Sydney, Australia 5/17/02

Sydney, Australia 5/17/02

“And then depression set in.” My trip is over. I’ve gone through all the check points here at the Sydney International Airport. The packs are checked through. My hand case has been searched. I’ve made my declarations so to speak and every piece of metal on my person has been accounted for. Now I just have to sit here at gate 53 and think about all that I’ve seen in the past 2 weeks, what I missed, and what I miss back home.

Oh how I love to travel! I wish I had two lives to live. One would be “to affect the quality of the day.” The other would be to travel….non-stop. This trip has turned me onto the whole “Backpacker” world too. Hostels were great and they made me feel like when we would take trips and just sleep on the beach in our college days. It’s more of an experience that just staying at a hotel.

Spending this time with Dave was great too. Its funny how simply spending time with great friends never gets old. I could have traveled like that for another 2 months and never gotten tired of the company. Just sitting around with him, no matter the setting, is fun.

Our conversations ranged from the serious to the amusing. We joked about how we were “Poser Backpackers” because we had jobs, a rental car, and Dave’s golf clubs in the trunk. I’m sure the list of “You know you are a poser Backpacker when….” will continue to grow.

There was lots of camp memories shared. He made me recall several funny things that I had not thought of in years and probably never would have. I guess when you spend 5 summers together there are just too many memories to keep them all fresh in your mind. How I could forget Steven Bauer’s “Golden Screw” story I’ll never know. When Dave brought it up I think I laughed for an hour and I could vividly remember Steve telling the story at campfires. I could even picture him standing and yelling the punch line like I had seen it yesterday. “AND HIS BUTT FELL OFF!” God that cracked me up!

How I could completely forget something like that frightens me. I wonder how many other classic memories are in my head lying dormant and I wonder if anything will ever spark them into action.

Of course with Dave there was talk of the future too. Where we are going? What’s our 5, 10, 20 year plans. Dave is doing very well for himself, especially in his career, and living abroad is a great experience. One that I will probably never have but I’m sure it’s been tough on him living in Wollongong, so far from home.

He’s made friends here of course and I had the pleasure of going out with most of them last night. Great people and we had a blast by the way. It was Dave’s 29th Birthday and the beer, shots, and cocktails flowed freely at several of Sydney’s pubs until the early morning hours.

- pause -

I have now started the long flight home. Seat 39H is treating me pretty well and I’m trying to keep my mind off the thought that I have about 18 hours in the air before I reach Miami. I suppose I should relish this time to just sit, read, and think. Come Monday its catch up time in the office and hitting the running path hard in final preparation for the big run on June 2.

Oh what a time I’ve had. Ah Hell, oh what a time I always have! Thanks to my friends and family it’s rare that a day goes by that I’m not smiling. Thanks Dave, not just for your generosity and a free flight to Australia, but for being a dear friend and allowing me two great weeks with you.

MJF

Lady Elliot Island, Australia 5/15/02

Lady Elliot Island, Australia 5/15/02

Cross the Great Barrier Reef off of the list of things I have to see before I die. I have now seen it. Of course much like my experience to the Grand Canyon, I want to do more and vow to return to it once again. Also similar to the Canyon, the Reef is HUGE. Lady Elliot is only one of the smallest points to see and not even the main part of the Reef. I need to do more!

Today has been amazing. The Reef that surrounds the island was spectacular and my visual senses were overloaded. As I snorkeled around, either from the beach or off the boat, everywhere you turned there was something else to make you think, “WOW!”

I probably sound like an 8 year old at show & tell but I saw tons of fish, a giant turtle, a dozen huge manta rays, and more shapes of coral then the sky has stars. I’m afraid this place has ruined me from ever again being impressed by the Florida Keys, my main snorkeling spot near my home.

Like everything else, my only wish is that I had more time to do more. Oh and getting my dive certification has now become a priority!

MJF

Fraser Island, Australia 5/13/02

Fraser Island, Australia 5/13/02

For the last million years sand has been collecting to form Fraser Island and for the last two days I have been driving around on it in a little Suzuki 4x4. What a great adventure!

Words are tough to come up with to describe the Island; steep hills, wide open beaches, thick forest, crystal clear lakes, cliffs overlooking the ocean as the water violently crashes on the rocks below, sand dunes, dingoes, and bumps; lots and lots of bumps. When we first started all I could think of was I wish I was driving a Jeep, specifically mine. After about an hour I’m glad it wasn’t mine. I wonder how long these vehicles last because the conditions are anything but ideal for novice off road drivers in rented 4x4’s.

I’ve lost track of what day in country this is for me. We have been constantly on the move and have not spent a single night in the same spot that we woke up that morning. After Coffs Harbor we spent a night in Surfers Paradise at the greatest hostel. A place called Trekkers. What I wouldn’t give to be able to spend a week there when I was 23. It was like staying in a Frat house. After a great night out with some of the other Trekker guests we spent a morning checking out the rest of Surfers Paradise. It is a cool town; a beach town in the sense that I know them. It felt like a cross between Daytona Beach and Orlando’s Church Street/Orange Ave. area.

Noose Heads/Noosaville was the next night. It is about 3 to 4 hours up the road from Surfers Paradise. This is where Australia’s rich come to “holiday”. A very beautiful area and another great surfing spot (so I was told) with lots of high end shopping and restaurants too.

It was pretty quiet as far as other backpackers and things to do. So we didn’t see the need to stay long. I did manage to get another great run in while we were there though. This one was made for the pages of Runners World.

It was an 18 to 19k run that started on the beach, then up, over, and down a steep ridge, through the Noosa National Forest, onto another beach, then back up another steep ridge before a slow meandering path leads down a rocky trail along the edge of an ocean front cliff. This part of the trail was full of surfers running up to find a safe place to descend down the side and hit the waves. It was pretty awesome.

The trail ended for me at Beach Access 13, about 1 km or less past the main drag of Hastings St. I stopped here for a bottle of water and a quick stretch before heading the other 9k back, following the trail I just described in reverse. It was an afternoon run. (since my slight hangover from my previous night out in Surfers Paradise made a morning run seem very….well un-vactioney sums it up best. What can I say. I love those Toohey New!) So as I was ascending back up the trail the Sun was staring to set over the Western ridge of the cove that protects Main Beach. The thought crossed my mind to stop and watch a sunset that would probably rival Key West’s but I knew I had to keep on running. The terrain was beautiful but definitely not something you would want to tackle in the dark. I got back right after dusk. The last stretch in the dark on the deep sand of the beach sucked out all of my remaining energy. I was drained but very happy.

I think that about brings me up to date. We spent one night in Hervey Bay but it was actually more like 12 hours and our kick off point to Fraser Island. Tonight will most likely be spent back at the Koala Backpackers resort in Hervey Bay. Another great hostel by the way. Tomorrow we are hoping to catch a small plane ride up to the Southern tip of “The Reef” for a couple days of diving before heading back to Sydney and closing out the trip.

- Pause-

I just drove our little ride onto the island ferry and we are heading back to the mainland. I think I’ll wrap this entry up and collect my thoughts on the deck above.
The sun is setting in the horizon and another beautiful day Down Under will almost be over. The temperature is perfect and a light breeze feels nice against my sun soaked skin. I feel great!

I’m having a blast seeing everything. I love hanging out with Dave but I do miss my girlfriend. That pretty much sums up my thoughts and feelings right now. I never want this to end.

MJF

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

The end of “Reluctance” by Robert Frost

Coffs Harbor, Australia 5/9/02

Coffs Harbor, Australia 5/9/02

A good opening line fails to come to mind. I have been in country for 3 days and I have yet to stop smiling. Well almost 3 days. This is actually the start of day 3 but I’m confident I’ll still be smiling at the end of the day. I love this place!

Dave met me at the Hertz counter at 7 a.m. on Tuesday morning and we have been on the move ever since. We spent the first day sightseeing in Sydney and words can not begin to describe how much I enjoyed it.

Sydney is huge! Probably not the biggest city I have ever been to but still I could not get used to how many buildings there are. I think it’s because of the many hills and harbors. It’s not your standard straight coastline. You are constantly getting a different look, a different angle, at the skyline. I managed to kick the jetlag and we spent a full day wandering the City.

Day two was mostly spent in the car but it was quite enjoyable just the same. Keeping with my tradition of making a trip not taking one and getting somewhere can be just as fun as the place you are going we intentionally get off the main roads as soon as we were outside of Sydney. Wandering back roads and getting off the beaten path is a little more difficult in Australia than it is in the States though. There are just not as many roads. But then again the beaten path isn’t very beaten.

Our main road North is Pacific Highway 1 but it is far from a Freeway feel. To me it feels more like sections of US1 through the Florida Keys will less water. We still managed to find one “side” road even less beaten than the Pacific Highway to wander up for awhile. The detour took us for a nice 2 hour jaunt through the country side before meeting back up with the highway. I was in awe of most of it; very beautiful landscape, high rolling hills, lush valleys with green grass, a narrow winding road flowing up, down and around the hills, and a creek to cross every 10 steps practically.

Each creek seemed to be named too. I found that very odd but still loved it. Half the time we could not tell what road we were on or what town was ahead but if we crossed a 2 foot wide strip of water you can bet there would be a nice bright sign letting us know what creek it was.

We ended the day here in Coffs Harbor and got a room at Hoey Boey’s Back Packers. A quick stroll through the town made it apparent that we were no longer in an urban center like Sydney. This is a quite town. It's a beach town not to different from the ones that line the Florida coast. I’m still searching for a surf shop though to test my theory as described in my previous Hermosa Beach entry.

They seem to cater to tourists here though differently than the Florida beach towns. Everything here is designed mostly for the backpacker on a budget rather than the family and screaming kids. Gone are the big signs boasting t-shirts, maps, discount tickets & souvenirs. Needless to say I don’t miss them.

This is my first stay at a backpackers place or hostel if you will, and I am a little saddened by it. They offer all the things you need for a wandering road trip oasis including great company from fellow wanders all at a cheap rate. What saddens me then? The fact that I am just now discovering them.

This place screams “Mat & MJ heaven!” Well the old Mat & MJ. Back when we were wandering the US from about 1991 to 2001, sleeping in cars, beaches, airports, or the occasional boxcar. Oh well I’m not going to get sentimental. I just have to stay positive and hope there are more great trips like that in my future. Maybe I can drag another couple along with my girlfriend and me as we backpack Europe or something.

I have run everyday that I have been in Australia and I feel great. My two runs in Sydney were amazing and I now think even if I wasn’t training for a marathon running in a new place is just about the best way to see it.

My first run was about 4 to 5 miles. It took me across the Sydney Harbor Bridge and then through a few residential neighborhoods on the other side. I hit a few dead ends, ran into the Prime Ministers house, and then finally found a nice coastal path to follow before heading back over the bridge.

Before heading out of Sydney the next day I woke early, probably thanks to the jetlag, and set out of a good 10 to 11k (oh ya, I’m blending! J) This route took me along the harbor under the bridge around the Opera House, through the Botanical Gardens, into the center of Sydney and then back the same way. It was beautiful and I loved every minute of it; seeing the sun low in the sky, just peeking over the houses that line the islands at the mouth of the harbor, passing dozens of other early morning runners.

The entire route was great and I was soaking up every step. Then on the way back probably at about kilometer 8 or so I had just entered back into the Botanical Gardens and the path took me down a set of long shallow stairs and under a canopy of gorgeous trees. As I looked at the bright green grass around me, the path winding ahead of me, and the older trees lining the sides, there upper branches merging into canopy of leaves and branches that acted like a web catching sunlight above me, I started to laugh without breaking a stride. I spread my arms out wide and ran through laughing. It was perfect. Sure I probably looked like an idiot but I don’t care. I felt great and the memory of that run will be with me for a long time.

Today’s run through Coffs Harbor was very different but still enjoyable. It took me over and around a pond and then into the hills and banana fields. The country side is not at all like I imagined. I guess when you picture Australia all you see is the outback. All I’ve seen is tropical stuff. Big country!

Today we push onto Surfers Paradise as we make our way up the coast. I knew it before I arrived but with every experience it becomes clearer, 2 weeks is not going to be near enough time!

MJF

Hermosa Beach, CA 5/5/02

Hermosa Beach, CA 5/5/02

(This trip pre-dates my first digital camera. Photos will be posted once I get a decent scanner. Sorry! :-)

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Instead of sipping Corona’s though I have instead opted for a hot mocha from Java Man; a perfect non-franchised-random furniture-actually an old house-coffee house, that I just stumbled upon. It’s a damn fine mocha too! I should point out that it is technically the morning so I guess it might be a little early for a beer anyway. I think drinking alone in the morning is Question #1 on the AA website.

I’m off on another great adventure, quite possibly my biggest yet. I left Miami this morning at 7:30 a.m. and now with the help of a few time zone changes I sit on the other coast, quite literally, at 10:30 a.m. Here I will happily “kill” the next 12 hours before hopping on another flight for leg 2 on my journey. Final destination Australia!

God I love saying that!

There’s a recently released song from Jimmy Buffett that has been going over and over in my head this morning. Not the entire song, more like just one line from it. It’s from the title track to the new album and he sings “I’m heading out today for the farside of the world.” Ahhh Jimmy. As usual your words are providing the back drop to another wonderful adventure.

I’m having trouble thinking of what to write. There are too many emotions, thoughts, and excitement in my mind and veins to get out in an orderly fashion. I think it’s because for the first time since this trip popped up a couple months ago I’m actually sitting down with nothing to do or think about. They say silence can be deafening well sitting here with just time to write has my mind racing. The shots of espresso probably don’t help.

Life in WPB has been great, as usual, but I’ve had myself running at an insane pace; busy days at work, training for my first marathon, increasing the amount of freelance work that I do, volunteering for Junior Achievement, Advising the Pike Chapter at FAU, and of course not missing any opportunities to “socialize”. Planning for this trip put me over the top to an institutionally insane pace. I’m rambling….

- Pause to kick back and enjoy the coffee house scene and think -

L.A. Story Part II

I guess my dateline for this entry should have been Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, & Redondo Beach because it’s basically one big area and I have now been to them all. Before I left Miami I was dreading this lay over. I am so excited to get to Australia, waiting 12 hours in between flights seemed like an eternity. Now I’m loving it!

After my mocha I walked down and out on the Hermosa pier. Looking back on the shore line I realized that the houses, shops, and beach trail go on for miles in both directions. The scene is a little different from the beaches of Florida but then again I am in LA; little bigger population than good ol’WPB, FL!

Needless to say I was very excited about the opportunity for exploration. I quickly realized that “killing” time here was going to be pure joy. I keep putting “killing” in quotes because I really don’t think of it as killing at all. That implies a certain degree of destruction. Time is a scarce thing and I like to be thankful for every minute of it. Each minute to me is more like the birth of a new experience rather than the death or end of something. As usual, Thoreau said it best: "As if you could kill time without injuring eternity."

My next stop after the pier was Hermosa Cycles and Rentals where I rented one blue and black beach cruiser bike complete with basket and lock. I was ready to roam the area. I don’t think I stopped giggling out loud for the first hour. I hit a pay phone and gave the P’s and girlfriend a call but other than that I’ve just been riding. It's been like like my childhood days back in Philo, Illinois; an afternoon riding my bike. Sure the scenery is different. The Black Sleu (a very small creek near my childhood home) is a far cry from the Pacific Ocean but the simple joy of freedom and discovery is still the same.

The Sun managed to burn off the cloud cover and I am now enjoying a sunny, breezy day. I bought some sun block and lost the shirt and now I’m doing exactly what I’d probably be doing if I had never left Florida; sitting outside enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon in the Sun.

I do have a single regret though for this day so far. I wish I could have found a way to get a run in here. The setting is perfect and I am in need of a good run. It is less than one month to go before the marathon and I feel like I have let up some in my training

Training for the marathon has gone great. There have been several very hard runs, a lot of pain, a lot of early mornings, and also a lot of soul searching. But there has also been a lot of smiles, a lot of “God I feel great!” moments and an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. All this and I have not even done the race yet. The journey is the reward as they say.

I feel like I “turned the corner” so to speak in my training about a month ago. The 7, 8, 9, 10, even 12 mile runs were not hard anymore. Granted I have slipped since then. And 26.2 is a lot farther than 16, my farthest run so far. But I now know /think I can do it. I’m going to run hard the next three weeks, taper for a week, and then I’m there. My mind is set and the plan is clear.

I’m not sure what my finish time will be. I don’t know what kind of pace I’ll be able to manage for the last 10 miles or so. My goal of under 4 hours is still there and I’m going to train my ass off to get it but it’s a whole lot easier to work for a specific time when you have removed the doubt that you can even finish the race.

L.A. Confidential Part III

I refer back to my opening line “Happy Cinco de Mayo!” only now I have been sipping back on a Corona or two so pardon me when my already terrible penmanship gets worse. As my friend Jeff would probably say “F*#@ Off! I’m on vacation!”

Well my day in LA is almost over and if my next 12 days are half as good as this one I’m going to be one happy camper.

After lunch, a late lunch that is, 4:30 p.m. at Hennessey’s…oh wait I have to document the small world story from Hennessey’s. I went in there for a bite and beer. I made my way through the crowd to a single bar stool at the bar in the back. As I was waiting for my food and sipping on the afore mentioned Corona I struck up a conversation with the bar neighbors to the left of me. There names were Gary & Mary and they were in town to visit their daughter. Where are they visiting from you might ask? Well they currently live in Chicago. Not a big deal really. I’m sure there are thousands of people from Chicago in LA right now. What cracked me up was that Mary was born and raised in Champaign (my hometown) and both of them went to SIU (my college in a different town). It cracked me up but I think it made Mary’s day.

Gary and Mary bid me well after they finished their lunch but I stuck around for a few more rounds. The bar was packed and I liked the atmosphere. I watched the Lakers beat the Spurs in game 1 of the Semi-Finals and then I took off for new stimuli. (God I miss Michael and the Bulls. I just can’t seem to get into the NBA anymore.)

I went into some surf shops. It’s funny how surf shops don’t change no matter what coast. They all have the same feel, look, workers, etc. I guess there is only so many ways you can market t-shirts, shorts, and flip flops. Oh I’m not knocking it. I love’em all…and I have a new long sleeve T to prove it. It’s getting chilly here.

After that I was strolling by another bar when I heard the easily recognizable sounds of a live reggae band. Glancing at the A-frame chalk board in front I noticed the bands name was “Crucial”. Crucial? As in the legendary house band at Rum Runners in Key West? Surely not, I thought, but then again they had been playing Key West for years and the last time I saw them MJ I noted that they were getting pretty fat. Maybe they decided to make a drastic change to the other side of the continent. However slim the possibility was, I used it as an excuse to check out the bar.

The band playing was indeed called Crucial but they were not the same band that I have seen in Key West for all these many years. For the record, the LA version were actually quite a bit better but then again that’s not saying much. So good tunes and a crowded bar enjoying the reggae groove on a late afternoon; Cinco de Mayo be damned I wanted a Red Stripe! True to form with all good reggae bars they had some…and now they are two less.

I am now perched next to a volleyball post on the beach. The sun is setting over the water and a chill in the air is starting to affect my fingers holding the pen. It’s not very often that one can say that he saw the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean and set over the Pacific Ocean in one day. On May 5, 2002 I did…and I loved every minute in between.

Escape From L.A. Part IV

Long day and I am now on my way down from my traveling high. I’m approaching Midnight Florida time which is where I woke up last; 4:40 a.m. this morning after 4 hours of sleep. My now very sluggish penmanship is understandable. I should easily/hopefully sleep through the intercontinental flight that I am about to board and wake up tomorrow morning close to Australia and ready to go.

I’ve rambled on all day about how much fun I was having and what has been going on in my life that I never got around to talking about Australia or all the other important things that are going on in my life right now. Oh well, there will be other entries for those.

I will say this; picking me up in Australia is one of my best friends, Dave. It is thanks to his generosity, and frequent flier miles, that I am even on this adventure. My days with Dave, over all those summers working as a counselor at Camp Drake, are some of the best of my life and now 10 yeas after the start of our last Summer working together at Camp we will instead be wandering Australia together for the next two weeks. As great as that sounds, and as great as I know it will be, part of me thinks spending a summer at Camp again with Dave in Central Illinois would be just as good.

“Now with courage on these first steps, follow me and these my brothers. Let us try to find the arrow.”

MJF