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September

I met Randal in Amsterdam on the morning of August 25th. We spent August 26th through September 2nd on a wonderful bike/barge tour from Cycletour I had found on the Internet through 4Winds Speciality Tours.  We left Amsterdam Harbor in the middle of Sail 2000 with the seemingly zillions of ships, boats, and floating vehicles of every description.  It was an experience to be sure.  We had a wonderful week cycling around the Dutch countryside with it lovely and quaint towns and made lots of new biking buddies from all over Europe and even Saudi Arabia.  We then spent 3 more days in Amsterdam, not nearly enough time to see all that we wanted. We stayed in a wonderful little hotel called the Hotel Engeland near the Vondelpark.  I flew home on the 6th and Randal stayed on until the 9th when he rejoined the Odyssey tour north of Amsterdam.

There I am on my trusty Cycletour Pugeot with pushbutton gears!

Randal and I were given a wonderful tour of the Sikkens paint facility of Akzo-Nobel by Oscar Weezenbeck, Global Services Manager.  Randal is presenting Oscar with a Roanoke Wreck Repair hat.  After a stimulating chat and short tour we were served a lovely lunch in their executive dining area.
I had to leave the next day and come home, RATS!

 Hi Ruthie  9/7/00
      I'm back at Kinko's . I went for a walk this morning over to the cafe in
the park where we saw Janni  in hopes of running into her again;  she wasn't there. { Janni is one of our new Cycletour buddies who lives near the Vondelpark.  While wandering around on Sunday morning we had met Janni and another Cycletour buddie, Joe having breakfast.}  I had breakfast anyway, cheese & pesto sandwich, juice, coffee, and a muffin.  From there I walked back to the hotel and got the serial number off the bike, Brit had asked me for it yesterday.  Australia requires it for entry into the country.  We also have to wash our tents and bicycles before we leave here. I like Australia already.
   From the hotel I headed back to that all English book store I found on my
walk yesterday. I saw a map there of the Netherlands and I went back to buy it. The place where O2K  is staying is about 20 Kilometers South-East of here so I thought I would ride it.  It's name is Noordwijkerhout.  It's on the west coast.  It should be an easy ride but I thought I should have a map in case I get lost.
   It's about 1:30 in the afternoon now. I think I'll go back to the room
and read for awhile. Oh, I almost forgot. On the way to the book store I ran
across a used book flea market. I spent about an hour and a half there mostly looking for something by James Joyce.  I did find a book on Joyce himself.  In the book store I almost bought "The Artist As A Young Man". But I have several books to read now. Then on the way back I stopped in the same little book store you and I stopped in and almost bought a book on Thailand, but didn't.
See you soon
Love
Randal

 Randal

Hi Sweetie                                         Thursday Sept, 14 2000    7:40 AM

 One last e-mail before I pack the computer away.  I'm also e-mailing Kim and Peter Fields. I will be glad when the 22 hour flight to Australia is over. Because of the Olympics they are landing us at a military air base and bringing customs people out there to process us.  It will be a long day I'm sure.

 Love

 Randal

Hi Ruthie                                                   Sun. Sept.17,2000         7:50 PM

    When we arrived at the airport it took the customs officials over three hours to process all of us.  They would remove us from the plane about 40 at a time to go through the process.  Before we landed one of the flight crew explained what he was going to do and then he sprayed the cabin with an aerosol can. He said it was not harmful.  After we landed an official came on board and checked our carry-on bags for food products.  Of course, as we have had to do on occasions before, we had to fill out a form listing what we were bringing into the country.

    As I departed the plane there was a drug smelling dog near the bottom of the ramp smelling each person and their hand held bags.  By the way our luggage was laid out on the ground the dog probably had sniffed that too.  I showed the person at the desk my form and my passport and he asked me a few questions about any medicines I had.  Then he stamped my passport and motioned me through a door.  On the other side I was allowed to pickup my baggage and go through yet another door.  In that room people were putting their bags on a table and the inspectors were going through every little nook and cranny of their gear.  When I started to put my bags on the table I was motioned on through the room and outside where the bikes and gear trucks were waiting. I got my bike put back together and rode about 16 kilometers to the camp ground where the cabins are we are staying in.

    Once here we had lunch and everybody went on there way. 

     I checked the mail and my undies aren't here. (I had shipped new coolmax underwear to Randal.)  Today is Sunday so maybe they will be here tomorrow.  If not I can ask if the reception can forward it to us in a few days.

    This place must be crawling with kangaroos. There was an 11 kilometer stretch on the way here today that had 4 dead kangaroos on the side of the road.  One of the riders told me awhile ago he saw about 50 in a field just before dark.  If I could get kangaroos introduced in VA. we would probably have more bodywork than we could do.

    I'll send this and I'll try and send another tomorrow. 

Bye Bye Sweetheart

I Love You Very Much

Randal

Hi Ruthie                                                  Canberra, Australia               Monday Sept. 18, 2000

 

    This part of Australia is humming because of the Olympics. It's all that is on TV and everyone is talking about it.  Some of the events are being held here including soccer.  Japan played Slovakia last night and won.  I'm sure the 7,000 Japanese here to watch were pleased.  A number of Odyssey riders went just so they could say they saw an Olympic event.

    Canberra, for those who like me didn't know, is the capital of Australia.  It is a planned city and a planned capital.  In 1902 when the six states of Australia decided to join together to become a country, Melbourne and Sidney both wanted to become the capital.  They decided to compromise and build a city between the two here.  Competition was opened up for the design worldwide and an architect  in Chicago, Burley Griffin, won.  Today 300,00 people live here.  In 1988, on Capital Hill, a new parliament building was completed , most of which is underground.  It has 4,500 rooms and 20 kilometers of hallways.  It cost 750 million US dollars to build.

    Today I went on an all-day bus tour. The bus would drop us off and pick us up at different locations throughout the city, including the Australian Institute of Sports, the old parliament building, that is now a museum, the new parliament building, the war memorial, and a mountain overlooking the city.

    I continue to like Australia. One of the three Bills staying in this 9 person dormitory type room, just came in and said there are 150 kangaroos on the hill above the campground.  I haven't seen a live one yet. Yesterday, riding here from the airport, I saw 4 that had been killed, laying on the side of the road.  I expect we will see some tomorrow on our 114 kilometer ride to Gouldbern.

    I'm sending a picture of a water fountain I was very impressed with.  The British government built it as a memorial to Captain Cook who discovered the west coast of Australia.  It uses two 490 horsepower electric pumps to pump a stream of water 150 meters in the air.  The water that is in the air at one time weighs between 7 and 8 tons.  The cost to operate is $500 a day.  In the picture you can see a bit of a rainbow in the mist to the right. Also there is a picture of me overlooking Canberra.

 I love and miss you.

 Randal

The fountain in Canberra

The Randal in Canberra

Hi Ruthie                                          Wed. Sept. 20, 2000             8:27 PM

    For the next 4 days we are staying at the University Of Wollongong. There are two people in each room although the rooms are designed for only one. There is an extra mattress and extra blankets so someone can sleep on the floor.  The ride today was over 100 miles but I as well as  many others took a shortcut this morning shortening the distance by 15 kilometers.

    We don't leave here until Monday when we fly to the North-Eastern coast of Australia, spending some time riding in that warmer climate before flying on to Japan.

    I'm tired so I will send this and go to bed.

 Love As Always

 Randal

Hi Ruthie                                      9/21/00  (Randal's 52nd Birthday)

     Just a few words before I connect and turn-in for the night. I'm still suffering from jet-lag. Its only 9:00 and I can hardly hold my eyes open.

I rode my bike downtown into Wollongong today.  Afterwards I rode across town to the Botanical Gardens and took a few pictures.

 Goodnight, I love and miss you.

 Your Older Ole Man

 Randal

Hi Swuthie                                          Friday        Sept. 22, 2000

      Just a few last words before I pack my computer away for the trip up north. We ship our gear and our bikes by truck this afternoon at 6:00 PM Then we fly out Monday morning.  I'll keep just enough gear to hold me till then.

    After talking to you just after lunch I rode my bike down to the town center and had lunch.  I found a sports store and bought a pair of shorts.  They're cotton but they have two rear pockets that Velcro shut and two leg pockets that do the same. The color is tan and they have an elastic waistband  and no fly.  The name embroidered on the side pockets is " SAUCONY SPORT BOSTON USA",  but the tab inside the waistband says " MADE IN CHINA".   Soooo, I'm wearing Aussie style pants in Australia made in China by a company in Boston, go figure.

    I don't no why I not my usual perky self when I talk to you on the phone. I am 52 years old now. Maybe I've grown up. I think I'm just bored. We do a lot more hanging out than riding these days and I think it is just easier to ride and complain about the long miles than to sit and do nothing.  I don't have you here to occupy my time and plan our adventures.

 Bye Bye Sweetie

 I love you

 Randal

But where are the kangaroos?

  Hi Ruthie  9/24/00
     I've had dinner and I'm heading up to the room to start "Longitude".   I
finished the book by Feynman, "The meaning of it all"  just before dinner. It
was taken directly from some of his lectures.  I enjoyed it so I passed it
along to Denise at dinner.  I figure she is smart enough to understand it.
  After I talked to you today I went into the visitor center's gift shop and
bought a beautiful t-shirt.  There is a band of aboriginal art about 5 inches
high across the chest and onto both sleeves.  The shirt itself is dark red.
As soon as I get my computer back I'll take a picture and send it to you.
  Tomorrow at about 7:15 we load the buses for the airport. I think the
plane leaves about 9:30 and I think someone said it was a 2 hour flight.  We
should be arriving in Townsville around the middle of the day. From what I
have heard it should be hot and rainy up there.
  I found the site you e-mailed me about the snorkeling.  I also went to
Australia's site and found that there are 600 tours out of Cairns. There
should be plenty to do.
  I love you
   Randal

Hi Ruthie                                          Wed. Sept. 27, 2000

 

   I'm in my tent. Today was a short day, only 100 Kilometers. I spent one hour and thirty minutes in a sugar museum and still got into camp about 1:30 PM.  I am going ahead to Cairns tomorrow and almost everyone I've talked to is going too.  It's only 80 kilometers up the road so most of us are riding our bikes. Odyssey is turning inland and climbing the mountains into the rainforest.  They won't get to Cairns until Sunday.  Meanwhile in Cairns I will take an excursion out to the Great Barrier Reef and do some snorkeling. If I have time and like it I may take a SCUBA diving course and go back to do that too.

  The picture I'm sending was taken only a few minutes ago with what is apparently the "campgroung dog". The shirt I'm wearing I bought in Wollongong and everytime I put it on people complement me on it.

  I won't have my computer again until Sun night so I'll connect then.   
  Love   Randal

  Hi Sweetie   9/28/00
      I'm in an internet cafe at the visitor center in downtown Cairns. Several
of us have booked a snorkeling/kayaking adventure for tomorrow but we wont
get confirmation until latter this evening; something about having to check
the weather before we can go out to the reef.  The next day we intend to go
up into the rain forest by open train and then take a trolley into the
mountains.
   I like this country so much that we may have to come back here, though it
is expensive to fly from Va. to Australia.

Hi Sweetie   9/28/00
   I won't be calling you until late this evening, your morning. We are getting
ready to board the boat to take us out to the reef.                 We will spend the day out there snorkeling and kayaking. I didn't bring my camera or phone for
fear of getting them lost, stolen, or wet.

  Hi Sweetie  9/29/00
       We just got back to Cairns from our snorkeling/kayaking trip.  I'll tell
you more about it latter.
Love
Randal

 

 

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