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Published: December 6th 2006
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Kyra on 7 mile beach
This beach was huge and empty. Kyra has left the continent. Rolling thunder chasing me down the Bruce. Rain beats down in angry singularity with perfect symmetry...no visibility. Roman candle lightning lights up the sky alternating blue and magenta flashes like some busted neon apocalyptic vacancy sign...i don't want to drive. The truck drivers here are insane, if you're stuck behind a slower car, and they're behind you, they drive ten feet from your bumper...so you drive faster then you want to when an overtaking lane comes up just so that you can put a car between you and the truck. There are three trucks in succession about 1/2 km back so I also don't want to stop. I'm thankful that the car in front of me has slowed right down so at least I can follow it's taillights, and equally thankful he hasn't come to a full stop; roads here are ridiculously narrow and the thought of those trucks passing as I sit on the curb doesn't appeal to me at all. I ended up in Hervey Bay where Larry and Fiona talked my ear off as I checked in, nice people but it seriously took me 35 minutes to get to my room 30 feet
Parrot wisperer
Kyra charmed this wild beast at pebbly beach away. You go a little stir crazy driving alone, I miss Kyra...she's often quiet in the car, but she's there. I drove into Hervey Bay proper the next morning and snapped some photo's along the peir. Pelicans it should be noted, have disturbingly large eyes. Like a child's bizarre mechanical nightmare, they stare at you horrified. I feel like I could spend years in this place, not just Australia, but this one place, or any of the places I've stopped in. I walk along a peir watching some guy fishing and I think that could be me, fishing for lunch and grilling it on the free barbeques they have opn the beaches all over this country.
I drove on to my intended stop of Gladstone. While I recognize the need for industry in an economic system, I can not fathom placing all the industry for central Queensland in this one town. One quick drive around quite possibly the ugliest town to every inhabit a coastline (every inch of the coastline choked by oil, bauxite, coal, power and alumina ). so I drive on. I want to drive to the coast at yeppoon or Emu Parks, but by the time I
Hervey Bay
Some of you may get a kick outta this one... reach and drive through Rockhampton and see the sign for Emu Parks at 50 km I'm just too sick of driving to do it so I stay in Rockhampton in a quaint if not a tad funny smelling cabin. I spend the bulk of my evening on the front deck experimenting with long exposures so all is not lost. I'm trying to put some miles between me and Brisbane so that I can kick up my heels and relax for a few days so I'm up early and driving by 9 am. By 12:15 I'm in Mackay (mc-Keye) where I take a pit stop for a glass of VB (Victoria Bitter which isn't bitter and is in Queensland) and a cricket update. I'm shocked to discover that England have dropped a bunch of wickets and that Australia may actually come back and win this test. By 1:00 I'm on the road again. I've driven along probably 150 km of highway(not all in a row) where there is lush green forest on one side of the road and fire blackened earth and heat reddened trees on the other. Australians seem to use their highways as fire prevention..I drive into possibly the
..baby's got blue eyes...
Blackbird (crows) here have pale blue eyes prettiest place I've seen yet, which is saying a lot with the drive I've done. Whitsunday Islands. I booked a two night sailing and diving trip which starts this afternoon and I get a free night in this Backpackers place I'm writing this from. I opt for the one free night in my own room instead of the two free nights in a dorm. I park my car and shower (all cold, very refreshing...took 40 minutes to feel hot again) and go down to the open area pub to catch the end of the cricket with Lucia and Jared, a couple of nice kids from Brisbane and Adelaide whom I just happened to sit with. We end up drinking pitchers of beer together for about 4 hours until it's time to join the pool turnament that I signed up for. I lost my first game and that was it. I rejoined the Bar and met up with some Canadians from Alberta and a nice couple from Portugal.
Well, that's it, you're sort of caught up. I'd really like to do a more indepth summary of my trip later, if I get the time. There are some things I'd really like
to impress upon you, not the least of which is the incredible generosity displayed by Lisa and Vinnie.
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Kristina
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Nice photos and well composed blog
So good to hear what you are up to Ryan. Good find on the Hockley Lane... I spotted a Ryan hotel but couldn't pull my camera our fast enough. It even had a big neon sign with your name...Kyra saw it too. We miss you a lot and loved hang'n out with you for the week. It wouldn't have been nearly as fun and your company in the evenings was great! Kyra received a great report card and I'll try and scan it in to share with you. Yes it is cold here and yes snow is still on the ground. The flight home was such a marathon!