weight of the world

Today marks the end of my adventure that started on October 4. I have completed my journey at my parents house in Alliston, Ontario and have another 9 days to recoup, reorganize, and sift through my 3000-some photos before driving back to the Chicago area with mom.

The last six months will certainly not be ones I intend to readily forget. The experiences I hold as my own and were able to share with Laura, as well as, the rest of the community in Antarctica captivated my emotions and imagination, challenged me, and provided plenty of new thoughts to mull over. The trip was all inclusive, with moments of happiness and frustration, sadness and sympathy, energetic excitement, and mindless mornings. I experienced a new job, an extraordinary place, a touch of romance, the drama of a small community, and eternal daylight. I was present for the sorrows and joys of other people over things going on near and far. Sometimes I could listen, other times, I had to pull away and offer space in our cramped town. I saw the southern hemisphere, experienced the loss of smell, I knocked off another two continents, I lived under eternal daylight, and felt my nose hairs freeze. I made myself at home in New Zealand and Australia, and learned to be the "one who talks funny," "just an American," a "Yank," the tourist who perpetually carries her camera, and so on...

From here, I'll travel west and begin a summer fresh. I'll have a new blog (keep your eyes open for some new links at this web address), I'll have a new job (hopefully), I'll have a new place to live, and new people to meet. But, now, in addition to my friends and family, I have a new consortium of oddly placed, strangely connected, and beautiful friends all over the nation and world who I hope to bump into on street corners and in airports along life's track.

With that in mind, I shall relinquish the weight of the world to those in Antarctica (at least for the summer) and find myself again soon on the Pacific Coast, standing on my own two feet, looking for a new job and new community there.

Thanks for the memories, the encouragement, the time, and all the communication.

some super signs

Driving around two new countries meant reading and interpreting some new road signs. I found some interesting roadside markers.

First, the speed limit signs are not difficult to miss. In fact, they reminded me of a target; aim for this speed. In fact, I probably hit the actual speed as often as I'd get a bulls eye. Getting used to the kilometer per hour was a bit confusing at first; especially without cruise control.

The second sign was a simple exclamation point. This sign indicated that special notice and caution needed to be taken around corners, over dips or bumps in the road, or in this case, the upcoming road construction.

In Australia, I came across many wildlife signs that were a bit different than the deer crossing signs of the Midwest United States. Dead, or alive, I saw each of the three animals on this sign; plenty of kangaroo, a dead wombat, and a beautiful brown male lyre bird.

The last caution indicates the road might be slippery "when frosty." This seemed like a whimsical way of labeling a road condition, but how Ice is addressed in Australia and New Zealand. I think I like it frosty.

rental return

Sometime in the night, the rain stopped and although the morning was clouded over, I was able to pack up my backpack outside with a bit more ease than being crammed in the car.

I exited to see the Royal National Park and took a short 1/2 hour hike at Wattamolla. The weather appeared to be moving in again, so I hopped back in the car and arrived at the airport at 9:30am. It wasn't worth it for me to have the rental and entire extra day for four extra hours I would use it, so I figured I could catch up on some reading and writing in the airport.

It was a good trip and the driving kept me occupied, but also gave me a good deal of thinking time. I learned how to be " me" again and appreciate my independence. I think I lost some of that around such a close group of people in Antarctica.

I saw God's creation in a different part of the world; alive and functioning, even with the number of non-native species introduced to Australia and New Zealand. I enjoyed this Creation of His!

At the airport, I enjoyed a casual day reading, downloading pictures, and relaxing with my grande almond mocha (I even had them use whole milk and whipped cream)! I met four other people from The Ice ready to board the Sydney to Honolulu flight: Fuelie Shannon, GA Ben, and DA's Dale & Katie. I laughed a lot at the fact that we keep running into each other even a month off the frozen continent!

It just hit me in the last day that I am returning to The States. Even though I am first in Hawaii, I can restart my phone plan and not deal with customs after this flight (well, until I get to Canada). I'm not sure I am ready to be in the Northern Hemisphere after six months beneath the equator, but all things in their time, I suppose. First, 9.5 hours to Honolulu.

And, so despite the rain, I am glad I came to Australia, and will head to Hawaii with a little trepidation about ending my time overseas. It's been nearly six months and I can't say I've missed my of the American rat-race, but I do look forward to some of the comforts of being in my North American "home" countries.

rivers and rain

Of course, it would rain my last night out. And not just rain, but torrential downpour! But, first things first: I had a lovely morning waking up to sun over the beach. I drove out of the park to kangaroos hopping along the road.

I found my little Lamont cafe for some a.m. coffee in Bermagui. The Italian owners whipped up a tasty mocha and unbelievable banana bread! I spent awhile there reading on a velvet couch.

Continuing north, I shortly arrived at Camel Rock. I finally donned my swimsuit and grabbed my book and sunscreen for an hour in the sand. I found myself much more entertained to climb on and walk though the rocks on this beach, though!

Having sufficiently sunned myself on this section of the sea, I found myself skipping over more rocks and collecting a few shells at Tuross Head. This part of the Australian coastline is filled with rivers and lakes that meet the Tasman Sea. It makes for a beautiful landscape of green hills, blue lakes, yellow beaches, and aqua sea.

After this stop, and a quick bite to eat, watching a storm blow in over the water, it began to rain, and rain, and rain. I took a break at Batemans Bay to catch up on plans and revise them a bit. I took a wasted trip to Pebbly Beach were, apparently, kangaroos make their home. Arriving at the park in a downpour with high winds didn't seem to be the best way to spend my day. Learning my lesson there I decided to skip my excursion out to the Murramarang Aboriginal Area for a hike and I also drove right past Dolphins Point.

By this time I was looking forward to finding sleep anywhere I could. In Kiama, I found little to lodge at, but I did inspect the Blow Hole there. With high winds, pelting rain, and a receding tide, I should have stayed int eh car for the unimpressive show the Blow Hole gave me. The picture, though blurry, represents about what I saw of the hole in the miserable weather in Kiama.

Arriving at Wollongong, I hoped to move into one of two backpackers for the night. I only came away with a shower at a very clean, impressive YHA Backpackers. So, I left the town in search of an overlook which was socked in with fog, and somehow returned to Wollongong only to realize I'd done a 40 kilometer loop in the rainstorm. Now I really wanted to find a place to sleep. Reaching the Stanwell Park exit, I parked and slept in the car.

coastal cruising

I suppose a difficult part of traveling on my own is my indecisive nature. I have a difficult time picking and choosing my places to go. Today, by choice, or accident, I did pretty well.

I woke up dressed and ready to go, the first of three vehicles parked at the rest area to depart in the morning. My first stop was Lakes Entrance. I stopped initially to have a cafe breakfast with a cappuccino and my book. I ate at the Pelican Cafe and enjoyed peaches and scones.

From this spot, I drove another couple kilometers down the road to a bridge over one of the lakes. Right across this pedestrian bridge, flanked by pelicans, a large sand dune is all I hiked over to a beautiful view of the Tasman Sea. It was also the first time I was able to touch the Tasman! I dipped my feet in and allowed the bottoms of my capris to get wet! It felt amazing; sun on my shoulders, and sand between my feet.

After snapping some pictures and collecting some shells, I sped off towards Orbost where the Snowy River flows through. Since The Man from Snowy River was one of my favorites stories growing up (poem is linked), I had to make this stop. You can't miss it. In fact, you might think the town is named Snowy River, and not Orbost! I spent some time there walking through their park, talking with a visitor centre man, and checking my e-mail. I may have enjoyed shopping the quaint village some more, but I am running out of room in my bags for souvenirs! I am becoming adept tat making tuna, cheese, tomato, and avocado sandwiches and I slapped one together for lunch and promptly departed Orbost.

My plan was to scale Genoa Peak for the 360 degree view of the mountains to sea. However, I missed the turnoff and mistakenly drove to Mallacoota. This little fishing and boating village didn't have much to offer me, so I began the 25 kilometer drive back, only to find I had taken yet another wrong turn (one street too soon on the round-about). This, fortunately, led me to a remarkable beach where the river meets the aqua-marine waters of The Sea! I couldn't believe what a brilliant discovery I had made unintentionally! I felt much better about the 60 additional kilometers I drove! The beach had unique red rocks jutting out on it which were a great subject for pictures of the water. I sat atop one of them strategizing my next travel moves.

On the Obrost info-man's advice, I found the Fish 'n Chips place in Eden he recommended and did take-away there. The food was pretty good for fried stuff!

My hope was to find a place to sleep in Merimbula, but I missed that turnoff, so instead joined the Coastal Road at Tathra and picked a campground in the Mimosa Rocks National Park at Gillards Beach. Wouldn't you know, after seeing only two kangaroos this trip, today, at this camp, there were dozens of the critters and their wallaby-doo, too! The beach in this park is nice and I wish I had more time to spend on it, but I'm sure there are more beaches down the road. For now, I have another night in my tent with a bit of a breeze to dry out the fly. I just missed the park ranger, so it looks like another free night for me!

misguiding myself in melbourne

This morning was another beautiful one. I woke up a touch late on my mountaintop to light of dawn slithering through the trees. I packed up and was on my way at 7:15am, unwinding my way back down Mount Buffalo (pictured left). I fueled up my car with a load of petrol and was on my way to Melbourne.

What a mess I got myself into in Melbourne! I was not impressed with the labeling or street structure in this city, though once downtown, I wished I had more time to stay. There was a lot going on in this town. People flooded the street corners and the 2007 swimming and diving championships were held this week there. I parked along the Yarra River and walked a kilometer to a visitor's centre. I admit, with a little hesitance, that my biggest motivation to visiting Melbourne (beyond seeing the buildings and saying I'd been there, was to pick up a Starbucks city mug since Sydney had none. So, I found the coffee shop and grabbed the mug with a frappuccino and re-entered the messy streets of Melbourne. I would have done better to get a tram downtown than to deal with them and all the other traffic on the streets. It only took me 2.5 hours and a 1/2 dozen wrong turns to negotiate my way out of the city and (finally) onto M1, The Princes Highway (I would have certainly appreciated a prince waiting for me when I got on). As soon as I entered the freeway, I was in 6:00pm rush hour traffic! That put a bend in my plans to reach the eastern coast at 7:00pm to camp!

Instead, I drove through dusk, stopping at Moe for a couple grocery items and on to Sale where I hoped to find camping. However, nothing seemed open or available; not even cheap motels, so here I am; somewhere west of Bairnsdale, at a rest area (with a bug-infested bathroom), spending a night in the car. What a long day in the car!

The sun over the plains and very distant mountains with billowing clouds was soothing this evening and now the stars are out in amazing brilliance in the southern sky. This may be the brightest night sky I have seen.

Today marks the end of a month off The Ice. From the -40F wind chills of a month ago to a day of 35C in Melbourne today, I have certainly run the extremes on the temperature gauge! I can hardly believe the number of amazing faces and places I have seen. It's been a time of searching and healing for me. I hope I can see things about myself coming into light even after this adventure is over! For now, I'm enjoying being alone with me.

driving days

I love driving and that is a very good thing because I did a lot of it today! Waking up fairly early to a beautiful sunrise from my rest area campground, I made it on the road by 7:30am on my way to Canberra. I tried finding a little cafe to have breakfast at, but the only place I found was a tiny joint good enough for a "take away" coffee.

Canberra, the capital of Australia, greeted me with a view of the Telstra Tower and two hot air balloons on a clear morning. I proceeded to the Visitor’s Information Centre and asked for the directions to the National Museum of Australia. The architecture and information provided here was fascinating and eye-opening. The curators use a mixture of historical information, artifacts, and art to tell the story of the land and people of Australia. Strangely enough, Australia is a relatively new country like the United States where the indigenous people (Aboriginals & Native Americans) were pushed back by the Europeans.

My time spent in Canberra was short. Afterall, my new plans of extending my trip a couple thousand extra kilometers required me to be diligent about forward movement. I asked a man at the museum info booth the best way to Melbourne and he recommended the Helm Highway, even though it forced me north again. He also suggested camping for the evening on Mount Buffalo.

On my way, I stopped for gas in Yass (pretty much only so I could say just that). I pulled over for coffee in Gundagai with my book, and for a short walk and early supper at Chiltern to stretch for a bit at a rest area.

At Wangaratta, I turned off onto the Great Alpine Road and drove an hour before I appreciated what the museum man had told me: Mount Buffalo National Park takes you right up the mountainside on 30+ kilometers of winding, steep, narrow road. I opened my windows on the way up and could smell the sweet eucalyptus on my ascent. The sun was setting (6-6:30pm) and caught some of the turning autumn leaves in a warm glow. Bush fires damaged many parts of Australia due to droughts this summer and evidence is here, as well as many other areas I have driven though. I am glad they have seen some rain in the past couple weeks!

I arrived at the Lake Catani campground to find a wonderful little camp, nearly entirely deserted with bathrooms and showers. On this mountaintop they may not have lights and electricity, but they have warm water! So, I cleaned up after setting up my tent and settled in to upload my pictures and read. This is roughing it!

*favorite photo: sunrise peaking through the gum trees.

around australia

My first day with a car (Tuesday), turned out to be a bit longer than intended! My initial thought was to leave Sydney and leisurely travel through the Blue Mountains, head towards Canberra, and then back up the east coast of New South Wales. However, after looking over the map and realizing I won’t have the opportunity to do this again for awhile, I decided to expedite my pace and enlarge my loop. I picked up a Sydney to Melbourne route map, mentally made my own adjustments and started driving.

I did not exclude my trip to the Blue Mountains. This area is unique. Not only do the mountains appear blue (due to an oily haze in the air from the eucalyptus trees), but they are viewed from the top down rather than looking up to them. The most nearly look like canyons rather than heightened peaks. I took in the view from Katoomba at Echo Point. From this place there is a nice view of the Three Sisters; rock formations jutting out of the cliff-side.

From this place, I also took a hike down the Giant Stairway which is a track leading hikers straight down the rock face via stairs. I hiked nearly ¾ of the way down before returning to the surface before my parking meter expired.

After snagging some pictures, I spent some time at the supermarket picking up some odds and ends for lunches. It was good to buy my own food for wonce and not worry about what other people would want and need.

On the road again, I kept heading west on the Great Western Highway and then a bit southward to begin heading to Canberra. I drove through kilometer after kilometer of eucalyptus and gum tree forest, farmland, and rolling hills that ended at the mountains. The blues and vibrant greens were quite soothing.

And, I saw my first kangaroo! He even posed for a picture for me! I have to say, it was a strange experience watching him watch me and then bound off when I revved my engine to get going. I think that may have been the highlight of the day.

I reached Goulburn and hoped to find camping before Canberra. I pulled off at a rest area where another couple had pulled off for the night as well. I set up my tent at the end of the road under some gum trees. These made a wonderful foreground for the early sunrise!

still sitting in sydney

It’s amazing what a day makes (and a new place to stay). After hunkering down in a dirty dark backpackers for a night (as most other places were full for the night), I moved to a new “hotel” which is light and well-located. Sunday, the 75th anniversary of the Harbour Bridge was pretty cloudy, but this morning, the sun came out and the world looks brighter. I have been enjoying my walks downtown, out to the water, and through the city buildings! So, I’ve arranged to stay an extra day here and take in a few more things before heading out of town. I even got a better deal on a rental car that I can pick up two blocks from my hotel!

The Bridge was the highlight of entertainment in the city. There were heaps of people at The Rocks where I found myself yesterday afternoon. The picture gives an idea of what kind of crowds I waded through. To my family: the bright yellow anniversary hats in the photo remind me of those goofy neon pink Seattle Mariner’s hats we wore around!

Only a sprinkling of rain came down while the celebrations rolled through. I’m sure the clouds prevented some otherwise miserable sunburn. I am slowly, and safely, accumulating some color after being nearly entirely covered for 4.5 months on The Ice!

Last evening, I met up with Tom for dinner. I appreciated seeing a familiar face from McMurdo and talking to someone who I’d not met more than 2-3 times. We went to a lovely Spanish place, ordered tapas, caught up on past and future travels. I think it was just what I needed to settle into the city and country of Australia.

australian arrangements

I flew to Sydney today. I was thrilled to fly over the city, complete with Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, and the amazing waterways as we descended into the airport. I have arrived at a backpackers I’d rather not be at, but will only stay here tonight, a better place tomorrow, and head out of town for the rest of the week.

After I checked in, I spent a few hours running through the Royal Botanical Gardens. I listened to the "mine, mine, mine" birds (from Finding Nemo) and I ran along the water with an impressive view of the Sydney Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. I find it a bit incredulous to stand here; in a place I never intended to actually visit. While it is very easy to take advantage of my post-Ice opportunities, I was reminded to embrace the special moments; like the beautiful views, the people, and the places I will yet see. Since my run, it started raining, keeping me indoors for awhile.

Tomorrow is the 75 birthday of the Bridge. I hope to get a chance to walk across the expanse with some 300,000 other people. I am also intending to meet Tom from The Ice in the evening. I have a car reserved for Monday afternoon and hope to see some of the mountains, ocean, and if I am an audacious driver, perhaps even a bit of the real "outback." Next Sunday, I'll be States-bound (but only as far as Hawaii).

I’m grateful to be here. I certainly give credit for God’s providence in finding me here. I just finished C.S. Lewis’ Surprised by Joy which gave me some insight into traveling in regards to the journey I’m on (not only in the Southern Hemisphere, but more directly related to the road of life I am on). I draw from the following paragraph that life is a joy (or joy in progress). All of it; the pain and the happiness, dull and acute, because I am on the road to see Christ:

"But what, in conclusion, of Joy?...
It was valuable only as a pointer to something other and outer…When we are lost in the woods the sight of a signpost is a great matter. He who first sees it cries, ‘Look!’ The whole party gathers round and stares. But, when we have found the road and are passing signposts every few miles, we shall not stop and stare. They will encourage us and we shall be grateful to the authority that set them up. But we shall not stop and stare, or not much; not on this road, though their pillars are of silver and their lettering of gold. ‘We would be at Jerusalem.’ Not, of course, that I don’t often catch myself stopping to stare at roadside objects of less importance.”

creating confusion and future finaglings

I've come up with some analogies to life lately based on my experiences here.

One is that my head can be a lot like a bad game of pool. A couple of days ago, I racked the balls and took about 15 shots at them. Not one ball found its' way to the pockets (well, except the cue ball). I kind of feel like that is how I'm thinking about my travel plans and life right now. I have lots of thoughts banging around in my head up there, but none have put themselves away yet.

Then, life is also like the transition between land and sea that I drive through to get out to our Willie Field and Pegasus airports. There are some huge lakes in the ice (bigger than the picture I am posting). They are actually puddles, but the bottom is not visible. This is disconcerting; considering we drive over the Ross Sea. So, when driving through these puddles, we can either stop, or plow through. A drivers initial reaction is to stop before arriving at the puddle, but we can't make our journey if we stop for apparent danger. The next thought is to drive real slow in case something happens, but that may leave the vehicle stranded at the bottom of the puddle. So, the third option is to proceed with caution through the obstacle and keep up the momentum to push out of it. I guess that is how I ended up in Antarctica. I saw an opportunity that was scary and proceeded with caution and have been plowing through it hoping to exit this place with momentum to keep living life with the energy and faith I found in this cold place.

So, with that being said, I intend to give you an idea of what my general, unplanned idea is for the next few months:

February 24: My redeployment date. This is the date I am scheduled to leave Antarctica. If weather is bad, or there are mechanical issues, our plane will be delayed. The season could also be extended as late as March 3 and since I am scheduled on the last flight out, I will stay if they decide we need to stretch summer in McMurdo an extra week.

Because we could end up leaving Antarctica as late as March, I cannot make plans to leave New Zealand until then. I do intend to spend two to three weeks in New Zealand. I will be flying out with friends who I hope to travel with on the South Island for awhile before heading to Auckland to explore New Zealand's North Island with my Kiwi friends, Kirrin and Jeremy, who live there.

After my time in New Zealand, I will be headed to Sydney, Australia. I intend to spend a couple days in the city and then getting out for a couple weeks in the southeastern side of the continent. This should put me into the first week of April.

From Sydney, I will board another plane to Honolulu to spend 2-3 days in Hawaii. I cannot say I am particularly excited about making a trip there, but if I'm headed over the islands anyway, I may as well tick that difficult state off the list of 50. Sydney and Honolulu come at a grand total with visa fees and taxes to $270NZ (which should be around $190USD). I can't beat that!

After a short stint in Hawaii, I will complete my travels and return to O'Hare. Back in the Chicago area, I hope to catch up with friends, sort through my belongings, take care of taxes, and attend a wedding in honor of Lexi and Matt.

With the intention of returning to The Ice next year, I will be relocating to Washington State this summer and hopefully finding a job there as well. This entire grand plan will be completed by May, although, dates and times remain to be determined.

So, if you know of anyone who has some extra space to transport a few boxes from Illinois to Washington, let me know. Or, if you know of anyone who needs a summer employee on the west coast, drop me a line!