2008-04 Mark and Steph join us in Australia

Amy, Collin Johnson, Ann Nelson, Simon, and Crew

Me at the Coorong, I remember the Gold Clubs but not a Sleeping Bag

A few of the Jeeps Tracks on the Coorong

Coorong Sea Shell Sand Beach

Coorong National Park South Australia, Australia

After are night at 75 Park Street, I took Ann down to Coorong National Park, in SA. To meet up with a few of my other mates and go camping. We did not spend a lot of time planning for this just threw what we thought we needed into the Jeep and took off. Its about a 2 or 3 hour drive away from my house. We brought tons of toys, Dirt bike, body board, fishing poles, football, Frisbee and a tent. The Coorong beach is an open Southern Ocean beach which means the next thing you hit when you leave it is Antarctica.

The I remember most about this trip is me freezing my ass off at night it got to like 4 degrees C, like 40 degrees F and forgetting to bring a sleeping bag. I brought blankets which I gave to Ann but for got about myself. Or at least I thought I did. I woke up to Ann saying I was actually a bit warm and also was lying on top of some unused blankets. If you have ever seen dumb and dumber and the mittens incidence this situation was quite similar.

I also remember doing a 10 mile fish tailing figure 8 down the beach. The Jeep was a beast. It just floated above the sand. The Coorong runs for a few hundred miles consisting of a sea shell sand beach and very few people. It is not uncommon to get stuck and have your car washed out to sea by the tide, or worse the uncommon king tide. One king tide hit during a fishing tournament and buried at least 30 vehicles while I was living in Australia

See this article http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/01/21/1830825.htm

We came across a couple and their stuck Pathfinder down on the tidal part of the beach and they were attempting to shovel it out with a cooler lid or something. I had a tow strap so I pulled them out. 10 yards later they were stuck again. So I pulled them out again, 10 yards later stuck again. So I asked what they aired down to, the girlfriend replied 18 PSI (that’s was the recommended PSI by the parks sign for the hard pack trails). I pointed out the obvious that this was not working and to let some more air out especially in the rear. She refused, said I was wrong. So I pulled again I almost got stuck and once again they got stuck. So I told the boyfriend I will only pull them out again if they take some air out or I was leaving, and we left for a bit. Until this point she was running the show, it would have drove me nuts. We came back and he listened let some air out, I pulled and off they went with no problems, I don’t think they headed back down to the soft stuff again. I’m telling you these people were a trip. Its not like there were tons of people driving by we were about it.

My friends Ryan and Mary has a good story from these parts, they drove the 3 hours down just got into the dunes and were chased down by some dirt bikes whose friend came off and had a compound fracture. So as soon as Ryan and Mary made it in the dunes they had to drive the half hour ruff ride out with a new passenger complete with a compound fracture, where they would meet up with an ambulance that would take him to the hospital 2 hours away. This is to just get the point across not a lot is happening around these parts.

As long as I am talking about Ryan he managed to bury his Jeep and no help around at all, like 15 or so from the nearest road I think. So he spent 6 hours digging it out with his hands with his girlfriend Mary about ready to kill him for getting them into this situation. It is good to know they are now partaking on a sail boat race from New Orleans to Cancun Mexico. They can chalk the jeep experience up as team building experience now.

Check there new adventure out at http://argo-wde3361.blogspot.com/

Me after I took Cam´s cop uniform away after from him because he was writing tickets to the police for interupting are night, they did not find this to funny.

Nikki, Me, Ann, Cam 75 Park St Unley S.A.

Ann and Me enjoying my front yard
11/17 South Esplanade Glenelg South Australia

The Bats of Sydney, Sydney has a huge population of flying foxes. If you stroll trough the botanical gardens down town you cant miss seeing them or smelling them. The have a wing span of 3 feet, and have the there head looks like a fox hence the name flying fox

Me in Sydney

This was pretty much the end of this trip around Australia; we left Miah in Sydney with my mate Simo so he could catch his flight home. Mark, Steph and I returned to Adelaide where they were to fly out in a few days and I was to return to work. At the same time though I had some new visitors coming, my friend Keith’s mom and sister were arriving in a few days to stay with me for a few weeks and I took on fellow co-workder for a bit. The flat was anything but empty. I was also just starting to get over my collar bone injury feeling a bit braver about activities. I got my road bike back, and started riding my off road bike a bit just taking it easy though. I am not going to lie I was a bit nervous my first time back on the road bike.

Me sporting my stinger suit, You have to wear these just incase you run into a box jelly the most posionos animal in the world

Miah Demonstrating the safety of the trampoline, it still took days till people would walk on it. Which worked out for us because we had plenty of room for our selves

Most of the fellow members of our trip on Avatar notice no one is on the trampoline, most were scared of fallng in the ocean for days

White Haven Beach, Whitsunday Islands Australia

Miah and Me on Whitehaven Beach

Miah and Me over looking Whithaven Beach a stop on are sailing trip

Leaving the Cold and to the Sun, Just after are arrival on Hamilton Island

Are next stop was the Whitsundays, I had heard and been proved true that this is an amazing place. We took a plane from Melborne to Hamilton Island. This is my type of Airport a lonely runway justing out into the ocean. You exit the plane directly on the runway and walk to bagage claim which was just the baggage cart pulled up under a awning. Prior to are arival I had booked a 4 day sailing trip that sailed aroud the Whitsunday Island via Airlie Beach.

Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro, April 2007

Mark and Me Bells Beach

Me at Bells Beach, Victoria Australia. I actully did forget the C, im an idiot

Bell Beach, Victoria. Pro World Surf Tour Stop.

The 12 Aposals on the Great Ocean Road in Vicotria Australia.

If we would have left when we said we were going to we would have had the sunset below here.

The thing about this sunset is Miah and myself stayed out a bit to late the night before are road trip and missed are depature goal by 4 or 5 hours. I had planned to end up on the Great Ocean Road around Sunset.

Austalia is know for very large objects like Lobsters, Wooden Horse, Fruit ect. This is me and the Giant Lobster in Robe, South Australia

Mark, Steph, Miah and Me Aldinga Beach, South Australia

Mark and Steph joined me and Miah for in SA and we where about to start are mini tour of Aus