Around Goodna

We have mostly had gorgeous Queensland spring weather! Bright sunshine, 70-almost 90F, but no humidity, and Craig didn't mind riding yesterday despite the high temperature (there was quite a breeze = headwind.. at times). Approximately 21-30C.
One day we cut the ride short, when we heard hail was on its way, and this turned out to be true. Another day we might have felt 10 rain drops, but this was close to home.
We have ridden west of Brisbane, in beautiful, and hilly horse country. Just like at home, there are large homes, gorgeous gardens and yards, long driveways..
There are few points where you can cross the Brisbane River, some of the bigger roads are not nice to ride on despite there being a bike lane (just lots of traffic and nothing exciting to see), so we could have planned a little better ahead of time. I agree it will be easier to drive to a more remote start now that we have a car.
But we surpassed the 1000-mile mark (1600km) since we left home - not bad considering the fact we only have a couple of days with > 50 miles.

Link to pic's around Goodna

1st week in Australia

Brisbane, Australia - our first week. These notes were written a little at a time.

It's Friday evening, and we arrived in Sydney Sunday night. Craig managed to sleep over 10 hours, which might be a record.
We enjoyed walking around the Botanical Gardens in Sydney for a few hours, before continuing on to Brisbane Monday.

Link to 1st week in Australia

Tofa and Fa'afetai

Tofa All Samoan Islands, and Fa'afetai!!

Our last day here on Tutuila was perfect, and sunny, and Craig never said it was too hot - amazing! I am especially glad, as it rained long and hard last night, and there was a flash flood warning. 

We were lucky to be able to leave the luggage in the cottage for the day, so took the bus, and then walked around Vatia, on the north shore of the island. It's a small, pretty village, on the other side of the central mountain ridge, and the National Park maintains land, and trails here. 

Link to the end of our Samoan experience pic's

Ofu 2

Today we hiked up to the look out, at 1500', a little below the summit of Tumu Mountain. The trail did continue past this point, but we had heard that the view further along, is less exciting than what we had seen from the look out. 

Link to Ofu 2

Our first several days on Ofu

Who would ever have thought we'd            end up here!

Am so glad we ended up coming here last, after having visited several of the other islands in Samoa, and American Samoa.

Ofu, and Olosega are part of American Samoa, and this is paradise, at least for visitors. We wondered how we would manage an entire week on 2 islands, connected by a bridge, with a combined length of maybe 8 miles along the road, and paths east-west. Much narrower north-south. And the central peaks, and the rain forest are impenetrable, except for a couple of trails, one of which hasn't been maintained recently we hear.

Link to Ofu 1 pictures

The end of our Samoan experience

A nice woman, whose English was excellent!

                 She lived in a modest village.

Only a week old.. should not have been separated from her mom

We saw people out rowing these earlier           

We very much enjoyed biking around Savai'i, and Craig survived the hot day through the rain forest along the northern coast. There only is one road around the island, so we backtracked a couple of days to enable us to stay in one location for all but one night.

Link to Leaving Samoa pictures

Savai'i

Brisbane, October 18:
We have had too slow an internet connection to get the pictures uploaded, but have written posts every couple of days, and I have been able to organize my pictures pretty regularly. Craig needs better internet to get his pictures from his phone into the albums I have started, and is trying to get some of his included.

Forgot to say this earlier today.  

                                                           SAVAI'I

After one night in Apia, we rode to the ferry, which took us to Savai'i in 1.5 hours. It was a little choppy midway,  but Craig did well.
Then we had a wonderful tailwind the 34 miles to our beach fale in Satuiatua. Staying here was my idea - a tropical experience, by the turquoise sea, and the coral reef. Craig knew I love falling asleep to the sound of the surf. No bugs! Food is included, our hostess, and her family + village staff, are again all super nice. It is obvious how much effort they put into keeping everything clean, and to make our experience a pleasant one.

Many people in Samoa have a New Zealand connection - moving there for work, or for education. Many move back home, to e.g. care for elderly parents, or to more efficiently manage the role of being the Chief of his clan, which includes managing all land use, for some 100 people in the village. Craig also talked to a local woman who had spent 8 years in Alaska! Close to as different as it gets. Another young woman in American Samoa had spent 10 years in San Antonio, TX due to her husband's job. They had moved back last year, and she said "you can't take the island out of me" - a saying I liked.

 Link to Savai'i

2nd day in A. Samoa, and arrival in Samoa

Pago Pago

The weather continued tropically nice, despite a rainy forecast.
We walked some 3 miles to Fagatele Bay, on the western side of the main island of Tutuila. This bay is part of a Marine Sanctuary, and a National Park. You pay a local youngster $10, to bypass a locked gate on his family's property. We didn't mind, as google tells us this is customary, and we can tell people can use a little extra. Presumably the village this family belongs to, decided to cooperate when the park was established.
Walked through 'jungle' the last bit, climbed down the steep embankment, and had the beach to ourselves! Not as many fish as in Hawaii per Craig. I tried snorkeling here, but am sad to admit I am leery of stronger waves pushing me into the coral, and the sharp rocks. I am used to feeling strong enough to do pretty much what I want, but have to accept my age, and old injuries.
I was impressed when Craig cleaned up trash, filled the bottle, and cleaned sand off his feet this way, rather than use what remained of our treated water. See picture.

Link to 2nd day in American Samoa

Robert Louis Stevenson

We visited the house that Robert Louis Stevenson built for himself on Samoa, and which is now a museum. Robert Louis Stevenson spent the last few years of his life on Samoa where he set himself up as a planter. He interested himself in Samoan affairs and was a fierce critic of colonial maladministration. He even managed to get a couple of the worst offenders fired. He was sympathetic to Samoan culture and helped Samoan rebels who had been imprisoned by the colonial power. Still he was friendly with many of the Western settlers, in particular the governor sent by the United States, Henry Ide. Ide's daughter was disappointed that her birthday was on Christmas day so Stevenson conceived a solution to the problem, a deed of gift as given below: