures

Friends,

It's been a few weeks since I left you in South Australia's National Parks and this blog entry will be shorter than what you're used to. I'm sure many of you are saying THANK GOD!

In the last few weeks the Melbourne Rainbow Band had a major performance at Gasworks Theatre "OTHAFA" (Over The Hills And Far Away) The fairy tale land where the king is gay and his apricot poodle, Tofu, helps him along his journey to come to terms with his sexuality. It was hilarious, let me tell you. I don't have any pictures personally. I was busy playing my parts, but I know there are some on the band's facebook page so look them up and become a fan if you want to know more.

On another weekend, a friend, Iral (i-RAL) and I took a one night camping trip in Tommy the Tank to The Lakes National Park in Victoria. It's a small park nestled between Lake Victoria and the ocean, about 3.5 hours drive east of Melbourne, near the town of Lakes Entrance. Yes that is the name of a town here and it's where the ocean and fresh water lakes meet. Simple, accurate and to the point like a lot of things in Australia. Once we found our camping spot for the night we had some lunch and then did a little exploring of the park. We went to the main viewing area of the lakes and as you can see from the picture its got a funny name.

We spent the evening by the campfire with the only other people in the campground, a nice french couple. This was the first camping trip I've taken where there hasn't been a full moon. In fact, there was no moon at all. We laid on one of the picnic tables for a while staring at the milky way and more stars than I've seen in many years.

The next morning I cooked breakfast. The usual scrambled bacon, eggs, veggies and cheese concoction before packing up everything.

As we heading back down the peninsula we had to make stop at the ocean beach. Detouring down every road I could find that would let me do a little 4x4 and trying to find some drivable access to the beach. Finally settling on walking down there instead. It was a GREAT day and we explored the dunes and rocky out cropping of Ninety Mile beach. Finding a blue shelled crab to antagonize for a little while. Then enjoyed the sounds and sights of the Bass Straight.

Once back to the car we took the 160 km (100m) drive around to Lakes Entrance to capture this photo. We enjoyed a greasy lunch of some fresh fish and chips before the long ride back to town.

I did a Skype call with some friends in Portland Friday night (their time) It was great to see Ed, Corina, Roger, Kevin, Ken and Keith. I also did a short one with my mother this morning since she's gotten a new computer. Skype is a FREE service with video call between computers. All you need is a webcam and a good internet connection. If you're interested in looking me up down laod the program and my log in is "bkharris68". It's the way of the future and so very "Jetsons". I'd love to keep in touch with more of you this way.

This coming weekend, Halloween, Iral and I are going to Auckland and Rotorua (on the volcanic plain) New Zealand for 4 days. It's Melbourne Cup weekend, the horse race that stops a country. I'm not sure if it's a national holiday or just a state one. But I don't really care since I get Monday and Tuesday off work to do some more exploring! Be on the look out next week for a blog entry of that trip to Australia's 8th state.

Happy birthday's go out to a Laurie Wrobleski and Kevin VC (didn't want to spell it wrong) who both have birthday's on the 29th. My nephew, Matt ,my mother and several other friends have birthday's in November so just in case I'll say Happy birthday now. Of course well wishes to anyone else that may have slipped my mind at the moment.

I hope everyone has a HAPPY HALLOWEEN and that you're enjoying the fall. Summer is in full swing down under so come visit!

South Austraila Road Trip, Part 3 The Finale

It’s been a week since I last typed up part 2 and I left you in the Flinders Range National Park.

From there I headed south to the town of Port Augusta, population 15,000, making it the 5th largest city in the state. It is located at the head of the Spencer Gulf. I needed some supplies, a shower and a plan for the rest of the trip. I had spent time in the desert, the mountains and now was looking for a little beach to inhabit. Entering town I stopped in the information centre to make my inquiries. There are 3 peninsulas in the area, The Eyre (air), the Yorke, and the Fleurieu (no idea how to say this one), all with national parks at their tips. The Eyre being to the west and fairly large was going to take me farther away from home and I was on the back leg headed towards home so that one was out. The Fleurieu was south of Adelaide, another 322km (200 miles) south of Port Augusta and too far to go for the day. This left the Yorke Peninsula and Innes National park. After grilling the nice lady at the information centre. I went back to Tommy the Tank and realized I had locked my keys in the truck! Oh My God what do I do! Luckily, I was prepared for just such a brain fart! Having done this particular brain fart several times in my life! I had taken my extra set of keys from Michael before leaving Melbourne and vowed to always keep them in my pocket just in case. 5 days into the trip “just in case” happened and I needed that extra set of keys. So I hopped back in Tommy being sure to place the extra keys back in my pocket should I be so forgetful again and headed to the local truck stop for a shower before doing some shopping. 2 hours later, clean, stocked (one purchase being a hand air pump for my mattress) and fueled up I head south once more with my new destination in mind.
The day itself was showery and windy. Not particularly good for anything but driving and listening to the radio anyway. The highway (a real 4 lane separated highway) hugged the flat coast line for a about 100kms before the Yorke Peninsula jutted out westerly. I hooked a right turn and started down the road past slightly rolling farm lands and through several tiny towns, like so many others I had passed on this trip already. I came up on this truck pulling a motor home and realized I had seen this vehicle before. Actually I have seen it about 5 times before in the last 5 days. The picture is a little fuzzy,(click on it to enlarge) because I was driving when I took it. But as you can see Carol and Graeme are out there to do as much as they can before the good lord make it impossible for them to do so.

I stopped in the last town, Marion Bay, to fill up on petrol again, before entering into the park about 5pm. I was tired and ready to call it a day. I had left the Flinders Ranges at 7:30am that morning and driven almost 600km (375m). Doing the typical cruise of the camping areas I settled in at Shell Beach campground with no one else in sight. The solitude lasted about 20 minutes before a bogan (redneck) in a car pulled up. He had been fishing all day and was going to sleep outside next to his car in a make shift tent of sorts. It was really just a canvass tarp slid over a pole and propped up at one end on the fence. It didn’t seem like much, defiantly not as warm, cushy and secure as the bed in the back of Tommy. I don’t remember this guy’s name but since I was well supplied I invited him over to my campfire and was chatted the evening away. Talking about nothing really but keeping each other company, around 10pm most of the fire wood was gone and it was time to hit the hay. I climbed in to Tommy and he wandered off to his campsite. The next morning I fixed my hot chocolate and scrambled eggs. I had the intentions of spending the day at this park near the beach. After breakfast I took a long walk along the beach snapping these photos. I found a spot to sit and watch the waves crash on the rocks until a rain shower came through and made me head back to camp for some shelter. By this point in the trip I had unpacking and packing of the vehicle down to a science. My neighbour had left and as I was bored with this spot. Still only being about 10am I decided to drive back out and find another place to spend my Thursday evening. On my way out of the park I found a view point by a light house at West Cape Headland. Always looking for that picturesque spot to play my sax I stopped and carried it the 1km (0.67m) out to the tip and set up. The wind was at gale force, playing was going to be difficult and my hopes of setting up the camera on a tripod to get pictures didn’t look good. But as luck would have it an older couple came along just in time to help me out. The lovely lady snapped this picture of me while I stood bracing myself against the wind and trying to blow air out of the saxophone while mother nature tried to blow it back into my lungs.
I rolled into Adelaide about 2pm. I had spent 5 nights out mostly by myself and was ready for some social interaction with other gay people, and see what Adelaide had to offer. I was greeted by a traffic jam, a car on its roof and a rainbow. Once again the information centre helped me locate an Internet cafe. Where I could locate some gay bars, Adelaide had 3 according to the web. I wanted to find a hostel or backpackers place within walking distance of one of them. So I typed in the address of the first one into my GPS and set off to find it. Turns out is was no longer a gay bar. Off to the second I go, this place was closed for remodelling. 3rd time is a charm right! I found “The Mars Bar” closed and not opening until 10pm. But I did meet a queen on the street that told me about Sunny’s backpacker accommodations around the corner and a location of a launderette (that’s what they call a laundry mat here) I was in need of clean clothes for which to go out in, so that was my first stop. While my clothes spun through the cycles of machine land. I did what any aspiring musician would do and practiced the sax right there in the laundry mat. Luckily, there was no one around to be critical of my playing. I did get many stares as people walked by on the street and at one point some lady came in and emptied all the change from the machines. But no one ever said a word to me. With my clothes clean the next stop was Sunny’s for another shower. $20 for a bunk style bed and a hot shower is not bad at all. But I have to admit a well filled air mattress in the back of Tommy was more comfortable. I made myself some dinner in the communal kitchen with a bunch of students from various places in the world, keeping to myself mostly. Many of them spoke in their native tongues (not English), had groups of friends with them, all were half my age. After dinner I sat to watch a little TV. A Caucasian woman had the remote and she kept laughing a strangely eerie laugh every minute or so. It was really weird like she had voices in her head and they we’re telling her funny scary things. I don’t recall what it was that we were watching but it wasn’t a comedy that’s for sure. After about 30 minutes, not knowing if she was going to completely flip out any second or not, I decided I’d wander the streets until the bar opened. That seemed much safer anyway.

I made my way towards the bar and about 9:30 noticed a group of 3 other gay men standing outside waiting for it to open. In all my years of going to gay bars and we’re talking 20 of them! I’ve never been to a town with only 1 bar that doesn’t open until 10pm on a Thursday and that people would actually be waiting outside for it to open. But here I was making small talk with the locals. One guy was a native of Adelaide but now lived in Melbourne and was home visiting family. He was really skinny, had really bad teeth and an attitude like he was god’s gift to gay men with the look of a meth addict. The other 2 lived there and I think were a couple. One of them was already pretty drunk and not making much sense. When the doors opened at 10, we took up our places at a small table near the dance floor. A group of kids came in a played pool at the one lonely pool table. But otherwise at 11pm there was no one else there. The drunken guy was moving on to his 5th beer and starting to make moves on me. The meth head hadn’t stopped talking the entire time, the bartender looked bored out of his mind and I was right there with him. I finished my 2nd vodka and left my new friends to party on without me. As I walked the street back to Sunny’s I passed a pub with pokies (slot machines). Unable to resist the urge for SOME excitement, even if it was electronic and mostly likely to cost me some money, I went in and found a penny machine to sit at for a little while. Much to my amazement I actually won $40 which that paid for my accommodations and drinks at the bar. To this point Adelaide was a bust and the most exciting thing had been the car accident and rainbow. I went back to the hostel with plans of getting out of town as quickly as possible in the morning.
Up and over Mt Baker towards the town of Murray Bridge (named so because is near a crossing of the Murray River, very original) and Coorong National Park, a long sliver of sand arching slightly, facing the Indian Ocean. My hope was to be able to drive along the beast from the town of Salt Creek to Tilley Point about 42km (26m) and take a walk or play the sax somewhere. As soon as I could I got off the main paved roads and dart on to the dirt tracks again. My reference guides told me the “42 Mile Crossing” was the best one to take across the slough in winter. So I put Tommy into four wheel mode and followed the soft sand road towards the ocean. No real mud puddles here but the sand did make for interesting driving. I did lots of little fish tails and high revs of the engine to keep my forward momentum going. Cresting the final dune to the beach I soon found out it was the peak of high tide and with tonight’s moon being full it was a VERY high tide. What this means for those not accustom to beach driving is your stuck way up on the beach in very soft sand. Not down below the tide line where the sand is more firmly packed. It also means as I found out on my first trip to Australia in 2004 on Fraser Island that you run a good chance of getting stuck between the ocean and a non-drive able hill side. That lesson taught me not to take my own vehicle out there to be washed away. So I sat for a few minutes listening to the sounds of the sea and enjoying the view before making me way back through along the crossing road. When life gives you lemons you make lemonade right! So I found my joy in doing as many of the crossing roads as I could find. All were 2 to 4km long (1.2 to 2.5m), clearly defined albeit very narrow at times through the brush, full of fun soft sand that I was unlikely to get stuck or washed away in. The was Tea Tree Crossing, 32 Mile Crossing, Wreck Crossing, 28 Mile Crossing all along the Old Coorong Road. At each time I made it to the beach I’d st oped to walk for a few minutes, taking in the sights, sounds and smells or these beautiful spots. Snapping pictures of the interesting and strange things I found washed up on the way. Once I had gone past the park my next plan was to spend my last night on the road at the Lower Glenlg National Park in the far south western corner of my home state, Victoria. But First I had t few more towns to drive through. The most notable being Kingston South Australia. It is notable for this giant crayfish on the edge of town. This big red guy is featured in an Australian tourism commercial and stands about 30’ high. So I had to stop along with several others to snap my photo. From there I pushed on once more past Millicent and Mount Gambier into Victoria. A strange thing happened to me as I crossed the state line. I wanted to be home! I had driven 550km (341m) so far today but Melbourne and my own bed were calling me. The GPS was telling me it was another 450km (280m) to home and about 4 more hours of driving. So I resupplied the front of the truck with snack food and redbull. Put the pedal down and headed for home. Just as the sun was setting, the full moon began to rise and I got this great photo. (those are sheep in the foreground) It seemed a perfect ending to a GREAT trip. 3250km (2020m) in 7 days, 6 national parks, miles and miles of 4x4 tracks, peace, solitude and oneness with nature that always seems to bring some peace to my soul. Mission accomplished!


Something I did since returning was to go to a bar called Chillon here in town. My friends Jeff and Phil, fellow Americans from Texas and I had been talking about this place for several weeks. So I finally got off my duff and made the reservation. It’s a bar made in a large freezer with everything of ice. It cost $40 for a warm coat, gloves and 2 drinks in a 30 minute period. It was cool and interesting, good place to go with a group of friends. A fun thing but not something you ever need to do twice in your life. Here are some of the pictures we took that night. The rest of the evening was spent at a couple warm places and Melbourne’s rooftop bars.




It’s also Grand Final weekend now, Victoria’s league of rugby. The St Kilda Saints against last years losing team The Geelong Cats. I had just arrived last year and the weather was nice to I went to Fed Square and people watched the crazed fans. This year the weather is crappy. A high of 15 C (59F) is forecasted with lots of wind and rain. You can look at my old postings for more information on the game. I have a few more friends this time and we’re going to a local gay sports bar, DT’s to watch the hunky men chase a ball in the mud.

Plans for the coming weeks are a camping trip to the Grampians National Park for Melbourne Cup weekend. A horse racing event the first weekend in November and it’s a 4days off work! Then another Thanksgiving dinner here at home with friends, later in November. Not much is really planned for October so there probably won’t be another update.
Happy Birthday goes out to my brother Mark who turns 43 on the 28th and my friend Ed who will be 51 on October 7th. Ruth is having a birthday on the 17th, Laure Wrobleski's is on the 28th (maybe the 29th) of October too.

South Australia Road Trip Part 2

When I last left you I had just trekked across a wide open prairie of farm country, speeding along at 120 kph (75mph) hoping to get to a hotel for a shower. I forgot to mention the massive wind turbines on the hill tops in the distance as I drove and this rainbow I caught somewhere north of Mt Bryan
The hotel was a welcome respite after 2 days of driving. I showered and enjoyed some dinner by the TV before climbing into bed with a glass of vodka and eventually nodding off. In the morning not really knowing where my next shower would come from I decided to take another one. I packed up my CPAP and other things into Tommy and hit the road. I’d make it to the Flinders Range National Park in a couple more hours. But first I wanted some home cooked nutrients. Finding a little cafe in the bustling town of Peterborough wasn’t hard, there were 2 to choose from and I could see them both on the main street. Opting for the closer of the two I sat down to a typical Australian breakfast, fried eggs, sausage, baked beans, a baked half of tomato and of course toast with Vegemite! Something I have grown to love. It’s made from the extract of fermented beer and is a salty tar like substance. For those interested in trying it I know you can get it a World Market Cost Plus in the Clackamas Town Centre Promenade. Spread it thinly on some buttered toast and enjoy. In no time at all you’ll be heaping it on and begging for more of the savoury goodness.
Once the tummy was full, it was back on the road only to stop for more petrol and some supplies in Orroroo (Pronounced OR RO ROO, just like its spelt. One thing about Australia is there may not be a McDonald's in every town (YET) but they all have public toilets and these for the most part are very clean welcoming places after a long haul across vast tracks of not much. As my pit stop drew me ever closer to the destination the mountains rose in the foreground before me. Kilometre after kilometre the peaks were getting bigger and more majestic on the horizon. Now these aren’t the Rockies mind you, hell not even the Appalachian mountains for that matter, but after several days of nothing but scrub grass, farm lands, and small towns they are quite beautiful and worthy of National Park status. Stopping in Wilpena at the visitor centre I picked up a park map and started the tour of campground seeking the best spot to call home for the next 2 nights. As soon as I turned off the paved roadway and onto a dirt track I came across these 3 wild Emus. They were barely concerned that Brian and his big bad 4x4 were there and sauntered off into the fields. After these large birds I was able to see some more kangaroos booking across the track at different intervals on my journey up the Bunyeroo (Bun Er Roo) Valley to my home at Cambrian Campground. Lucky spot number 13 awaited me and my saxophone. This particular campsite was tucked away in the back with a nice knoll about 5 meters high (16’) separating me from the roadway and a dry creek bed on the other side. There was a stone bench area along what would be a nice river view if there was any water and a big old gum tree with 2 large birds nest atop of it. About 200 meters (650’) away was the only other camper, another solo nature enthusiast I came to know as Jeff. Once settled in for the afternoon I broke out the sax for some more practice and as I expected that scared all the birds away and brought my neighbour over to investigate. He was happy for the company and didn’t mind me doing my scales. Although I quite minded the small house type of flies trying to investigate the internal workings of every open orifice on my body. They were not phased one bit the squawking of my horn. By the time evening rolled around I had prepared a good fire and this time there would be no wind or rain showers to dampen the festivities. I was able to get a little reading done and make entries into my journal before the sunset. As soon as the cool air of evening set in the flies disappeared and one was able to enjoy being outside again. I cooked my chicken, veggie and sauce concoction wrapped in good old American Heavy Duty Reynolds Aluminium Foil. A camping essential I learned over my many trips in the Pacific Northwest. You can only get it here at the USA food store and it’s about $12 a 50’ roll but worth every penny when out in the woods and hungry as the proverbial koala bear. I place the tightly wrapped dinner right down into my bed of coals and turned it every so often while sipping my iced cold vodka. Now it just dawned on me that all of these blog entries I’m always drinking vodka.... don’t worry my many mom’s I’m not doing any driving and I only had a single 5th for the entire week of camping. So I’m not the alcoholic it sounds like. But then again denial is one of the first steps in recovery, isn’t LOL! This 3rd day of the trip ends some 1300 kilometres (810 miles) from Melbourne. However tonight I’m lying on the rock bench staring up at the stars of the southern hemisphere. Seeing Orion’s belt and thinking of my many friends in the north that can also see this constellation.
The night’s sleep wasn’t great once again as the air mattress just didn’t have enough air in it. I had tried changing the batteries but I realized my pump was just getting old and not able to produce the needed pressure to fill it all the way up. This is something I’d have to solve before too many more nights in the back of the truck. By the cool crisp air of 6 am I was wide awake and making some Coleman camp stove hot chocolate and scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Today’s plan was to do little driving and to get out on a hike. I selected Bunyeroo Gorge because it didn’t have a lot of elevation gain and would keep me in the shade. Yesterday had been very warm somewhere near 80 I guessed (still winter folks) and I was expecting this day to be the same. The hike was only about 4km (2.5m) each way and promised some great views of the rock formation. What the trail map failed to mention was the damn (a word much harsher actually comes to mind) flies. As I set out along the dirt path following the dry creek bed they began their never ending attack on me and any bit of moisture they could find. I spent more time with my baseball cap off swishing them away from my face than I did actually wearing the thing. Other than that the hike was nice. At times the walls of the gorge closed in on me and steeply rose several hundred feet into air. Sometimes the path would widen and was riddle with giant old gum trees. The 8’ diameter thick trunks had many branches providing a beautiful canopy to walk amongst. Cockatoos and several other types of bird life chattering in the tree tops. Alerting all other living creatures that a dreaded human was near. Reaching the end of the hike the creek bed become a flat stone lined wash about 200’ wide. I was interested in finding some vantage point to get a good view after walking so far tucked away into the gorge so I found a hillside to scale and got myself out of the forest for what was a magnificent view of the gum trees zigzagging across the plains. It was here in my sweaty still state that the flies did their best to annoy me. More than once I looked down upon my legs to see at least 100 of them soaking up the particles on my pants. Using my hat I was able to kill 15 or 20 at a time and those few were quickly replaced by more. I was glad I could not see my back as I had removed my day pack and could feel the sweat running down it. Every few minutes Mother Nature would give me just a bit of rest to enjoy the landscape by with a large gust of wind. This was too much for the flies to overcome and I’d get 30 second at a time without them. It was a peaceful spot if not for my annoying tiny friends I would have lingered much longer than the 15 minutes I spent perched on this hillside. But it was hot in the sun, my sunscreen had been removed by the perspiration and only the safety of Tommy the Tank would save me now. I made my way down the hillside and back along the creek bed the way I had come. Half way back I met a couple heading to the view spot wearing mesh netting over wide brimmed hats and thought to myself if I EVER come back to central Australia I got to get me one of those!
Once back at the truck I quickly changed into shorts and a dry t-shirt and had decided that another day driving around the park might not be so bad. At least the flies couldn’t keep up with me. So I set out on a looping adventure around the park’s roads. This expedition took me up to the Aroona Ruins in the far north of the park. A place where John Hayward had first settled in 1851 with 3000 sheep and only 40 pounds (The British pound was the currency at the time). He managed to build himself a 5 room bungalow with always cooling slate floors, which are still visible today. The homestead was complete with running water in the bath house, fig and fruit trees in addition to melon and pumpkins in a garden. Probably the reason he picked this spot on a lonely hillside in the middle of nowhere (even today) was for the ample supply of water at the time, but one must think the view of the Flinders Ranges had to have been a nice bonus. As it happens in a desert country the water dried up and John sold off his property in 1862 and return to England a rich man with over $40,000 pounds just before a long stretch of drought in which the new owner lost everything and had to abandoned the place. I managed to spend about 20 minutes exploring the area before the flies got too bothersome again and I retreated to Tommy and set off on to the next section of roadway.







Somewhere between Slippery Dip (an actual dip in the road where a real live somewhat moving water way crossed the road) and Trezona campground I spotted this bearded dragon lizard sunning himself in the middle of the track. At first I thought it was a stick in the road but his high arch back made me rethink it. I stopped the vehicle and got out to snap a picture. When he didn’t move I got closer. While he puffed himself up and was clearly agitated by my presence he never once moved from the spot and I was able to stand directly over him and get this great photo. In all he was about 18” to 20” long and one very dusty pissed of reptile. Back in the truck I took extra care to go as far around him as possible and he never moved an inch. My hope is that the next person to come along was travelling at a reasonable speed so this guy would not be hurt.
The next stop on the way was some ruins called Appealinna. There wasn’t a plaque so you’re spared the history lesson this time. But I was able to capture another picture of a lizard. This time it was a blue nose stub tail or something like that. I actually saw 2 of these guys and one very large and very dead kangaroo. As your luck will have it I did try and take a picture of the kangaroo with his skin stretch taught of his bony skeleton. A very startling sight and something out of a horror movie but when I got home and looked at the pictures something had gone wrong and it didn’t come out. The pictures of the lizards did come out but they not really good, as one was hiding under a rock ledge and the other had his face buried into a rock wall. If you really want to see it send me an email and I’ll forward them to you.
The final stop in the day before returning to camp was a placed called Stokes Hill Lookout. Only 4x4 can make it up the hill to this 360 degree viewpoint and its well worth the 3km detour off the main road. I took 2 videos of it 180 degrees at a time to give you a chance to see it. Trust me these images do not do it justice at all.
Back at the campground my neighbour invited me over to cooked dinner by his campfire and enjoy come conversations, which I gladly accepted. Jeff did have a hand action air pump which he let me borrow and I was able to completely fill my air mattress for a good night’s sleep. I hadn’t really talked to anyone for more than 10 seconds in 4 days now. Jeff was a single (straight and not cute) guy in his mid 40’s that had made some major changes in his life by quitting his job, selling everything he owned and buying a small camper van which he now lived in and was travelling around Australia. An idea that sounds appealing to me, but I think I’d rather do it in America.

That’s where this entry ends, my friends. I think 2500 words are enough for one night. I’ll try to get the 3rd and hopefully last entry typed up soon.
No new happy birthdays to report, but if I forgot someone please accept my apologies.