Australia 2011 - Day 8 - The Stuart Highway

Sept. 23rd

We woke up early in the morning, probably around 3, and decided, since it was cold and neither of us could sleep, to head further up the road. We turned on the heat and were nice and toasty, and again we didn’t encounter much of anyone, roos included. We stopped at the next rest area, finally warm enough, and got another hour or so of sleep before officially starting our day. Awkward and cold as sleeping in the car was, it really didn’t seem dangerous, nor was it particularly frowned upon out here, so we were excited to have a newfound method of lodging that wouldn’t break the bank. Granted, not being able to shower or really deal with hygiene was a bit unpleasant, but this was the outback! Who would care?! Some of the people we’d see in our travels surely hadn’t bathed in weeks. We got over it quickly.

Only stopping at the occasional station to get gas, we finally made our way into Coober Pedy, the self-proclaimed opal capital of the world. Opal mining is definitely the main industry, with claims being found all around town. In order to deal with the extreme heat of this part of the outback, most residents live in dugouts, bored out underground dwellings. We were glad to be here at the end of winter when it was still cool, if you consider low 90’s to be cool. Apparently the golf course in town, which I’d have loved to have experienced had I known and had we had more time, is only open at night, has no grass save for the turf the players carry with them with which to tee off, and is played with glowing balls. What fun! We’d hoped to eat at the underground diner, but it was sadly closed. Instead, we ate at a small sandwich shop and then attempted noodling, which is the term for opal mining. There are large hills of dirt on the east side of town through which you can dig in search of your own opals, free to keep. We noodled like mad and found a few things that may have been something (but probably weren’t) before we made our way to one of the local opal shops where I bought a small bag of dirt to sift through that would definitely have some in it. I also tried my luck at the noodling bin out front and got some nice ones, though I think most of the above would be lost later on in the trip.

Another issue I had upon arrival in Coober Pedy was my camera’s battery. It was nearly dead, and, not having stayed at a motel overnight, I couldn’t do much about it. So we visited the local information center, and I stealthily plugged it in while we read about the local attractions. I was going to ask permission, but the employees were busy with other people and I couldn’t wait anymore. I’m sure by the time we left I didn’t have enough power to last very long, so when we checked out the underground opal museum, I did the same thing there. Terrible, I know, but I’m sure it didn’t use that much electricity.

From here, we continued northward, stopping at a few more roadhouses for gas. It would have been interesting to stay at one of these rugged outback stations, but we liked to drive into the night and by then everything seemed to be closed…including gas pumps! Which reminds me, nowhere in Australia did we find credit card-rigged pumps. Everything was pay inside only, which got to be inconvenient, especially with night driving because the stations would close down and you’d be out of luck and out of gas.

Our only interesting stop was at the border between South Australia and the Northern Territories. I guess we weren’t supposed to drive into the Territories, according to our car rental company, but here we were! Rebels to the max! By now, dusk was settling in, so we booked it. We gassed up at Erlunda Roadhouse and started our way west, toward Uluru (Ayers Rock) and away from the Stuart Highway. We got about 70 km in before we decided to pull into a rest stop and call it a night. Once again, we enjoyed sleeping under the stars even though it got ridiculously cold again. The peace was incredible!

Australia 2011 - Day 7 - Adelaide!

Sept. 22

After our stressful encounters in Melbourne, we were a little hesitant to take on Adelaide. Big cities, we’ve determined, just aren’t our thing. Luckily, Adelaide is a bit smaller than Melbourne, but still confusing when you’re trying to juggle directions and driving in a strange new way. Still, we wanted to see some of it – that’s why we were here!

We made it into the city and decided to park at the convention center because it was one of the first lots we encountered within a reasonable distance of the sights we wished to see. Our first stop was the botanic gardens, which weren’t quite as impressive as the one in Melbourne, but still very nice. We saw an incredible assortment of birds in the area, including our first visual of a kookaburra! Lots of lorikeets and ducks were spotted, too. We heard frogs, but I was never able to catch sight of one.

On the gardens’ grounds, we came across the National Wine Center. Run by the University of Adelaide, this serves as a venue for a multitude of functions, while also showcasing the region’s wine industry. We tried out the various hands-on exhibits, and even got to run a computer program that tests our winemaking prowess. It was a nice little change of pace.

From the gardens, we crossed the street and took a tour of the historic Ayers House. Considered to be one of the finest examples of Colonial Regency architecture, Henry Ayers (of Ayers Rock fame, as well as seven-time Premier, eleven-time Cabinet Minister, and President of the Legislative Council for 12 years) purchased the property in 1871. The site was host to incredible parties, dinners, and luncheons, serving politically important guests through the years. It was a large and lovely home, and a very interesting tour.

Once the tour ended, we had hopes of meeting Hilda, a friend from my Murdoch University days, for lunch. I’d programmed her number into my phone, but of course the flaky thing didn’t save it properly, so we had to book it back to the car to get her number. My feet were a little blistery from all the hiking over the last few days, so Nate ran ahead, and I would meet him on his return. Well, by the time I finally got to the car park, we’d never passed! So I sat outside the building, not sure which exit he’d take, and waited and waited. And waited. The wind blew aggressively and the passers-by looked on coldly. Where was my husband?! More than a half hour passed, and I couldn’t imagine where he was! I started heading back the way I’d come, but turned back, just in case. Finally, from the direction of Ayers House, Nate appeared, freaked out for not having found me. I have absolutely NO idea how we could have missed each other, but it was really worrisome! I joked that he probably thought I liked Australia so much that I just took off and decided to take on a new identity in my new city. But really, how weird! We were so relieved and vowed not to leave each others’ sight again if we could help it.

Number in hand, and much later than I’d intended, I rang Hilda and left her a message. We decided to do some more sight-seeing while awaiting her call, but it was so late I figured she’d be busy back at work. Our next order of business was to find a pie floater. Sounds lovely, yes? Wait ‘til you hear what it is! According to our guidebook, pie floaters are Adelaide’s signature food item. It is an inverted meat pie, sitting in a bowl of thick pea soup and doused with ketchup. Mmm. The locals love ‘em, and other people find them repulsive. Still, I always try to sample the local cuisine. We asked around, and nobody seemed to know what we were talking about. Nate was convinced that this was some sort of elaborate Aussie prank, but a google image search provided us with many actual pictures of such. One person suggested we try the Adelaide Central Market – where anything and everything can be found if it exists. So we headed over to see what was what.

Australian markets are really something else! If it weren’t for the hordes of people, they would be a lot of fun. So many neat and unusual items are sold here, from exotic foods to clothing to odd knickknacks you won’t find in regular shops. We searched hurriedly, pausing at pie shops in particular, all to no avail. The woman at the information kiosk had no clue what we were talking about, either, which was disappointing. I was starting to think we should have braved the drive to North Adelaide to the restaurant that is known for them, but alas. We found our way over to the Asian food court for lunch, instead.

Now, I’m not usually a fan of Asian food (save for sushi), but Australia does it right! They have some of the best Asian food ANYWHERE! The Asian food court is ridiculous! There are at least 20 different places from which to choose, each with a huge menu. I could have sat there all day hemming and hawing about what to eat. Once place had a $5 lunch deal, which is extremely cheap by Aussie standards, so I opted for chicken teriyaki, which was boring but so good! I could see staying in Adelaide just to try all the food!

After lunch, it was starting to get late, and we had a long way to go, so we headed north. Once we made it to Port Augusta, home to the southern end of the famous Stuart Highway, and the last town of any note for a very long time, we tried in vain to find a room. All the places we saw were booked, and no one at the motels could recommend any places beyond what we saw. It was nightfall, and while we were really nervous about driving with the kangaroo danger, we decided we’d head up the Stuart Highway and drive until we found a rest stop, hoping they’d be as common as they were further south.

The Stuart Highway is the only paved road that runs from south to north through the red center of Australia. A two-laned highway for the most part, it is largely uninhabited save for the occasional station (gas, restaurant, convenience store, sometimes lodging) every 100 miles or so. Despite its remoteness, you’re never really that far from other humans, as road trains, enormous trucks that have up to 5 trailers, are a common sight. We were both uncertain about this leg of our journey, mostly because we’d be so far away from civilization, so taking the plunge and starting out in the dark of night was a bit daunting. We were greeted to intense darkness all around, and didn’t pass much of anyone before we made it to a rest stop. We were feeling good and decided to keep going, figuring we’d get as far as we could in what time we had. When we approached the second stop, we thought it best to cease our journey for the night. Another car with a camper was parked there as well, so it appeared that this type of lodging was common. We pulled into a spot far enough away, rolled back our seats (which went back the entire 90 degrees!), and enjoyed the incredible view of stars in the outback sky. The glow from Port Augusta was nearly undetectable. It was just us and the immense vastness of space. Incredible.

Australia 2011 - Days 5 and 6 - Victoria and South Australia

Sept. 20th

We headed out early and wound our way north to Grampians National Park. Unfortunately our Garmin was confused and gave us bad directions…we wondered why we kept going past the mountain range that was surely part of the park! We turned around and got our bearings right and headed into the park. Australia has a lot of national parks – I love that about it! The only thing is that their national parks are often more like what we would call national monuments or state parks in the states. They’re wonderful treasures, but they don’t have the extreme geographical oddities that our national parks seem to. I’m glad they’re preserving all this land, though. Here we were treated to a huge mountain range by Australian standards. Sadly, most of the roads up to them were inaccessible, so we stuck to the lowlands. We found our way to a fantastic billabong with a large mob of kangaroos basking on the shore. We got some excellent pictures of them, and then were treated to the company of a huge flock of cockatoos, hundreds of which coated the branches of all the trees. It was loud and riotous, especially when they decided to fly, but incredible nonetheless.

Then I saw it. A bird I had only glimpsed briefly before was hanging out near another car. This stunning bird was red of the brightest intensity with sapphire blue wings. A crimson rosella! I tried to get some pictures while not disturbing the family nearby. That’s when I saw they were luring the bird over with food, letting it alight on their hands! Now I’m not a fan of feeding the wildlife, but I just HAD to see this magnificent animal up close. I desperately searched the trunk for anything that might resemble bird food. But wait!! I had some granola bars that were full of seeds! Voila! So once the family bored of their fun, I went over and held my hand up to the duo of birds watching suspiciously from the tree. Suddenly one swooped down and landed on my hand, eagerly eating away. That about made my decade! Beaming, we continued down the road to a waterfall where we heard our first kookaburra! Nothing says Australia like that! We ate lunch at a café in Halls Gap where we discovered you really don’t get water unless you ask for it. It was too busy to ask, so I just waited until I got back to the car and downed a bottle or two there.

Continuing up, we left the park briefly and saw the world’s largest koala, which is a gift shop and petting zoo attraction. We just did our photo op before heading back into the park to do another, more strenuous waterfall hike. On our way out of the park, we saw two emus right near the road! So cool! From here, we drove and drove and drove, not seeing much of anything, but getting nervous as dusk settled because the danger of roos on the road increases substantially. We listened to Triple J, the Australian national music station and heard a lot of “Somebody That I Used to Know” and “Mr. Saxobeat”. We stopped in Bordertown, at the border of Victoria and South Australia. It seemed quite pleasant, though the name would make me picture something akin to Juarez or something. It was nightfall as soon as we left, and we made it a point to stop as soon as we saw a place. We were comforted (?) by all the signs warning about weary driving and how deadly it can be, but only because they were usually paired with a pull off where you could sleep if needed. Luckily, we found one of those generic bar motels sponsored by West End Beer in Tailem Bend. We checked in at the bar and found our way up to an incredibly skeezy room in a very dark corridor frequented by unsavory types. I wasn’t looking forward to using the communal bathroom, though luckily it was women only. We decided to go back down to the bar for a beer, since Nate wanted to try the beers from every state. While there, we were subjected to the newest episode of “Two and a Half Men,” which was the first to feature Ashton Kutcher. It’s funny, too, because we’d heard them talking about it on the radio, and we were discussing how much we dislike the show. I guess it’s all the rage in Australia, though, as was evidenced by everyone in the bar giving the tv their undivided attention. Then we called it a night.

Sept. 21st

Still in the first week of our trip, it felt like we had eternity ahead of us. Still, I knew this time would go by quickly, so I vowed to make the most of every moment. We headed toward the wine country of South Australia, bantering about crazy things as we often do. Things like whether the fish in the Pacific Ocean consider our Pacific Northwest the Pacific Northeast, because that’s what it really is! *sigh* On our drive we found ourselves in some of the most picturesque places ever! Lots of rolling pastureland full of sheep and cows and dogs and horses. It was so lush and comforting. I just imagined that the animals would wake up every morning and sing with joy about a brand new day in this little paradise. We set our sights on McLaren Vale, in the center of wine country, after reading that they offered camel winery tours. That’s right. A winery tour on camel back. I was DYING to ride a camel, and we enjoy winery tours, so how unique and perfect is this?! Unable to find any definitive info on this attraction, we made our way to the information center at the edge of town. They gave us the number to call, but unfortunately they no longer do the tours, but it gave me an idea for a side business out in Corrales, NM!

Slightly dejected, we wandered around the vineyards surrounding the info center and then proceeded to hike along the Shiraz Trail, a lovely path that skirts a number of private vineyards and looks out along the lovely countryside. This was heaven! On our way back, we stopped for two tastings: the Serafino Winery and another pretentious one whose name I forget. Then we had lunch at Oscar’s, an Italian restaurant, where Nate got to sample Vale Ale. I don’t think he was too impressed, though.

We left lovely McLaren Vale on our way toward the coast. We stopped along some incredible overlooks and geocached a bit. We espied some lovely views of Kangaroo Island. We’d considered visiting, but it was expensive and they required a stay of at least one night. We didn’t know if we’d have the time, so we opted against it. I had hoped to see some wild penguins, and I knew this would be our best chance, so that was disappointing, but at least we saw penguinland from afar!

That night we stayed at an ensuite motel in Glenelg that was suggested in our guidebook. It was decent, and we were glad to have our own bathroom again. After checking in, we high tailed it to the beach about 3 blocks away in hopes of catching the sunset. We just missed it, but we enjoyed seeing the fiery colors that persisted in the sky. It was peaceful and lovely as the Southern Ocean gently lapped the shore. Then we headed over to the Holdfast Hotel which hosts a brew pub. They seated us outside where we hoped to get dinner, but they seemed to forget about us, so we headed to the bar where we sampled their brews including something called a Frooty Tingle which resembled carbonated antifreeze, though I rather liked it. We got a mediocre pizza from a small place near our motel and called it a night.

Australia 2011, days 3-4

Sept. 18th

I woke up at 3:30 and just couldn’t fall back asleep. I probably crawled out of bed around 5:00 and we made it down to breakfast by 6. That was an adventure! Nate had never tried the Aussie treat known as Vegemite, and to our delight there were packets of it at our table. He thought it was absolutely vile, even though I warned him in advance. I apparently like to punish myself, so I tried it again, and it was just as I remembered. I can’t fathom how children can like the stuff! Bleh!! Still, when in Oz, one must immerse oneself in the culture, right?

After eating, we had a number of errands to run. Our first stop was the Big W, Australia’s Walmart equivalent. We got an Australian atlas and phone. Then we hit Woolworths for groceries and came back to pack the car. Then we did a little geocaching. We weren’t able to access an island on which one was situated, but we did get two back at the botanic gardens. From there, we searched out the HiFi store for a Sim card for our phone. We had lunch at Soda Rock Diner which was trying really hard to be American. Nate got a burger with beets on it and really liked it. I noted how the Coke was served in cans and not from a fountain. We’d discover along our trip that this was the rule. McDonalds was the only place we visited that used soda fountains. I was also happy that sodas used cane sugar and not the corn syrup crud that the US seems obsessed with.

After lunch, we decided to drive down to St. Kilda, home of Luna Park, Australia’s oldest amusement park. I was so incredibly excited to visit, especially since it’s also home to the oldest continuously running roller coaster in the world: Scenic Railway. Opened in 1912, this coaster was so special and historically significant that I couldn’t miss it. Well, we dealt with the madhouse that was St. Kilda and managed to find parking about a mile away from the park. Once we arrived, we discovered that the iconic entrance, a grotesque face, was under construction, and because of this, the Scenic Railway (which circles the entire park and is attached to the face) was not running. Talk about a bummer! I really didn’t like Melbourne enough to return, and I’d have to miss out on the one coaster I wanted to ride more than any other. Well, at least there was another coaster, Metropolis, a production Galaxi, for me to ride. While in line, a local family struck up a conversation with me and invited me to ride with them, so I got to ride sooner than expected. Nate sat out, but he joined me on the haunted house ride, which was campy but historic. We also took some nice pictures, and then walked down to the beach before hitting the road.

We were happy it was Sunday, so traffic wasn’t as terrible as it could have been. We made our way through Melbourne and down to the Great Ocean Road. We did a number of hikes, visited a lighthouse or two, and saw our first two kangaroos on the road, which is always startling, but very cool nonetheless. The views along this drive are outstanding, and it’s considered one of the greatest drives in the world. Stretching from Torquay to Warrnambool, the road is also the largest WWI memorial in the world, stretching 151 miles, and having been built by returning soldiers in commemoration of the war.

We stopped for the night in Lorne, staying at a hostel that provided us with a cozy little cabin. The fancy restaurant a block away was hosting a party, so we opted for the local pizza joint instead. We ordered the shrimp, chili, and rockets (arugula) pizza, and it was heavenly! The chili was used in place of tomato sauce, and it was one of the tastiest things around! We also swung by the grocery store so Nate could try some Tim Tams and Lemon Ruskies. Now Tim Tams are chocolate covered cookies that are all the rage to many visitors to Oz, but I’ve never thought much of them. Still, I thought Nate should get the full experience and try them. He agreed with me, but at least now he knows! As for a Lemon Ruski, this is a vodka, wine, and lemon drink that I adored when I studied abroad. I was so excited to see they still made them, so we got a six pack. To my delight, Nate liked them, too! So with unusual pizza, Lemon Ruskies, and Tim Tams, we had a solid Aussie dinner! Then we watched some cartoons and hit the hay.

Sept. 19th

The time change was working in our favor, and we got up super early for the second day in a row! By 6am we were up, and we were out the door by 7. Unfortunately, we couldn’t check out until 9, so we used the time to head up the coast a bit, taking our bed sheets with us (you turn them in when you check out) and found a trail that took us up to Sheoak Falls. It was lovely, and there were so many birds! Upon our return, we stopped briefly in town to activate our phone. The person on the line was immensely confused insisting that we needed to have an Australian address to activate our account even though it was prepaid. How stupid! After trying in vain to explain our situation, I just gave up and decided to call back later. Honestly, it seemed like many things in Australia are set up to be nonsensical. Surely we’re not the first people to need a temporary phone while traveling abroad!

After that, we checked out of the hostel, got postcards, and made a few more stops along the way. We saw the wreck of the W.B. Godfrey, although only its anchor was visible. We did an amazing hike in Great Otway National Park through an incredibly lush rainforest. Then we visited Cape Otway Lightstation where we searched furiously and unsuccessfully for echidnas, climbed the lighthouse, learned about the strange disappearance of Frederick Valentich, a pilot who disappeared after being pursued by an aircraft that “is not an aircraft” (creepy!), and saw lots and lots of wild koalas! We continued on and saw a number of other outstanding oceanic overlooks including the Twelve Apostles, Castle Cove, and just about any other pull offs and hikes that were available. We stopped in Port Campbell, which appeared as a ghost town, but managed to find a fast foodish establishment for our 3:30 meal of the day. We decided to save money by only eating once a day if possible, and it seemed to be working so far! Anyway, Nate got fish and chips (barramundi fish is a million times more flavorful and nice than cod), and I got a beef burgundy pie which grossed Nate out, especially since it didn’t come with a fork and I had to eat it as is. The town seemed pleasant, and I could see coming back when things are actually open. Continuing along the Great Ocean Road, it started to get windy and rainy and generally miserable. Still, we didn’t let it stop us. We came here to see the sights, and dag nab it, that’s what we’d do, even if the wind gusted us off a ledge!

Our last stop was the town of Warrnambool, famous for its annual whale sightings. We attempted to see them at the overlook, hoping that one of the choppy waves was attached to a whale, but to no avail. Our guidebook said that we may be hitting the end of their visit, but there was still a chance. After about a half hour in the rain and cold, we decided we better just find a place to stay for the night.

Up the road a short piece, we found the Blue Whale Motor Inn, and we were relieved that they still had a vacancy. For a very reasonable price we got an entire suite! Two bedrooms with 4 beds in total, our own bathroom, a full kitchen and seating room, AND internet! We learned a lot about Australian motel accommodations this night, too. First of all, if you get a single or double room, you share a bathroom with boarders in other rooms. If you get en suite, that is the equivalent of a normal motel room in the states – it just means you get a bathroom to yourself. Also, it is customary for the front desk to provide you with a small carton of milk for your coffee the next morning. When they handed us the carton, we were confused but graciously accepted. The other confusing thing occurred when we entered our room. There was no electricity. We searched and searched but couldn’t seem to find a switch that worked. Perplexed, I went back to the front desk to ask about it, and it turns out that you plug the key into a holder right next to the door that activates the electricity to the suite. Who knew?! And it’s a good thing we found that out because we’d come across the same issue several more times on our journey.

One of the most irksome characteristics of Australian motels, however, is their office hours. We discovered the hard way that these places tend to close down at 8pm, so if you don’t have a room by then, you’re out of luck. There are no convenient chain Motel 6es or the like out here. There are mom and pop establishments which are generally very well-kept and reminded me of the places I’d stay on travels with my family as a kid, not the skeezy mom and pops that they all seem to have become in recent years. There were a few skeezy, hostel-type motels that were associated with bars (and sponsored by different beers, depending on the state in which we were), and while they were open later, they usually were full before we’d arrive.

Anyway, the entire Great Ocean Road region seemed very New Englandy to me, and the people did, too. They were cordial enough, but distant. They didn’t warm up easily to newcomers, and this was quite a change from the people I’d met in Perth, but it was really interesting to see. It takes all kinds!

We spent the evening getting our phone officially activated, giving them the address of the Blue Whale which worked, luckily! We were the proud owners of a working Telstra phone for the remainder of our trip! Then we checked in on the internet and hit the hay by 9, hoping to continue our early morning starts to maximize our sight-seeing time.

Australia 2011 - Sept. 15 - 17

Thurs. Sept. 15th

This was it! The day was finally here! After saying we’d have our big honeymoon in Australia for years, we finally bit the bullet. We hadn’t had an opportunity to take such an enormous trip, but as luck would have it, I was required to take three months off from work due to a ridiculous city policy. We decided to make lemonade from apparent lemons, so here we were! We hadn’t really planned out specifics, opting rather for our spontaneous style of travel, but we had a rough idea of where we wanted to go. The first leg of our trip found us checking in at the Albuquerque Sunport. We were both nervous, since we had no idea what to expect, and even though I’d been to Australia before, that was 13 years prior!

Someone had suggested I mention the fact that we were on our honeymoon while checking in because occasionally they’ll bump you to first class. I had my doubts, but I tried anyway, in an excited, yet small-talkish way, to the half-interested agent. It didn’t work, and it would turn out that our flight to LA was such a small craft that it didn’t even seem to have a first class section. Oh well. Then she asked us about our travel visas. Wait, what? I’d looked around briefly to see if we needed them, and nothing was mentioned in our travel guides or the websites I’d visited. So that was good enough for me, and I didn’t pursue it. Well guess what. You need one. Nate and I were horrified – after all this, would we not be able to go on our trip? Well, luckily Australia is one of the few places you can buy a visa at the airport (which may be why it isn’t mentioned – you just get it when you check in usually). So we bought them – yet another expense at the start of an already expensive trip. But it’s not like we’d decline a $50 charge and not go. Thank goodness, that was easy.

Once on board the tiny aircraft, I stowed my computer case in the overhead bin. There was a plastic bag full of something right next to my stuff, and I pushed it over a bit so I had room. Well, “something” turned out to be a bag of leaky, smelly green chile, and it managed to seep all over my computer case. I had visions of not being allowed into the country once I went through Australian customs because the dogs would detect produce. That’s all I needed! I fretted about this for a while during our 5 hour layover in Los Angeles, but eating dinner at the diner and having a beer at the airport brew pub helped me get my mind off it.

Eventually, we boarded our plane for our 14.5 hour flight to Sydney. We were seated in the last row, were fed three times, and watched a number of movies sans sound including “Rio” and the most recent “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Even though we were above the ocean the entire time, I peered out when I could. I just couldn’t sleep! I got maybe a half hour in, but that was pushing it. Airplane sleeping isn’t easy.

Sept. 17th

We landed in Sydney, a bit stiff and tired, but really none the worse for wear. Despite the fact that we’d be taking the same craft to Melbourne, we had to deplane and reboard. By now, we’d lost an entire day, and it was currently Saturday. At least we’d be gaining one on our way back, though. On our flight to Melbourne, I enjoyed looking out the window at the Australian countryside below, imagining what it was like at ground level. It looked like there were lush pasturelands and peaceful bungalows situated among pleasantly rolling hills. It seemed like paradise. Once we landed, we went through customs. I looked nervously at the beagle that I KNEW would rat me out for having green chile smell on my computer case. But luckily we looked honest enough that they let us through without checking our bags. It really didn’t feel much like Australia yet. It was essentially just the US with a hard-to-comprehend accent at times. I did find myself picking up on the accent very quickly, and I probably annoyed Nate with my half Aussie-isms. This lasted for about a week before I fell back into my Midwestern-accented self, but it was fun nonetheless.

Our first stop was the Thrifty Car Rental facility. The employees seemed impatient and curt, and spoke super fast to Nate who was still struggling with the accent. I’d remembered loving Australia because the people seemed so incredibly nice while I was there, so much so that when I returned to the States, I wondered why everyone (who was acting normally) was so mean, comparably. Well, Melbourne isn’t that friendly, and this was our first taste of it. We finally got our car, a little silver Tiida. Every time I get a rental car, I look at it and hope that it’ll look the same when we return it. I wonder how it’d serve us in an accident. I worry. I regarded our tiny silver car nervously, but figured we’d be ok. It’s tiny, but we’ll do alright. There is the whole “driving on the other side” issue, but we’d catch on. Yes. Then I remembered the real reason I was supposed to look at the car was for any dents, scratches, or other problems. I found a few scratches, and we filled out our form, but there was no one to hand it to on the way out, so now I worried that they would charge us for them on our way back. Worry worry worry. That’s what I do. Oh well, later we’d see that wouldn’t even be an issue.

Now, I understand why airports are situated right by major expressways, but when you’re in a new country, trying to drive in a way completely opposite from that which you know, the last thing you want to do when you leave the carport is to be regurgitated out into a busy mass of impatient drivers. Nate was a whiz, though. Obviously nervous about all this, he kept his composure and managed to not get us killed. The stress level in the car was high, however, and it didn’t help when instructions our Garmin was barking out were confusing or conflicted with what we saw. All we wanted to do was to get to the botanic gardens in the city, but it was easier said than done. We were so relieved when we exited the expressways and found ourselves on surface streets, but that was short-lived because now we had weird roads that ran dangerously close to the streetcars, and outer parallel roads that were safer but crazy-confusing to access.

We’d also heard rumors of something called “hook turns.” In such cases, you have to turn right from the extreme left lane. It all sounded so confusing on top of everything else, but luckily I don’t think we ever encountered one of those. Nate was getting really uptight, so we wound up parking near the botanic gardens to catch our breath. We couldn’t park there long-term, however, so we gathered ourselves and considered our next plan of attack. He asked me to drive, and, silly me who is so panicky when I drive normally, was all, “Oh yeah, I can do this thing! What an adventure! It’ll be fun and easy!”

So I gave Nate the Garmin and got behind the wheel. The entire concept of driving here was so awkward, especially while having to concentrate on many opposite things at once. The blind spot on the Tiida was doubly problematic because of the thick walls between the windows, so I couldn’t see optimally. After waiting for a while until I absolutely knew no one was coming for a long time, I inched my way out, and then someone appeared out of nowhere! Of COURSE! So there went my relative ease. I was in panic mode! On top of that, we were still in the streetcar lane, which I desperately needed to get out of. After passing several weird intersections that would have connected me with the outside street, I finally saw my chance and took it. Trying to pay attention to a number of things at once, I edged to it, and Nate was all, “Turn here!” which I took to mean turn NOW, and I did, nearly getting rear ended by someone who was in that damn blindspot! Oh my goodness, I about had a breakdown. The other driver was understandably pissed, and I was freaked out, and Nate was upset. I was a wreck, and told Nate to just get me close to the gardens and I would find parking and stop once and for all. Well, for some reason, we just got further and further from the gardens, but I didn’t care, I just found a pay lot and took it. I’d had it. I was a wreck, and I was absolutely furious with myself for my incompetence. In case you didn’t know, I hate driving. And backasswards Australian driving is even worse. Nate’s comical confusion of the wipers and the turn signal could be dealt with, but at least he didn’t almost kill us.

So we got out of the car, and I was shaking and angry, starting to wonder why we were crazy enough to rent a car here at all, and thinking maybe we’d made a mistake. Maybe we should just return the car and spend three weeks in Melbourne. Ugh. I already didn’t like Melbourne. Why would we stay here for three weeks?! What a start to our trip! Anyway, we started our walk to the botanic gardens. It was windy and I kept getting dust in my eyes. I was probably no fun to be around during this time, but Nate was a good sport about it. (Though I don’t think he wanted me behind the wheel again for a while, and I was more than fine with that.)

Three miles later, we found ourselves at the gates to the Melbourne Botanical Gardens, an internationally-renowned gardens with over 10,000 species of plant. Situated amongst several adjacent parks, the Gardens are free to the public, and a perfect place to just kick back and enjoy nature. We hiked around, enjoying unusual Australian flora and being serenaded by a chorus of native birds. Magpies and ravens were abundant and a pleasant reminder of my days as a student in Perth. While the ravens look much like ours, they have a strange, almost catlike cry, and I always used to say they have an Australian accent. There were a number of birds we only heard as they screeched from the trees, but we were excited to catch a glimpse of a few cockatoos and galahs on our rounds.

The gardens seemed to go on forever, offering some hills to climb with astounding views and quiet forested walks. We enjoyed visiting every little section we could find, but I’m sure we overlooked a lot. Then we headed over to the veterans memorial, which was also quite large. It had an eternal flame, a large mausoleum, and a terrific lookout from above. A small museum featured items from wars past, and discussed the involvement of Australia in military conflict throughout the years. It was quite fascinating and a nice addition to our garden tour.

Once we were done exploring the parks, we started our trek back to the car. We were glad to see that our hostel was more or less on the way, so we stopped there to check in. Nate booked us accommodations at the Hotel Claremont. For a hostel, this was pretty pricey, but it was about the best deal in town. An historic old hotel, this was a nice change of pace from the chain motels we’re used to in our travels. Our room was pretty cramped, though – we had bunk beds and a small table, and that was it! The unsealed windows were cold, our floor was loud, and we had to share a bathroom across the hall with the rest of the floor. Still, we had internet and a place to stop, so we didn’t mind too much.

Once we’d checked in, we headed back to the car and attempted to find parking nearby. Luckily, since it was the weekend, we had an entire street of free parking less than a block away. So we parked our car and decided not to drive anymore today. Thank goodness! We’d considered catching a bus down to Luna Park to ride the rides, but both of us were too exhausted after the long flight and other ordeals. I don’t think we even went out to eat that night. We were just glad to stop at last!

Long Hiatus II

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted here...I should get back on track. BUT....I finally am most of the way through my Australia adventure, so I'll post bits and pieces in manageable increments. I've enjoyed reliving it through writing - I hope you can experience it with me!

Lake Superior Tour: July 2011

For several months, Nathan and I had plans to visit the northern peninsula of Michigan, to attend services for his Grandfather Crane. We were excited to see much of his family, and to honor the life of his grandfather, and we looked forward to visiting a part of the country to which we’d never been.

A day or two before our trip, we realized our first day out would be extremely crazy. We’d fly into Minneapolis around 5pm, should there be no delays, and from there it was a 10 hour drive to Sault Ste. Marie! On top of that, we’d lose an hour as we entered the Eastern Time Zone. That stressed both of us out quite a bit, but things always seem to work out somehow, so rather we not fret about it too much. There’s always a way!

The service was scheduled for 11am on Thursday July 21st (which was also my grandfather’s Birthday!), so we flew out on Wednesday the 20th. Since we bought our tickets at different times, we didn’t get to sit together, but I used that time to catch up on some much-needed reading. Once we got to Minneapolis, we ran to get our luggage and rental car. Without any delay, we hit the road, heading east through northern Wisconsin. Nate did a great job of making time, so we allowed ourselves a brief stop for dinner at a small town A&W. We scarfed our burgers ran back to the car, this time with me at the helm. Before too long, our road went from a decent highway to a small two lane road. Dusk was fast approaching as we neared the border with Michigan. I was so excited to see the UP, as I’d never been up there, but all we could see was darkness and the occasional eye glow of a deer, which was a bit unnerving. You could tell when we crossed the border, not by the giant welcome sign, but by the degradation of the road. I guess Michigan isn’t great about keeping backroads up to snuff.

Despite making good time, we decided to stop in Escanaba for the night. That way we wouldn’t be complete zombies the next day, and we could see some of the sights of northern Michigan in daylight. Our room was exceptionally clean, which always makes me happy, and we got a good rest. The next day, we hit the road by 8am, knowing it would take about 2 hours to get to the church. Along the way, we were treated to some beautiful views and quaint Great Lakes towns. We saw a billboard advertising a cruise featuring Kid Rock’s hometown, and we thought that would have been funny to do had we had more time. Well, if we’re ever back, we’ll do it! We arrived at the church just in time to greet everyone and get settled. The service was held in a lovely old church and was very nice. People recounted their memories of Grandpa Crane, and we were able to see old pictures and memorabilia from his life, as well as artwork he had done. It really was wonderful, and I’m so glad we were able to be a part of it.

After the church service, we drove over to the cemetery for the military service. It was such an interesting experience! They had the 21 gun salute (actually 18, because only 6 soldiers were available) and the presentation of the flag. The setting was lovely, and everything went beautifully.

After the service, we had a little time to ourselves, so we ran a few errands and met up with the family back at the hotel to discuss plans for the day. We decided, along with Karla, Don, and Ben, to take a boat tour of the Soo Locks. It was a wonderful two hour trip, during which we were able to ride through the Locks, rising from the lower level of Lake Huron up to Lake Superior level, 21 feet higher. The locks can accompany ships up to 1000 feet in length, so we were accompanied by some massive ships out on the water. We sailed out into the Superior side of the St. Mary’s River and skirted Canada, learning about the shipment of various ores and other goods. It was a lovely day for a boat ride, and I think we all enjoyed the fresh air, education, and overall experience.

Once back, it was nearly time to meet the rest of the family and friends for dinner at Studebaker’s Restaurant and Lounge. We had a private room and were treated to many local favorites including fresh catches from the Great Lakes. I had the walleye, if I recall correctly, and it was pretty good. It was a nice evening with good company, and it was great to meet more of Nathan’s extended family, too.

After dinner, we had plans to do a haunted tour of the Soo Locks. Nate was exhausted, so he decided to opt out, so I went along with Karla, Ben, Georgie, and Vivie. We waited around by the sign indicating the start of our tour, but the guide never showed up and never returned our inquiry call. There were at least 10 people waiting, so that was a bummer. We decided, after about 20 minutes, to head over to the observation platform of the Locks and just watch the ships come through. It was neat to see it from an outsider’s standpoint this time, especially since some of the really massive ships were coming through. While we were there, we noticed a woman holding a sign that was nearly as big as she was, with a picture of her and her husband on their wedding day. We wound up talking with her, and she told us so many interesting things about life as the wife of a Great Lakes sailor. Her husband was slated to come through the locks very shortly, on one of those massive ships, so massive, in fact, that they issue the men bikes to get from one end to the other! He wouldn’t be home for quite some time, but at least she was able to see him fleetingly here. It was fascinating to hear things about life on the ship, too – we left almost feeling like we’d experienced it all ourselves! We were treated to such a special opportunity in talking to her. We needed to leave before we could actually see her “reunion” with her husband, but we were very lucky to meet her and hear her stories.

Friday July 22, 2011

The next morning, most people were quickly on their way. We did run into Karla and the rest of the family headed for Minnesota, so we were able to say our goodbyes. Then Nathan and I hit the road ourselves. We got some gas and toured the town. It really seemed like this place was a throwback to a simpler time. It felt like people trusted each other and that the ills of the world were so far separated so as not to be of consequence. I loved that! We did a little geocaching around town, checking off Michigan, before crossing the international bridge into Canada. I really dislike going through those checkpoints. I always feel guilty even though I have nothing at all to hide. And the guards are so confrontational. “Why are you coming here? When are you leaving?” all in a booming, suspicious tone. When we told him we planned on circling Lake Superior and leaving in two days, he seemed skeptical that such a feat was possible, but he let us through, unscathed.

Once in the Canada side of Sault Ste. Marie, we decided to find some lunch. We attempted to find a brew pub, but it appeared to no longer exist. So we parked and walked along the downtown, such as it was. It reminded me of a pleasant old Victorian town, not too hustly and not too bustly. My favorite part was that music of my era (read: the 1950s) was being piped in along the sidewalk. I had to sing along, much to Nate’s embarrassment. After much searching, we settled on a pub that advertised poutine, a truly Canadian (Quebecois) dish that I love and rarely see. We went in to this somewhat gritty establishment and ordered our drinks which were delivered with a gruff, “Pay me now. Food is a separate tab.” Interesting. We wound up sitting there waiting for our food for at least 45 minutes, but it was nice to just relax for a bit. When our food arrived, there was way too much of it, particularly of my poutine (which is essentially fries covered in cheese curds and gravy…makes my arteries cringe in, um, delight?). We ate as much as we could and headed out to points north and west.

We drove through town, which was larger than the Michigan side, and eventually found our way to a two-laned highway that would circle Lake Superior. It was a lovely drive with rocky hillsides and copious trees and glimpses of the lake all the while. Moose crossing signs occasionally dotted the highway, and at times we’d be greeted to an outpost here or there. We also saw signs depicting a horned lizard type creature that intrigued us. Surely horned lizards don’t range into Ontario! We finally found a trailhead claiming to lead to such a creature, so we had to take it. We walked through some thick woods, and saw some intense sides of the lake, with waves crashing unyieldingly onto the rocky walls of the earth. I went out as far as I was comfortable with my slippery sneakers, but Nate continued on along a steeply slanting rock ledge out toward the petroglyphs where the lizard was located. I watched nervously as the waves lapped at his ledge, but he made it there and back without incident. Apparently the lizard is considered the spirit of Lake Superior, and it was watching over him that day.

We continued around the lake, making stops to wade and watch happy dogs play in the surf, and enjoying overlooks as they were presented. We stopped at Wawa (which means Canada goose) to enjoy a photo op with the largest Canada goose, and to see the waterfalls. We also saw the Winnie the Pooh statue at White River, which was good as I was starting to doze off. From there, we decided to try to find dinner, driving futilely through the town of Marathon, finding nothing at all that appealed to us. It was a lucky stop, however, because as we were driving past the cemetery on our way out of town, I glimpsed a black bear!! I was so excited I had Nate turn the car around so I could snap some pictures of it. That about made my day!

We continued up the road until we hit Schreiber, stopping for a photo op at the road to Manitouwadge and glimpsing another black bear along the highway AND a wolf which made my day even more than any bear! It was still daylight, but being so far north, it didn’t matter – it was nearly 8:30! We stopped at a ma and pa motel that cut us a good rate (we were their first customers all night), and they directed us to an Italian restaurant up the road where we had another extremely filling meal. Then we called it a night.

Saturday July 23, 2011

We made an early start of it this day, heading west along the northern banks of Lake Superior. We really didn’t do much of interest until we hit the area around Nipigon, perhaps a bit further west than that. We started seeing signs for “dig your own amethysts!” After our fun experience in the garnet fields of Idaho, I knew we had to do this. So we happened upon a privately owned amethyst field where we were given buckets to take as many gems as we could find!

We headed down to the working quarry where a couple from Wawa who works here every year stopped and talked rocks with us and gave us some really great amethysts they’d found in the private part of the quarry! Very cool! Then we did our own searching and found a few good ones. We didn’t take too many because it’d be hard to bring back, and we’re running out of room anyway, but the ones we got were very nice and I’m thrilled. When we presented our stash to the owner, he charged us a mere $5 for what could have easily been worth about $50! Score!! What a fun way to spend the morning!

We continued on toward Thunder Bay, stopping just outside of town to see the Terry Fox memorial. He was a cancer survivor who lost a leg to the disease and attempted to run across Canada after remission. Unfortunately, by the time he reached Thunder Bay, his cancer was back, and he passed away shortly thereafter. He’s considered a Canadian hero, and for good reason.

From there, we found our way to a Tim Horton’s for lunch. Canada seems to be rife with this chain, so we decided to see what all the fuss was about. I had a soup and sandwich combo, which wasn’t bad. It was ok and did hit the spot. Then we did a few geocaches near what was supposed to be the amusement park (but was actually many miles off), and headed off to Chippewa Park, site of my first Ontario roller coaster.
Chippewa Park was lovely, set on the shores of Lake Superior, incorporating park land into a woodsy surrounding. There was a zoo, camping, a farm, and general recreational facility on site, including our amusement park. I really wish I’d downloaded some caches from this area because I’m sure there were a lot of good places for them. When we got there, it had just started to rain, and they shut down the coaster, so we just walked around and enjoyed the scenery. Eventually, it seemed like the rain had stopped long enough to run the coaster, so I went back to the ticket booth to see what the status was. They were all, “I GUESS we could run it,” and, thankfully, did. I went around for 5 laps, and for being a junior coaster, it was pretty intense. It was obviously made in-house and had a personality all its own.

From Thunder Bay, we worked our way down into Minnesota. Luckily, there was no wait at the border, and we weren’t made to feel TOO guilty by border patrol. See, Canada guy, we COULD do it in two days! Ha! We stopped at Grand Portage National Monument, just before close, and toured the old fort. Then we continued on to do some hiking at lovely Gooseberry Falls State Park. On our way toward Duluth, I made a reservation for a motel in Hayward, WI for the night. The owner told me he wouldn’t be up past 11, so I better get there before then or risk getting charged for nothing. We were worried we wouldn’t be able to find anything else, so I just took it. Well, when we got to Duluth, we tried to stop at a brew pub for dinner, but the wait was too long. It’s too bad, too, because it looked like a nice place. In fact, Duluth in general looked like a nice place, and I wish I’d have waited and just gotten a room here for the night! It was a lovely Great Lakes town with a lot of history. Homes were situated on tiered hills all around – it was such a comfortable and welcoming place! I definitely want to go back.

So, hurried and stressed, we hit the road toward Wisconsin, which was easier said than done due to copious amounts of construction that presented us with many wrong turns and confusion. Once we crossed into WI, it was mostly smooth sailing. We didn’t really have time to stop for dinner at this point, so we just plugged on, through the dusk, making our way to Hayward and hoping not to hit any deer along the way. We got into town around 10:30 and got our room, which turned out to be pretty nice. Being night, it was hard to see much of town, but it seemed pleasant enough. We did get some McDonalds for dinner, as that was really all that was open, and retired to watch some Saturday Night Live.

Sunday July 24th, 2011

Antsy as always, I was chomping at the bit to get out and see the sights of Hayward. The hometown of my cousin Jenn, it’s also a place my mom and dad would frequent for fishing trips in the great Wisconsin north. According to Roadside America, it was also the site of the world’s largest muskie! We didn’t realize it due to the darkness when we pulled into our motel, but the fish was right across the street from us on the grounds of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame! This morning, I didn’t even realize that…I was too set on finding Tremblay’s Sweet Shop, as advised to me by Jenn. While Nate was getting ready, I hit the pavement and walked through downtown, getting a bagful of wonderful treats and eagerly munching them on my way back to the motel.

Once back, Nate and I got in the car and traveled an entire block to see the big fish. We paid our admission and were treated to all the fishing paraphernalia and information you could imagine! It was really fascinating. There were record-caught freshwater fish of all types on display, and exhibits featuring rods, reels, lures, bobbers, hooks, boats, motors, and everything else you could imagine that would be at all fishing related. And then, there was the main attraction: amongst gigantic replicas of all types of freshwater fish, there was the the giant muskie. You could climb inside the fish and stand in its jaws, looking out, several stories high, at the surroundings. Inside the fish were plaques of recognition for people who made the Hall of Fame possible, and pictures of this and that. It was actually pretty darned cool, and I’m glad we finally saw it, after years of thinking it was too far out of the way.

Once done, we hit a few geocaches in town before heading to points south. Our first stop was at the Leinenkugel’s factory where we took a tour and tried some samples of their beer. I’m really not a big fan of beer, but they had some really good ones! We made a quick stop out of town to pick up a 12 pack, and then made our way down to Eau Claire to have lunch at the Northwoods Brew Pub. It was ok. Nate wasn’t too happy with the beers, but we got a kick out of the fact that he was able to pair his beer sampler with pancakes.

After this, we had debated trying to make the trek to Green Bay to try the roller coaster there, but it was probably too long of a haul, so instead, we headed back toward Minneapolis. We figured we’d go to Mall of America and get those coasters out of the way. As if new coasters weren’t awesome enough, this would be the place I’d secure my 400th coaster! So we made our way over to the crowded, hectic, completely unpleasant mall and walked around. I’d wanted to explore the mall itself this time, because all previous times it was just too unpleasant to do so. Well, this time was no different. It looked like they set up shop in somebody’s unfinished basement. It was so ugly and unpleasant, and the amusement park was no better. It was wall-to-wall people, and no one was paying attention. I hate crowds, and this was the worst! Still, we got our tickets and rode the half-pipe coaster and the SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge, which was my 400th. It was a lot of fun, except I hardly remembered much about that fateful ride because my shirt flew up on the first drop, and I was frantically trying to avoid flashing the world for the remainder of the ride! Too funny.

We left the mall shortly thereafter, and headed out to our hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Both of us really dislike downtowns, and staying in one wasn’t pleasant, but that’s where his conference was, so what can ya do? We got Nate checked in, secured our room, and headed out for dinner. We decided to try out a highly-rated tiki bar in town: Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge. Just the name says it all! Built in a former church, and on the banks of the Mississippi, Psycho Suzi’s is absolutely fantastic! Indoor and outdoor seating are available, and they don’t skimp in the kitsch. Tiki torches, thatched umbrellas, Easter Island statues, you name it. And the drinks were soooo tasty, as was the food! Since Nate’s brother Ben was in town, he came and joined us for the evening, sitting out on the patio, enjoying island drinks and some really tasty pizza. We knew we’d have to come back.

Monday July 25th, 2011 and beyond

This was a nice, relaxing day. Oh so nice, and oh so relaxing! Nate had his conference, so I decided to sleep in, and then I just lounged around the room all day. Nate came back for lunch, and we tried a sandwich shop not too far away from our hotel. Then we searched out the Mary Tyler Moore statue (which was also the site of a geocache!) and took our photo op. I spent the rest of the afternoon just lounging, reading, and playing on the computer. The only real issue that came up was with the cleaning staff. I decided I didn’t want to be bothered, so I put out the “do not disturb” sign. I mean, one day without a cleaning isn’t a big deal. It’s not like it’s that messy, and it’s our own mess as it is, so whatever. Well, the staff would have none of it. Despite having the sign out, I was startled awake by knocking when I was trying to take a nap. I went to the door and told them “No thanks,” and they stared at me with a terrified look on their face, and walked off hesitantly only to try again later. This went on EVERY DAY (though I caved and let them clean once), and they actually broke into our room while we were away, even with the sign on the door, just to clean. What the heck? Do they beat the help if they don’t do their job? Rediculous.

So basically I spent each of the days of the conference lounging around the room and eating lunch with Nate. Evenings were kind of a blur, but one night we went with Nate’s coworkers back to Psycho Suzi’s, which was a trip. We ate inside and tried a variety of foods, including “redneck sushi,” which was pickle surrounded by cream cheese, surrounded by bacon. It was fabulous, and the drinks didn’t disappoint this evening either.

We also went to the “hit or miss” night at the comedy club in Mall of America. There were 20-30 comedians, and each played for 2 minutes, I believe. Some were really good, and the awkward ones were funny, too, just for being awkward.

On the last full day, we treated ourselves to Valleyfair! the local amusement park. I’d been there years ago, and it really hadn’t changed much save for adding two new coasters and some interesting flat rides. We did all the coasters except for Corkscrew, which was closed for the day. They had an annoying rule about no pictures on rides, including the train! But we took what we could. We also met a ride op who had worked at Silverwood in Idaho, and grew up with Six Flags Great America. Small world! Overall it was a fun day, but we really didn’t need to stay ‘til close.

We flew out the next day, but not before doing a little geocaching at the sculpture park near downtown. We saw the famous cherry on a spoon, as well as a number of other unusual pieces. Then we caught our plane and headed home. It was a great trip, as always, and we’re looking forward to our next one.