ONE WEEK IN THE UNITED STATES: Yes, I am back. It has been quite a journey, perhaps equal to the circumference of the earth, or slightly more, by the time I am back in Corning, where my new roof will welcome me. Meanwhile, I am in Basalt CO, visiting with my daughter and granddaughter. It is snowing very nicely so some skiing will be in order.
When last I wrote, I was still in Adelaide and bushfires were raging in three states, mostly uncontrolled. I had decided to drive back to Sydney and was wondering how conditions might be along the way, as the highway would take me between likely fire-prone regions. I was in luck, managing to travel on two of the least hot days and not a fire in sight. I drove a leisurely journey, taking some kip (time out for sleep) at Wagga Wagga just over two thirds of the way and arriving in Sydney around 11 AM on the second day.
Adelaide has very wide streets and the road across the 'sweeping plains' has little traffic. Australia is largely uninhabited; imagine 21 million people living on a land mass about the size of the 48 States, mostly in the cities or close to the coast. I saw maybe three or four cars per hour on the road between towns. Coming into Sydney, things tightened up as the traffic became more dense and the roads narrower when off the freeway, so I was quickly hemmed about by the aggressive but courteous local drivers. Had me on my toes, you can be sure!
After four days in Sydney, catching up with family and friends, my son (Andrew) took me out to the airport and it was 'goodbye'. Once more, I was in luck! The plane was very under-booked, with at least three seats each for we Economy passengers. Stretched out, I made six hours of sleep and the cabin crew were very relaxed. All this made the 13 hour flight much less arduous...Hooray, Hooray!!
Four days in San Francisco with good friends and very happy times and then it was onto the Amtrak 'California Zephyr' bound for Glenwood Springs CO, via Nevada and Utah. Probably the most arduous section of my travels when considering it takes 26 hours. But, well compensated by the scenery as one traverses the Sierras, the interesting folk one can meet, and the final section along the Colorado River. From Glenwood Springs (a pretty 'spa-town') it was just 30 minutes by local bus to where I now am.
Finally, two days to myself as my granddaughter and her mother were off at a moguls competition. My granddaughter returned with Second Place (the competition must have been really tough!).
Travelling not only broadens but also wearies the mind, not forgetting the body! Maybe I am getting too old for all this travel in one great pile of miles. If I am going to do all these miles again, I think it may be continally from East to West. The Trans-Siberian Rail journey comes to mind! An acquaintance of mine, a little older than I (I had best be careful, as she reads this blog), did this a year or so ago, so it has to be on the cards. I have friends in Thailand, so another travel adventure can be stitched together.
In the interim, I am considering a longish cycle ride in the Rockies. So...watch this space!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
ADELAIDE...ONE WEEK TO GO!
I AM INTO MY LAST TWO WEEKS (FORTNIGHT) in Australia (Oz).
The more we are into Summer, the further we are into the BUSH FIRE season. This is Earth’s hottest, driest continent and it is getting hotter and drier. When it does rain, Instead of gentle rains, we not have long periods of virtual deluges and widespread flooding. The weather, and therefore the country, is much changed from the days of my youth. Dorothea Mackellar’s poem, My Country, has well expressed our feeling for the land Down Under:
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me
With climate change the shift is more to terror, the terror of widespread and truly horrifying fires. The pervasive bush, mostly comprised of beloved gum trees whose leaves contain volatile eucalyptus oil, becomes tinder dry and laden with heavy, very flammable underbrush. Climate change has also made more likely strong summer winds and these can transform once controllable fires into fast spreading maelstroms.
Australia is a Commonwealth and much much responsibility relating to the general wellbeing of the country is allocated to the Federal government. Lots of research has been done about the causes of these large fires, how they develop, why some homes survive, and how best to combat them. In the partnership between the Federal and the State governments, the result is much more local regulation about where and how homes may be built. Outside of the cities (where the professional fire brigades are located), fire defense and control is in the hands of volunteer units united under Emergency Fire Services organization. These are organized under a regional and state structure. Citizens train to control and fight fires in all rural areas, called out as unpaid volunteers as crises arise. This not only ensures high local investment in fire safety but also rapid response. This is a cost effective approach and means that money spent on firefighting is targeted to equipment and training. Even so, the onset of Summer is a time of mounting anxiety general, even in the cities, and when a fire erupts, of real terror.
Just now, hundreds of fires rage across the continent, many uncontrolled as yet. In a week or so, when I drive to Sydney, I need to be careful to plot a route that avoids possible danger areas. My daughter and her family are presently in Canberra and due to drive back in a day or two. Many fires now bracket the route they had planned but, with some weather relief in sight, it should be OK.
Adelaide, where I am now, is the capital of the driest state. As I may have said in earlier posts, the central city area is one mile square and surrounded by parklands, as you could see should you use Google/Maps. As I have already written, it is a most charming city, situated between hills to the East and the long gulf to the West. There are many sporting venues dotted through these parkland (cricket, football, basketball, tennis, swimming pools, bowls, croquet, and so on) as well a zoo, extensive botanical gardens, and large cemetery (joke: where is the ‘dead centre’ of Adelaide?). Even so, large open tracts remain and much work is in progress to return these to their natural state. Many miles of bicycle trails afford pleasant rides.
Tucked away in one corner, between the light rail line linking the city to one of the numerous beaches and the southern city limit, are most pleasant gardens through which I often wander on my morning walks. There are lots of shade and many pleasant nooks, many with small fountains. Here are some photos from my most recent excursion.
Above: the natural landscape
At left, as you can see, my sojourn in Adelaide has reduced me to a ghost of my former self!
Use of a small stream
and shady nook.
This is 'it' for Adelaide. I hope that some of you will be able to visit some day.
If from North America, make sure your sojourn justifies the long flight. Of course, at least five of my North American readers have not only visited but also lived here.
No doubt, they will correct my errors and gross exaggerations! Or at least forgive them.
The more we are into Summer, the further we are into the BUSH FIRE season. This is Earth’s hottest, driest continent and it is getting hotter and drier. When it does rain, Instead of gentle rains, we not have long periods of virtual deluges and widespread flooding. The weather, and therefore the country, is much changed from the days of my youth. Dorothea Mackellar’s poem, My Country, has well expressed our feeling for the land Down Under:
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me
With climate change the shift is more to terror, the terror of widespread and truly horrifying fires. The pervasive bush, mostly comprised of beloved gum trees whose leaves contain volatile eucalyptus oil, becomes tinder dry and laden with heavy, very flammable underbrush. Climate change has also made more likely strong summer winds and these can transform once controllable fires into fast spreading maelstroms.
Australia is a Commonwealth and much much responsibility relating to the general wellbeing of the country is allocated to the Federal government. Lots of research has been done about the causes of these large fires, how they develop, why some homes survive, and how best to combat them. In the partnership between the Federal and the State governments, the result is much more local regulation about where and how homes may be built. Outside of the cities (where the professional fire brigades are located), fire defense and control is in the hands of volunteer units united under Emergency Fire Services organization. These are organized under a regional and state structure. Citizens train to control and fight fires in all rural areas, called out as unpaid volunteers as crises arise. This not only ensures high local investment in fire safety but also rapid response. This is a cost effective approach and means that money spent on firefighting is targeted to equipment and training. Even so, the onset of Summer is a time of mounting anxiety general, even in the cities, and when a fire erupts, of real terror.
Just now, hundreds of fires rage across the continent, many uncontrolled as yet. In a week or so, when I drive to Sydney, I need to be careful to plot a route that avoids possible danger areas. My daughter and her family are presently in Canberra and due to drive back in a day or two. Many fires now bracket the route they had planned but, with some weather relief in sight, it should be OK.
Adelaide, where I am now, is the capital of the driest state. As I may have said in earlier posts, the central city area is one mile square and surrounded by parklands, as you could see should you use Google/Maps. As I have already written, it is a most charming city, situated between hills to the East and the long gulf to the West. There are many sporting venues dotted through these parkland (cricket, football, basketball, tennis, swimming pools, bowls, croquet, and so on) as well a zoo, extensive botanical gardens, and large cemetery (joke: where is the ‘dead centre’ of Adelaide?). Even so, large open tracts remain and much work is in progress to return these to their natural state. Many miles of bicycle trails afford pleasant rides.
Tucked away in one corner, between the light rail line linking the city to one of the numerous beaches and the southern city limit, are most pleasant gardens through which I often wander on my morning walks. There are lots of shade and many pleasant nooks, many with small fountains. Here are some photos from my most recent excursion.
At left, as you can see, my sojourn in Adelaide has reduced me to a ghost of my former self!
Use of a small stream
and shady nook.
This is 'it' for Adelaide. I hope that some of you will be able to visit some day.
If from North America, make sure your sojourn justifies the long flight. Of course, at least five of my North American readers have not only visited but also lived here.
No doubt, they will correct my errors and gross exaggerations! Or at least forgive them.
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