She Wore A Yellow Ribbon - Home Again

Thursday

Today I woke very early ( 5-something ), got ready, packed up and checked out and drove east to Lorne....stopping whenever and wherever I wished and looking at the ocean the whole time (and the road).

Lorne is absolutely gorgeous. I sat by the ocean eating my salad roll and drinking my mango and guava sparkling mineral water. Then I took a nap while listening to John Barry songs and the waves (in the car with the door locked- it was still cold despite the beautiful sun and blue sky), and watched surfing classes- they obviously hadn't seen North Shore- no duck diving.

And so the day passed- enjoying the ocean and singing along to my favorite playlists, and driving.  My last stop was Bells Beach.  The south side is the place where Bodie bit it.  The stairs look just like  in the movie.

I successfully navigated the whole driving experience- thanks to GPS, prayer, and concentration, and arrived back in Bendigo around 4. Stephen made sweet curry for dinnsies.

Nice to be back to my lovely bedroom and friendly faces.

John Denver, The 12 Apostles, and a Light House

What do all of those topics have in common? I will tell you:

Wednesday

Here's a run-down on my wonderful Great Ocean Road day.....woke, watched Downton and slept some more, got ready, bought a salad roll at the local bakery ( and a raspberry/white chocolate muffin and lemon lime sparkling mineral water ), took off for Port Campbell - 2 hours west from Apollo Bay- sang John Denver the whole way, arrived at the 12 Apostles- spectacular!!!!!!, met nice people who took my photo for me and I took theirs, walked around the 12 Apostles, ate my salad roll, drove one hour east to Cape Otway Light House, walked around and up to the top of the light house (trying to be brave instead of having a complete freak out as I felt like doing whilst walking up the very steep narrow steps with flip flops that felt like coming off), met some gay American democrats - who were very nice and who were talking to the light house guy about how only democrats from America travel abroad- they found me to be an oddity, I shopped for more souvenirs, drove back to Apollo Bay, rested, went to watch the ocean for a lovely long time.

Photos Highlights:

Robert, Jack and John (Denver not Wayne)

Sorry for the theme change, but...

Tuesday

Two roads diverged in a wood and..... I took the scenic route. Literally and figuratively. Turns out the navigation unit I rented from Hertz has 3 billion options for traveling from point A to point B; including, the option I inadvertently selected of "take every single out of the way little side road that exists in Victoria to get from Bendigo to the Great Ocean Road." Wow.

I kept thinking, okay Michael Scott, you're driving into the pond, but, once committed - out in the middle of nowhere in a country that is not your own - you kind of have to keep going.

Luckily, it was a stunning drive - the whole drive. What a beautiful country-side. I was reminded why Victoria is the garden state.

For those of you who need all the details, here's a quick snapshot (photos to follow when I get back to Bendigo and normal wi-fi).

- got up "early" (7:30)
- saw kangaroos out the window
- took Kelsey to school with Stephen
- went to Hertz to add me as a driver
- had a quick driving on the left side of the road refresher lesson from Stephen
- got some petrol ($75 to fill a Toyota Corolla tank 3/4 - ouch)
- packed, ate, prayed, and left
- drove all over the country-side of Victoria for 5 hours
- very happily arrived at The Great Ocean Road
- pulled over to say hello to the ocean and in my haste and excitement, flipped on the windshield wipers...you have to think the whole time you are driving on the wrong side of the road
- found my motel and checked in - they upgraded me to an "apartment"
- got a salad roll and lemon drink and walked over to the ocean to eat
- talked to a nice lady
- walked along the beach
- bought souvenirs
- bought groceries
- turned in for the evening

I have officially begun one of my bucket list items - "Drive down the Great Ocean Road by myself and stop at all the towns I wish to."

Good old John Denver wrote many lyrics with layers of universal human sentiment and truth....whether it be a night in a forrest, a mountain in springtime, a walk in the rain, a storm in the desert, or a sleepy blue ocean....skiing down a snow-covered mountain in Aspen, Colorado or driving down a sun-filled ocean road in Australia.....my senses were filled. So amazing!

What a beautiful world God created for us!!

More tomorrow- if the wi-fi works. Xoxo