Must stay awake

We have now been awake for almost 25 hours and it is 8:30am local time. 

The hire car we need to pick up is actually about 10km away and we get picked up from the airport by a bus that takes us to the location of the cars. Upon arrival, there are about 20 people waiting and in true customer service fashion, only 2 people servicing customers. 

Tracy gets in line whilst the boys and Kayla lay on the couch and immediately fall asleep. I pace the floor getting more frustrated by the minute by the stupidity of the business in not having more staff behind the counter. 

We finally get all the paperwork signed (which was in fact already pre-booked on line by Tracy the expert planner prior to arriving ) and get directed out the back door. 

We were greeted by 3 people standing around doing almost nothing (instead of helping out the front where it would have been beneficial), and told to “select any car from the fence over there” with a finger pointing to a line of cars 100m away. If that’s the sort of help we are to get this holiday, there is going to be one angry Aussie. 

We got a Dodge Caravan which is a mid sized SUV that was perfect for our bags and the 5 of us. 

Now comes the fun part. Driving on the wrong side of LA roads with 2 million Californians that don’t ever get out of their cars and don’t seem to move anywhere fast. There are multiple freeways crossing each other more than a bowl of spaghetti with 6 lanes each way that reduce to 2 then back to 6 and sometimes 4. I am sure it is just to confuse the foreigners like us. I am at a loss as to why they have speed signs.... you are either stopped or doing 140km/hr, I did my best to keep up without veering into the next lane, sometimes doing 110km/hr yet most times doing less than 15km/hr (along with everyone else .... not just because I was crapping myself with people swerving through traffic like they were part of the crazy road structure.) 

There is no reason for the slowing down other than there are more cars on the road than there are people in Australia. I got warned it was going to be crazy, but I hadn’t anticipated it to be this bad. 

As we arrived in the early morning with 25 hours of no sleep and our AirBnB isn’t ready till 4pm, we decided to head West to Santa Monica Pier and check out the beach. 

It was a slow day thanks to no sleep, but it was the only chance we were going to get to see this side of California

Finally we reached our limit and headed towards Santa Ana where we were staying. 

We stayed away from the freeways as much as we could and checked out some of the coastal towns and back suburbs. 

We found a supermarket to grab some basic supplies, then went to bed. It was only 7pm, but that was still an hour later than I ever imagined staying awake. 

Tomorrow (somehow) is a full day at Disney

The trip begins

After many months of planning, and many dollars later (more than I know how to express), we finally got to our early morning departure. 

Getting up at 3:45am, we bundled ourselves into the car and set off on our trip of a lifetime. 

Tracy’s parents had offered to drive down to the airport and meet us there at the incredibly early time of 5am so they could take our car home, saving us the very expensive alternate option of leaving it in the sun baked car park for a month. 

6:05 am arrived and we were in the air. We were facing the huge 55 minute flight to Melbourne as our 1st leg. If only all  our flights were to be that easy. We got a nice little feed of something resembling muesli with a separate pack of cranberries. One of the few airline foods that didn’t look like it had been on 3 flights already. 

Customs screening in Melbourne was way easier than I ever imagined. I almost got the feeling they were happy for me to leave the country. 

After a few hours of waiting, the not so easy 14.5 hour flight to LA was underway. 

I hereby let it be known, I will NEVER enjoy sitting in the middle of 3 seats for that length of time EVER again. 

Luckily Kayla was on my left giving me someone to pester and tell me off for talking to myself, with some middle aged female sitting to my right grumbling every time I spoke to myself or when I woke her up so I could go to the amenities. Speaking of which, the inwards opening door of those smelly little places in the plane does not understand the acrobatic manoeuvres that this not so flexible body needs to perform just to get in and lock the door. Never mind the art of hitting that floating ping pong ball I kept imagining was in the bowl that my knees were not so gracefully leaning on. 

After what seemed to be an eternity, and with about 40 minutes sleep in total, we arrived in LA. The land of people that need to get everywhere fast with complete disregard for whoever they bowl over in the process of trying to get there. Nearly 90 minutes after landing, we were almost through customs. It makes total sense to have about 1000 passengers off 3-4 international flights trying to get through about 20 customs officers. I mean why would you want to put extra staff on when you can make tired grumpy passengers who haven’t slept for 24 hours wait in a line for even longer, soaking up the aroma of all those sweaty armpits and bad breath. Makes total sense to me. 

The only funny part to the arrival was that my Aunty Colleen and Uncle Bob from sunny Queensland met us in the arrivals hall. That’s also a 15 hour flight away and they just happened to be departing LA today after visiting my cousin Ray (their son) and his family. The uncanny timing of their trip and ours gave us all something funny to talk about and discuss just how small this enormous world is. 

Next step is to pick up our hire car. But that is also the next blog entry. 

4WD learning

It dawned on me yesterday afternoon that the last time I put diesel in the car was before we left home. That was a lazy 400km ago, plus yesterday’s trekking through the easy 4WD track. Whilst I could survive the next day or so, it did mean that I probably wouldn’t make it back to the nearest bowser with the van in tow. 

So this morning, Tyler and I decided to head into Orroroo which was a not so pleasant 50+km away on a very dusty dirt road that took nearly 3/4 of an hour each way. 

We did eventually get back mid-late morning and everyone piled into the car(s) and we took off to do some real 4WD’ing. There was no holding back by the Hardy’s and they led us straight into one of the medium hard tracks

Despite some serious looking rocks and branches blocking our way, followed by some fairly decent slopes, Jerry the Jeep crawled over it all as easily as if it was bitumen. 

The views from the top of the hills were spectacular and thankfully there was enough of a breeze to keep the flies away. 

The trip back to camp was down the steepest of hills that gets closed when wet to avoid cars ending up sliding into the bottom of the mountain. I tried out the Descent control in the Jeep where the car drives itself downhill with my feet off all pedals - majorly impressed. 

What I wasn’t impressed about was going over a blind crest, rolling over a large rock that had a hidden hole on the other side. The sound of that rock hitting the underside of the car was enough to make a proud Jeep owner cry. Turns out it was just the brackets holding the side step rails onto the car, but they are now horizontal instead of the required vertical, so I am going to have some repair work to do soon I guess. 

Definitely earned a bourbon or 3 tonight. 

Think the Hardy’s might have struck a major blow however with their MUX no longer able to engage 4WD High or Low. 

Should have bought a Jeep!  

To the Flinders we go

After what seems like an eternity, both Tracy and I have a week off work for school holidays and we are off to the Flinders Ranges for a week. Bendleby Ranges is about 4.5 hours from home according to Google Maps, so I am allowing well over 5. 

We didn’t leave till after 1 as Kayla had Cheer competition and presentations this morning. Tyler had hitched a ride with the Hardy’s on Friday night as he was refereeing at the Country Carnival for Soccer where Ned was also playing. In return, we had Patrick stay with us and banned him from having a shower so that he smelled not so good for when we reunited. They were then driving onwards to meet us at Bendleby on Monday. 

We got to the reception area at about 6:15 just as it was getting dark. The super friendly bloke who can to hook us in simply showed me in a map where we were staying and said to hurry up because we won’t find our way in the dark. 

I soon realised that he wasn’t joking, I was glad that we now had an off road caravan and car, and that his version of “everything is signposted” is a little far fetched. 

We stopped at what we assumed was the correct spot, and set up in the dark. 

Morning arrived after an early night, and it turns out we were in the right spot and very lucky to be in the middle of nowhere yet right where we need to be. 

This morning we went for a walk up the mountain side to take in the amazing views and to be chased by one of the local goats. The Hardy’s arrived at around lunch time and the kid population exploded almost as quickly as the flies arrived. 

I took off the 7km back to the reception area to pay and get some more information on the 4wd tracks with Dylan beside me, thanks to his supposed restrictive moon boot stopping him from climbing the mountain side again. 

The tracks looked inviting and “easy” so Dylan and I turned left and went for a drive. An hour later we emerged, a little pumped and a bit more confident in the capabilities of Jerry the Jeep. 

Wine O’clock arrived, only this time without any food, or wine (maybe it was just me with some bourbon...)

The fire got lit, dinner was cooked and a night of chatter began. 

Dancing in the sunset

The wind was getting stronger as nightfall arrived and was looking to becoming a crappy night. 

The kids were full of energy and didn’t let the cold, the wind or the darkness get in the way of their need to run, so they headed off to the grassy reserve across the road. 

The sunset was once again amazing, and cannot be shown properly in photos (well not my photos anyway)

The wind picked up overnight, just like it promised to. So much that after being woken up 3 times, I finally wandered outside in my “camping boxers” and packed everything up, including the awning that was holding strong but forever threatening to blow away with the next gust. 

When we finally emerged in the morning to a much calmer (but still windy) day, we were now faced with rain showers rolling in and forcing the pack up to be a whole lot quicker than originally planned. We did beat the wet though (well technically it never arrived....) and were off homeward bound after another good week not at work and not at home

Fishing where there’s no fish

I agreed to take Dylan fishing off the local jetty yesterday morning , and dragged Tyler and Kayla along too, letting Tracy have a sleep in. 

The weather was perfect, the water was perfect and the wind was fairly bearable. If only someone told the fish to join us. Despite our efforts, there was not a single fish to be seen other than a few nuisance puffer fish that were probably all of 6cm long and were happily feasting on our bait. 

We stuck it out for nearly 2 hours before admitting defeat and skulking back to the van for a well needed Weber breakfast of bacon and eggs. 

The day then took us exploring slightly north to a place called The Granites - this was literally 4-5 granite boulders on the beach surrounded by absolutely nothing else. The good thing about the location was that we could drive onto the beach and do a bit of exploring and getting the feel of Jerry the Jeep on the sand. I was still a bit cautious thanks to the incoming tide, the looming storm clouds and no sign of anyone else to help if I got stuck, so it was a bit tame, but enough to feel how the car handled the soft sand. 

We had some lunch back at the van, then headed into Robe for a gander. 

The beach at Robe is as amazingly clear as ever, but still windy and cold, so we spent an hour or two walking around looking at the local shops whilst letting the kids expel some of their built up energy at the foreshore. 

The weather was forecast to be getting windier over the next few days, so at this stage it appears we may be simply amusing ourselves at camp for tomorrow. 

Morning arrived and as we always try to do, we were up at 6am and heading off to the local RSL War Memorial for Anzac Day tribute. The kids have done this nearly every year of their life now and are very respectful and understanding. Pity the same can’t be said about Taz who displayed a little too much interest in another dog who had joined the back of the crowd. 

Mid morning saw us all pile into the car with a couple of beach rods in the hope of getting a Salmon or two on one of the beaches we drove along yesterday. It took a whole two casts to work out the only thing we were going to catch was a bucket load of seaweed. We tried several spots over a distance of about 10km up the beach, but it was no use. The weed was thicker than my waistline after too many Weber cook-ups. 

One of the highlights for the kids was letting them drive Jerry up the beach. Yes, completely illegal, but hey, what could possibly go wrong. Well we found out when a car pulled up to us to talk whilst Tyler was driving, and it was at this moment I found out Tyler didn’t actually know how to brake. When he did finally put his foot on the pedal, we stopped so suddenly that my noggin got thrown against the windscreen as the car changed from 40km/hr to 0 in about 2 metres on soft sand. Maybe we should have been wearing seatbelts. Or.... maybe I shouldn’t have been letting my 14 year old be driving a $60k + car on a public beach. 

A late lunch (on the Weber of course) marked the end of our touring and a lazy day followed. The wind was picking up and we could tell it was going to be a cold messy night. 

I did manage to get out and take a few photos of Larry the Lobster before tea just because I could. (And as Kayla was the only one that agreed to come with me, she of course featured in my photo shoot as well!)

Tomorrow is pack up day. At this stage it appears we won’t get wet before we leave, but I am really hoping we get a tail wind helping the drive homeward. 

Kingston in Autumn

Finally, after a very manageable 3 hour drive, we arrived at our home for the next 5 days. The Kingston foreshore caravan park is very basic, with no facilities for the kids other than the beach across the road, yet still have a reason to charge exorbitant rates for the invisible pool and invisible jumping pillow. 

However, being the week after Easter, it met one of my old man criteria, by being only about a third occupied, plenty of space, no ferals or over-active kids, and a choice of sites. 

I know it is Autumn and it is supposed to be cool, but I am not ready for the warmth to disappear yet... unlike Tracy who is completely over the warm weather and wants the cold to arrive so we can start the combustion heater and get the house to a tolerable temperature. (Yep... I don’t understand that logic either). 

Arriving at midday gave us plenty of time for a relaxing stroll along the beach, and giving Taz some much needed exercise. The night temperature was about 3 degrees and saw us snuggled up inside under the quilts very early, watching TV and/or reading books.

Waking this morning to a beautiful mostly clear blue sky, meant that the Weber needed to be fired up and laden with bacon and eggs. After clean-up, we went for a 3km walk to the local shops and jetty to get some supplies for tea. Somehow, it was lunch time when we arrived back, and then it was off for a fishing session on the Jetty with Dylan and Kayla..... in 30 knot winds with no fish. 

A bit of R&R in the afternoon, mixed with a few more walks with Taz, and finally the Weber was on again for tea. 

A day of doing not much at all has left us all exhausted. I spent the night posting pictures and writing a couple of versions of my blogs, whilst Tracy and the kids watched a movie. This life has reinvigorated my thoughts of retiring as a caravan park owner by the beach (most likely with my mate Peter, because a:) he has a boat, and b:) Tracy has told me she has no intention of doing anything remotely like that!)

Tomorrow morning is going to see the kids and I at the jetty early to try our luck again. Let’s hope. 

A very different Easter

Chocolate eggs. Chocolate rabbits.  Chocolate anything. Oh it would be nice to be a child again and not on a 365 day diet that stops us thinking these thoughts. Just as well we have 3 amazing children that can (and do) have these thoughts and enjoy it for us. 

This year, Easter is very different for us in that we are not racing away with an unauthorised early hour off work on Thursday night to arrive at a packed campground in the dark for a 4 day getaway. In fact, on this Thursday night before Easter, I am working from home and Tracy is out with her friends.

On Friday, I pottered around the house, in the garden and had Tracy’s parents over for lunch. Saturday saw us catching up with some friends at the River Murray for the day, enjoying a day of knee boarding, boating, tubing and even some skiing by the kids (and maybe a drink or 3 with a BBQ tea)

Easter Sunday was a traditional morning hunt by the kids for the mysterious chocolate Bunny droppings in locations that the dog couldn’t reach overnight, followed by an hour or more of them pretending not to eat too much, yet somehow devouring what seemed to be nearly a Kg if chocolate. We then headed off to a beautiful Adelaide Hills winery called Anderson Hill. It is a beautiful location out the back of Lenswood with some great food and wine and 16 or so friends that joined us for a very different (for us) Easter Sunday. Finally, it was time to leave and head back home to start packing for our holiday starting tomorrow (Easter Monday)

This trip sees us away for 4 nights, coming back on Friday. Just in time for a few weekend tasks before the kids head back to school next Monday. 

We've got crabs

Today was all about Dylan getting his fishing fix. We had a bit of a lazy morning with the usual fry up on the Weber, then with fishing gear in hand, Dylan and I set off to try our luck at Carrickalinga to see if we could catch ourselves a salmon or two. The weather and water conditions were pretty near perfect, yet the fish weren't out to play. we had a number of small bites and finally Dylan discovered the source of our disappearing bait. A couple of nice big sand crabs later, and we decided to call it quits. Despite the lack of fish, it was nice spending some boy time out on our own.

.

That afternoon, we all decided to go for a look the other way down the coast, and headed South. Tyler, Taz and I were in my car and we stopped at Lady bay for a bit of crabbing. This is one of those beaches that you never forget thanks to the very shallow still waters filtering through the rocky reef, providing a huge habitat for the thousands of tiny crabs.

Next stop was Second Valley. a tiny little beach nestled amongst the cliff faces, with a popular little jetty and swimming area. We spent a couple of hours doing not much at all whilst the kids went swimming, until it finally approached wine o'clock

Tonight was another beautiful sunset, and the warm weather saw us all wondering down the beach, relaxing, after a hard day of relaxing.

Catching Waves

The water was beautiful and calm this morning, perfect for the kayaks. Trouble is, we are about 500m away from the waters edge, with a boardwalk, gate and sand dunes in the middle of us and the sea. The kayaks are too heavy for 1 person to carry, but ok with the help of one of the boys. I finally managed to convince Tyler to help me carry one down so i could get out for an early morning paddle.
Some time later, the rest of the crew arrived, along with the second kayak. We all spent a good couple of hours paddling and generally enjoying the beautiful weather.

Taz was so anxious at being left alone on shore, he overcame his fear of water and swam out to me on the kayak and jumped on board.. Not overly sure this was a good idea as it now means I need to take him on every paddle. Best get him a life jacket methinks

Some of the gang below

After lunch, we decided to head off to Carrickalinga, which is 5 minutes down the road and provides a few surf waves for the kids (and us bigger kids). This was a fantastic way to escape the heat and the kids even got to meet the local dolphins swimming only 10-15 metres behind them

After a few exhausting hours, we all headed back for a very late wine o'clock, an even later Weber BBQ dinner,