Australia

After two years in the planning, Kay and I are headed to the land down under for three weeks of adventure and fun. Tickets are purchased, passports are ready, and our bags are nearly packed. We leave Monday January 21. First stop is Los Angeles, then direct Sydney. Our son Adam and his girlfriend Amanda are staying at our home to take care of Levi and keep the place occupied. I am a bit worried about lots of people knowing we are gone and deciding to avail themselves to our possessions, so it is with much relief to have them staying here full-time to watch our house.





Why Australia?

I am often asked why we chose Australia over other, much closer destinations. There are a variety of reasons. First, they speak English (or at least something approximating it), they like American's (which is not universal anymore), the threat of terrorism is low, and the exchange rate is much more favorable than in Europe, which we would also like to visit.

The Flight

Our really big worry is the flight to and from Australia. I cannot imagine being stuck in an airplane 14-18 hours, but we will just have to tough that one out. Kay can barely sit still through a movie, so this is going to be agony for her. I think we are going to be very tired when we get on the plane so hopefully we can sleep through part of the trip. We depart OKC at 6:20 am and arrive in LAX at 9:30 local time. Our plane for Sydney does not depart until nearly midnight, so we have an all day layover in Los Angeles.

The Plan

Basically there is none - just the way Kay and I like it. We don't even have hotel rooms booked in Australia. Our only firm plans are when we arrive and when we depart. Other than that we plan to "wing it" and just see where our journey takes us. Kay wants to spend time on the beach and I want to visit some historical landmarks and travel to out of the way places. Someone asked me tonight "Are you gonna hire a guide and explore the outback?" Phshawww! Anyone who knows us knows that we don't travel that way! We don't need no stinkin guide!

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