Tag: Australia Ride

7 Days to Departure: Excitement and Dread

With about 7 days to go before I board Qantas flight number QF94 for Australia, I find my mind and heart beginning to feel simultaneous pangs of excitement and dread. I find it funny that I am feeling joy and elation (“This trip is finally going to happen!”) and yet, at the same time, feel …

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How Long Are You Gone?

How long will you be gone again? My daughter asks me that often, as if not believing the answer I gave her last time. Almost seven months, I say. Almost seven. Every time she looks at me with a puzzled look. An Australian friend sent me this map, comparing Australia with the U.S. Pretty much …

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Booked on the Kangaroo

Australia Trip Planning #5 I bought the ticket! I had been viewing the ticket sites regularly for a while, and with the appearance of the right price, I finally hit the button “Purchase.” The cost of a round trip ticket to Perth landed at US$790 (with a return from Sydney), so I had to bite. …

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Final Route Set

Australia Trip Planning #4 I finally established a route with which I am fairly satisfied. After 9 iterations (and numerous sub-iterations), I think I have the route that fulfills a number of criteria I was after. This it IT, folks. (If desired, you can use the + and – signs on the map above to …

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Pedaling toward Oodnadatta

Australia Trip Planning #3 I spot various names on the map of Australia and wonder what those places are like.  Names like Oodnadatta, Aputula, Titjikala, Kaltukatjara, and many more enticingly pop up.  Many are names that one doesn’t find on the list of possible places for most tourists to visit.  Off the beaten path, the …

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