Well my friends the first chapter of my Australian adventures has come to a close. I say it’s concluded because I simply ran out of means to keep traveling and timed my return stateside to surprise my brother for his 31st birthday. Yet, it is but the first chapter as I know I will eventually return to Oz, for a visit or for life has yet to be seen. I said goodbye to my friends in Cairns in an epic goodbye party that lasted up to a few hours before I flew down to Melbourne. In Melb’s I was fortunate to spend time with old friends from earlier in the year and had a great time catching up with great friends. Then I said ado and headed to the airport that next morn on the 24th of Feb. I flew to Sydney then to LA then up to Seattle, which meant I could have a drink in 4 major cities, two continents (and hemispheres) in 24 hours. After almost a year of traveling I landed back in the USA with 30 kilos of luggage that consisted of my life; tent camping gear, scuba gear, cameras, cloths, about $65 Australian, one hell of a hangover and not much else to my name other than a smile and priceless memories.
Customs was a breeze and the flights were as enjoyable as possible. Landing in thirty degree weather, wearing almost everything I own in a futile attempt to stay warm, including my fancy pants and straw hat, I awaited my friend Silva’s arrival to pick me. I was pleasantly surprised when Silva and my best friend Joseph picked me up from the Seattle Airport after I had covered about 18000 miles in two days. Having not eaten anything but airline peanuts for 24 hours, and not seeing these two guys in quite sometime, it was only natural we went out for a burger and a couple beers to catch up before heading out to my brothers place. My brother was in his office finishing up some work as I walked in and said “G’day Mate”. After a quick double (or triple) take he jumped from his chair in complete surprise. Shannon my sister-in-law was very proud of keeping my arrival a surprise and we all sat up most the night drinking and telling stories, hell actually we spent the rest of the weekend doing just that. I spent a great week with my brother and his family catching up with the midgets (Dom and Cal my nephews, 3&1) and helping with some projects around the place. Dom and I did a pretty good job of staying out of trouble, at least from my point of view, and at the end of the week Shannon said I could come back anytime. Perhaps my most impressive accomplishment to date.
Friday I caught a train down to Portland to spend the weekend with my best friends the Josephs, hard to believe we have been friends for 20 years now. Love spending time with such great friends and amazing people. Matt is training for an Ironman and so we went out for a little run. While I made it 4 miles in the hills in decent humor (pretty sure my sweat was 40 proof after the night before) Matt was as polite as he knows how to be and never even broke a sweat. Christina is doing great, working at a children’s hospital and if that wasn’t enough she puts up with Matt and completely loves her dog, a mixed breed mutt that looks like a cross between a donkey and a goblin. (Sweet dog though, narcotic and incredibly dumb, but sweet.)
After the great weekend with some of my favorite people I caught yet another flight (5th of the week) to Rapid City where I was greeted by my parents. After spending the last 6 months half way around the world they were happy to see their favorite child, (yes Chief, I am their favorite) and we caught up as we drove back to their ranch. The next week was bliss just relaxing with the parents and even spent some time with great friends of the family from Iowa who I had visited on my bike ride. After touring the Black Hills I worked to rejoin the American culture. Discovering heaps of mail, having to get a phone, and trying to figure out where to go from there took up what was left of the week, and that next Saturday my parents and I drove to my aunt and uncle’s ranch near Laramie Wyo for calving season. 350 heifers were due to start calving which means someone has to be up with the cows all night and day to take care of the problems that arise. I had the ‘fortune’ to draw the 1am-4am check with my uncle Les, which basically meant that I could sleep from 10-12:45, then 4:30 or 5-8 am. At best. I now have a better appreciation for my brothers complaint about lack of sleep because of his boys, and decided if I ever have kids they are going to sleep in the barn…
The first week we pulled 7 calves and had to shove a 90lb uterus back in a heifer that had prolapsed. Pulling calves entailed attaching straps to the unborn calves legs then taking an 8ft ratchet to slowly pull the calf out of the cow, not a pleasant experience for any of the parties involved. The prolapsed entailed two grown men with shoulder length surgical gloves holding, shoving, prodding, pushing and cussing the uterus back into the cow, and then using a needle and string to make sure it doesn’t pop right back out. Probably the most disgusting thing I have ever done or seen and I have seen some nasty things. I often lamented that just a month before I was on a dive boat or on a beach in far north Queensland. I often thought of how I should be living the tropical life diving the reef or laying in the sun with an umbrella in my drink. How the mighty fall.
By the second week I was pretty worn out, 3,4, maybe 5 hours of sleep a night was taking its toll. If I got 4 consecutive hours I woke up refreshed; amazing what the body can become acclimated to. The night of the full moon two cows each gave birth to twin heifers as the coyotes howled at the largest moon in 50 years. The next day was pleasantly warm as we went through the daily routine of riding through the cow/calf pairs checking for sick calves and cleaning up after the night before. Sleep was a precious commodity and everyone snuck a nap whenever they could. Free time after meals and before sleep was filled with NCAA basketball and card games. Some good games of hearts and pitch were played with the last drink of the night or the first cup of coffee in the morn and it helped keep humor up.
After two weeks the big rush of heifers had calved so my mom and I decided to head back to South Dakota. As I write this we are passing through Lost Springs, a town with a population of 1, on our way back to my parent’s ranch where I will spend the weekend before flying to the east coast. Once there I will have to decide where and how I rejoin the civilized world. Out east with great friends and a good job? Or out west with more friends, try to get a job in green energy, and where I can spend time with my family and be close to the mountains I love so much?
Either way I know that adventure will always be a part of my life as I doubt I will ever become too civilized. Dear god how I have changed over the year, definitely grown up and learned how to take care of myself. Between the bike ride, rock climbing, scuba diving and backpacking I have learned how far I can go and have yet to truly reach my limits. Its amazing, every time I thought I couldn’t go any farther I have managed to gather myself and push myself beyond what should be possible. I know without a doubt that there is not a mountain I cant climb, sea I cant swim, beer I cant drink, or continent I cant cross. It is really as simple as believing in oneself. People look to gods or others to raise them up when all they need to do is look at their own two hands to push them off the ground. We are animals, the same carbon flesh and bone as our canine friends, and despite all our pretty self-portraits it truly is just a portrait of an animal, of hungers and fears, of desires and dreams. I guess this is something I always kinda known, but just finally acknowledged. I know the contentment of a bit of sunshine and soft place to lay, the thrill of the hunt and enticement of a smile. I don’t need any more than that. What does life require but a few pounds of food, a horizon and a smile?
If I have learned anything in the last year it is that life can be fun with the decisions made, good or bad, and that no matter where you go there are amazing friends and beautiful sights just over the horizon. As my good friend Capt’n Willi says “The difference between adventure and ordeal is purely attitude.” In all my foreign travels I never used a padlock to secure either my laptop or wallet, and never had anything stolen. Instead, I met amazing people and made great friends at every turn. From Sam, Edan, and Marion in Melbs to the Swansons in Warrnambool and Robbie (this kid is crazier than I even) and Mike and Pia, Joep, Ana, Bec and Kai just to name a few. It truly was a rare thing for me not to have a good friend around to enjoy life with. In 5 short months Oz became more of a home than many places I have lived; it is the people, how they love and laugh with each other. The land; how it is so sharp, beautiful and deadly, with the mountains and seas that will take your breath away. While I landed stateside without much in material wealth, and about ten pounds skinnier than what is healthy, I do know one thing: I have never smiled, lived or loved life as much as I have in the past year.
So it has been good, and it is not over for what I have gained in this last year is that I have learned how to live. I know that I am living my life to the fullest and loving every second of it, and that is something that does not end with a plane ride.
Cheers to you my friends. May you live forever, and I never die.
