Where is Waldo?

Only a few weeks until we go. Are we scrambling or what?!?

We have, however, tentatively figured out our basic itinerary. We're planning on spending the first 5-6 months based in Suffolk Park, NSW (where we have some wonderful mates) and making weekend and week long trips from there, along with entertaining friends and family from the States.

However, starting in late September we hit the road. We intend to go to Uluru ( a.k.a. Ayers Rock) and the Olgas (I can't seem to get my brain around the 'new' name of the Olgas) and then drive up to Kakadu National Park and Dawin. Coming from the Byron Bay area we'll be swinging down via Dubbo, Broken Hill and Port Augusta and Coober Pedy.

From Kakadu it is over to Broome and Port Hedland. From there we will go along the coast and see Karratha, Carnarvon, Geraldton to get to Perth. A photographer friend, Nick Rains suggested we see Karijini National Park, so we may drive stright down from Port Hedland and see the park and then go back to the coast. We'll see.

We will spend November in WA, spending some time in Dunsborough visiting another photographer, Christian Fletcher, along with visiting other mates in the Perth area. By then we'll be driven out for a while so we plan on taking the car-train to Adelaide, drive over to Melbourne and take the ferry to Tasmania and meeting up with Nick and Christian at Freycinet National Park for a photo workshop.

Tired yet? We're spending the rest of December in Tassie and then back to explore VIC and SA in January and February and NSW in March before we have to get (reluctantly) back to the States.

As we'll be camping for much of this time, we will get to economize and spend more time where we connect and hurrying through others where we decide there isn't much that is atractive. All in all it should be a wonderful adventure.

Steve

39 Days Left!

Crunch time is upon us as we get ready for our big adventure. The preparations seem endless; canceling the paper, reducing our phones down to one land-line and a pay-as-you-go Trakfone, switching the internet access to direct billing, canceling auto insurance, arranging the PO box rental, and as Yul Brynner in "The King and I" said, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

The cleaning and thinning out of clothes to bring, to store and to donate has begun in earnest. Ideally, we'll bring as few clothes as we need and travel light, but I don't think I can get away as lightly as I did in the Navy. While it is permissible to wear the same clothes day after day for years (a.k.a. uniforms), that won't fly Down Under. Not to mention it will be interesting to se

what Allie thinks she absolutely "must" bring. We get to bring two checked bags each, so that's the limiting factor. I think we'll be fine wearing moderate to cool temperature clothing and pack out lighter apparel. If we need to buy a few sweaters (called 'jumpers' in Australia), that's fine. I go by my father's travel d

ictum; pack half as much as you think you'll need and bring twice as much money and you'll be fine.

We've begun scouting out possible rentals in the Byron Bay, NSW area with one that looks perfect, but who knows if will still be available by the time we get there? We do have an official bank account in Australia, but we have to be

there in person to actually activate it. I guess this is to avoid fraud, but we have to play by their rules, so...

The dogs are beginning to get hints as we start cleaning out the closets and are putting the stuff we'll bring in the spare bedroom. The cats don't seem to care, as long as they get their food. The same goes for the goats and llama, sheep, chickens, etc. They, like us, a

re tired of the snow and have begun eating the fence posts in frustrated boredom, so spring cannot come soon enough for all of us.

We did get away last weekend for a short visit to Washington, DC for a visit to Allie's aunt and a photograp

hy seminar, which only made the foot of snow still

on the ground here even more tiresome. Oh well. At least I got some interesting photos.