While we were in Cairns we took a break from field work and went kayaking. We rented all the gear from an adventure company here. The boats were great, but the paddles were less than desirable. They were really heavy and the blades slipped around a bit. We were shocked to see how much the paddles are here. Now we are thinking we should have brought ours. Check out Tim's dorky helmet! Luckily the little boats we rented fit in the little car we rented. Notice they are on the right side of the car.

Photos from a wildlife park we visited.

Well, we have finished our reconnaissance trip to find all my field sites. We saw a lot of wildlife and spent time in a lot of hotels. Hotels here are accommodations available above the local pub.

We visited my friend Denise (a girlfriend I met in Panama). It is really great to have such a good friend here. She lives in one of the areas I will be working in so I will get to hang out with her a lot.

Tim discovered a new game called Killer Bunnies and became instantly addicted. We really wish we could call Ian and Alisa up to play with. Instead we roped in Denise and all her friends and other random people we shared Hostels with.

We fell in love with Tasmania and are looking forward to living there. We are so ready to have a place to ourselves. We have not had a “home” since we left SLC. It was great spending time with G-ma over the summer, but it still wasn’t our house. We have a great place lined up in the cool part of Hobart. It is in walking distance to markets, cafes, beaches and downtown. Plus we are in less than a kilometer from one of the best outdoor Saturday markets in Australia. The duplex is a 2 bedroom with a study. So when I am not doing field work, I’ll be working from home. I am also working on some connections at the University of Tasmania, so maybe they will let me come use there dissecting scopes. Overall we are really looking forward to get a little more settled.

Right now I am in Sydney working on scientific permits for the National Parks and getting my field supplies together. Tim took off to go flying for a couple of days, but winds are uncharacteristically too strong right now. He did go for a great mountain bike ride were he ended riding with a mob of kangaroos.

As promised here is our first pic from Sydney with the Harbor Bridge behind us. We are waiting for visitors to take the bridge tour, where you get to walk all the way to the top. A gauranteed great shot of the Opera house.

Getting wet in the Rainforest

Lora and I are here in Australia and doing well. After spending a week in Sydney getting settled in the lab and doing a little surfing we rented a car and headed north to check out some field sites. Seems like I've been doing all of the driving. Driving on the left really is not that hard to do. Beware of the speed cameras. They are everywhere. I've already been photographed for going 70 in a 60 kph zone. Can't wait to see the price tag on that one. Lora can be very distracting to the driver.

We stopped at a nature park(zoo) where we were able to feed and pet the wallabies and kangaroos. We also took pictures of us petting the koalas. I will post some pictures as soon as I get access to o ur computer.

We also slammed the brakes on as I was driving past an outdoor garden show. Great native plants and cheap too.

The past few days we've been hanging out in the rain in Byron Bay. If you've ever seen the surfing movie, An Endless Summer, then you know how good the surfing is here. So far all I've had is rain and small to no waves.

Today we are heading up to the third field site. The rain forests have been awesome. Lora has already found some good sites to use and we've seen some interesting animals. Nothing poisonous yet luckily. In a few days we will be flying up to Cairns to visit another site and see our friend Denise who is also doing research out here in Australia.

I know that when I get pictures up this will be more interesting. Hang in there. They're coming.
Cheers,
Tim and Lora

Going Downunder Party

So the whole gang had a party to wish us well up at Sky Ranch over the weekend. We had a great time up there even though the cops got called out.
Was it just me or did it seem a baby factory up there with all the babies and expecting mothers.? Tons of thanks to Rorie and Larry for hosting the gala event.

Greeting everyone. Lora and I are in the middle of getting ready to leave for our two year trip to the Australia. All of our stuff that we are taking is spread out between two rooms right now. I'm not sure how we are going to get it all packed away and onto a plane. I'm thinking big bucks for all of our toys.
Here is a small sampling of some of the things we are taking with us.
1. Kayak gear... two bags. (We've decided to buy boats over there.)
2. One 40 pound paraglider.
3. Climbing Gear. (Couldn't leave this behind.)
4. Two bikes.
5. Camping Gear. (The usual crap.)
6. More electronics than I have time to type right now.

Am I forgetting anything? Oh yea, clothes. Lora has a few. I on the other hand am subscribing to Frank's theory of travel... bathing suit and a credit card. As you can imagine we are going to be loaded to the gills with the important things in life... our toys. We've had to hire a mini-van at the airport to transport all of this stuff.

We arrive in Oz on Friday and will enjoy Sydney for the weekend before Lora shows up at the lab on Monday. A week in Sydney or so and then it's off to the field sites up north first. I'll keep you guys posted on that trip.

Before I sign off on my first blog entry I just want everyone to know how much we love you guys and will miss you... unless you come over and visit. Come see us.

Tim & Lora