Back to Tom Price

"BOOM!" went a noise outside of our van as we were motoring down a dusty road towards Karijini National Park.

"What was that?" Ken and Anne exclaimed at the same time. I looked in my driver's side mirror and began slowing down.

"I'm not sure, but I think we might have just blown a tire." I've never had a tire blow out on me before while driving, but I always thought it'd be more of a shocking jerk, causing the vehicle to veer to one side, perhaps into oncoming traffic or into a neighboring car. Yeah, a little morbid. But luckily, we were miles away from any civilization and there was nothing to veer into, had our vehicle chosen to do so. Well, lucky for that particular moment in time...

We got out of the van and inspected the catastrophe laying before us. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Thirty minutes prior, we had left a caravan park just outside the small isolated mining town of Tom Price. Had this happened the day before, we would have likely been a good 3 hours drive from a town with a shop for vehicle repairs.

The three of us stood on the side of the road for about a minute staring at the shredded rubber attached to the rim of the back driver's side wheel. We were all a little dumbfounded and I think we were each secretly waiting for the others to take control of the situation.

"How do the other tires look?" I asked.

Ken circled the van. "Not so good. This one is flaking." Why we didn't inspect the tires before renting the vehicle is beyond me. I guess I took for granted the fact that rental companies are supposed to rent out roadworthy vehicles. Lesson learned.

Ken and I began changing the blown tire. We got as far as loosening the lugnuts before we had to pull out the manual to figure out where to place the jack. Fortunately, a couple stopped to help and within 10 minutes, we were on our way back to Tom Price. I never thought I'd return to Tom Price. We never intended on going there in the first place. We just used it as a stopping point between Exmouth and Karijini NP and only drove through it the first time when leaving the caravan park because we missed the turnoff for the road leading to the national park. Tom Price will always have a special place in my heart; a small oasis with a tire shop.

Despite having to spend an unexpected day with vehicle maintenance, we did manage to get to Karijini NP just in time for a beautiful sunset walk along Dale's Gorge rim. Western Australia is extremely sparse. The road is usually straight and the land mostly red and flat as far as the eye can see. It gets a little redundant watching the same landscape whirl past at 110 k/hr and driving while the others sleep, but I enjoy it as a time of reflection. I'm surprisingly content with it. The national parks are a nice reward at the end of a day's drive and Karijini was no exception. Because we don't have 4wd, we were only able to see a small amount of the park. We spent the next morning hiking into Dale's Gorge. I swam to waterfalls at the other end of picturesque Fern Pool, definitely worth the small detour off of the main trail.

(Fortescue Falls - Karijini NP)

We're in Broome at the moment, our last coastal destination before Darwin. Today we head inland and into the outback. We will spend our last days with the campervan exploring The Kimberleys of western Australia and the Katherine area of the Northern Territory. I'm sad to leave the Indian Ocean. It has been very kind with its inviting and refreshing turquoise waters... Except yesterday on Cable Beach when we reenacted a scene from "Jaws." Ken, Anne and I were frolicking in the water and participating in amateur body surfing when lifeguards began running up and down the beach blowing furiously into their whistles. We kind of looked at each other and followed the lead of other swimmers as hundreds of people began swimming/running back onshore. The lifeguards jumped into a small dinghy and drove out into the water. I followed the dinghy with my eyes until it stopped about 30 meters offshore and began circling. I spotted a fin in the water. Shark! The crowd watched the dinghy and two outriggers as they scared the shark away and within half an hour, everyone was back in the water like nothing had happened. I guess it was just another typical day at the beach...

There's so much more I'd like to tease you with (such as how we played dodge the kangaroo one evening after returning from a drift snorkel session on Turquoise Bay. There were literally THOUSANDS of roos along the roadside and we had many near misses...I'm talking within inches of a roo vs van collision.) but the road is calling.

(Roo video courtesy of Anne)

Fine Weather and Whale Sharks

Where to begin? I apologize in advance. This update will not be as creative as past updates. The sun is shining, the weather is fine and Ningaloo reef is calling me for a snorkel session. I'd be doing myself (and all of you) an injustice if I stayed in this dusty remote internet cafe any longer than need be.

Yesterday was a spectacular day, definitely the highlight of the trip so far. Anne and I climbed aboard the "Darling Isabelle" and spent a day searching for and swimming with the elusive whale shark. I still can't believe we did it. A thousand photographic and emotional memories are surging through my brain remembering it all. We started off with a short snorkel training session on Ningaloo Reef. The water was very choppy and the visibility wasn't great, but who am I to complain!? We saw plenty of coral and colorful fish, but the best was yet to come.

The next hour or so was spent cruising along the reef and waiting for the spotter plane to find our boat a whale shark. Once one was found, the Darling Isabelle cranked up her engines for full speed ahead. We were separated into two groups of 10, A and B, and were told to don our gear. Group A was in first. They were given about 5 minutes in the water and told to stop swimming so us, Group B, could have a go. Unfortunately, the whale dove and group B was was forced to wait for the next session. A few minutes later, we were shouted at again to get our gear on and before I knew it, I was swimming along a 40 foot whale shark! Words cannot describe my emotions and I know that sounds silly, but this is something I've been wanting to do for a very long time!

I wasn't scared (at first) and oddly, I wasn't excited. I could feel the adrenaline, but I was relaxed. I'm sure I wore a huge grin through my snorkel despite the fact that I was breathing and swallowing more salt water than anyone would like. I would have been satisfied with the first session, but I was allowed 4 more. I couldn't get enough of it. During the third session, I jumped into the water after the crew yelled "swimmers in!" and swam towards the spotter swimmer who was near the shark. I stopped to gain my bearings and to figure out where the shark was only to realize it was swimming straight at me. Whale sharks feed on plankton, but with a mouth big enough to feed a 30 ton animal, who wouldn't freak out at one swimming directly towards them. For a half second, I was paralyzed. The gap between us was shrinking by the millisecond and all I could do was stare. It was a game of chicken and if I didn't swim out of the way, I was going to lose! Luckily, my survival instincts slapped me across the face and I swam/flailed away as fast as I could.

A lot of people were finished after the third session. To maximize swim time between the two groups, the boat crew was very militant about us being prepared to swim and getting us in and out of the water. It tired a lot of people. It worked out great for me. I was one of about 5 people who wanted to swim the last session and it lasted the longest, about 15 minutes. The shark seemed to warm up to us. In previous sessions, it would decide it was finished with us and dive deep into the blue, far beyond what I could swim or see, forcing the swimmers back onto the boat. But on the last session, our hour with this particular shark was up (boats are legally allowed 1 hour of interaction with individual sharks). Despite being tired from keeping up with the shark (freestyle swimming with fins to keep up), we reluctantly returned to the boat. The shark lingered around the boat, circling as if calling us back to play. But all good things must come to an end and within a few minutes, it dove and was gone.

Besides whale sharks, we were also able to see humpback whales, spinner dolphins and loggerhead turtles on our snorkeling adventure. Apparently, a humpback whale swam within 50 meters of my group while we were in the water, but we were all so occupied with the whale shark, none of us noticed.

Other wildlife I've seen since leaving Perth are bottlenosed dolphins, Australian pelicans and lots of feral goats. I spotted two roos while we were hiking through a gorge along the Murchison River in Kalbarri National Park.

(Anne, Ken and I in Kalbarri NP on Murchison River hike.)

Ken only saw a tail as it hopped up the rocks and Anne missed it completely. We're hoping to spot some today on our drive to Turquoise bay to do some shore snorkeling.

Greetings from Perth

Greetings from the most isolated capital city in the world, Perth. For those unaware of where this might be, Perth lies towards the southern end of Western Australia along the Indian Ocean. It boasts great weather, but we've yet to see any of it. I'm not complaining, but torrential downpours are not exactly the best sight-seeing weather. I can deal with rain. I enjoy rain. But not the kind that makes you feel like you're wearing a soggy box of kleenex instead of a raincoat and has you soaked within seconds. I only enjoy this type of rain if I'm watching from indoors and I have nothing better to see or do. Luckily, we've managed and have mostly avoided the extreme conditions by ducking into cafes, under gazebos and various other shelters at just the right moments. We've toured the city and I'm pretty sure Ken and Anne would agree that the city park, King's Park, has been our favorite spot here. It had a cool platform walk through the treetops and plenty of native plants to lose yourself in the botanic gardens.

(Perth skyline from Jacob's Ladder, near King's Park)

Before Perth, we were in the Blue Mountains a few hours outside of Sydney. We did an awesome hike along Federal Pass through eucalyptus forests. The sky was blue and the birds were singing. Too bad we didn't get to see many of them! Unfortunately for us, they stay very well hidden. On our second day in the Blue Mountains, we hiked out to Wentworth Falls. The trail followed a meandering creek through thick bush. The creek met its end where the bush opened up and we were suddenly standing at the edge of a plateau. The view was spectacular. It felt like I was the first to lay eyes on the great expanse of forests, valleys and canyons below me. The downside of being at the edge of this plateau was the wind! I'm not sure how fast it was blowing, but the meandering creek never made it to the valley below. The falls were ripped apart into mist and millions of water droplets and blown up into dissipation. We found a rocky outcrop sheltered from the wind and water where we nibbled on cheese and crackers, hummus and pita bread and guacamole and chips. We also sipped on some leftover red wine from the night before which gave us all an extra layer of warmth. Sydney wasn't as adventurous, but it was fun in its own way. I managed to see a lot of things I missed last time such as Darling Harbour, Sydney Aquarium and The Rocks.

(The Rocks)

We also did a coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee beaches which was my favorite part of Sydney. I kept having to remind myself that we were still in the city.

Today, we pick up our campervan and will spend the next 3 weeks driving up the west coast. Anne, Ken and I are very excited. I think we're all secretly looking forward to something to call home, even if it is confined to a vehicle. I'm ready to get out of the cities and into nature. We have stops planned in many National Parks and hopes of warmer weather and scenery we've been teased with in various guide books and websites.

Touch Down!

The moon was full and bright as the plane abruptly touched down and reconnected with the earth at Nadi International Airport. Ten hours into our flight to Sydney, we were told we'd be diverting to the small island nation of Fiji. What was to be a fourteen hour and 40 minute non-stop flight turned into an eighteen hour flight with one stopover. Apparently, fog covered the eastern coast of Australia. Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney had visibility below what was acceptable to land and we needed refueling.

I have my own suspicions. Our flight was packed. In fact, it was overbooked. There was a large group of 50+ students belonging to some sort of marching band or orchestra, each traveling with a pack for clothes and a large box containing their musical instrument of choice. If you ask me, the plane was too heavy to make it on one tank to Sydney, especially since we were flying against the jet stream. My suspicions were later confirmed when I asked our taxi driver and the women working reception at our hostel if there was fog in the morning. Both said the weather was "fine." But, that is just my theory. I suppose an unusually large blanket of fog could have covered the equivalent of the entire Pacific west coast...

We spent just over an hour on Fijian soil to refuel and fill out documentation. We departed just before the first sign of sun over the south Pacific. The morning light cast dark shadows on the jagged hills, but I knew they were beautiful nonetheless. What a tease! I guess I'll have to make the journey back to Fiji of my own free will. For now, my Australian adventure has begun, to say the very least!!!

A Contemplative Winter Morning

I had an early commitment in the bay area this morning that had me up before the sun. Of course, I was running late. Typical, but I'm getting better. I sat in the dark of the Durango staring at the thin layer of ice on my windshield willing the defroster to work just a tad bit more efficiently so I could get the show on the road.

Traffic was a little heavier than I expected at the hour. I guess I wasn't the only one with a start time of the buttcrack of dawn. I crossed the Yolo Causeway just as the sun was poking through the horizon. It was a beautiful sunrise to a crisp morning. I admired the green farmlands, rolling hills, then coastal mountains and the old but mighty oaks in the early light.

Despite being snug and warm in the environment of a car, I could sense the freshness outside. It made me want to ditch work and join the grazing cows munching on dew-tipped grass. I didn't really want to think about their fate. For the moment, they had the life and I was envious of them. The morning did, however, have me thinking about my own fate and life in general.

Do you ever have those moments where you feel incredibly lucky to be alive? It was one of those experiences which I very much needed. I've been going through some confusing times. You know; "What am I doing with my life? Who am I? What do I want to be when I grow up?" :oP They're the questions many 20-something year olds think about and most of the time shrug off. I tend to dwell and being a scorpio, no matter how hard I try, I rarely let things go. These are questions I often battle with and I'm almost at terms with knowing I will likely do so until my end. In any case, I've made strides to help answer at least a few of these. I'm taking a few music classes. If I enjoy them, I may pursue a second degree and work my way into "the music business." Or I might continue to run off to other continents and prolong growing up for the rest of my life. We'll see.

Random Tangent:
Among mother nature's beauty, I had the pleasure of viewing one of mankind's ugly; billboards. How on earth did we ever let anyone decide it was ok to block landscapes and scenery with 14' x 48' advertisements along our highways? This morning, before I decided not to focus on the consumerism and commercialism of our society, billboards were trying to convince me to become an alcoholic gambler who listens to Catholic Talk Radio. And yes, it is OUR society. Out of all the countries I have traveled, America is the only one commited to the waste of a good view. To better articulate my random tangent and hopefully make you think twice, I will leave you with a picture I snagged off of a friend's page and a few lines from a great song by a great band. (Check 'em out!)














Who owns the wall space in this big city
The companies have billboards but that shit ain't pretty
Government busy scrubbing true art off the wall
The voices of the people and the freedom scrawl
-Northern State "Vicious Cycle"