The end of sabbatical draws closer every day like an approaching cargo ship on the horizon, packed with dogs and friends and family and good Mexican food, and also a whole lotta slap-ya-in-the-face reality. But until that ship arrives, we are happily enjoying every moment of every day. Our last two days in Cairns qualify … More Sabbatical Days 344 and 345: The Great Barrier Reef and Waterfall Loop
Still no trace of the sun, but that’s okay, because this is a grand adventure, and rain or shine, we will make the most of it. Let me show you what little wonders we experience along the way. Because often it’s the little things that make a memory, that make life worth remembering. Rockhampton was … More Down Under road trip part VI: the little things from Rockhampton to Townsville
This is the day that I admit to y’all that not every day on sabbatical is all sunshine and totally awesome. Some days are boring or frustrating or disappointing or even sad. Sometimes Trent gets on my nerves, and many days I get on his and vice versa. The camper van leaves little space between … More Oz road trip part V: Desperately Seeking Sunshine
We awoke early in our makeshift free camp site south of Brisbane after falling asleep to the strangely coherent sounds of cars on the highway, someone strumming a guitar, and mobs of twenty-somethings laughing about things they won’t remember in 20 years (but they will remember the feeling of freedom they had). The guitar was … More Straya road trip part IV: A Bundy Time in Brisbane & the Sunshine Coast
Wow! What a day! The drive from Byron Bay to the Gold Coast was a meandering, unexpected, triple beach kinda day, and we can’t imagine how life gets any better than this. After a night of near constant rain in Byron Bay, we awoke to sunshine and the sounds of kookaburras and wild turkeys, apparently … More Australia road trip part III: Byron Bay to The Gold Coast
It’s going to be hard to top Port Mac, as I’ve come to affectionately call Port Macquarie in just two days time. This small to mid-sized little working class town in New South Wales was just small enough to be interesting and just big enough to be convenient. No Starbucks on Main Street that we … More Australia road trip part II: Chasing the sun from Port Macquarie to Byron Bay
In a throwback to the first six months of our sabbatical, when we spent a good portion of our time on various camping adventures and road trips through North America with our Freedom Machine, we opted to tackle the eastern coast of Australia in a camper van. Our ultimate destination is Cairns, a jumping off … More Australia road trip part I: Sydney to Port Macquarie
The Found Year 