The Ocean Road to Melbourne.

Day 29: Wednesday, July 15th
Steps taken: 6,544

The last day with my fellow G-Adventurers started off with breakfast in the lobby.  I made myself a nutella and jelly sandwich.  Is there anything that can't go with nutella or that nutella can't make better? (Don't answer that!)

Our first stop after loading up the trailer was Loch Ard.  At Loch Ard, there were formations such as the Razorbacks, and the Two Survivors.  The coastline is changing due to the tides constantly crashing into the rocks.  We walked down to an alcove at the beach, and hung out there for ten minutes.  I tried getting a picture of my name in the sand, but the tide wasn't having it.  A really spectacular spot though.

From there, it was a short drive to The Twelve Apostles.  There isn't actually twelve large rocks jutting out of the water, but they government renamed the Pig & Sow formations to be more touristy. The formations were awesome from all angles, but they were especially cool from the air.  Sydney, Alex, Martin, Danielle, and myself took a fifteen minute helicopter ride over the Apostles.  It was raining, but that created a nice effect.  Definitely a must do at this site.

After the Apostles, we drove to the Great Otway National Park rain forest, and hiked there for about 45 minutes.  There was a tree there that if you walked through that you were to be married soon after.  I only walked through the notch to walk through a tree.  The rain forest itself was a good break between sections of ocean road.

The rain forest walk was followed up by lunch at Apollo Bay since they are well known for fish & chips.  it was really good.  Best I've had was in Camden, London, but this was close.  From there I picked up some souvenirs, and then we were on our way to Melbourne.

We made a few stops along the way to coastal lookout spots and memorials, but the most exciting place was the open air bird sanctuary.  We all bought some seeds, and the flocks flocked to us.  I had no less than two brightly colored birds on me at a time either eating out of my hand or seed bag.  Thankfully none of them defecated on me.  More than a few times two bird would fight on my arm, head or back of who gets to feed next.  It was fun feeding all these birds and watching how everyone else reacted to them.  Some ecstatic, some terrified, and some annoyed at having their hair pulled or being scratched by them.  I walked away with a few scratches, but it's okay because they weren't out to harm.

After our wild encounter, the bus went into party mode since we only had another hour or two together.  A goon of wine was passed around.  Goonies never say drink...wait.  Yes, they do.  Everyone was joking about different highlights of the tour.  Once we saw less ocean and more buildings, things became somber.  Our first stop in Melbourne was the train station.  Those of us staying said goodbye to those who had accommodations by train or needed to get to the airport.  Many tears were shed.  I was crying on the inside.  Then the remainder of us were dropped off at Nomads where only Kodak, Sydney, and I were staying.  We said our goodbyes to those who left us there (and Giles), and the tour was over.  I may have had a different idea than many of you of what YOLO should be, but thank you for making my final continent so memorable G-Adventurers, and safe travels to you all.

I checked into my room, got a map of the area, and tried to get settled.  The key card to my room was terrible and I had to swipe it several times to get in.  I saw that I had a 6 person room all to myself.  JACKPOT! I took the only double bed, dropped off my stuff, and went to a currency exchange.  I got a sense of Melbourne, which was decent.  It was similar in design to Adelaide except it was much less scummy.  I wasn't annoyed at anyone here.

On the way back to the hostel I picked up some prawn & chicken dumplings from I Love Dumplings because I love dumplings.  I ate them in my room, and relaxed for the rest of the night.  One journey was over, but an all new one just beginning.

The Pinnacle of Grief and Acceptance.

Day 28: Tuesday, July 14th
Steps taken: 12,888

When I woke up I checked some things on the Internet instead of going to breakfast.  I touched base with my family who were in the midst of my uncle's wake.  I had my last two granola bars on the bus as we headed towards to the Pinnacles.

The hike at the Pinnacles started all together, and then after the first lookout we all followed the yellow arrow path to the top at our own pace.  The walk was 2.1 km each way.  I pulled ahead, and was on my own for most of the way up.  Once or twice I saw some of the others from a higher elevation while they were walking through the woods so I shouted " Helloooooooo!" at them.  The hike was fairly rocky, but not too bad.  I even misjudged a puddle and my whole right boot was submerged, but my new boots are waterproof and awesome so nothing seeped through.

I reached the top a few minutes before everyone else so I yelled out "Thank you, Uncle Bill!" The view from the top was spectacular.  We must have been 800m up.  The surrounding mountains, lakes, and forests were thankfully not covered in mist, so the view was clear.  I walked down again at my own pace, which was a little bit ahead of everyone else.  I feel like if this was Trekking in Transylvania that Rasvan would still be telling me to hurry up.  When we reached Giles I asked everyone "Who is climbing Kilimanjaro with me?" I was only half kidding.  I think I would hike Kili if I get the chance.  Definitely not Everest though mostly for ethical reasons.

For lunch we stopped at a shopping center.  Not much was open on one side of the strip so our options were Hungry Jack's (Burger King) or whatever was in the Cole's building.  I wandered about the Cole's center before reaching the little food court.  There was only two food options: a bakery, and a Chinese fast food place.  I chose the bakery and ordered a chicken schnitzel burger.  It was pretty good.  I've made schnitzel on par with this.  Best schnitzel I've had is still the Nagel Restaurant in Hamburg, Germany.

After lunch, we headed towards the Great Ocean Road.  It started to rain as we were coming back to the bus.  We made a few stops along the way to the hostel.  The first was to Tower Hill.  We walked around looking at wild emus, and koalas in the trees.  We took a short hike up the hill, which had a stupendous view.  Then we went into the gift shop area.  I bought some pins for my Pathfinder group, and talked to a nice artist named Tinika Clifford.  She has a facebook page called Tinika's True Talent.  Check out her Aboriginal art.

Then we went to the Bay of Islands, which was pretty cool, and then the Bay of Martyrs, which smelled heavily of sulfur.  These areas were some of the standard spots of the Great Ocean Road.

We arrived at the Port Campbell Hostel at 3:55.  We waited an excruciating five minutes for them to open up.  Worst hostel ever!...Just kidding.  It was really nice.  The owners were friendly, and the rooms and space were clean, and comfortable.  The walls were lined with art on the first floor, and inspirational pictures on the second.  Everybody was hanging out quietly in the lounge on their computers and phones until we left for dinner.  We joked about the Einstein quote: "When technology exceeds human interaction then the world will have created a generation of idiots."  So funny...so relevant.

Idiots have to eat sometimes so we walked to a restaurant called Karoa, which was a nice place.  After less interaction in the lounge, we played some 'get to know you better' games since the establishment had a card game on the top where people had to answer questions such as "What is your favorite dessert", and "What cartoon character would you be?"  On the wall, there was an awesome print of the world but written out in different font sizes and the the names of the countries were shaped like them.  They left out a few like Antarctica though.  Why the hell do some maps leave out Antarctica...bastards! Later I touched the name of each country (and NZ) I had been to.  For dinner I had pulled pork & cole slaw on tortillas with sweet potato fries.  It was good except for the cole slaw.  Not a fan of it to begin with, but this slaw was pretty strong with the cabbage and vinegar taste.  It would have been better if it was on the side rather than thrown into the tortilla with the pork.

While we ate in the restaurant, there was a torrential downpour.  Thankfully it stopped when we were ready to leave.  I headed back to the hostel, and spent some time on the Internet because I'm an idiot.  While I was dreaming and wishing I was in two places at once, my family was putting my uncle to rest.

Freedom and imprisonment of the soul.

Day 27: Monday, July 13th, 2015
Steps taken: 13,557

I woke up, cleaned up, packed up, and went down to breakfast.  We also had a new addition to our tour: Ross from England.  There was a computer in the lobby, so the receptionist who was incredibly beautiful, possibly the most beautiful person in Adelaide especially with what I dealt with the previous night, helped me log on to their system while I ate my cereal.  I checked Facebook, and found out what I was dreading would happen on this trip did happen on Tuesday in America (A day into the Outback excursion.); that my uncle Bill had passed away.  I messaged my aunt and cousins to offer my condolences, and that I was truly sorry that I couldn't be there for them.  Then I messaged my mom & sister to let them know that I was okay.

I logged off, and while everyone else was eating I walked down the street to cry in an alleyway.  I didn't want anyone to see me cry, and I didn't really want anyone to know what I was going through.  At least not yet.  (I actually don't think anyone knew by the end of the trip either.  Maybe I could have been more open, but I didn't want anyone to worry about me or be burdened by me.)  My uncle had been sick for a year and a half.  When he was first diagnosed with cancer, he was told that he would be lucky to live half a year, but not to expect more than a few months because of how much the tumors had spread.  Despite all the suffering and rough treatments, he endured to see all three of his children achieve milestones in their lives, and for him to live to 60.  The last time I saw him was at his 60th birthday party in March.  I spoke to him on the phone a few days before I left.  He sounded really tired, and a bit confused when I talked to him.  He definitely was reaching the end.  Just like my father, he didn't get as much time as he deserved, but his life wasn't wasted.  He lived a good, happy life.  Before my father passed away, Bill tried to get him to forgive or at least stop being so angry at my grandfather for all the shit that he put my father through.  Even though I can understand why my father was bitter about most of my grandfather's BS, I still am glad for Bill trying to mend things.  My uncle Bill was a fighter, but knew when to make peace too.  I wish I could be there physically with my family right now, but when I booked this trip I couldn't fathom this happening until the weeks leading up to departure.  This trip was supposed to be the ultimate culmination of freedom for me.  Freedom to go where my soul dreams of, and to be free from hurt.  Freedom always has a price. (This will always sting, but there are others who make sacrifices for more important forms of freedom.)

I reluctantly went back to the hotel, and the receptionist smiled at me with such a sweet smile.  I wanted to say to her that her smile was the only thing preventing me from razing Adelaide to the ground at that moment.  On the bus ride to the Granpians it took everything I had not to cry, and have every thought consumed with what happened.  I started re-reading The Hobbit.  When I was six I saw the animated version and fell in love with the world of Tolkien.  The next year I found a copy of The Hobbit with the Gryffin like Eagle on the cover in my elementary school library, and had to read it.  I started reading the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and then my uncle Jimmy bought all four main books, and I read the Hobbit again.  I tried reading the Hobbit once more when the first movie trilogy came out, but I think I stopped halfway due to schoolwork.  I did re-read the Rings trilogy at that time though.  It's nice to read this on a journey especially since I will see Hobbiton in a week.

Our first stop of the day was to MacKenzie Falls.  Half of the bus hiked ten minutes to the base of the waterfall.  The weather until this point matched my mood: cold, windy, and rainy.  The rain let up a bit at the falls.  The falls were really awesome with a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains and valley.  The hike back up was not fun.  I yelled "I hate stairs!" from one of the top points.  I wanted to yell "Sorry, Uncle Bill!", but didn't want to explain that yet.

We drove from there to a town for lunch.  I was famished when we got there, but I went looking for a bank first.  I found a Westpac Bank, and did a currency exchange there.  The whole process took 20 minutes because they had to enter me into their system, but that's okay.  I had money again.  I rushed back to the meeting point, got a bacon & cheese roll at a bakery, and then some snacks at Woolworth's including a Cadbury Turkish Delight bar.

After lunch we drove to a lookout spot, which was incredibly misty.  We didn't spend too much time here although it looked like a good view where the haze was thinner or pushing away from the cliff face.

We arrived at the family run hostel for the night around 5 p.m.  There were a ton of kangaroo on the property.  When we first got there and Kodak said to look out the right side of the bus, Lazar shouted "Wolves".  I got so damn excited.  It was kangaroos though.  Dammit, Lazar! Haven't you ever read "The Boy who Cried Wolf?" Kangaroos are cool too, but not as cool as wolves.

The hostel was pretty nice.  We unpacked our trailer, and settled in.  The internet was a bit slow, so I didn't get much done.  We had chicken curry for dinner.  Afterwards I went up to the room and watched Birdman on my laptop.  I nodded off for a few parts during the 2nd half, but it was really good overall.  I enjoyed the way it was filmed, and how it looked at the psychosis and general mentality of actors and their craft.  Since I have done a bit of stage acting I could relate to some of it.  After the movie I went to sleep.  It was a long, emotionally draining day, but I guess that can happen in various ways while traveling.  RIP William Rocko Ferrara

Tree forts and wine.

Day 26: Sunday, July 12th, 2015
Steps taken: 4,317

I slept well for a few hours, then woke up and my mind was racing for an hour or so.  I finally got back to sleep and woke up a little later then everyone else.  I was feeling ultra lethargic, and didn't want breakfast.  That was until Martin said it was pancakes and bacon rather than our standard cereal and toast.  There's always room for bacon! (And jell-o, but not bacon jell-o.) The pancakes were thin so I had a bacon sandwich, and a nutella sandwich with the remaining pancakes.  We fed one of the little dogs the rest of the bacon, cleaned up, and hit the road again.

The drive was getting much more lush.  Sand and little bushes gave way to grass and trees.  The Plindes Mountain Range lined most of the drive.  We made a stop to an abandoned village.  Many of the sandstone buildings/houses were falling apart, but some were intact well enough.  Kodak and I had a discussion about how stupid and vain people can be when they carve their names into sites.  I hope a wall falls onto the next person who tries to do that.  (Not really, but sort of.)

For lunch we stopped at a park, finished most of our lunch supplies, and then some of us played on the jungle gym next to the picnic table area.  I finished reading Michael Scott's The Enchantress right after lunch.  It was a good series that feeds my love of contemporizing classic myths.  I want to do my PhD in either Ireland or Scotland, and would like to meet Michael Scott while doing my dissertation.  I recommend his work for anyone who enjoys fantasy and myth.  And if you don't enjoy fantasy and myth, why the Tartarus not?

Our next stop was the Seven Hills Winery.  We arrived around 2:30-3, and did some sampling.  There really wasn't a tour like the Tyrell Winery, and I definitely liked more of Tyrell's selection, but the lady who was giving the sampling was nice, and their underground cellar was cool.  I really liked their Inigo Verdelho, and Barberra (and their Inigo Montoya) wines, but everything else was okay.  The best part of the winery was the white feline Maysie who was curled up on straw in a grape crushing bucket.

From the winery, we went straight to Adelaide.  The neon glow of fast food places and stores had replaced pristine nature.  I wish we got to hike the Plindes, but that wasn't part of this tour.  I also would have liked to spend one full day in Adelaide, but this tour doesn't seem to really do big cities.  We arrived at our hotel at close to 6 p.m.  The rooms were pretty decent.  I showered before we were supposed to go to dinner, and tried to get a wifi signal.  For whatever reason, the hotel only provided wifi when the reception desk was open, and that closed at 5 p.m.

For dinner, we went to a Chinese food place near the hotel.  Jeff who left the tour after the first leg to go work in Adelaide met up with us.  I ordered some handmade chicken dumplings, and wanted to get a lychee drink, but they said they didn't have the drink.  Everyone else's drinks took a good thirty minutes even though most people ordered beer.  Our food came out almost an hour after ordering, and pretty much one by one even though we were the only people there at that time.  The dumplings were decent.  There were ten bite sized dumplings.  When I got to the register to pay after we were all done eating around 9 I saw that they had cans of lychee drink in the fridge...Really?!  REALLY?!

After that I hunted down wifi for my laptop.  I went to the place that runs the hotel, and they couldn't provide me anything.  Then I went to the hotel around the corner hoping I could buy a voucher, but they couldn't give me one since I wasn't staying there.  My last resort was Whackdonald's (McDonald's).  Even though the wifi was free I figured I should buy something.  I was planning on buying a mint chocolate macaroon, and was next in line when this chick who was probably there between clubs, and lines of coke asked me if she could go in front of me since she was only getting a drink.  I said "Actually, I'm not getting much either.", but she still stepped in front of me and began to order right away.  What an impatient idiot.  I should have flat out said no, but I didn't think she would have listened.  It's not like the supermarket where she had a druggie dinner for one, and I had my groceries for the week.  I was annoyed, but I expect this from morons, and let it slide.  Then the couple behind me cut in front of me without asking.  DID I HAVE A SIGN ON MY BACK SAYING TO DO THAT, YOU FILTHY FUCKING BOGANS? At least the first person asked before being an asshole.  At this point I said fuck it.  I didn't want to spend money in a shit establishment for garbage food.  Keep your McRoons! I sat down to get a signal on my 3DS, and no luck.  When I left, everyone on the streets resembled the bogan scumbags in WhackyD's.  I returned to my room before I could go off on some drunken and drugged out scab.

When I got to the room I was asked by Lazar if I wanted to go to the karaoke bar with the others.  I didn't really want to deal with anymore bullshit in Adelaide, but maybe I should have gone to karaoke, and left when everyone else wanted to do other things like bar hopping.  I relaxed, watched some news, an episode of Bones, and the beginning of an episode of Arrow, and then went to bed.  Maybe better off not being able to get online.

Outback wind.

Day 25: Saturday, July 11th
Steps taken: 3,531

I slept okay in my room the size of my college apartment (a 10 ft x 20 ft box although this may be off.  It might have been smaller.)  I got cleaned up, and had breakfast while most of the others were waking up.  When Kodak, Sydney, Danielle, Martin, and Lazar came back from their flight, we packed up the bus and left this Outback oasis.

Our first of a few stops on the way to Beltana was at the Lake Eyre scenic spot.  Lake Eyre is the biggest lake in Australia, and I think it might be the largest salt water lake in the world.

Our second stop was at a mini outdoor scrap metal exhibition that was set up to protest the nuclear testing that Australia and the U.S. did in the region.  Lots of really cool pieces.  Many were robotic looking with a human semblence.  There was two bomber planes joined together and planted nose down in the ground.  A bunch of us walked into the open 'hoverbus' that was there.  While we were there, the wind was incredibly fierce.  This was probably the 2nd windiest place that I've ever been to (The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland being number 1).

We got out of the wind, and back into the bus.  We stopped at the Marree rest stop, and had our lunch there.  Standard lunch fare of wraps.  I had a salami, shredded cheese, sun dried tomato, and pickles with sweet chili sauce on a chia wrap.  I had some olives, and cheese & bacon twisties on the side.  The wind was blowing plates and any loose debris around so we didn't spend too much extra time here.  It was another small town that had a railroad station next to the rest stop/picnic area.

From there we stopped at the Farina Underground Bakery for a snack.  They make their own bread and wine in that relatively remote location.  I wanted an apple turnover, but they were sold out.  I settled for some scones with jelly and cream, which wasn't really settling because they were very good.  Best underground bakery in the world!

Our last stop before Beltana was to the Tac Alf Workshop.  The proprietor makes art out of talcum stone.  He had an epic Duck Dynasty type beard, but unlike Uncle Sy this man was a real philosopher.  He discussed through the meanings of letters, their shapes and connections the ideology of life, water, the earth, Australia, and God.  He gave us much to think about, but many good things to think about.

As the road became less rough, and the scenery became greener and more mountainous, we reached the Beltana Sheep Station.  We were greeted by two little dogs, and then one of the owners.  We got our room assignments, and relaxed for a few.

Before dinner, a bunch of us walked around the property petting dogs, sheeps, lambs, cows, and watching the piglets feed.  They also had a museum built in with the dining hall area.  They had sections of what old Australian farmhouses looked like, and some tools and machines no longer used.  After that I relaxed until dinner.  Some of the others played Alpaca-opoly, which is exactly as it sounds.  Monopoly with the theme of alpacas.  I should have put on my alpaca wool socks since it was really cold and windy at the station.

Everyone gathered for dinner around 7.  I got a hot chocolate before hand.  First course was chicken soup with bread.  I was almost full by this point.  The main course was lamb, sweet potatoes, beets, cauliflower in cheese sauce, and different kinds of gravies including the station's own mint jelly.  It was all excellent though I took only small portions of each.  Eating this meal reminded me of James Sherwood's altered version of William Blake's "The Lamb": Little Lamb who Ate Thee/Little Lamb who Ate Thee/Little Lamb I'll Tell Thee/Little Lamb I'll Tell Thee...I don't quite remember the rest; lines about the lamb being delicious.  I was ready to pop at this point, but I magically made room for dessert, which was Quandong bread pudding.  It was really nice although I could only eat half.

After dinner I headed back to the room.  There was plans to watch a movie around the fire in the dining room at the sleeping quarters area.  I passed out instead after a day filled with so many little adventures, and so much good food.

Up William Creek without a paddle.

Day 24: Friday, July 10th
Steps taken: 5,769

The cave was amazingly comfortable, and I slept really well.  Possibly the best sleep all trip.  I liked sleeping in the cave hotel in Cappadoccia, Turkey and it probably would have been this good if I wasn't ill during that trip.  I highly recommend trying out a cave hotel...unless your claustrophobic.  Even then I still think it's a cool experience.

I washed up, had breakfast, and packed up.  Once everyone was ready, we made the arduous walk next door to the Mining Museum.  We met with the curator, walked around for a few minutes, and started the tour.  It began with a 20 minute film about the history of opal mining in Australia.  It was a little campy, but informative.  It could have been worse.  Then we were shown the process of shaping opals.  From there we saw a replica of one of the underground homes.  In their summer, this area can reach temperatures of 50 C/122 F, so they build their homes below ground for comfort.  We took a path down to what the mines are normally like.  There was a crew from the Adelaide Museum filming while we were there, so we may end up in one of their videos.  When the tour was over, we went to the gift shop.  Some really nice pieces that I didn't have the cash for at the moment.  SORRY ANYONE I KNOW WHOSE BIRTHSTONE IS OPAL!

The next stop was down the road at the Josphine Gallery and Kangaroo Sanctuary.  Famous Aboriginal artist Tommy Crowe was there painting, and playing the didgeridoo.  He was painting three piece at one.  I really wanted to pick up one of his works, but again didn't have the spare cash at the moment.  I also wanted to pick up one of the didgeridoos and try it, but it probably would have been a didgeridon't! (I'm sorry.  Please keep reading my blog.  Actually, I'm not sorry.  I like that joke!) Then we went to the backyard and fed some kangaroo.  We even got to pet a baby roo/joey.  I was tempted to take the baby roo home, but didn't want to start an international incident.  We watched Tommy Crowe paint a bit more.  He also explained some of his painting and didgeridoo techniques.  He must have painted 6 incredible works while we were there, and was working on 3 more.  Quality and quantity working effectively together.

By this time we had an hour for lunch.  My first goal before food was to get to the bank.  I went with Corinna, and Michelle, but was disappointed but not surprised to find out that they didn't do currency exchange.  I ran back to the bus to get one of my credit cards which I really didn't want to use.  I headed to John's Pizza for lunch and ordered a small Coat of Arms pizza, which was emu, kangaroo, cranberry, and camembert.  It was really good, and it stayed together this time.  Emu seems to taste like pastrami.  I also had a pear and honey ice tea with my food.  A solid lunch.  Since there's not too many restaurants in Coober Pedy I'm tempted to open up one there. (Sorry, John!)

After lunch, we hit the road but stopped quickly at the Serbian Church of Saint Elijah the Prophet.  It was a nice little church that was founded by Serbians in the early 90s who came to Coober Pedy to mine for opals.

Not too much else exciting on the trip to William Creek except for Kodak getting out after we had crossed over a grate in the road and confusing us.  He said there was a game with grates, but we would try for a better grate...Okay? The Stewart Highway also became rough and unpaved at this point.

When we got to William Creek around 3:30, we all didn't know what to think about this either.  William Creek is a man made town/campgrounds to help travelers between distances.  The town has a steady population of 12.  We went into the general store first.  We had to preorder our dinner.  I ordered a pumpkin soup, and a Rekorderlig Winter Cider, but the woman opened up my cider there even though I wanted it with dinner.  I would have been annoyed by this, but this was the most delicious cider I've ever had.  It had hints of vanilla, and cinnamon.  It tasted like Christmas! I also had a red velvet Coronet ice cream cone.

After getting settled in, Lazar, Lorraine, and I walked about 'the museum'.  Since there used to be rocket launching in this area, most of the things in the ground were related to that.  The galar birds were flying around, and chirping incessantly.  Apparently if someone talked too much, they are compared to a galar.  There was also an airfield.  There was an option to fly over Lake Eyre for $150, but only a few signed up.  Allie came along, and told us about the cat tree, which we somehow walked past.  This tree with fake cat carcasses was a prop from the film "A Cab to Darwin." Suck it, PETA! Not real! Although still disturbing.

Dinner was pretty good.  The pumpkin soup was rich and creamy.  The bread with it was good especially when dipped in the soup.  After dinner I read before sleeping as usual.