Cairns!

Another short post today.  I got off the train this afternoon just about right on schedule.  20 hours sure is a long train ride, but at least it was roomier than a plane.  Sleeping was a bit of a challenge, but I caught a lot of little catnaps today to make up for the deep sleep I missed out on last night.

Anyway, I'm here and checked into my B&B.  The hosts are very friendly and are booking agents for all the activities in town.  We've already booked the Skyrail trip to Kuranda for tomorrow.  I'll be picked up in front of the apartment at 8:15, board the gondolas that take me over the rainforest. There are stops along the way for photos, etc. and then Iget off at Kuranda.   It's kind of a hippie/artist community with arts and crafts shops and all the usual tourist stuff.  Then I'll board the Kuranda Railway for the trip back to the city and get off at the same terminal I just de-trained at this afternoon. Time to go get some dinner now.  G'day mates!

Leaving Bundaberg

Just a real quick post today.  Am getting on a train tonight for a 20 hr. ride to Cairns.  Rhonda and her Mom leave in the morning to go home.  So Matt, Jo, and Adalyn get their house (and some peace and quiet) back.  It's been an awesome time to spend with family and they have given me a bit of an education of what to expect in this country as I travel on my own.  G'day mates!

Woodgate Beach

We went to the beach for a picnic yesterday.  What a nice place, with wide, soft sandy beach stretching for miles, small pavilions with picnic tables and electric cookers, park benches and a brick walkway.  It was a nice outing.  Adalyn was her usual cute self and before we left we saw numerous kangaroos out feeding in people's lawns and in the park.  I even got a few pictures of a female with a joey in her pouch!  It was a great day.  G'day mates!

Rock Pools and Bargara

Yesterday was kind of a laid-back sort of day.  In the morning, Matt and I went over to the ocean near Burnett Heads at low tide.  There were numerous tidal pools remaining where the water was trapped after the tide went out, but alas, very few fish, crabs, or other sea creatures.  The rock is there from volcanic activity many centuries ago, and it almost looks prehistoric, like scales from some giant reptile.  Footing there is treacherous too, and I'm happy to report that there were no sprains or breaks resulting from our excursion.

Later on we all went to Bargara, a little resort town on the beach.  We had lunch there at a fish and chips shop where Jo's Mom works as a cook.  The meals were great and the portions were extremely generous (it helps to know the cook!).  I had deep fried cod and a huge helping of fries.  Needless to say, none of us went away hungry.  We took a bunch of family photos while we were there, including the 4 generations shot of the Dailey/Maes clan you see below.

The plan for today is to go to another beach for a picnic lunch.  There is a nature reserve adjoining the beach area and Matt thinks that the paths there are going to accommodate Rhonda's wheelchair, so she should be able to enjoy the nature preserve too.  G'day mates!

A Morning at the Dentist...

...was not exactly in the plans for this trip.  However, that's the way it turned out today.  I've had a tooth bothering me for several days now, mostly with sensitivity to hot and cold.  Fortunately, Jo is a Dental nurse and got me in to see the Dentist she works for.  He's a really nice guy who seemed extremely competent.  It turns out that there was a pocket of infection above the tooth in the root area, so he numbed it up and used an ultrasonic cleaner to clean is out as much as he could get at it.  And he did it for a very reasonable price as well.  Hopefully between that and the antibiotic he prescribed it will calm down and not give me any further trouble while I am in Australia, but he also told me if it gives me any more problems while I am still in Bundaberg to come back in and he would see me again.  How accommodating is that?

On another front, Matt gave me a hard time yesterday that I was posting pictures of everyone else but none of myself.  He emailed me the ones he took of me at the bird aviary with one of our little friends, so here it is.  He was very partial to the string on my hat, as you can see.   G'day mates!

Wildlife in Australia

We've been going places and doing things the past 2 days.  Sunday we went to Sky High, the largest free flight aviary in Oz, and Snakes Down Under, a reptile venue where we saw all manner of snakes, lizards, and turtles.  Both were very cool, but the aviary was really neat because birds would fly right up and land on your shoulder or arm, and the variety of birds was awesome...pheasants, macaws, parrots, and many others.

Yesterday we went whale watching.  A bit of a pricey day but well worth it.  We saw one whale breach the surface from a distance and I got lucky enough to get a shot I was able to crop to make it look acceptable.  Several other whales were very curious and hung out with us around our boat, surfacing repeatedly and keeping all of us entertained.  Four people even chose to go into the water to snorkel with a whale, but it was not warm enough for me and I didn't have swimming trunks with me anyway.  They all really seemed to enjoy themselves though.

Overall, we had a couple of great days with family, seeing the sights and the countryside.  The rural areas near here are reminiscent of northern Michigan.  The trees and foilage are different for sure, but the overall feel is similar; sparsely populated, a mix of woods and agriculture, haphazard buildings ranging from shacks to mansions, and mostly two-lane roads.

Today is going to be a much more low key day.  Jo had to go to work, so we are going to sick closer to home today.  We may go look around the city a bit and see where Matt works.  I'm still on the lookout for a hoodie, but my chances of finding one around here aren't great, since the winters here are so mild, but I haven't given up hope.  G'day mates!

Bundaberg Botanical Gardens

We had a nice winter day yesterday, with a high about 72-74 degrees and a low of around 55.  A far cry from Michigan winter weather!  We visited the Bundy Botanical Gardens, which also houses an aviation museum.  Weird, but the connection is that a Bundy native was an early pioneer of aviation in this part of the world, and also in Great Britain.  His house was even moved from England to be placed in the Botanical Gardens.

We saw all kinds of critters we don't see much of at home, including a Kookaburra.  While you probably wouldn't recognize the bird, you would most certainly recognize their call.  It's in every movie I've ever seen that is set in Africa or in a jungle.  Also saw numerous other species of birds, lizards, eels, trees, plants, etc.  There was a steam powered narrow gauge train taking visitors on a ride around the park too.  That appealed to the rail fan in me, even though we didn't go for a ride.  They had a rainforest area as well, with signs warning visitors that there would be intermittent rainfall (provided by sprinklers mounted 20 feet or so off the ground) to simulate the conditions and keep the plants alive that would be indigenous to a real rainforest.  Some of the trees were really fascinating, with root systems and vines intertwined around them.  There was a paper bark tree unlike anything I've ever seen anywhere else.

Adalyn was her usual adorable self and the whole family is very photogenic, as you can see.  We're having a great time and I'm sure this 2 weeks are going to go all too quick.  G'day maties!

A Quiet Day with Family

Not much new to report today.  We spent a mostly quiet day with family yesterday, although Matt and I went and did some shopping, etc.  Getting to know little Adalyn and she is incredibly entertaining, watching her little mind processing things, rolling over, and working up to crawling.  A baby in the house has everything revolving around her, but that's the way it's supposed to be.  What a cutie!

Had a great dinner last night at a local seafood restaurant.  I had Oysters Kilpatrick for the first time.  A bit strong for my taste, and I don't know if I would have had the gumption to try one if they had been raw, but hey, a person has to try new things, right?  Rhonda even sampled a few bites, and she has long been a hater of all things from the sea.  I don't think she'll be a convert, but at least she tried the prawns, Morton Bay Bug (a small breed of lobster), and scallops and Venus Tusk fish, which Matt ordered.  No interest in trying the Calamari or oysters though.

We're going today to check out the dormant volcano, botanical gardens, and maybe the rum distillery, as well as getting a better idea of what the city of Bundaberg is all about.  G'day mates!

We Made It!!!

Just a quick post today to let you know we made it here safely.   The flights were uneventful for the most part, and mostly on time as well.  But the flight from LA to Brisbane was loooooong!   The only saving grace was that the back of the plane where we sat had some empty seats so I moved and had 2 seats to myself and  Rhonda and her Mom had 4 seats.  Still an uncomfortable way to try to sleep, but better than stacked next to each other like sardines.  That's all for now...will have more to say tomorrow.  G'day, mates!

Testing, 1, 2, 3....

Just a quick test post.  I am REALLY glad to hear that Delta is back to flying normally.  The fact that it dragged on for several days did not promote the warm fuzzies considering that they are contracted to get us to California where we let Quantas take over.  Keeping my fingers crossed that the travel part of this trip goes smoothly!