Newfoundland

Posted on September 18, 2022 by johnandger

Traveling long distances on a motorcycle can be hard sometimes but finding time to update a blog is harder. So, I’m about a month late with this installment. Spoiler alert: we’re safely back home in Florida.

On our way to the ferry we did the Cabot Trail loop which includes the Cape Breton National Park. The Cabot trail has mixed reviews from other riders but we enjoyed the ride and scenery. It was a nice leisurely break from some of the main roads.

The overnight sailing from North Sydney to Argentia (not Argentina) was very smooth and we arrived in Newfoundland around 10:00 a.m. refreshed and ready to go.

We met another traveler (Rick) on the ferry that had bicycled all the way from Victoria BC and doing same route as us ( Mile 0 West to Mile 0 East)

The weather on arrival was damp and cool (approximately a 30° F difference than the temperature the previous day in Nova Scotia).

We racked up 7,000 miles since departing in June so we stopped at the Toy Box on our way into St John’s to get the bike oil and filter changed .

St John’s is the oldest city in North America. It’s also a busy port and it was fascinated to see all the activity and all the different types of ships. There were numerous ships that are used to supply offshore rigs. It must be quite an experience to sail out into the Atlantic in the dead of winter on one of them.

Since we started our journey on the TransCanada Highway at mile marker 0 in Victoria British Columbia we wanted to also document the end at mile marker 0 in Newfoundland. We found out the marker isn’t where it should be so we had to use the historical marker at City Hall for our photo op.

**The End (or beginning depending on which way you’re heading)**

We were able to visit another mile zero marker mark the start of Terry Fox’s marathon of hope (cancer support). You can read about Terry’s mission here.

We saw references (parks, stadiums, streets, highways) Terry all across Canada.

Lots of Irish references in Newfoundland including numerous Irish pubs in St John’s. Our rest day was rainy and cold (low 50° F) so a visit to the pub for lunch was in order.

On our way out of St John’s we headed to Cape Spear lighthouse which is the most easterly point of Canada (and of North America). It was a bit windy but the weather was kind to us and only a light drizzle. We seem to have a knack of running into folks along the road that we met on a previous ferry. Low behold we bumped into Rick again! His partner Stephen have flown out from Victoria to surprise him while he cycled into St John’s!

From Cape Spear we headed across Newfoundland through Gander. Gander was one of the towns where many of the planes from 9/11 or routed. Gander residents rallied to accommodate and feed many of the passengers that were stranded until air travel was permitted again.

**Newfoundland’s first ever escalator at the Gander International Airport**

**Thank you letter to Gander residents from Lufthansa Airlines**

**Gander Airport (a small airport that played a BIG role on 9/11)**

We spend our last night before arriving at the Horizons Unlimited event at Upper Humber Settlement (a b&b on a farm).

After 2 months and approx 7000 miles, we finally arrived at our primary destination, the Horizons Unlimited Newfoundland Event. Thanks to all the organizers, presenters, volunteers and site staff that made the event a success.

We had a great time at the Horizons Unlimited event and met lots of fellow world travelers who arrived by bicycle, camper van and motorcycle (gasoline and electric). On one of the days we took advantage of good weather and took a ride out to Trout River on the West coast.

**Gros Morne National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site**

**Robert’s Fish Store in Woody Point – historic building preserved for fisheries heritage**

We had a soggy ride from the event down to the ferry at Channel-Port aux Basques. Enroute we stopped in the town of “Doyles” to mail a few postcards.

The weather cleared to allow us to stroll around Channel-Port aux Basques after we arrived.

**Cleaning the daily catch just like South Quay, Arklow**

**Cleaning up after the fish were cleaned**

**Some hotels know how to cater to motorcyclists with special parking by the front door**

The crossing from Channel-Port aux Basques is reported to be rough at times but we lucked out and had a very smooth 7-hour sailing back to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. It was bitter sweet as it began the last leg of our journey heading for home.

We’ll head down to Long Island NY to visit family and then down the East coast for Florida.

Quebec City, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia

Posted on August 4, 2022 by johnandger

Who knew we’d pass through Winnie the Pooh’s hometown?

**Winnie the Pooh Brass Memorial in White River, Ontario.**

The more East we get the more French language we encounter but hasn’t caused any issues. We seem to get along fine with our limited understanding of French and most people have some English. We’re starting to hit a few toll roads as well and so far no problems as we can pay as we go.

We usually avoid large cities when traveling on the motorcycle due to traffic congestion and parking but we decided visit Quebec City as an exception.

We stayed just outside the outskirts of Old Town and used an Uber to get in and out.

You could spend all day just strolling around the cobblestone streets and shops. Much of it reminded us of cities and towns in Europe which isn’t surprising given the connection to France.

**310 steps from the Quebec Promenade up to the Plains of Abraham**

**Toboggan sled ride is a winter tradition**

**Château Frontenac Hotel with its copper roof**

We didn’t realize it but the day we were there coincided with the Pope’s visit.

**Pope motorcade motorcycle police escorts staying at hotel**

We were going to hang out with the crowd at the plains of Abraham to view his events on the big screen but it was a miserably hot day and so we decided to visit the art museum. I’m not a big fan of museums in general but the art museum was actually quite good.

As we were getting ready to leave the museum the Pope’s motorcade started passing by. At first I was trying to figure out which of the big black SUVs the pope was traveling in but then he zipped by in his little white Fiat! I think it may even I’ve been a Fiat 500!

**Hello Geraldine!** **I didn’t know you were in town.**

He picked us out of the crowd and gave us a wave.

Continuing East from Quebec we and the opportunity of attending our first pow wow gathering. We were able to witness ceremonial traditions, native dress and dance in addition to rubbing shoulders with some of the chiefs.

Next stop was a visit to Prince Edward Island (PEI). I didn’t realize it was its own province. There’s only two options to get there, toll bridge or ferry. We opted for the toll bridge and glad we did because it’s amazingly long. It’s supposed to be the longest (8 miles) bridge in the world over ice-covered water..

The toll is fairly hefty ($50) for cars but motorcycles get a break for $20! You only pay the toll leaving the island so getting there is free!

**Confederation Bridge from the PEI side.**

Lots of nice rolling hills and roads on the island and lots of agriculture. We saw lots of fields with new potatoes and other farms and cattle.

It’s peak season now so the beaches were fairly crowded.

Our next stop after PEI was in Truro to see the bore tide on the Bay of Fungy. Twice a day much of the bay and contributing rivers empty out and fill back up again! It’s hard to show in static pictures but there’s several examples on the internet showing a time lapse of what happens over the course of 6 hours.

**Tide has started to come in and in a few hours will be about 20 feet higher**

Tomorrow we head towards Cape Breton Island to do a loop around the coast before arriving in North Sydney for the ferry to Newfoundland.

Canadian Rockies to the Canadian Prairies

Posted on July 19, 2022 by johnandger

After some boring scenery southbound from Prince George, the scenery improved from Kamloops heading west towards Banff.

We stretched out the route to two days due to the mileage and unsettled weather forecast.

We visited Dreamcycle motorcycle museum along the way. The exhibits brought back lots of memories to our motorcycling days in the 1970s in Ireland and Isle of Man TT.

**This 1934 Galimberti with sidecar is the only known model to exist from the company that built bikes between 1933-1935.**

The rest of the route to Revelstoke marked the end of the great weather we’ve had previously. There was heavy rain for most of the way but it did ease off a bit as we arrived at our B&B lodging for the night.

Luckily, the rain cleared out and we had a dry ride from Revelstoke to Bannf. On the way in we stopped at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. We lucked out being on the motorcycle as the parking lot was full and they were only allowing motorcycles through. Both lakes are beautiful but a little touristy!

**Lake Louise. A few weeks previously it was frozen over.**

Same for Banff. Lots of tourists which is understandable given the scenery around the area. Bannf reminded us of Garmisch in Germany.

From Bannf we took the alternate route 1A which parallels Route 1 on our way to Jasper.

The ride along the Ice Fields Parkway offered numerous views of mountains, lakes, glaciers and bears.

Heading east from Jasper the mountainous landscape ended and we began the trek across the flat prairies.

**One of the many colorful rapeseed (canola oil) crops along the prairies**

We were able to stop for a few days rest near Saskatoon to visit Ger’s niece Elizabeth and husband Aidan. We had a nice relaxing visit!

Weather was getting more interesting and leaving Saskatoon we had to stop for a while to allow a strong storm system that was generating tornadoes to pass.

**Keeping our distance from this funnel cloud**

Yesterday we passed by an area where some sort of storm or tornado had taken out all the power lines and many trees and other structures were uprooted.

Link to news story.

Crossing the prairies was not as boring as other travelers had indicated. We were expecting it to be more like Kansas and Oklahoma but while similar it wasn’t that boring.

Lots of road work being done in the Summer months on the back roads. We had to navigate miles of gravel heading into Fort Frances..

**Some sections of gravel were a challenge as they had not been packed down yet.**

We obtained some insight as to how life is during the cold winter. Many of the parking places outside of hotels, hospitals and other workplaces have these outside electrical outlets near each parking spot. Those are so vehicles parked for a long time can be plugged in to keep the engine warm.

**Outside electrical outlets for each parking space**

Some of the locals like to photo bomb pictures of the bike.

We’re now taking a 2-day break in Fort Frances, Ontario (just across the river from International Falls, USA) to allow the weather to clear before heading on to Thunder Bay and the rest of the East Coast.

Vancouver Island via Inside Passage to the Mainland

Posted on July 6, 2022 by johnandger

Up early at 4:45 a.m. to catch the ferry to Prince Rupert. Although it had rained overnight, the weather cooperated and was dry but cool for the short ride to the ferry dock.

As usual, we met some motorcyclists heading off on an adventure. This group was heading up towards Alaska. Exchanging stories helps pass the time while waiting to board the Northern Expedition (we boarded the last after passengers and cars).

**Bikers are the same around the world**

This is the first time we’ve seen bikes get strapped down in the middle of the ferry instead of along the side wall.

Saw some sea otters and whales heading out of Port Hardy. The ferry stopped in Bella Bella to offload/onload passengers and a few vehicles. That’s the only chance to catch some cell phone service on the route up through the inside passage.

Other than Bella Bella, a few abandoned villages and a Coast guard station/lighthouse the rest is water and scenery (both sides)

Just before Prince Rupert we had a night-time view of a large container port that was a hive of activity keeping the supply chains running.

**Prince Rupert Fairview Container Facility**

Arrived in Prince Rupert just before midnight for a much needed night’s sleep!

From Prince Rupert we headed east and then north of the Cassiar Highway BC-37 and took a side trip to Stewart which is right on the border with Hyder, Alaska.

It’s a pleasant 36 mile drive past the Bear Glacier.

**Bear Glacier off Stewart Highway BC-37A**

We also bumped into this crazy bunch of bikers (Francoi, Pierre and Richard) that we met on the ferry and we celebrated Canada Day/Night in Stewart. I called them the Three Amigos but they prefer the Three Musketeers.

I’m still sunburned from Whale Watching.

While in Stuart, we heard the Alaska Highway southbound from Watson Lake had been washed out. We decided to continue north as far as Iskut and reevaluate the route from there.

The road was still closed with no firm plan to reopen and there were reports of grocery shortages and hard to find lodging. So, we decided to change course and head back south and add Kamloops and Banff in our itinerary.

Leaving Iskut we found these “happy stones” (one to keep and one to pass on) left on our bike by another biker from Oregon. The stones travel around the world by passing them on to other travelers. We hope to pass one on to another motorcyclist when we get to Newfoundland.

**One of many wooden bridges on Cassiar Highway**

The road from Prince George to Kamloops was fairly boring except for the southern part just before joining Trans Canada Highway 1 east. The landscape changed quickly from lush green to arid (almost desert like).

After a few minutes on Highway 1 we saw heavy black smoke ahead. It turned out to be a recreational vehicle fire and the road was blocked for over an hour.

**Heavy black smoke smelled like burning rubber.**

Upon arriving in Kamloops we also heard a motorcyclist was killed on Highway 1 just east of here. A vehicle towing a trailer heading westbound lost a tire that hit the motorcyclist in a freak accident.

Today is a rest day to check the bike, update the blog and do laundry. Tomorrow we have a short day heading towards Bannf which is just as well as rain is in the forecast.

From Banff, we’ll head back north on the Ice Fields Highway to Jasper then make our way east on Highway 16.

Vancouver Island

Posted on June 28, 2022 by johnandger

We’ve been very lucky with the weather. Initial temperatures were cool in the mid to low 60s and we haven’t hit any rain since the slight drizzle on day one. However, the last few days temperatures were up in the 80s during the day.

Had a great ride up to Port Angeles through the rainforest and coastal area of the Olympic Peninsula.

The 90-minute ferry crossing to Victoria was very smooth and we were able to sit out on the deck the whole time. As usual, met a few fellow bikers heading out on their own adventures and exchanging stories helped pass the time waiting for the ferry.

Spent a leisurely day strolling around Victoria with a visit to the natural history museum. A few initial observations on Canadian life: recycling seems a priority. Also, cashless payments seems to be offered a lot more than in the USA. Prices are a little higher but the exchange rate helps.

**The Western most point of the Trans Canada Highway**. **Goal is to reach the Eastern point in St Johns Newfoundland.**

**Queen Victoria** **and BC Legislative Assembly Building**

Similar to Norway, alcohol is only available for purchase at certain stores and not available in supermarkets. That seems to be a British Columbia rule and not nationwide in Canada but we will find out soon as we make our way to the other provinces.

We spent a few days in Tofino (stayed in the Whalers on the Point Hostel at the end of town) which is a remote area on the west coast. One road in and one road out over a mountain pass. They were doing some road works and had a one-way system in place so we had a bit of off-roading to do but nothing like Kazakhstan!

The whale watching trip and saw numerous whales, otters and sea lions enjoying the great weather. It has been unusually hot and got up to 85 degrees on our ride north from Tofino.

**All cozy in our Mustang Survival and Rescue Suits**

After a few nights in the hostel we treated ourselves to a stay at Ellerslie B&B on the East Coast near Buckley Bay. The home was built in 1897 but moved from Victoria by barge. Nice peaceful location just across the road from Buckley Bay shore.

**After dinner driftwood search on the banks of Buckley Bay**

Arrived in Port Hardy which is our last stop on Vancouver Island before boarding the ferry to Prince Rupert.

Weather has changed again and much cooler and damper than the past week. We’ll be up early in the morning to arrive at the ferry terminal around 5:30 a.m. for the 7:30 a.m. ferry departure.

On the road again. Canada!

Posted on June 19, 2022 by johnandger

To celebrate 50 years together (including 50 motorcycling years), we’re planning to complete our original 2020 plan to finish our Round-The-World trip through Canada back to Florida.

Covid-19 placed our 2020 plans on the back burner along with everyone else’s life and travel plans.

Now that Canada is open again for tourists, we shipped our bike through Haulbikes.com from Florida to Portland, Oregon in early May. Depending on the location, they can pickup and deliver your bike from and to a residential address. However, the residence needs to be accessible by an 80-foot+ truck. In cases where they can’t navigate residential streets, they arrange to meet at a nearby location. In our case, we took delivery of the bike at a nearby truck stop in Portland.

Bike delivered 24 days after after pickup

This trip seems a little weird because:

We don’t have to apply for any visas.
We don’t need special immunizations.
We probably won’t need to bring medications such as Loperamide (diarrhea) or Ciprofloxacin (bacteria infections)
We only have two border crossings scheduled.
We don’t have to bring any special electrical adapters.
We shouldn’t have to limit our drinking water to bottled water.
The currency is dollars even though it’s a Canadian dollar.
There’s no ocean separating us from returning to Florida.
We’re confident everyone we meet will speak English (or maybe French)
We’re confident the chances of encountering corrupt police are fairly low.
Roadblocks due to landslides (rainy season) should be rare.

During the earlier part of the route, we may have some challenges with lodging and fuel availability to and from the Yukon territory.

Below is our planned route.

**“No plan survives contact with the enemy.”**

Our main goal (apart from making it back home in one piece) is to attend the August 12th-14th Horizons Unlimited Travelers Meeting in Newfoundland, Canada.

We’d love to see friends and family during the trip as we head east across Canada and then down the east coast to Florida. Specific dates may not be known until we get closer so we’ll have to play it by ear.

We departed Vancouver, Washington this morning for Ocean Shores (approx 180 miles). Taking it easy for the first few days until we get our “bike legs” back. Timing for weather was just right as recent rainfall in the Portland area has set records. We only encountered a slight drizzle on our ride today and blue skies welcomed us to the Pacific Coast at Ocean Shores.

**Packing up the night before and test ride for the grand-kids.**

**Coffee stop in South Bend. we must have looked cold and weary as the shop owner treated us to our coffee! Thanks!**

Tomorrow we head North along the coast to Port Angeles for the ferry over to Victoria, Canada. Over the next 10 days we’ll work our way up through Victoria Island to catch the ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert.

Into the Australian Outback and Uluru

Posted on July 28, 2019 by johnandger

We spent our last day on the East coast heading up to Port Douglas via Captain Cook Highway with the intent of going to Mossman Gorge and back to Yorkeys Knob via the mountain route. The weather had other plans so we just did a day trip up to Port Douglas and back. However, we weren’t disappointed as the road was great and followed the coast most of the way.

Port Douglas and as far north as we’re planning to go

Geraldine has been warned. Sea Glass might be fair game.

Great coast road and sea views between Yorkey’s Knob and Port Douglas

Balancing/stacking rocks on a beach south of Wangetti.

Easy Rider is getting in on the rock action as well!

Met these (father-sons) at Palm Cove during a coffee stop. The dad has a GS and one of the sons is a temporary worker in Australia and has done motorcycling around also. He had his bike stolen in Tasmania!

The rain ended just in time before we headed West from Cairns into the outback.

Crater Lakes National Park – some were swimming – Brrr!

The last bit of greenery we’ll see for a while. Just east of Ravenshoe, the highest town in Queensland, with Queensland’s highest pub.

The Outback is a highlight for me as it’s so different from the Australia we’ve seen so far. Amazingly we’ve seen a good variety of birds enroute.

We’ve seen termite mounds like this all the way west and south towards Alice Springs. The very between a few inches tall and several feet. We’ve heard further north summary even much taller!

Every couple hundred miles there is typically a Roadhouse that has fuel and food and possibly some lodging or campsites.

It’s amazing how some of the remote roadhouses stay stocked with petrol and other supplies. Many of the Roadhouse staffs are temporary workers from other countries that are here for 1 or 2 years on a work permit. It’s a great experience for them.

The petrol stations are getting more basic.

We might close at 5pm and we might not.

Some older cars and other items in our campground.

As soon as we can find a caravan we’re going to apply.

On our first full day riding in the outback we met our first road train head first on a single lane stretch of road. At the last minute I realized he wasn’t moving over so I had to onto the gravel shoulder. Lesson learned don’t mess with road trains.

Typical road trains parked at Burke and Wills (named after early explorers) Roadhouse. Some have four trailers. The big grills on the front are for obliterating anything in its path.

We stayed at the beach in Karumba for a few days. The camp ground we stayed at is similar to Florida and full of Snow Birds or as they call them here Grey Nomads! It’s renowned for its sunsets and weather and it was the last coast we’ll see for a while as we had South.

More rock stacking

This was the winner of the campground mailbox competition hosted for the Snow Birds (Gray Nomads) staying for the winter.

Karumba sunset

Heading south out of Normanton we came across our first near miss with a kangaroo who decided to hop across the road at 10 a.m. He froze in the middle and I went left thankful he didn’t retreat to where he came from!

One of the huge meals had in Clongarry. Lots of road workers staying there so they have big appetites. I had about 5 huge rashers of bacon.

Large distances to cover.

Departing Queeensland and entering the Northern Territory.

Our first night in the Norther Terrirtory, we found they have different rules for alcohol. We went to buy wine in Tennant Creek and a police officer is checking everyone’s ID for their address. Some addresses are banned due to alcohol abuse. Also, they can only sell between 4-7 pm.

The Devils Marbles on the Stuart Highway.

Roadhouse pub on the Stuart Highway.

Roadhouse pub on the Stuart Highway.

Meet our neighbor at our Ti Tree roadhouse cabin.

Aboriginal Art at Aileron Roadhouse, Stuart Highway.

Aboriginal Are at Aileron, Stuart Highway.

Mobile phone services are almost non-existent in the Outback but some stops generally have some service.

Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn. Colder weather, here we come!

We had a much needed break in Alice Springs with some friends from Virginia. It’s good to have some home cooking, a washer and dryer! We were treated to some desert stargazing to view of the milky way, Saturn’s rings (telescope) and many satellites skirting through this night sky. Also had a visit with some kangaroos at a foster home!

Alice Springs is a bit of an oasis in the desert and it even has a McDonald’s!

ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Hill on the North entrance to Alice. Very nice memorial.

“Downtown” Alice Springs from ANZAC Hill

Time for baby kangaroo’s bottle!

Just finished feeding this baby from a bottle. Now cuddling in a pillow cover. The female kangaroos are born with a pouch!

From Alice Springs we continued South and then West to Kings canyon and Uluru (Ayers Rock).

Sunset on Kings Canyon, NT

Kings Canyon River

Some compromises (sacrifices) need to be made in the Outback. Wine glasses are rare.

They can get serious floods here. Good thing we’re here in the dry season!

Red Center Way at the intersection of the Kings Canyon and Uluru roads.

Mount Conner enroute to Uluru. It’s nickname is “Fool- Uru” because many tourist mistake it for Uluru when they first see it.

Even though the Anangu landowners discourage tourists from climbing on Uluru, there’s one section where tourists flock to so they can climb up. We decided to respect the wishes of the Anangu people and rode around the rock and visited the cultural museum.

Here’s the real rock.

We’ll finish our visit to Uluru tonight with a sunset viewing and outside night dinner in the field of lights.

It’s time to continue our journey south with a few more days and the Outback before returning to civilization!

Australia – finally!

Posted on July 10, 2019 by johnandger

Well, it took us a whole month from the time we started to ship the bike from Bali to the time we picked it up and Australia and got back on the road again!

Good thing we didn’t have any hard deadlines to meet and Bali isn’t a bad place to be stuck! We used our forced down time to return to Lombok for a week for rest and relaxation.

We rented a scooter and did some exploring to Desert Point and around the coast.

This entrepreneur was selling ice cream from a cooler on a scooter at this remote Desert Point (surfing) location. He was hard core because the road into there was barely passable.

We also went back to visit Annie, a local resident that I failed to mention in a previous update.

Ducks resting and Annie’s family gathered in a traditional hut.

Seaweed harvested and drying on the beach

Annie’s family processes gold from rocks. It can take a whole week to acquire a couple of grams.

Another wrinkle – the shipping process was delayed so long that our 60-day visas expired. So, we had to exit Indonesia and return to restart our legal presence. We decided to head to Kuala Lumpur for a few days of more forced rest and relaxation.

Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

Getting pretty familiar with Bali airport

Getting pretty familiar with Bali airport!

Bike all packed for shipping and no customs officials around to process it!

Finally! Delivered to the airport. Even then it was delayed a few days because the shippers and airline claimed the fuel tank needed to be drained. I had to sit with them and show them the IACO regulation showing a quarter of a tank was allowed (and tires don’t have to be deflated),

The last piece of the shipping puzzle was hoping the bike passed Australia’s strict quarantine import requirements. The bike passed with flying colors!

We took a few days to explore Sydney and the surrounding area.

Sydney Opera House.

Ferry trip to Manly with Sydney Opera House and bridge in background.

Botany Bay

Botany Bay

Easy Rider on his way out of Sydney.

Back on the road again heading North from Sydney.

It’s currently the height of winter in Australia so we decided head north from Sydney where it’s a little warmer (and supposedly drier) in Queensland (known as the Sunshine State).

The road signs are starting to get interesting. Heading in to Warwick, we saw dozens of kangaroo roadkill so the danger is real. Dawn and Dusk are the danger times and of course we ended up having to ride to find our B&B at night. We lucked out.

Haven’t seen any Koala Bears yet!

This is Tuppence, one of our furry AirBnB hosts in Killarney.

Great weather and roads from Killarney to Brisbane and tagged along with some local bikers we met.

In Brisbane, Ger caught up with an old school friend, Maureen, from Arklow.

These Arklow people are everywhere. Ger and Maureen.

Had a great visit and dinner with Maureen and Gerry.

Brisbane has great ambience and museums.

Brisbane’s Victoria Bridge.

Wheel of Brisbane

Camouflaged geckos. I had to adjust the lighting on the photo to distinguish them from the branch.

Stick insects.

Not real. Still looking for live ones!

The museum was hosting a NASA exhibition starring someone famous.

We had great weather the first week on the road but shortly after leaving Brisbane, we hit wet weather which lasted about a week. Some locations were flooded and many of the locals said it was very unusual for this time of year. Just our luck!

We ended up hunkering down in Cape Hillsborough National Park for a few days waiting for the bad weather to move out of the area. We got to spend some quality time with the kangaroos and kookaburras (it really does sound like a monkey) on the beach and around the lodging area.

Morning gathering of roos on Cape Hillsborough beach.

Sheltering from the rain under a tree.

Kookaburra.

I woke up to find this sheltering from the rain (or protecting our bike). He was probably there most of the night.

Still a little damp but it’s time to move on. It ended up raining on and off all the way to Mackay.

Made a short stop at Wongaling Beach near the Mission Beach area. Loads of Cassowaries (didn’t see any) and plenty of sea glass!

This area is famous for Cassowaries. Didn’t see any!

Cassowary Board game in a Wongaling beach park.

Crab beach art.

The birds are starting to get exotic.

Finally, sunrise from Wongaling Beach.

South Mission Beach

We’re currently on the coast in Yorkeys Knob , just north of Cairns.

Sunset from our B&B at Yorkeys Knob

We’ll take a day or two to explore further north around Port Douglas before heading west into the outback and then south through Alice Springs.

Leaving Indonesia is hard!

Posted on May 28, 2019 by johnandger

Leaving Indonesia is harder than we thought (see below).

Thanks to the folks at our hotel lodging in Lombok, we were able to leave the bike at their place and keep our gear in our room for three days all we flew to Flores to visit Komodo National Park.

We arranged for a day trip on a boat to meet the dragons and do some snorkeling. Flores is the only place in the world to see Komodos in their natural environment. Apparently there may only be less than 3,000 remaining.

Hopefully this doesn’t turn into a Gilligan’s Island “3 hour cruise.”

My expectations were exceeded because I had heard we may only see one Komodo dragon that was being fed by a ranger. We ended up seeing multiple dragons in the wild while walking around the park including one digging out a bird’s eggs from a nest in the ground.

Somebody is really tightly.

This one was about 6 feet long.

On our last day in Flores we rented a scooter to explore further east into Flores to visit some fossil caves (bats included) and a waterfall in a secluded area. The road down to the waterfall was about 5 km and one of the worst we’ve seen so far (poor rental scooter!).

Sunsets in Flores were amazing.

On our way back from Flores, we stopped in a village where the tradition of weaving is still alive and managed by the whole village (kind of a co-op).

Ger’s weaving instructor. To get married you have to weave for a whole month. I’d still be single.

Ger trying on some of the finished products.

One last day on the beach in Lombok.

We’re now back in Bali staying in Ubud.

Our first night here we met a local family a few doors from our hotel that invited us in for a bit of karaoke! For the record, there was alcohol involved. I think we could have stayed all night by the looks of it!

We came across a home where they were practicing or teaching music.

Each metal bowl is suspended on string and filled with different amounts of water and creates a different note.

More musical instruments. They had just finished some sort of class.

While walking near the hotel we came across a bird show. Each judge is voting on eight birds hanging in cages overhead.

While our bike is getting ready for shipping, I get around by scooter taxi using the Go Jek App (like Uber).

While I was making arrangements for the bike Ger got to visit the Bali zoo for breakfast with the orangutans.

Breakfast with the orangutans

Gone to the birds

The bike has been serviced and cleaned (hopefully to Australia’s strict quarantine standards). The final task is to get the bike crated and delivered for shipping to Sydney. After delivering the bike to the shipper’s warehouse, the shipper notified me the bike could not be checked by customs until June 10th. Apparently, Government offices are for a whole week (and more apparently) to celebrate the end of Ramadan!

The good news is, if we’re going to be stuck somewhere, it might as well be Bali. Now we just have to figure out a plan for the next 10 days or so after finishing creating the bike tomorrow.

Never a dull moment!

The bike hasn’t been this clean in almost 9 years. It deserves some spa time and pampering after the conditions it has been through.

All strapped down and off to the shipping warehouse.

Indonesia has been wonderful. The roads were much better than I anticipated and the people we met couldn’t have been kinder or more welcoming.

A comment we heard often was that foreigners are not coming to Indonesia because of recent natural disasters and political events. If you don’t visit Indonesia at some point you’ll be missing out on a wonderful experience.

Even though we’ve spent six weeks here we’ve only scratched the surface of what Indonesia has to offer.

So, who’s ready for some shrimps on the barbie down under?

Sumbawa and back to Lombok

Posted on May 16, 2019 by johnandger

Having gone as far east as we wanted, we started our return back towards Lombok.

About 30 minutes from arriving at the ferry we decided to take a detour and spend another day on Sumbawa! We had heard about a place called Yoyo Beach so decided to head to the southwest coast of Sumbawa. It won’t be any surprise that this was yet another surfing spot with a nice beach, cooler temperatures and wonderful sunsets.

The dog from the hotel joined us to explore the beach. Some other dogs showed up for some rough play with our dog. As a result, they ran right into the back of Ger and clipped her at the knees knocking her flat on her back into the sand.

Sunset at Yoyo Beach

Ferry was packed like sardines and bike was crammed against the hull between three buses.

Another homestay. Here’s how to fit a whole family on one scooter.

The next day we headed to the ferry and stayed a short distance from the arrival port on Lombok. Lodging choices with air conditioning and a few other conveniences are fairly scarce on the east and north side of Lombok but we found a place close to a beach and close to the ferry.

This area was close to the epicenter was for the August 2018 earthquake.

We took the northern coastal route back towards the West and saw a lot of villages still showing the effect of the earthquake. Lots of rebuilding still going on and lots of red Cross tarps providing temporary shelter.

Many roofs still damaged.

Many mosques being repaired.

There weren’t many petrol stations on the north side of Lombok but it wasn’t an issue for us as the distances are small compared to the bike’s fuel capacity. For locals, there’s several ways to get petrol if needed. First, there’s the normal way if you’re near a petrol station.

The second way is to use one of the local village distribution centers in some villages.

The third way is to stop at one of the many homes and shops along the road and grab a bottle from stands like this one.

If you happen to run out of petrol at a location where the normal options aren’t available, you might end up pushing the bike a few miles – unless you’re lucky enough to run out of fuel where a passing tourist is stopped (me) that happens to be carrying three spare liters of petrol.

This was this young fellow’s lucky day. He ran out of petrol just a few yards from where we had stopped for a rest break. He would only take a litre of fuel to get him to the next village.

With all the attempts to start, he fouled his spark plug but luckily he had a spare and was back on the road in a few minutes. Ger was supervising.

We arrived back at the hotel we had stayed the previous week and decided to kick back for a few days while we hear back from the shipping agents regarding options to Australia from Bali.

We took a day boat trip over to some of the local islands and did some snorkeling and lunch on the beach.

A local entrepreneur selling shells and shell jewelry. Of course, he made a sale to “you know who.”

Lunch on the beach

Many fishing structures like this one powered by wind sail.

We’ve decided to hang out here versus waiting around in Bali we’re going to store the bike here for a few days and fly to Flores to visit Komodo National Park.

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