Chamonix Market and trip to Zermatt

Slept in and packed up for an afternoon transfer bus trip to Zermatt. The snow was coming down in soft blankets throughout the morning so we were worried that the short trip through the mountain pass would be closed and we would have to go via Geneva. By noon the snow had stopped and blue-skies beckoned but so much snow had fallen the pass was closed. It was a Saturday so the morning markets were on in the central square and we trekked down to check its wares and purchase some local produce, fromage, saucissons (sausages) and bread. Nissan had a stage up in the town and the kids were able to participate in some of the games and won some toy cars. We also visited this wonderful toy store which had probably the best selection of lego that we've ever seen. The kids were in heaven and we agreed to get some small things to occupy the evenings in Zermatt. Zermatt was a good 3.5 hours from Chamonix the longway but we were able to see some castles, incredibly terraced vineyards and fields, and some wonderful peaks along the way. Zermatt itself has no petrol-powered vehicles allowed in the town so many park in Tasch (just outside) and take the train in to town. Otherwise the small transfer buses can make the drive but the road narrows to single lane at many points involving a few reverses and tight passes. The buses stop on the edge of town and small electric vehicles which have been modified to place baggage and passengers inside then transfer you to your hotel. We had organized to stay in an apartment as otherwise we would have to have 3 hotel rooms at the conference venue due to our numbers (8). The apartment is less than a year old and some of the appliances look as though they've never been used. It has this great vaulted/beamed ceiling with exposed wood and A-framed windows which view the mighty Matterhorn and central street area adjacent. The furniture is made of this pale hard wood ? oak/beech? with the same for hardwood flooring - it's absolutely beautiful (with in house elevator to boot)! Needless to say we're feeling a bit luxurious. It's about one kilometre walk to the conference venue at the Hotel Christiania - it looks plain and very traditional at the back entrance but further exploration reveals a 4 lane 25 m indoor pool with massive wicker lounging chairs - one that is a complete oval with cushioned lying area on the inside. I was a little set back as the introductory drink session disclosed I actually have another session (unexpected) later in the week! Back at the apartment the lego "prizes" were quickly being built and pizza bronzed in the oven. Today we will get our bearings, rent some equipment and organize our week.

Brevent-Flegere, fog and flakes

Our last day of skiing/boarding in Chamonix (..this time)! This area is incredibly beautiful and I can't imagine not coming back to explore it again in winter or summer. There is an overland track between the top of Grand Montet and Zermatt that takes 6-7 days - I've put it on my list of things to do when the kids are a bit older and more robust. Rock climbing here would be unbelievable with climbs everywhere. It apparently gets so busy with climbers that you might actually have to wait in line to climb! After a morning session of U/S in which Auntie Pinny kindly offered her abdomen as a specimen ( no suprises found - and a very nice looking gallbladder) we shuttled the kids out to their last lesson and test for la premier etoile (first star) award. Pinny, Jen and I headed to the local hill behind our hotel for one last chance of actually seeing its terrain as last time visibility was virtually nil. It was touch and go to start as appearances up the lift suggested we were in for another whiteout. Fortunately the fog wasn't too thick and what previously felt like a vertical wall of snow turned out to be not so bad with some nice fluffy coating. I was struck by how different each of the ski areas in Chamonix seem to be, each with their own distinctive terrain - some with wide well prepped slopes, trees and a few narrow runs, others wide open and exposed. Like all areas we seem to visit, each seems to have a sense of place - a certain 'je n'ai sais quoi' which makes it feel completely different - affected by its specific terrain or topography. In the afternoon Mormor took Pinny's place and the boys joined in for a few runs on the same mountain. Jen led the troupe while I was relegated to the caboose/ clean up position - apparently I go too fast and this causes some lack of control issues with the boys. While Cole had another small yard sale, discovering the complexity of deep snow on a pair of planks, Aidan switched on the whine and indecisiveness, making our last couple of runs somewhat strained. We made it back down for a swim and then had the kids help out for some more U/S practice sessions at the conference venue. Piper was transfixed by the U/S screen and looking at her insides! Today we're off to Zermatt in Switzerland where the Mattehorn sits in all its glory. In reading about it last night I was amazed to find out that both Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt climbed it in their day! Might have to put it on my list of things to do as well!

Les Houches and La Bergerie

Woke up worried about the weather as forecast was for deterioration through the end of the week. With some trepidation we loaded up the rented VW and headed to the Western side of the valley to Les Houches - otherwise known as Lez Hooches - to Jen. The cloud hung a little low but visibility wasn't too bad for the first few runs - the Gods had looked favorably upon us. As the morning progressed a nice fluffy bit of snow began to fall and we could catch flakes in our mouths as we headed up the chairs. We met up with the boys, Piper and Morfar for lunch down at the base and enjoyed some 'French Soup' et Vin Chaud (hot wine) (of course). The boys joined us for the afternoon and copped alot of "Slow Down!" "Turn" - especially Cole - he seems hell bent on tucking it from top to bottom without much worry to life or limb. I seem to get the blame for it as he likes to tag along with me - I guess I don't turn very much. He only had one yard sale - following me once again up on to the side of a run with some bumps. No injuries though and he was gleeful as a singing canary just to get some 'Stinky Air' whenever the chance arose.

It was the conference dinner night so after the evening session on Ultrasonography we dressed ourselves up and walked into the village to a place called La Bergerie. Dinner was fabulous with foie d'gras for an appetizer and an L'apertif (predinner drink) - Kir Royale - kind of like alcoholic fruit punch with berries sunk to the bottom of a small flute - beautiful. I made the mistake of letting Piper have a couple of the berries - she was never quite the same after that. The main was a rack of lamb, some scalloped potatoes, carrots and green beans. Went down gleefully and without a hitch. The wines here are incredibly subtle and we are enjoying those as well. Today will be our last day on the slopes of Chamonix - hopefully the weather will hold.

Off Piste with Lionel and L'Aguille du Midi

"Der are two rules for dis run - don't hit de trees, don't hit de rocks and God Bless." (Lionel - the crazy Frenchman guide). The weather gods had promised a semi-clear day but when Jen peaked out the window first thing in the morning, a blanket covered all the surrounds - fortunately as the morning wore on this lifted and clear skies beckoned us (Jen, Cynthia and I + some other conference go'ers) to the hill for a guided off-piste half day with Lionel on Le Grand Montet. Lionel is an English-speaking Francophone who grew up in Chamonix and knows these mountains like the back of his hand. He wasn't one to mince words and picked up on skiing technique inadequacies quickly. Jen copped it after her first run on planks for a couple years - "Jenn-ifer - you stick behind me - you lean too far forward..." She eventually remedied her skiing and won his confidence. He had some wonderful contextual comments which are difficult to share in a blog - but try to imagine a Frenchman raising his voice to our group to "Rock'n'roll", "Allez and God Bless", " You go any fur-der der and I hope you have a parachute - you go 300 meters down", "No Guts no glory God Bless." The skiing/riding was amazing with wind-crusted but soft untarnished snow for a good portion of the run - heaven to a snowboarder (unfortunately there was only one of us!) The vistas were absolutely stunning and we indeed felt blessed to be out here in this amazing area of the world. Meanwhile on Les Planards the kids were improving there skiing skills and Piper did her first Poma Lift ride without a hitch - her Morfar and Mormor were gaga with pride. Given the bright skies we decided to do the L'Aguille Du Midi (Middle Needle) in the afternoon with the whole clan. To get to this 'needle', built atop a 3842 m peak, you have to take a cable car up the mountain. Once to the platforms you can venture to different 'terrases' for viewing of the surrounding Alps- it was breath-taking both literally (due to the altitude and steps) and figuratively. Piper naturally fell asleep and did her best impression of a dead weight for most of our ventures around the terrases, waking just before the descent to catch some of the views. After an hour and half enjoying the views we headed down the mountain to prep for dinner and my evening session on more dermoscopy/biopsies and some skin repair review. Morfar cooked up an amazing boullabaise for dinner and we feasted. The weather is supposed to go downhill today so we may have a shortened day on the slopes and have to hit the town for a wander, a pint or glass de vin chaud (hot wine), build snowmen/women or have a swim instead?

Where's the mountain? and Mer de Glace!

Zipped through my presentation without a hitch - went a bit quick though so didn't quite fill the 2 hours - the audience and organizers weren't too fussed though - wanted to get skiing I think! While Morfar took the kids to their lessons, Jen, Cynthia, Mormor and I threw on the gear and stepped out the door to explore the Brevet - Legere adjacent our hotel. Weather looked a bit dodgy towards the top but seemed better than yesterday at first glance. Straddling that fine line between bravery and stupidity we decided to head up the chair called Cornu which takes you to the top of the Cornu Piste - one we avoided yesterday due to the visibility issues and harder runs for the kids. As we approached the top the clouds seemed to close in on us as if we were being smothered with cotton wool. Jen was not impressed as her visual cues essentially keep her upright. Needless to say there wasn't much 'visual' at all as we descended a seriously steep pitch on feel alone - you could just make out another skier or rider maybe 10-15ms ahead - but just barely. Mormor came unstuck and inverted herself down the mountain - skis flay-ling and seemingly unable to stop. It was like a purple blur cascading into the abyss of white around us. I quickly put the trusty Fat Bob (my snowboard) in gear and trusted I was on a flat surface (more or less) and took a quick turn to intercept but fortunately she had already stopped - giggling I might say - without any injuries. We eventually made it down and decided to explore the lower reaches of the mountain  where visibility actually existed. We called it quits around noon and joined Morfar and the kids for some lunch. We planned to go up the cable car to Aguille du Midi and to the summit of Mt Blanc where the views of the valley and surrounding mountains are touted as 'incroyable' but were frankly informed by the ticket operator that it was a total white out and not worth it. Plan B went into action - we decided to head to the ice caves - otherwise known as the Mer de Glace. A train takes you up the mountain at a reasonable pitch and then you catch a cable car to go into the valley where the Mer de Glace - a glacier - has been tunneled into and caves created. They've also carved massive polar bears, bedroom settings and a fire place into the ice - no bar though - so we couldn't get a drink. It was quite amazing really - tres incroyable (French for  very incredible - but sounds better). We're hoping for some better visibility today as have booked in with some guides to take Jen, Cynthia and I off-piste - we were hoping to do the Valle Blanche - a 20km off-piste route from the top of Mt Blanc - but it looks like this may not happen as weather and visibility is going to get worse over the next 48 hrs. Hopefully it will hold together today and we'll get a good run in wherever we end up.

Les Planards, Socked in on the Brevet and Fondue

Some morning snow gave the tracks a fresh frosting but not enough to assuage the packed conditions beneath. We started with the boys on the Ecole de Ski hill called Les Planards - I think it must translate to "the plains" as they weren't too steep or long - good for learning I guess. The boys jumped up a group and are now with a couple other Aussies and picking up new skills quickly. Jen, Cynthia and I did our best to attack the new snow and then took the boys across town for an afternoon ski on the hills adjacent our hotel. It's a massive ski area linked by a gondola and terrain not dissimilar to Whistler - runs a bit shorter. Problem was we were in a bit of  a low pressure system and clouds were hanging to the slopes leaving us with very limited visibility at times. Jen, who needs her vision to help with balance, struggled to stay upright, while Aidan - who remains a cautious skiier (unlike his brother), had his fears overcome him on one run where visibility was limited to your hand in front of your face, had to be coaxed down the trail. Needless to say, we ended the day early and whilst Jen and others took the kids sledding, I headed into town for some needed supplies and a look around. It's a beautiful little town with very narrow streets and a section dedicated to pedestrians only. Lots of old historical looking buildings and French-style chalet motifs. At the grocery store or "super marche" there were posters advertising Australia Day festivities at some local bars - inclusive of Australia Day Shots and Anzac Cookie chasers! There were numerous Chocolatiers, cured meat and cheese artisans, and then all your typical retailers (even Billabong, Quiksilver and Roxy have outlets). I naturally hit L'univers de Bon Bons (a shop I'm sure my brother would love) and took home a mix of assorted lollies to the kids - sampling a few on the way of course. After my evening conference session on Hyperbaric Medicine and Toxicology we trussed up the kids and joined some other conference goers for a meal at a local fondue restaurant - La Caleche. It was getting quite late for the kids as we got into the meal and by the end of this cheesy, meat and potato feast, both Cole and Piper were deeply asleep and required cartage back to our residence - 4-5 slippery blocks away. "Heavy lump" almost characterizes them both when they are fast asleep and both Jen and I definitely got some good weight training in hauling them home. Not sure where we'll be headed today - perhaps to the other end of the valley or an afternoon of sightseeing instead of strapping on the boards? I have my first session today - am  talking on Dermoscopy - wish me luck - hopefully all will go smoothly!

Chaos, Le Tour (for skiing.boarding) and Crepes!

After an early start we sluggishly organized the troupes and managed to find their ski school instructors et al at a local hill called Les Planards. It was chaotic as usual on the first day - moreso here as organization seemed to be fairly loose and our French isn't great. Aidan and Cole seemed to remember their ski legs pretty quick and were slotted into a group with a French speaking instructor and other kids - so if they don't learn much skiing they might pick up some French, mais no? Piper wasn't so sure - joining the chorus of the other 3 year old who wanted their mommy. She seemed to get into it once we were out of sight though. Jen, Cindy, Mormor and I ventured to the end of the valley to a ski operation called Le Tour. It was a little skied out but we were just taking it easy on the first day anyway - didn't want to break a rib or anything like that. The mountain crosses the border into Switzerland at its furthest lift so we naturally had to do so - no stamp in the passport though and if the truth be known - it was a bit icy there! Aidan and Cole joined us for lunch and skied with us for the latter half of the day. Some difficulties with the Pommell Lifts ( like a T-bar but with a round seat/anchor instead of a T which goes through your legs and pulls you up the hill) - eventually lead us back to the main chairlift and a few runs before the end of the day. No injuries and a genuine good time had by all. We ended up at a Japanese restaurant for dinner - how untraditional I know - but sushi is sushi! For dessert we wandered around the central township of shops and found a creperie in which to indulge! The conference starts today and we're off for Fondue ( more traditional) tonight. Haven't chosen where to go today but will soon get it sorted with all the logistics of the day. Au revior pour maintenant!

Nous Arrivons a Chamonix!! (We've arrived!)

4 Flights, 2 transfers, one re-fueling stop and a bus ride later we finally made it to Chamonix  in the French Alps. It took over 35 hours and resulted in very little quality sleep for Jen or I as seats are made for 3 foot dwarfs with no legs. Trying to sleep on these flights (in economy - b..stard Business Class!) is akin to Chinese Water torture - try as you may, no position makes the numb bum go away, then the legs or knees stiffen up and if you lazily push them into the aisle some good fairing steward/stewardess or hapless traveler inevitably kicks, trips or swears at you. Given the kids fit (more or less) into the seats, they tend to splay themselves all over you and given which child you've had the fortune of  sitting next to, they may or may not serve out a few random kicks just to keep you aware they're still there - usually just as you've crossed into sleep territory! If you're not trying to sleep or get comfortable the stewards are plying you with food and at pretty much all hours so by the end you feel like an exhausted, under-exercised, bloated blimp with a day and a half of facial growth (unless you're Jen of course). Driving into the Alps though made it all worth it - this is beautiful country. You actually feel like you've landed into the Tour de France in wintertime - previously this mystical place - seeming to exist only on television! Amazing! With a second wind we managed to meet up with Jen's parents and Fraser at the hotel - Les Balcons de Savoy. It sits just on the edge of Chamonix proper which is essentially a small town at the base of 4 different ski areas. Our view from the balcony looks out to Mt Blanc and this side of Chamonix. Found I haven't totally lost an ear for 'la Francais' and had to use some Spanish last night to help a co-conferencer organize his ski lessons! Should be at least somewhat bilingual by the end of the trip (wishful thinking!) Auntie Pinny joined us late last night so we've only caught up this morning and will hit the slopes today! It's only minus11 Celsius - a bit of a change from the +42 at Adelaide Zoo only a couple days ago! Conference starts tomorrow so we have a day to rip it up! It's all good!

A Zoo Day - for the kids

Packing up the Caravan and getting organized to store it away for a couple weeks took a little longer than expected so we missed the start in Unley by mere minutes. Instead - we headed to the Adelaide Zoo for the day as the novelty of watching masses of riders speed by for a few seconds was wearing thin. The Zoo was great with new Pandas - Wang Wang and Funi in attendance. It was heating up though and by the end of our tour around the park we were in dire need of a cold drink and a cool place to rest our weary legs. Naturally we ended up at the bar - well the bar of the hotel we had pizza at a couple nights previous. The Barley nectar never tasted so good! The mechanics area of the marquee for the Tour was open as well - so we went to have a boo at some of the bikes and equipment. The kids lucked out with some professional water bottles - complete with ice cold water! The boys, Bailey and Jen had a go on the cycle-ergometer and Jen managed to top the list of females for the day - getting about 590 watts! The day was quickly fading away so we headed back to the Caravan park - cooked up a feast and then quickly got back on the road to meet up with Hugh - an acquaintance of the Coddingtons, who was going to caravan-sit for a couple weeks. He had booked us into a hotel near his home called the Camelot Castle - guess what - it was an actual castle - the kids and Jen had a tour of the dungeon and some of it's other features while I went with Hugh to park the van. We were the only ones in the hotel so it was a bit eerie for the kids. There was a lifesize chessboard out on the veranda or court as well - so I had the kids take the places of the King, Queen and Knight for some pics this AM- they were all about the same size as the pieces! We're off to Singapore, London and finally Geneva today - 30+ hours of travel - it makes my head hurt just to think about it! We'll get there in the end!

The Adelaide Hills and 3 flats!

Lance seemed to look longingly into her eyes as she snapped his photo just before the big climb of the day - at least that's how Jen saw it. Actually, she didn't know who she was snapping at the time as they were going by quite quickly - but the photo does suggest he did give her a glance! Stage 2 of the TDU took us to Checker Hill Road and then to the tourist town of Hahndorf, steeped in German history and buildings. It was starting to heat up during the day with a high of 34 degrees celsius predicted. There was only a slight breeze though and once we had made it to Hahndorf to catch the finish the riders were flying. We were about 600 metres from the finish and they were barrelling down vying for position - just like on tele! You could feel the wind being pushed towards you and hear the surge of power as they went for the line - it was incredible! Phil thought he saw Lance in the front group - sitting up and taking it all in. We hung around in Hahndorf for a play, some ice cream and treats then Phil and I started the bike ride back to the Caravan Park while Jen, Tamra and the kids did some more play and shopping. As bikes weren't allowed on the M1 freeway, Phil and I made our way along the scenic route following our Google Map directions. We were making great progress to Woodside - averaging 31 km/h but then found out we needed to go back to the last town to take Green Hill Road back to Adelaide (just another 27kms by the sign). It wasn't long before we were in the hills and doing it hard. The switchbacks seemed never ending. After two punctures to Phil's rear tire near the summit of the climb we started the descent. The Adelaide side of the "hill" was majestic and thrilling to boot going 60+ kms an hour round corners and hairpins. At one point you could see the entirety of Adelaide stretched out before you - absolutely breath-taking and hard to describe without expletives. Concentrating on the road rather than Phil (without another spare tire) I flew down to the bottom of the hill...only to find out he flatted about half way down!! It was a great view though so I headed back up in rescue and managed to beat the sag-wagons (Jen and Tamra) to him with a spare (which turned out to have a slow leak as well!) We managed to race the girls and kids back to the Caravan park (but just barely) and get organized for a well deserved pasta dinner.. and an ice cold beer of course! Today we have to pack up and drop the caravan off at friends of the Coddington's before our trip to Europe - hopefully we'll get in some of the race and maybe the Zoo!

Stage 1 and the Giant breaks again!

Bit of a sensational title I know - the Giant is our untrusty roadbike which we've had to fix on 3 occasions for a broken derailleur stay - Jen seems to have a knack for destroying this piece of metal and did so 20 mins into a ride last night. (Mind you I've done it twice before as well- bad design I think). So today - we're going bike shopping!
Yesterday was the 1st stage of the tour so we trucked the contingent of kids to Nurioopta and Tanunda to catch the riders as they climbed Mengle Hill Road - one of the King of the Mountain climbs. Phil and I rode some of the course in the area (with about 1000 other riders!) and did the hill, meeting up with the rest of the crew at the top. Just prior to the riders coming through Cole was interviewed by Channel 7 and was well cued to say "Lance" when asked who he was watching for. We traveled home through the Baroosa Valley  past Jacob's Creek, McGuigans, and a few smaller wineries. Phil and I passed Penfolds, Cockatoo Ridge and some others en route to Tanunda as well. The Valley of the Wine Gods! After a seemingly endless drive back into Adelaide (I hate city traffic!) we made it back to get Jen set up for the planned evening ride with some friends of Tamra. The fated ride that left Jen derailleurless! Dinner was at an inner city pizza place with good beer on tap (Belvedere's Best? - a Scottish Ale - very nice and Guinness - of course)!

Today we'll take in Stage 2 for some more excitement! Go Lance! Go Cadel! Go Robbie!!

Adelaide !

Had a day off from the tour today - riders all resting and getting ready for Stage 1 tomorrow. Phil had to pick up his Community Ride rego package so we headed into the Official Tour Down Under Marquee opposite Victoria Park. The Hilton is adjacent the marquee and is where most, if not all, the riders and team personnel are staying. We saw Phil Leggett getting interviewed in front and then a half a dozen of various teams arriving after a morning session. No sign of Lance though - maybe tomorrow? While Jen and the crew did some wandering (and Phil tried in vain to find parking for his van with coffin box on top) I headed back to the caravan on my bike to work on my presentations. Haven't ridden for a while and the legs weren't full of much zip - will be good to get in some mileage over the next few days and see if they loosen up a bit. Tamra has us organized to do a community ride with some of her friends tomorrow night - 2.5 hrs apparently - with Pizza as the post-ride reward - may be a rude awakening for Jen and I? Kids are well - albeit a bit on the hyper / defiant obstructive side of things - but I'm sure this will soon straighten itself out (maybe with a couple of really long bike rides?)

Victor Harbour and onto Adelaide for the Tour!

After a longish scenic drive thanks to our friendly GPS voice and trip planner - Fiona - she doesn't seem to realize that the shortest route between two points is a straight line - we eventually rolled into Victor Harbour. The kids got in plenty of screen time and did their daily journals with some mild coaxing and assistance - so all went relatively well. Victor Harbour was very pleasant with beautiful vistas of the sea and surrounds. Every summer on the foreshore they set up some carnival rides and a jumping castle to boot which obviously caught the fun-seeking eyes of our children and helped us empty our wallet. After a bit of a play we did the trek across to Granite Island - watching the horse-drawn carriage/tram get pulled back and forth while we weathered the gusty conditions. A short explore and return after being nearly eaten by Serpent Rock and we were off to a GP acquaintance's house whom I had met at a conference earlier in the year.  She'd invited us to stay with her and her family if we happened to be in the area - so here we were. Her husband Ian and children, Jarred and Hamish were wonderful and the kids had a ball - being a bit friend-starved and in need of more space and toys with which to play. Fish  and Chips for tea filled our bellies and we settled for the evening in some foreign, but comfortable, beds. With some good advice as to our future travels and a last minute tour of the surrounding area - we took our leave in the morning and headed on to Adelaide. The Beaumonts arrived shortly after we did at the Levi Caravan Park and once again the kids were in a frenzy with old friends to visit and play with. Over the next few days we'll try to get as close to Lance and other superstars in the Tour Down Under as possible and maybe test out the legs on some of the course.

Mt. Gambier and surrounds

Made our way to Mount Gambier yesterday without much ado. Visited the Lady Nelson Visitors centre after lunch and did the small tour inside. It was all about the early settlers, their relations with the aborigines, the formation of the blue lake and some archaeological artefacts (fossils, et al). The blue lake - which is actually quite deep blue - very cool - is the result of it being essentially formed on top of limestone which releases Calcium Carbonate every summer and thereby reflects the deep blue of the colour spectrum. We made some gourmet burgers for tea and headed to the Umpherston Sink Hole which is located in a small park and is touted to be 'the' place to see some bushy-tailed possums once darkness falls. The sun eventually fell and at about 9:40 or so we had the fortunate of spying one of the bushy-tailed critters in one of the many cracks and crevices of the limestone walls. We weren't able to feed it by hand but threw plenty of apples and carrots at it to keep it in sight. It was late when we departed and kids were foul - ready to tuck into bed for a good nights rest. Today we'll see a few more sights and try to get further ahead on the presentations.

Sunshine and Port Fairy

Another moving day - we're getting pretty savy at packing up and not damaging anything - mind you I did put a good hole in the Kluger's bumper the other day backing into a water faucet. Aside from that though - we're looking good at packing up camp. Jen still hasn't taken the reins yet - scared of the windy roads I think. She said she'll drive when we get to the straighter roads en route to Coober Pedy, Alice Springs and then across the Nullabor - maybe then she'll build up some confidence to tackle these windy ones. We headed to Port Fairy today and hit the 12 Apostles again (as it was sunny) for a second time, visited a few other "scenic lookouts" on the way and Cheese World before Warrnambol. After lunch we tackled Tower Hill - an extinct volcano that is said to have erupted 32,000 yrs ago and has left a tower-like hill and a crater lake - the view from up top was nearing spectacular with a stone reminiscent of King Arthur's day so we pretended to pull a broken stick out of it - Ah "there can only be one!" Back in Port Fairy - a quaint little town with some obvious history - we toured around, got supplies and checked out the local park to expell some energy. We're off again tomorrow with a bit of a drive to Mount Gambier and the "Blue Lake" where we'll have a couple nights to check out the local area.

Rain Day and the 12 Apostles

After a rather warm evening with temps in the afternoon in the high 30's we woke to mid-20s and humidity. After some good ole Canadian Flapjacks with maple syrup (authentic Canadian of course) we headed out to Melba Gorge just down the road and became enveloped in the rainforest - Piper is getting much better at these walks and didn't have to be carried once - in fact was running up the hills yelling "Come on daddy - let's run!" - might be the athlete of them all? As we completed the circuit some whispy rain started to fall on and off, increasing in intensity as we made our way to the Gibson's Steps and the 12 Apostles. The steps climb down a sheer cliff and end up on a sandy beach with massive waves encroaching the shoreline - very exciting for the kids - traumatic for the parents! Just up the road is the 12 Apostle walk / underpass and when we finally arrived the squall was hitting with some intensity. In an attempt to wait out the worst of it we bought a bag of natural lollies (dinosaurs of course) and when the rain seemed to abate made our break for the view points. Once on the path it was quite apparent that the squall wasn't actually abating but rather was getting more fierce. We were pelted with rain which Cole described like "spears" hitting him in the face. Aidan wasn't keen on seeing "just a bunch of rocks" and gave us heaps all the way despite Dad's encouragement and utterances of "Doesn't it make you feel alive!" or " imagine what you'll be able to deal with after this Aidan", or "at least it will be memorable for you..." - all of which was probably in vain - but worth the effort. The afternoon was spent back at camp, warming up in the Caravan, getting up to speed on the homeschooling front and playing some games - good family time!

The Great Ocean Road!

Started the trek along TGOR today - it is definitely great for scenery and windy roads - Piper nearly copt it in the far backseat but fortunately recovered before any cookies were re-tasted. We saw the stilt house, had coffee in Lorne and kicked ourselves for not being organized (or in shape enough) to swim the Pub to Pier on the 9th of Jan! We managed to get ourselves to Laver Hill (the only place with accommodation for a couple of nights this time of year @ late notice) - the kids and Jen headed to the Otway Treetop Walk and did the Prehistoric Path with life-like dinosaurs - I had to stay back and work on my presentations again - they're slowly coming along and should be ready by the time we head to Europe. Hopefully I won't miss too much between then and now. The boys are a bit tired today as they stayed up and watched a movie at the Caravan park last night- should make this evening an early tuck in. Tomorrow we'll head to the 12 Apostles and hopefully put in some more beach time!

Torquay and surfs up!

Thanks to all for your birthday wishes - had a great day and tasty mud cake for the celebrations - (not as good as yours Tamra) . We headed to the beach today for some surfing and beach-fun - the waves weren't huge but just about right for someone getting back into the sport - I think it's like riding a bike as it wasn't much getting up on the board again and catching a few waves. Did feel the paddles out though - not as resilient as I used to be. The kids had a great time on the beach and boogie boarding. I found a new use for the boogie board with Piper - she sat on it and I ran over the shallow wet areas - she was flying! Not much different from those tubes pulled behind ski-boats. I managed to get some 'free' time to work on my presentations for Europe and the kids got through their journals with not much ado today - what a change! Jen is well and cooked up a storm this evening in the communal kitchen - nothing like sharing your kitchen with 20 others! This is all taking some getting used to - I think we'll survive though.

We're Back!!

So when you arrive at 10 o'clock at night at an off-the-beaten track Caravan Park you happened to book maybe a month or so a go in between patient consults and the rather rotund moustached fellow questions whether this is the park you've actually got a site at - what do you do? There was a little panic but fortunately he was able to find me under "Michael" - pretty poor transliteration of Mitchell in my books - anyways - after a long day entertaining kids on the Spirit of Tassie then a couple hour drive to this place called Shallow Inlet near Wilson's Prom - this was the last thing we needed - but he found us a spot and all we needed to do was switch places in the AM. I had to reverse my caravan into a tented site - not big - Jen said I did okay though - so I'll hang my hat on that! Once settled we eventually managed to get into Wilson's Prom and check out the beaches at Tidal River and Squeaky Beach (aptly named for the squeaky sand). The rock formations and beaches were great for exploring, swimming and sand-castleing (new word I've created). When we got back to the campsite to do our journals and blog there was no server - hence the delay in writing for the past couple of days. Today we trekked to Torquay - what a difference from 6 1/2 years ago - the beach was packed and parking non-existent so we simply had a look around and found some supplies. I've rented a surf board for the morning to see if I can remember how to stand up in the waves - a little B-day gift to self (recommended by wife of course). We then did the necessary board short and bikini shopping along the "surfwear" strip. Dinner is to come with birthday songs on cue - one more year until the big 40! Am almost feeling old (sorry Tam)!! Thanks to all those joining as followers - I hope to keep you entertained - starting to feel like a bit of a cult!

Beaconsfield, Platypi and Seahorses

Our last day in Tassie! Managed to almost get trapped in a parking lot on the way - missed the turn and tried to go through a parking lot to get on the right road but there was no exit - got to practice my reversing skills with much ridicule from the wife for getting myself in such a predicament. Probably the first of many chastisements to come. Had a great drive through to Beaconsfield - of trapped miners fame - and checked out the mine and heritage area located there. Found a small piece of the dilapidated structure to keep as a souvenir - at this rate we'll end up with a whole van full of shells, skulls and what nots to collect dust somewhere in the future! After Beaconsfield we headed to the Platypus/Echidna House and Seahorse World just up the road from the mine. These were great - we learned alot and saw some pretty cool creatures. I'm now a huge fan of seahorses - hope to see some in the wild when we get snorkeling again. We ended our drive in Devonport near the ferry terminal for tomorrow's departure. Tomorrow night we'll be at Wilson's Promontory back on the mainland in Victoria - not sure how it has gone so quick!

Wineglass Bay, Cape Tourville and the Friendlies

We had a lot to see and do today, so got up at the crack of dawn to head out to the Wineglass Bay walking track. The kids did great going both ways - Piper needed a bit of carrying but walked more of the trail then she had in the past. It was a beautiful stroll and the scenic reward was worth the struggle. The water was pristine altho' a little cool for dipping. We managed to find a couple of intact ? tern skulls a bird scapula and wing bone - still attached with the ligament! We kept our treasures and a few pretty shells as well for our collection - should make for a rather macabre show and tell! Once back from the walk we drove to Cape Tourville just near the walking track and checked out the view and lighthouse located there. Back in the car again we drove to the Friendly Beaches and enjoyed another frolic in the sand. On the way back we stopped at an oyster farm and enjoyed some afternoon tea - even Piper got in the act - she likes the Kilpatrick ones. All in all it was a busy day - the kids shall sleep well again!

Goodbye Hobart, Hello Freycinet!

This journey is going way too fast - it seems like just yesterday we were packing up and getting ready to go. Now we only have a few more days in Tassie then off to the mainland for some more touring. Fortunately, the kids have all shared and recovered from "the virus" and aside from the horrors involved with getting them to write in their journals - they seem well and content. We trekked out of Hobart at a leisurely 11 AM after one final bounce on the glorious jumping pillow. It was a gorgeous drive to Freycinet with awesome ocean views - turquoise waters and incredible headlands. Got a message from the clinic saying they are missing me - put a smile on my face - can't say I'm missing the work there though - the people yes - the work no. It's nice to be free and leisurely for a while. When we arrived in Coles Bay /Freycinet National Park it was almost 4 pm so we had a quick visit to the beach located in the Caravan Park and then settled into our regular evening activities. I think the disease might be hitting me but hopefully the healthy lifestyle thing will help ward it off. We are hoping to do the Wineglass Bay hike tomorrow - so hope my system will hold together. Jen's well and we seem to be managing well in the organization department - haven't broken anyone or anything yet. Still lots of time....

The Taste ....of Hobart

Kicked Jen out of bed this morning for a run - has been getting stressed with kid's behaviour so thought it best for her to get some sort of release. Kids had a bit of a sleep in - probably helped the situation. Once through the writing in their journals ( they have to write in it everyday - bit like pulling teeth at times! ) we headed to the Hobart Aquatic Centre for a dip. I managed to survive 1000ms, but only barely as I am getting pretty out of shape in this department, whilst the kids and Jen had some fun on the slide and in the "warm" pool. Once sufficiently chlorinated we headed to the Taste of Hobart - an annual event which brings together a number of wineries, fine food and multicultural restaurants for one big fest inclusive of street entertainment, kid's events and music. The kids had a ball with cooking classes, a jumping castle, a 1960's slot car race (electric mini track), mini-golf and face painting. Our friends Jenny and Keith were able to join us and we tasted some of the local fares - Moo Brew, assorted gourmet sausage, cheese and tempura exotic mushrooms (too much batter and oil - not recommended). A short stroll to see the boats (some from the recent Sydney to Hobart yacht race) and we were heading back to the Caravan Park with the jumping pillow - a 15 m x 5m (rougly) inflated matt - kind of like a trampoline - kept the kids hopping for hours while we visited with Jenny and Keith and enjoyed some local Sauvignon Blanc. It's always a good day when the kids are exhausted! Off to Freycine(t) -they say it without the 't' at the end - sort of French - if you know what I mean! -- in the AM.

Drive Day to Hobart with Russell Falls thrown in for good measure

Hit the road around 0830 en route for Hobart. It was a drizzly cool morning but seemed to be warming up as we headed through Queenstown (didn't stay long - it was a bit of a washed up old mining town which looked to have seen better days.) As we made our way up and down the hills Jen talked me into taking a detour to Russell Falls - apparently one of the most magnificient sights in Tassie - so had to have a look - kids were getting a wee bit stir crazy anyway and needed to release some energy. Although skeptical at first (especially since the weather seemed to be getting worse) we headed into the bush with a handful of other tourists - up to the falls. They weren't Niagara but still quite scenic and pretty - so took some photos and continued our trek. It incorporated some amazing old growth gum trees - some over 500 yrs old ! Massive trunks, towering beasts - some over 79 meters tall (or so the "clinometer" suggested - good word to remember for scrabble!) After an ice cream we were back on the road to Hobart - found our new Caravan park and set off to meet up with our friends Jenny and Keith for some dinner. We went to a neighbourhood pizza place called Mondos and were thoroughly impressed with the fare - artichoke hearts, pumpkin, cracked pepper, fetta and more! The gelato (altho' premade) was delicious and the company - grand! On our way home we had a peek at Jenny and Keith's new home and acreage - it sits to the West of Hobart and has views of Bruny Island in the distance. Looks truly heavenly and will suit them well. Tomorrow we're off to the Taste of Hobart in the morning and whatever else pans out during the day - should be a bucket of fun!

Henty Dunes, sore bums and good eats/drinks

Our second day in Strahan was taken in rather slowly after a  night of fevers, " I need a bucket!!" and parties all around the caravan bringing in the New Year. Kids woke well though and we set off to the "Dunes" - sand boards in hand. After a hefty hike up some soft sand, the vista exploded in front of us - miles upon miles of soft white sand as far as the eye could see seemingly joining the ocean at the horizon. We eventually found a hill steep enough to allow us to build up some speed to try the sand boards - we ended up using them as tobaggans more than a board of sorts. Jen and I both gave the it a try and ended up getting sand in places we probably don't want to know about and we'll likely be finding it in clothing for weeks! It's a little like snowboarding but imagine instead of boots clipped in you're wearing a pair of thongs. Now imagine the snow is absolutely water-logged slush or even better - wet cement. You can start okay as long as you lean way back - as soon as you start to lean forward though it's game over and instead of gliding down the hill you end up somersaulting instead. Finally, there's no cushy chairlift to take you back up the slope - 100ms of heavy slogging (often with small child in tow) is quite a work out and should do our cycling legs some good!

After some lunch we headed back to town to see a few of the highlighted sights - the water tank viewpoint and Hogarth's Falls (a small hike into the bush and a small tranquil waterfall - but no platypus!). We ended our Strahan tour with a visit to the 42 degree View Restaurant for some afternoon Tapas and wine/drinks. Was very pleasant - the Velo Pinot Gris and 42 degree Sauv Blanc won out in terms of tastings. Tomorrow we're making the trek to Hobart for a sight see and catch  up with our good friend Jennie (Brodie) MacQueen and her new hubby, Keith!