more GBR

well here goes I will post as many pictures as I can. The coral Great barrier reef

view from the airplane

fruit bats or flying foxes

HI I posted these without pictures as I am on time limet and pictures take a long time to post so I wii post pictures for as long as I have time 15 min

Sept29 Saturday- After a quick morning briefing we hit the road to Townville a 4 hr drive and 141 miles. We see lots of caution Cassowary signs but do not see any. They are rare and very shy.
Sept28 Friday Mission Bay-Our road trip begins today. A bus picks up all the drivers and takes them to Maui rentals. www.maui.com.au pictures of the rigs etc. Ours looked brand new . We must have been maybe the second renters as some of the dishes and utensils were still in plastic. First we go to Coles a grocery store to stock up. We continue down the road passing sugar cane, papaya, mango and banana fields. We do a side trip to Josephine Falls get out and stretch our legsand hike 700km. A pleasant hike in the rainforest to the falls. So far we see lots of road kill, instead of deer it is wallabies. After the short 3 hr. drive we are in Mission Beach where we stay at the Hideaway Holiday Village.It is a very short block to the beach. After we put the groceries away and empty our suitcases we hike to the picturesque beach, then over to town. The village has numerous cafes, art galleries and shops. I try to log in with their WIFI but have no luck. Will try tomorrow

Sept. 27 Thursday Cairns-Breakfast again at 6:30. A bus picks us up again and we head north for the Kuranda scenic railway. We start by exploring their museum before boarding for a leisurely ride that snakes through the rainforest via the magnificent vista of the Barron River Gorge. We go through 15 hand hewn tunnels. We are treated with macadamia nuts and unlimited champagne and orange juice on our way. We can look out and see the coastal plains and sugar plantations stretching to the sea in the distance. We stop and get out to take pictures of the beautiful Barron falls. They tumble 240 meters (787feet) to the valley floor. We proceed up to tropical town of Kuranda famous for it’s markets. We both buy Aussie hats. A TIP-if you go sit on theright side facing front for good pictures Check out www.ksr.com.au and www.kuranda.org We meet at 12 for the tour. The skyrail rainforest cableway ride is a 90 minute sensational ride in gondolas that carry 6 people. We get a birds eye view across the rainforest’s lush canopy of the Barron Gorge National Park. Traveling at treetop level we get totally immersed in our surroundings. Our senses tingle as we become one . There are 2 stops where we get out and experience the forest floor from the safety and comfort of boardwalks. A wild turkey escorts us down the pathway to view the falls from the opposite side of the train. At the red peak station a ranger explains the fascinating eco-system. We see basket ferns in the large superb strangling fig tree, stag horn ferns and other epiphytes. A very large old majestic Kaui pine and vine clad rainforest with fern covered forest floor are sights to be seen. The canopy is the natural rooftop of the rainforest. It protects the forest from rain wind and sun. It acts as a blanket trapping humidity and as a solar panel harnessing the sun’s energy for growth. This experience was made available without destroying the forest in an amazing engineering triumph no rainforest was damaged as all construction was delivered by helicopter. It was exhilarating to be able to float along virgin rainforest www.skyrail.com.au Next we visit Tjapukai Aboriginal culture park. We start with a buffet lunch (lamb is on the menu) yum. A magical mystical world dedicated to preserving and presenting authentic Aboriginal culture. We watch them dance, build a fire the old fashion way and play the haunting sound of the musical instrument the didgeridoo. We watch as well as try to throw the boomerang and a spear. www.tjapukai.com.au

Sept 25 Tuesday. Yes we lost a day. G’day from the land downunder. We arrive in the early morning .We have a short layover until our connecting flight to Cairns Australia. It is now 17 hours out of LA .Although we are still under the spell of a tethering jet lag we couldn’t help but be jolted awake at the lovely sight that was stretching from our plane window out to the picturesque horizon. We arrive in Cairns too early to get into our hotel rooms so they take us on tour north of Cairns in 2 large air-conditioned buses. We needed 2 because of all the luggage. The temperature is 30’ or 87’. Our driver said tourism is overtaking sugarcane. We view Palm Cove and its beautiful beaches. Machans beach with many new resorts going up and many others. At 2pm we claim our hotel room overlooking the ocean in the Tradewinds Esplanade. I walk the town and find fruit bats or flying foxes. There was about 50 of them hanging from a tree. I find spoonbills and pelicans on Esplanade lagoon. It has a great seawall walkway. We watch the boats return from the Great Barrier Reef right from our hotel room. 6:30 we get a deluxe BBQ buffet dinner. Tonight we are asleep before our sheets cover our shoulders.

Sunday LA-We have a huge complimentary breakfast (bacon omelet) hash browns, toast. At 9am we have our first briefing and question and answer period. We have 48 people and 22 rigs as 4 woman are traveling together. Reading our trip log our shortest travel day is only 86 miles in Au. and the longest is 275. In NZ –shortest is 22mi and longest is 215miles a day . So it looks pretty relaxed. We fly to Auckland first and have a 2and half hour layoff before going to Cairns .A day is taken away from us when we cross the international date line. A 17 hour trip. We leave Sept 23 and arrive Sept 25. a 24 hour loss of existence across the Pacific. We take a short walk to try to burn off some of the excellent breakfast as we do not have to be at the airport until 3pm. I go down to post the blog in the lobby.

Sunday LA-We have a huge complimentary breakfast (bacon omelet) hash browns, toast. At 9am we have our first briefing and question and answer period. We have 48 people and 22 rigs as 4 woman are traveling together. Reading our trip log our shortest travel day is only 86 miles in Au. and the longest is 275. In NZ –shortest is 22mi and longest is 215miles a day . So it looks pretty relaxed. We fly to Auckland first and have a 2and half hour layoff before going to Cairns .A day is taken away from us when we cross the international date line. A 17 hour trip. We leave Sept 23 and arrive Sept 25. a 24 hour loss of existence across the Pacific. We take a short walk to try to burn off some of the excellent breakfast as we do not have to be at the airport until 3pm. I go down to post the blog in the lobby.

Sept22 Saturday –Our flight was uneventful. We had a 3 hr wait after check in so I played scrabble with mavin on my computer so time went quickly for me.A beautiful sunny day. We flew over Mount Saint Helens. I was too slow with my camera. We are not in the best of seats for taking pictures (over the wing). We are staying at the Doubletree Inn in LA. We meet our wagon masters Jim and Gisela Spires. They give us our trip log, name tags etc. We also meet the couple (Peter and Mary Dewberry) from Ontario.
We have dinner in the hotel and look forward to meeting every one tomorrow morning after a complimentary breakfast. WIFI is free only in the lobby. It is $10 in the room

Sept 17 Monday- Shannon and Ethan are docked in Vancouver. They had a cocktail party Sunday. A very nice affair.

Wonderful food. Sherri and Gerry were there and was Kevin.

Sunday Sept16 Vancouver-We are very busy getting ready for our trip. Bill gets a reprieve and was an observer in a predicted log race at the club. They came in 3rd. He just tags along to make them honest. They provided all the food- breakfast, lunch and a steak dinner at the end that I got to go to also. I am doing research for the trip and find it very exhilarating. Australia is the worlds 6th largest country. It is the only Island that is a continent and the only continent that is an Island. It is the only nation that began as a prison. It is home of the largest living thing on earth, the Great Barrier Reef (we go here) and the largest monolith Ayers Rock(but not here). I begin to wonder what kind of country we are going to as it has more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else: the 10 most deadly snakes on the planet, fluffy yet toxin caterpillars, seashells that actually attack you and unbelievable box jelly fish with a deadly sting, the awe of the land down under. Australia is the driest, hottest, most desiccated, inutile and climatically aggressive of all inhabited continents (only Antarctica is more hostile to life). 80%of all that lives in Australia (plants and animals) exist nowhere else. The most characteristic creature doesn’t run or hop or canter but bounces across the land like a dropped ball. The Australian coat of arms depicts the kangaroo and the emu both creatures physically unable of going backwards thereby signifying that Australia focuses on progress and the country’s future. Australia is about the size land mass as USA but very sparsely populated with only 19 million people.
We get there in their spring. We go to Queensland and New south Wales only 2 of the 6 states and 2 territories. Australia has the Aborigines and New Zealand the Maori. New Zealand has no snakes, scorpions or other nasties except a katipo spider, sharks and mosquitoes It is on the international dateline and claims to be the first country to see the rising sun .
We will travel approximately 1,900 miles in Australia and 2,300 miles in New Zealand. All on the wrong side of the road. They figure it will cost 850 US dollars for fuel. We are counting the days like a child at Christmas.

Sept 4-Sept 11 We were awakened at 6am to a noise on our boat. Bill goes to check it up only to find a seal lounging on our swimgrid. It is the first time that has ever happened. We are busy getting ready for our trip. We have bought new luggage, and another camera. This one waterproof so I can take pictures on the Great Barrier Reef and use it when I am out on my kayak. I also bought a new gortex jacket. Money is flowing like water. Sherri cooked us a good dinner. She has moved in with Gerry so we got to see her new place . It is near where her old house was. The WIFI is not working at the yatch club so I am at an internet cafe on Lonsdale.

Center Bay pig roast weekend

view of Stanley Park from water (still a mess after last winters storm

Sept 3 Monday We return back to BYC in overcast skies. Water was calm. Again unbelievable as we didn’t have any rough waters all summer long. Wonderful!

Aug29 Thursday-Sept 3- Today we head to the other end of the Island and our Center Bay station. Hudson and Dina bring our mail. They have a pig roast here for the long weekend. 25 boats attend. The weather held out. Sunday they announce the winners of horseshoes, crib, botchie and ping pong. They had a 50-50 draw, two $225.00 and low and behold if we didn’t win one. A very nice surprise.

Aug23-29 Ekins a BYC outstation. We prawn with some success. Bill also gets a small octopus in the trap. I wish I would have been with him to get a picture. The water was warm enough to go swimming. 6-7 boats here every day, so not crowded. Weather of and on sun and rain. I hike over to Thunderbird outstation with Ingrid and Rose