Day 22: The Longest Day/Welcome Home

11 July  2107

Today we arrive home completely exhausted, because July 11 is something like 36 hours long for us because of time zones and the international date line.  We regain the day that we lost 3 weeks ago when we flew to Australia.  We had breakfast in Brisbane, then got to the airport via the rental car shuttle, and since we had just woken up, stayed awake for the entire flight.  I watched 4 movies and finished my book.  Thanks to our favorite Qantas airlines (who believes that the fastest way to a passengers heart is through their stomachs), we were served dinner; breakfast;a "pizza", ice cream, and chocolate snacks.  As well as water bottles and several times walking through with a pitcher of water and cups.  We are well fed and hydrated.  And did I mention those 4 movies I watched.  My experience was a bit dimmed by the guy sitting in front of me that reclined his seat all the way for the majority of the flight.  Which meant that I had about six inches of space between my face and his seat back.  Using my laptop was out of the question, even reading my book was difficult.  There was no way I could pick up anything from the floor or get things out of my backpack (stored under his seat).  Meals were a bit precarious and difficult to eat as well.   Getting in and out of our seats to use the bathrooms and stretch was an acrobatic experience.  People need to think about the person behind them--only recline halfway if you're trying to sleep.  

We boarded in Brisbane late because they were having trouble with the cabin temperatures (too hot), but we were only  20 minutes late arriving in Los Angeles.  Which decreased our 7 hour layover (yeah, I know!) to "only" a  6 1/2 hour layover.   It's morning here and feels like after midnight for us.  We're too early to even check in so we found a group of chairs behind one of the check-in desks to wait.    

When we arrived in Los Angeles and were going through customs and border control, a toddler escaped from its parents and used the ropes that show where to line up as their own personal maze going in and out.  The homeland security people were a bit upset and the parent kept trying to get the toddler, but was slow going through the maze as well.  Finally, one of the homeland security staff ducked under the ropes and grabbed the child to return it to its parents.  An entertaining diversion as we waited in line!

A thought about our accommodations (we discussed this during out layover).  The tops included the hotel in Sydney which was very posh, the house in Fremantle which was well stocked and had a good layout, and the resort in Trinity Beach because of hearing the beach all night.

Our Sun Country flight from LA to Minneapolis was delayed by an hour.  I put my chair on the seat next to me in the waiting area and fell asleep leaning on it.  I woke up a lot (too many announcements), but slept super deeply each time.  I stayed awake on the way home, then we took the train to our stop and walked the mile home in a daze.

The yard is a jungle, the wave petunias have gone crazy, and Shelby ate a lot of raspberries while we were gone (very few are left to ripen).  Shelby did a good job of watering the window boxes.  She said that it rained a lot, so she only had to water the yard once (almost our whole yard is garden).  I talked to Shelby while Randy went to the store to get a few groceries.  She shared her stories and I shared ours (she didn't read my blog).  She liked the opal necklace we brought back for her.

We are extremely exhuasted and glad to be home!

Days 20 and 21: Farmstay and Final Travels

10 July 2017

On Sunday, we enjoyed our last day at Bonus Downs, our farm stay.  Kathi and Marian had signed up for a tour.  I thought about it, but wanted a low-key day.  The tour started just before 11 and I think they returned home around 4.  Madonna began by sharing the history of the property up to present day.  Then she showed them around the farm yard and their house and shared what they had needed to do to get where they are.  Then she and Lyle took them out and showed them all of the paddocks and the Ooline Trees.  They had a meal at a sort of picnic area they have out there:  sausages, damper (bread), salad, billy tea and billy beer.  Billy tea is made by boiling water in a pail, then adding tea leaves.  It is then swung in circles to mix and steep it (like when you perform arm circles as an exercise), then it is ready.  They said that it was very good just mixed with a little sugar.  When we were at the wildlife park, the man at the farm show showed us how it was made.  Lyle made it for them.  The two women had an awesome time—they really enjoyed everything and shared what they had learned with us the rest of the night.  They said that they were too full for dinner but we tempted them with some inexpensive frozen pizzas we heated up, and they had a few pieces.  Madonna brought us some damper to try.  It was dense, like a quick bread or soda bread, but not very sweet.  It tasted good, but would have been even better with some honey or fresh butter.   Randy and I went for a walk while Kathi and Marian were gone.  After dinner,  Joshua showed Kathi how to play chess and they played that until after I went to bed!

Randy tried out the didgeridoo.

I asked everyone last night what their favorite thing was on the vacation:  Joshua said the beach and Caversham wildlife park, Kathi liked the farm stay, Marian said that she liked everything, and Randy said that his was the beach by the Pinnacles—unexpected, but very enjoyable with its warm water.  I was torn between the Skyrail cable car ride through the rainforest and the farm stay.   

This morning we left early—pulling out at 7:30 with hugs from Madonna and handshakes from Lyle.  We saw a kangaroo through the window very nearby as we ate breakfast and the cows all came close to the fence as we were leaving.   They were all saying good-bye as well. I had to get cash to pay for the farm stay and accidentally was a bit overenthusiastic and got out too much, so we are paying for everything with cash—including things for Kathi and Marian and will add it to their final accounting bill (which includes things we split such as groceries for meals, gas, etc.).  We drove and drove, stopping only for gas and a quick lunch at McDonalds—those doubled as our bathroom breaks.  

Marian and Kathi

As we drove away from Bonus Downs, we saw a lot of kangaroos and even a wallaby.  Madonna said that the area is overpopulated by Blue and Grey Kangaroos and Wallabies.  She and Lyle were beginning to pull out some of the invasive non-native trees from their property (33,000 acres), but when they still had 1/3 of it left, the government passed a bill limiting what property owners can cut down on their land.  Madonna and Lyle were replacing the trees they were taking out with native trees and grasses.  The government won't let them cull the kangaroo population, but the kangaroos won't go in the areas with the non-native trees because there is nothing for them to eat.  So Madonna and Lyle are caught--they can't cut down the trees and plant native plants that the kangaroos will eat (mostly planted for their cows) and they can't cull the herd of kangaroos that are overtaxing the vegetation in the cleared areas.  

Nine hours later we arrived in Brisbane.  We parked downtown and walked around, stopping at a few souvenir shops for Kathi and Marian.  Then we drove to our hotel which is 2 miles from our car rental return and they will shuttle us to the airport for the long flight home.  The first leg is 13 1/2 hours from Brisbane to Los Angeles and from Los Angeles to Minneapolis is 4 hours.  We will arrive home exhausted.  

Downtown Brisbane

Walking around Brisbane

The Brisbane skyline from the Story Bridge

 

Days 18 and 19: Traveling, Part 2 and Arriving

8 July 2017

Yesterday we left the hotel at 6:30 in the morning and drove and drove.  We stopped a few times for the bathroom and ate snacks of fruit and granola bars in the car.  We stopped in the town of Mitchell (the nearest town to our farmstay) around 5:30 to find the grocery store pleasantly open.  We bought food and drove to the farmstay—about an hour away.  We are currently at Bonus Downs, just inside the edge of the outback.  It has a long history of being a sheep and cattle ranch, now it is a cattle ranch and farmstay.  They also put on events here with catering and such. 

The Jackaroos Quarters, where we are staying

It was first begun in the early 1900s and there are pictures, books, and displays of it’s history.  The couple that live here have a beautiful home where they raised two children.  We are staying in the Jackaroos cottage.  It was originally where the farmhands stayed.  There are six bedrooms and a large living space with kitchen.  There is a smokehouse next to it that can roast whole animals (sorry any vegans or vegetarians) where they put on large barbecues.  Many visitors stay here in caravans (campers) and they usually use the smokehouse as their kitchen/living space.  There is also an old sheep shearing shed (the farm is only cattle now) where understand you can camp (laying down a sleeping bag).  The visitors all share the toilet/shower building.  This building has windows that are always open (very cold now) and is divided into two bathroom areas; each with a toilet, sink, and shower.  It is cold showering in the morning; it encourages you to dry off and dress quickly.  Going to the bathroom during the night, one needs to navigate out and across the yard.  The hosts encouraged us to turn on the porch lights before we went to bed to help us find our way.  (Three older women need to use the bathroom during the night!). 

Our room

Toilets/showers

Our building from the back

The Smokehouse

A table/pavilion

The owners, Madonna and Lyle, are great!  They are great resources of the history of the area and are very warm people.  They work hard to make everyone feel at home and cared for, which is a nice feeling.  The kitchen here is very well stocked and the entire place is very clean and taken care of.  There are little extras (see next paragraph) that show great attention to detail and pride in a place.  They have come to light the fire in the main cabin several times and talk to us.

Their grandson with the calf they were feeding

Madonna and her grandson

Af calf they were feeding

A bottle tree

We have comfortable beds with heated mattress pads and heater/air conditioning units in each room.  Some rooms have a queen size bed, some have two twin beds.  I lay in bed this morning wondering how the jackaroos slept here—if they only had six men or if they slept in two or three sets of bunk beds in each room.  The sheets are very soft.  The beds have heated mattress pads and there are electric heaters/air conditioners in every room.  The towels on the beds when we arrived were arranged into swans and hearts.  J  There are branches of eucalyptus in vases in each room and a bowl of roses and other flowers on the table in the main room.  The main room has a fire place with chairs, a looong table with benches, and many books and photo albums of the history of the place.  We arrived to 5 places set with glasses, napkins, and cutlery.  We made pasta with meat sauce for dinner.  The one drawback is that there is no cell service and we need to go on the hosts’ back porch to use the wi-fi.   

The owners house

Owners from the side

Their pool

Owners house from the side with their back porch on the right.

This morning, Kathi, Randy, and I walked around the reservoir, a short approximately one-two mile walk.  We encountered cows and tons of kangaroos.  Joshua was still sleeping when we walked, so later in the afternoon, Randy went on an 8-mile hike, and Joshua and I walked around the reservoir (a little longer path this time), hoping to see kangaroos, but didn’t see any. 

The path

Kangaroos

cows

The horses that Joshua and I saw came right over to us, looking for snacks.

Joshua and the horses

At night, we made chicken for dinner, fried in oil and seasoned with whatever seasonings we could find in the kitchen cupboard.  Then we played cards and chess.  We started the fire just before starting dinner.   As the afternoon wanes, the temperatures drop and it get quite cold overnight.