Tag Archives: Australia

How do you pack for a trip?

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“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” St. Augustine

During your travels, have you dealt with extreme weather conditions? On a recent trip, my husband, Roger, and I experienced a humid Vermont with temperatures in the high eighties and low nineties. This contrasted with a winter trip there where one day the temperature dropped to thirty-five degrees below zero. We’ve also traveled there during the beautiful fall foliage where the temperature ranged from the mid-forties to the mid-seventies. We love Vermont.

Packing efficiently for our various trips depends on us knowing the temperature range of our destinations and the activities in which we’ll take part. During our early vacations, I always over packed. Over the years, I learned to make do with a lot less.

This learning curve came in handy for our twenty-seven-day trip to Australia and New Zealand. Our traveling companions couldn’t believe that I packed all my belongings in a twenty-one-inch carry-on, a backpack, and a large purse. Roger used a twenty-four-inch suitcase and a backpack. I should mention that doing laundry a couple of times during our trip played a large part in our ability to pack less. Do you have a difficult time deciding what to take for a trip or have you mastered the art of efficient packing? Do you have any helpful hints that could make traveling easier?

The Joys of Travel

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The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Unknown

“You only have a few magnets on your U. S.  map,” my boyfriend, Roger, said to me after one of our dates. “We’ll have to fill in the rest.”

He captured my heart with that statement. We married soon afterward and enjoyed traveling every year. I removed all the magnets that represented my solo trips because the map now chronicled our lives together. Our travels included visiting family members, often returning to the same states multiple times. We’ve joyed trips to Canada, cruises to the Caribbean, the Bahamas and a trip to Australia and New Zealand. However, our main goal was to visit all 50 states. During the ensuing years, we managed to add new states to the map.

On our most recent trip, Roger and I planned to fly from Missouri to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to spend one night and part of a day and then drive to Rapid City, South Dakota. Our late evening flight was delayed causing us to miss our connection in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Delta Airlines gave us a voucher to stay at a hotel in Minneapolis. We each received an emergency pouch containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and a few other essentials. In addition, we were given stand-by boarding passes for a flight out the next morning. One catch-all the flights were completely booked giving us an almost nil chance of flying out the next day.

We returned to the airport early the next morning with hopes of taking the first flight out. Passengers arrived at the gate taking their rightful place in line. With only about six minutes left to board, our names were called. With a sigh of relief, we boarded the plane. We landed in Sioux Falls around noon and immediately began our five-hour drive to Rapid City. When we arrived, we were surprised to see thousands of motorcyclists.

One of the residents explained that the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota for ten days during the first full week of August. More than a half million people were in attendance.

Our goal was to visit the Mt. Rushmore National Memorial and Custer State Park the next morning. The massive sculpture at Mt. Rushmore of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln is impressive. In Custer’s State Park, we saw a bison lumbering along on the side of the road. I got a great picture.

To stay on schedule, we left for our nearly nine-hour drive to Jackson, Wyoming hoping to arrive before the check-in desk closed at midnight. Hotel key retrieval arrangements were made just in case. On our long drive, we missed a deer by about four feet. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture because I was too startled.

We saw a bull elk which was too far away to get a decent picture. We arrived at our hotel with ten minutes to spare and collapsed for a long, comfortable night sleeping.

The next day, we toured the city of Jackson in Wyoming’s Jackson Hole valley taking in the charming western style features. One of the most interesting sights was the Jackson Hole’s Elk Antler Arch which presents a perfect selfie-photo op. I toured the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, and we took a stagecoach ride during our visit. We drove through the Grand Teton National Park. The Grand Tetons, known as fault-rock mountains, occupy a majority of the Jackson Hole valley where people enjoy mountaineering, camping, and fishing.

Our drive through Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the world seemed disappointing at first because we didn’t see any bison. We saw elk, donkeys, and shortly before the end of our journey, we finally we saw bison, thousands of bison. We took pictures of them running in the distance, fighting over a female, and nursing baby bison called red calves. The bison crossed the road, sometimes stopping and causing an hour and a half traffic jam. Drivers were warned to stay away from the wildlife, but sometimes the wildlife came to them. We took pictures of the bison, some up close and too personal.

There is a difference between bison and buffalo. Although we use the terms interchangeably, the American bison is native to North and South American and Europe while the buffalo resides in Africa and Asia.

Our trip to South Dakota and Wyoming completed our bucket list of visiting all 50 states. Our map is now complete. Perhaps we should add to our bucket list, “Fill in a world map.” What do you think?

 

 

 

 

Living Life

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“Life outside your craft is just as important as practicing it, if not more.” Smart Blogger

When my date, Roger, saw my map with magnets of the twelve states I visited, he said, “We’ll have to fill in the rest.”

This man is a keeper, I thought. He likes to travel as much as I do. I removed most of the magnets and only retained magnets of the three states we visited together. The map would reflect our life together.

We married less than a year after our first date and have traveled to Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, and 48 of the 50 states collecting magnets along the way. We plan to visit the last two states on our list, Wyoming and South Dakota, within the next year or two. Some of our travels to the southern states gave me an opportunity to collect important data for my historical story-in-progress.

We enjoy learning about the history, culture, and way of life in the places we visit. I took notes every day on our trip to Australia and New Zealand and wrote a blog series for Deadwoodwriters.org about that wonderful experience.

Sampling the dishes common to places we visit is a special treat. Eating fresh pineapples in Hawaii, lobster in California, beignets in Louisiana, salmon in Alaska, crabs in Florida, and crocodile meat in Australia thrilled our taste buds. Crocodile meat tastes like chicken – tough chicken. Roger even devoured delicious green-lipped mussels in New Zealand.

Our grandchildren receive colorful postcards from us describing our adventures. From the time our granddaughter was six, she saved her postcards in an album. At age five, our grandson requested a map for Christmas so that he could put a tiny sticker on the places we traveled.

We collect magnets of the places we visit as well as data for future stories I may write.

I’ve learned to live life to the fullest giving me exciting things to write about. Are you living your best life?

The Trip of a Lifetime: Australia and New Zealand Part 1

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My husband, Roger, and I arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 15 ready for the 8:00 pm flight to Melbourne, Australia. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d go to “the land down under.” When he first asked if I wanted to travel to Australia and New Zealand, I simply said, “Sure.” He started researching the travel options and I increased my monthly contributions to our travel fund.

A couple we know also wanted to go, so the four of us poured through several catalogs with plans to travel together. We selected Grand Circle Travel® – perfect choice. Our friends planned to join us on the 22nd of March in Cairns.

When the travel information arrived in the mail, we learned about the passport and visa requirements and the luggage restrictions (one 50 pound checked bag and one 15 pound carry-on bag). I chose one 25 pound checked bag, a 12 pound backpack, and a purse large enough to accommodate a small camera and mini iPad. With plans to utilize the hotel laundry facilities, I packed enough for eight days, not for the entire 27-day trip.

Upon arrival at the Melbourne Airport on Thursday, March 17 (losing a day crossing numerous time zones), we felt the extreme heat immediately. We looked for other travelers wearing the Grand Circle name tags and met our tour guide, Ronan McChesney. He was born in Ireland and became an Australian citizen because he loved the island nation so much. During our wonderful time in Australia, we understood why.

After a coach ride from the airport and brief tour around the city, we arrived at the Rendezvous Hotel. Ronan assured us that our luggage would be taken to our rooms. Because it was a little too early for check in, he gave us a brief orientation outside the hotel then took us on a walking tour around the neighborhood. He cautioned us that Australians (Aussies) drive on the left side of the road and pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. Good to know. Ronan said to drink a bottle of water each hour because of the dry heat.

At the Rendezvous Hotel, Ronan picked up all the room keys for the tour group. This was his well-organized duty at each of our hotel stops facilitating our check-ins. We joined Ronan in a conference room for a briefing and get-acquainted session. Each person said his or her name, where they lived, and why they chose to travel to this part of the world. Ronan talked a little about what to expect during this trip. He also explained that Aussies pronounced Melbourne “Melbin,” the city of Alice Springs was just called “The Alice,” and the city of Cairns was called “Cans” or “Kennes.” Ronan distributed headsets which facilitated hearing the tour guides’ dialogue on the various tours throughout the trip. He also gave us a gold sheet of paper giving us the itinerary for the first five days of our journey. The color, he said with a smile, represents the sands of the Outback.

He warned that once we got to our rooms to be careful of that large rectangle covered in a beautiful, colorful pattern in the center of the room that would beckon us to try it out. “Don’t do it. Or you’ll miss dinner.” Sleeping in the afternoon meant not sleeping at night. Adjusting to jet lag wasn’t too bad for us.

After going to our rooms and freshening up, we were free to tour the city or to rest. Roger and I toured, then joined our group for dinner at the hotel. Whenever our prepaid dinners were with the group, Ronan had us select in advance our culinary choices from a prepared menu. This allowed the restaurant to have the meals for our group of twenty-three, including Ronan, ready upon our arrival.

On Friday, March 18, we enjoyed a full hot breakfast at the hotel (every breakfast was included in the cost of the trip). Wearing our battery-operated headsets, we met in the lobby at 9:00 am ready to board the coach for the half day Melbourne City Sightseeing Tour. We stopped at the beautiful, impressive St. Patrick’s Cathedral, then saw the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Australian Open Tennis Centre. We visited the Shrine of Remembrance which honored the Australians who fought in World War I and World War II. Family members were unable to receive the bodies of their deceased loved ones because of the distance and expense; therefore, this Shrine of Remembrance was designed to honor the military.

That night some of us went to the Fairy Penguin Parade at Philip Island to watch the Little Penguins (much smaller than what we usually see at Penguinariums) come out of the water to return to their nesting places on shore. We were not allowed to take pictures, with or without a flash, because that frightens the penguins causing them to throw up. They would starve. After the show, I saw an adorable little girl about two years old walking like the little penguins. Too cute.

On Saturday, March 19, breakfast at the hotel was at 6 am. Our bags were set outside our rooms at 6.45 am ready to be picked up by porters. Already hot, the temperature was scheduled to reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit. At 7:30 am, we met in the hotel lobby ready to board the coach to the Melbourne Airport to fly to the Alice Springs Airport. Excitement mounted as we prepared to see the Outback, learn about the Aboriginal culture, visit a kangaroo sanctuary, and more.