Death Valley

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In November of 2004 Kate and I had a vacation in Death Valley. Mostly it's in California, there's a tiny bit in Nevada. We would have flown in and out of Las Vegas. The picture at right is from the Rhylite ghost town which is just outside the park in Nevada. We got some great pictures of the sand dunes at Stove Pipe Wells -- we stayed there and would be out on the dunes early in the morning and again at sunset. There are some pictures here that we're both pretty proud of. I was rooting around in old photo albums and bumped into these. Enjoy!

Click on the photo to see more from a brief photo album.

Helsinki

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May 26 - June 4, 2004 we visited Helsinki Finland for Kate's annual KBS conference on the return leg of our long sabbatical visit to Australia. We found the weather cool and damp -- certainly much cooler than Perth, Australia!

We stayed in the old part of the city in the Hotel Arthur. The room we had was impossibly small -- it was like a cramped university dorm room. But we were near the centre of the city with lots to see and explore. And, being so far north, there's long days to enjoy in June.

The nearby train station is a bit or Art-Deco brutalism. There's quite a bit in that style around the city center. But there's also some lovely Beaux-artes (or is that Art Nouveaux) bronze sculptures decorating buildings. And of course modern shopping malls like every other large city. Outside the core there are colorful clap board homes with well tended gardens.

Down at the harbor, dominated by the huge white domed Helsinki Cathedral, there was fresh caught salmon (or was it fish farm?) and a market to explore. We had our travel bikes with us and explored the nearby lakes and graveyards. The picture above is Eila Hiltunen's sculpture of Jean Sibelius.

The Ateneumin taidemuseo - Art Museum is well worth a visit. There are several galleries in the photos.

One day we took a fast boat across to Tallinn (that's in another blog and album), another time we took a small cruise boat, the historic J.L. Runeberg, through some of the nearby archipelago to the historic town of Porvoo just a little east from Helsinki. On another day I took a short ferry ride over to the island of Suomenlinnan which was a defensive position at one time (if it isn't the Russians it's the Swedes or the Poles or etc. invading). These days it's a lovely place to visit on a sunny day (and we had lots of sunny days).

Helsinki is an interesting port city with a busy harbor, lots of flowers blooming in well kept parks. It's well worth a visit.

 Here's a photo album from our visit.

Tallin

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On Thursday May 27, 2004, while visiting Helsinki, Finland for Kate's annual KBS conference, we ducked out for the day and took a fast boat across the Gulf of Finland to visit the old city of Tallin in Estonia. It's a walled city with an historic city center, town square and church tower for grand views of the city. The weather was cool for us (we were on the return leg of our trip to Australia) but it least it wasn't raining.

There was some football game happening that day with Scots in abundance dressed in kilts and tartans.

We enjoyed a lunch at a nice restaurant off the square and took a few pictures. Here's a photo album of our visit to Tallinn.

Melbourne

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In April, while Kate was working with colleagues in Perth, Western Australia, she was invited and presented at a Club Health conference in Melbourne, Victoria. We stayed in the city for a week.

Melbourne is a very large city (only Sydney is bigger and the two cities debate which is the better). It's on the Yarra River which dumps out in to Port Phillip Bay which then drains into the Tasmanian Sea (or the Southern Ocean). I guess it's the Tasmanian Sea because Tasmania is pretty much due south from here.

We stayed in the city centre at the historic Duxton Hotel overlooking the Yarra. We were very near Flinders Station and Federation Square. Kate's conference was a short walk away at the Crowne Plaza Hotel across from Batman Park (isn't that a silly name) and very near the Southern Cross Railway Station.

There's lots to explore along the river bank -- there's a huge casino complex, lots of shopping restaurants and bars along the Southbank. Just a little further south past the Southbank is the National Gallery of Victoria which I really enjoyed. Just north of the river, in the old city, there's ton of interesting covered laneways and arcades (and some alley ways) to explore. Shops, restaurants and lots of people. A great way to explore the city on a rainy day. One day we went to the highest building in the city on the north side of the river to get a bird's eye view of things. You could see across the river that they were building yet another, even taller, high rise near the Southbank.

It's autumn in April that side of the equator and trees were turning color. We did bike along the river a bit with our folding bikes that we had brought with us. But also, because it's autumn, it's time for the grape harvest and there are several important regions within easy striking distance, e.g. the Yarra Valley is well known. We rented a car and explored the Mornington Peninsula on the south east side of Port Phillip Bay. The area is famous for "cool climate" wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It's not a "cool climate" like back home in Ontario but they do get cool breezes from the Southern Ocean/Tasmanian Sea. It's a "cool climate" by Australian standards.

We liked Melbourne a lot and have been back several times since this our first visit. There's lots to see and explore, it's a modern, hip city well worth a visit.

If your are interested here's a photo album of our adventures.

Maurice Quinton at 90

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Maurice Watson Quinton, my Dad, had his 90th birthday on April 19, 2004. David and Gail had the family over to celebrate the occasion. Kate and I were in Perth, WA, Australia at the time and phoned in at 2:00am our time (2:00pm their time) to send our greetings.

The photo at left shows Dad, proudly surrounded by some of his many grandchildren: Natalia Roy to his right (middle daughter of Larry and Lori), Alison Quinton to his left (middle child of David & Gail). At the back: Leslie Quinton (eldest of Larry & Lori), Noelle Hunt (daughter of Ellen & Wayne), Darren Quinton behind (youngest child of Dave & Gail), Ken Edmonstone (eldest of Ellen & Wayne), and Bridget Levac (eldest of Dave and Gail).

Hilda Puddicombe, Dad's sister, attended. She would have been 94 (born 1910) at the party. Dad's girlfriend June was there as well. They were a pretty serious couple and had some fun together.

At the time Dad was still driving and lived independently in Owen Sound.

2020/10/26 - these scanned photos are from an album prepared by David & Gail.

Long Drive

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In 2004 Kate and I were in Australia for several months -- our winter their summer. One of the most memorable adventures was what we call the Long Drive (almost two weeks) from Brisbane in Queensland, through the Red Centre, across the Nullarbor Plain to the Pemberton and Margaret River Wine regions and finally to Perth in Western Australia where Kate worked with colleagues. The photo at left is a sunset at Balladonia -- a very small rest stop at the edge of the Nullarbor in Western Australia where we stayed over night.

We met Cindy in Alice Springs -- she flew in (of course). She travelled with us until we reached Perth. Our car was packed with our two travel bikes on the trunk. We ended up sending a couple of bags by bus so there would be room for Cindy. One ended up going clockwise around Australia, the other counter clockwise and delayed for a bit.

I have posted some photos from the Long Drive for those who are interested.

Fraser Island

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While in Brisbane, late February 2004, we took a holiday adventure to explore Fraser Island -- we had a colleague back in Canada who had been and said that we simply must go. So we did, and we're glad of it.

Fraser Island is a large sand island north of Brisbane and it's pretty much all protected wild land of rain forest, trees, several small lakes, wild dingo dogs and, until recently, a herd of wild horses (brumbies). We stayed two nights in the resort at Eurong which is on the ocean side of the island. We got there by bus from nearby Noosa Heads.

We met up with our bus from Fraser Island Explorer Tours in the morning near Noosa Heads having driven up from Brisbane and stayed over night for a fresh start in the morning. The bus drove along the sea shore up to Inskip Point and from there we took a short ferry ride across to Fraser Island and continued driving along the seashore all the way to the Eurong resort about half way along 75mile beach. There's no ferry dock as such at Inskip, there's just a gangway that they lay on the sand beach.

Driving on the beach is a thing in Queensland, the beach is considered a roadway and the usual rules of the road apply. It's a bit dodgy driving along the beach because if you get too close to the water you might get stuck. Conversely, if you drive too far away from the water the dry sand will get you stuck as well. From the picture above you can see our bus did get stuck! That was on the return trip. On the way there our driver regaled us with stories about inexperienced drivers who come to the island with their 4 wheel drive vehicles and get stuck in the sand. We met one of those on our way back to Noosa -- he was up to his axles spinning in the sand and no amount of effort on our was going to get him out. We abandoned him, hope he got out before the tide rose and covered him.

There are some roads within the island but they're really just side tracks where it's easy to get stuck. There used to be logging on the island and sand mining too so perhaps some of these roads were there for a reason. On our first day we went inland to MacKenzie Lake for a swim. The lake is fed with rain water and crystal clear. I understand there had been a problem with campers bathing with soap and shampoo that was polluting these clear waters but that problem has been resolved. I've never seen water so clear before -- a bit unnerving at first.

Later we were exploring the rainforest and came upon some huge staghorn ferns. It's a rain forest (the prevailing winds come from the east) and quite humid; an ideal environment for these ferns. I understand they are not indigenous but were brought in as an ornamental plant at a camp on the other side of the island. They've really take off -- they're huge!

We had stops at the Pinnacles (a scenic canyon), visited an old wreck (the Maheno) on the beach, and had swim in the cool waters of Eli Creek (rain fed).  You would think you ought to be able to swim in the ocean but we were advised not to -- apparently there's bities (sharks), sting rays, jelly fish and more. Odd, because most places in Australia warn you about such things but then say "Yes, but you'd have to be extremely unlikely".

The next morning we met up with some dingoes (wild dogs) along the beach. They seemed to be friendly with a staff member. I noticed that some of them hanging around the resort had ear tags of some sort. The staff talk fondly about the brumbies -- feral horses -- that used to roam the island. They were left there from the logging days and had established a colony. Unfortunately that had an environmental impact and they had short lives from getting too much sand with their feed. I understand they were recently removed by the Australian EPA. Staff seem to think that some remain on the island.

That day we drove (better bussed) to the far north of the island to Indian Point -- a hard rock point with great views back south along 75mile beach (it really is a very long beach) and further north to the next headlands. At that headland we went on to the Champagne Pool for a dip in the ocean. The pool is a safe spot which is replenished by waves crashing over the rocks -- no bities there. On the way back that day we stopped at another cool rain fed creek for another swim.

The last day we had a very brisk walk to Lake Waddy with another tour guide. There was a long walk through some woods and then over a bare sand dune area called the Hammerstone Sand Blow. The lake is slowly being swallowed by the sand dunes and, unlike Lake MacKenzie, is a bit murky and full of strange catfish (there's no fishing in the lakes). The lake is fed by the rains and on the one side is forested. You'd wonder how the fish got here and what will become of them as the sand dunes invade.

Back at the resort we had a bit of a rest before our afternoon bus ride along the sea shore back south to Noosa. I've already given away the story about us getting stuck in the sand. We had stopped to help another bus but then we got stuck as well.

Anyways, Fraser Island is well worth a visit and we're glad we took our friends recommendation -- after all, "Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God" (Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle 1963). There's some interesting things to see and there's the bizarre bus ride along the sea shore. You'll have fun.

Here's an album of photos from our visit to Fraser Island.

North Stradbroke

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North Stradbroke Island is a large sandbar island on Moreton Bay just to the south of Brisbane in Queensland Australia. It's about 25 miles long (long and narrow) but we didn't get to see much of it.

The three major islands from the north to the south are Bribie, Moreton and North Stradboke. All are mostly wild protected lands with very little habitation. Straddie (as the locals call it) is the largest. I read that it's the second largest sand island in the world (Fraser Island to the north being the biggest).

The shore of Moreton Bay is shallow, muddy and filled with mangrove swamps. Very unpleasant really. We wanted to swim in and explore some sand beaches. There are fine beaches on the ocean side of the island.

Kate and I spent a sunny summer day swimming on the island -- in the ocean and at the end of the day in a lake. We took our car across the bay from Cleveland to the small port town of Dunwich on the ferry. From there we drove across the island and had a lunch at the rocky outcrop of Port Lookout on the far north east corner. Along the way we swam in the clear warm ocean waters at Cylinder Beach. At the end of the day we swam in Brown Lake -- aptly named as it's a deep tea color. Surrounding the lake are paper bark eucalyptus.

There isn't much habitation on the island. Dunwich and Port Lookout are the largest towns but they aren't very big at all. There are some cottage homes and permanent residences. And quite a few day trippers like us. When we were planning this trip to Brisbane we thought about renting a place on the island and commuting to the city and Griffith University by boat. Luckily we were persuaded to find a place in the city!

Tangalooma

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Tangalooma is a resort on Moreton Island just off shore from Brisbane. Kate and I took a Saturday day trip out to the resort in early February, 2004 for a swim on the beach and a ride on the sand dunes.

People think of Brisbane as a coastal city but it's really a river city and down stream at the coast it's pretty mucky mangrove swamp shores. If you want to get to lovely sandy beaches you need to go further afield.

Nearby off shore are several large sand islands. Moreton Island is the largest, it's very long and quite narrow (perhaps 8 miles or so). It's a protected island (a national park) that's mostly forest with some very large bare areas that expose the sand dunes which form the island. I suppose all this sand washed down the river from the highland beyond Brisbane. The one and only resort is a very tiny portion of a very large island.

The Tangalooma Resort is on the Moreton Bay side (ie. the west side) facing towards the land rather than the sea. It's a pretty big resort, but we didn't get to see much beyond the beach and lunch at a dining hall. Down the beach to the north there's an artificial reef made out of sunken boats -- we didn't get down there this time.

The only way to get to the island is by boat. If you've brought a vehicle then you can drive around the island on the beaches. That's an oddly Queensland kind of thing -- cf. our trip to Fraser Island. We had arranged the visit through the resort and while there took a smallish 4-wheel drive bus adventure through the woods to the nearby sand dunes. At the sand dunes we climbed to the top and then slid down on "toboggans" --- really just a sheet of polished masonite. The climb up the dunes is quite a struggle. It's a good height and walking in sand isn't easy. The ride down the dunes is easy enough but do hold the front of you masonite up else you'll dig into the sand and get a mouthful. There were some folks who had their swimming glasses, that would work well to protect your eyes from the sand.

There's a dolphin feeding at the dock for the resort but it's done a dusk and our boat headed back earlier so we missed that. We're told the artificial reef has great snorkeling.

Here's a photo album of our day on the island. We had fun and will be back should there be another visit to this part of Australia.

New Zealand

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In late January of 2004 Kate and I explored the north island of New Zealand for a week on our way to Australia. It was our first trip to this small island nation and we thoroughly enjoyed our adventures. Mind you, it's not a tropical paradise -- I was expecting it to be much warmer, it was more like May in England.

We landed in Aukland and spent a few days exploring the city.

One of the very strangest things about Aukland is the Sky Tower. It's a tall narrow communications tower with a revolving restaurant and so on in the middle of the city that dominates the sky line -- sort of like the CN Tower in Toronto. We noticed that people were bungey jumping off it! Yikes! I think they invented bungey jumping in New Zealand but I wasn't expecting it smack in the middle of the city.

The Wintergarden is worth exploring -- a green house and grounds with lots of lovely orchids and other rainforest plants in contrast to the cool climate outside. At the museum we were impressed by the Maori carvings, meeting house and more. Aukland is on the water and we took a ferry across the bay to Devonport. A pretty Victorian area with great views of the city.

Onwards from Aukland we headed south west for a counter clockwise tour of the island. Our first adventure was to go the "Legendary Black Water Rafting" (as in the picture above) near Waitomo. This is something we'd really recommend. The idea is a conducted group of you follow an underground stream floating on a rubber tube. You need a wet suit as the water is very cold. A miner's helmet and light because you're undergound in a cave. There are parts you have to clamber over, falls that you have to jump over and other obstacles -- not for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, as with many water adventures we've been on there's always someone who can't swim who manages to try. One of the really exciting parts to this adventure was to float in complete darkness with the roof of the cave lit up with glow worms. It looked very much like a night sky. If you get a chance -- do it!

Further to the south west we had a farm stay at the foot of Mount Egmount. We had a couple of farms stays on this trip and really enjoyed them. At this farm we got to meet some grazing sheep -- apparently there are more grazing sheep than people in New Zealand. Much of the island has been denuded, stripped of all natural flora, to make pastures for the sheep. It's a bit sad really.

We started a hike up Mount Egmount but ran into the cloud layer and turned back. Strong hikers go up and follow a path that circles the mountain -- we're no where near that hiking level.

At New Plymouth we did a short boat tour of some neighboring islands and shared our boat ride with a fishing dog. They had setup a baited line that the dog held onto. Apparently on some days he catches something. But I suppose it's just that he just likes the tug of the line. On shore we saw a fresh catch of the local lobster.

Our next stay was in the "Straw House" (yup, a house made of straw) in the town of Martinborough on the south east corner of the island. You will have heard of Marlborough on the South Island -- that's better known. Martinborough is a Pinot Noir wine region just over a mountain range from the capital of Wellington that Kate researched. It's an intensive wine region around a very small town. We had our travel bikes with us and were able to easily explore the wineries around the town. Great wines, not cheap, but well worth a visit. Comparable to Burgundy.

We did take a drive to the south east end of the island from Martinborough -- it's bleak, empty country. Barren, windy and cool.

Our next farm stay was near Havelock North on the east coast near Napier and the Hawkes Bay wine region. Our farm stay had an old horse "Archie" who would stick his head in the window to greet you. There were chickens to feed as well as the horse.

We did a quick tour of the town of Napier. It was famously destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt during the Art-Deco period so there's lots of good examples of that architecture.

We went on an organized wine tour of the area and made friends. At the end of the tour they all ended up at our farm stay (including the driver) where we finished a few bottles of the wines we had all just purchased. They got a kick out of meeting Archie. The next day we drove up to the top of the "Craggy Range" and then visited the winery of the same name.

At the bottom end of Hawkes Bay is the small town of Clifton and nearby is a huge gannet colony (those are sea birds) on Cape Kidnappers. It's a protected area, we went on a conducted tour. It's amazing to see such a huge colony of birds.

In the interior highlands we visited Taupo and Rotorua. Lots of volcanic activity, geysers, hot springs and such. At Rotorua we visited a living Maori Village and learned more about the native culture. We really liked that evening. There's some friendly greeting, where they rub noses. But there's also this challenge greeting where they make faces, stick out their tongue, make threatening gestures and general try to intimidate you. There's also those facial tattoos. I'm not sure if that's supposed to be threatening,  I don't find it attractive. Anyways, it was an interesting evening and we learned a lot about the Maori culture.

We returned to Aukland and flew from there to Brisbane, Australia for the next part of our trip.

Here's a photo album of our adventures on the north island.