Below is a day by day recap of my adventures... hopefully.  In the meantime,  Here is a link to my picture gallery from the trip.

Excerpt stolen from facebook:

we got to the LA airport yesterday (was it only yesterday?) and it was foggy as hell... it was pushing 100 in temecula. there was a lot of "wtf", but flights were going so all was well and good. we board our full as hell flight so annette traded seats with the person in the middle seat so we got to sit next to each other. the first 14 hours of the flight were pretty uneventful and got more sleep than I thought I would. that last hour? yeah, sydney was completely fogged in and no flights were allowed to land, so they diverted us to brisbane and immediately put us on a flight to sydney... that thanks to us is now 2.5 hours late.so we finally get to sydney and find our way through customs. our bags are nowhere to be found yet because those *didn't* get transferred with the passengers in brisbane. they're probably somewhere here in sydney now, but we're already in a different terminal. but I'm getting ahead of myself. we got through customs and despite assurances that there would be lots of "ground crew" at the gate to help us figure out connecting flights, there was one overstressed person trying to help people with international flights and was telling all domestic passengers to go to the qantas domestic transfer desk. so we do. annette is thinking we should just go to jetstar since that's who our connecting flight is with, but I thought qantas fucked it up, qantas should fix it. so we get through the qantas line and the lady takes a look at our passports, listens to our story and tells us she can't do anything for us... she can't check us in on jetstar because the systems aren't linked. but we found out the timing that if I had listened to annette, we probably could have caught the right connecting flight. she tells us we have to take a bus to the domestic terminal and figure things out there. we got to the jetstar service desk to be told that qantas already rebooked us on a qantas flight and that we needed to go to terminal 3 (instead of terminal 2) to check in and catch that flight.

so now we're all checked in... and they're sending us from sydney to melbourne then on to launceston. *hopefully* we'll have luggage tomorrow... still no idea if we'll have to drive back into launceston to get it or if they'll shuttle it to stanley for us.

anyway, that's the day so far. while we're certainly safe and well, we're not quite done with our insane adventure. I'm freaking tired and I've been wearing the same clothes for over 24 hours now... hell, I've been officially travelling for 24 hours now and there's still quite a few more before I'm done.

Note that there is no Sunday.  Yay for crossing the International Date Line. 

_ We started the day with Rob and Barb meeting us for breakfast.  A nice breakfast with awesome company is about the best way to recover from the travel day from hell.  They were pretty much exactly what I expected and SO MUCH FUN.

After breakfast, Annette and I ran into the next town over for some basic food and supplies.  You'll notice I haven't mentioned anything about luggage coming back yet.  Because it hasn't.  We needed some some pretty basic items that were packed in the regular bags and who the hell knew when we'd finally see it.  I have one thing to say about shopping... "holy CRAP things are expensive here!" 

When we got back from shopping, Annette tried calling the airline again to find out the status of our bags.  We were told that they had located one of them... out of four.  The guy was apparently INCREDIBLY helpful and put a priority rush on finding our bags and getting them out to us and couriered to our hotel ASAP... as soon as they could find them.  He even got us a little bit of emergency expenses to reimburse us for some of the things we shouldn't have had to buy without the chaos.

Shortly after that, Rob called and invited us up to the restaurant for a little bit of wine tasting and a nice bar area with a fireplace.  We'd have been idiots to turn that one down so we headed up that way.  After he was done doing some of the things he needed to do, we headed over to his place for awesome bbq goodness.

The bbq that Rob and Barb hosted was BEYOND amazing.  Finally got to meet Jared and Helana and Josh (kean) came as well.  Who knew salad could be so amazing?  I can't do justice to describing the food so it will have to suffice to say salad, risotto, ribs and chicken with creme brulee for dessert.

Somewhere in the middle of the bbq, David (the guy that runs the hotel) called Rob to get a hold of Annette and let her know that the airline called him and our bags were on their way.  They should be getting into Stanley around midnight and he'd meet the courier and bring our luggage in the morning.

After dinner was a lot of sitting around the table and laughing and telling stories and yes, talking about die2nite.  Barb and Helana were somewhat lost in the conversation, but held their own rather well by mocking the rest of us. 

I felt a little bad that the whole day of travel caught up with me about 8pm and I started yawning like mad.  Around 9, I turned into a semi-coherent zombie.  Thankfully, Annette was willing and ok to drive back to the hotel and we left around 10, I think.

_ There are no words for the awesomeness of today.

First, there was Christmas morning when David dropped off our bags.  We had all 4 of them there and they were actually OUR bags.  And bonus, the wine didn't break.  There was the literal happy dance of joy followed by a celebratory hug. 

After putting on fresh, clean clothes, we headed up to Moby Dicks to meet the crew for breakfast and more general fun and merriment.  We were apparently going to drive about halfway up the nut to get a great view, but that changed and we were told to just follow everyone else.  We ended up on this hill with the most amazing view.  Got a lot of pictures of scenery and an old criminals' barracks building that was been reduced to ruins.  Got a few pictures of that, including one where Annette monkeyed onto it.

We went back by the hotel to grab cameras and a few other supplies we needed and set out to Wings Wildlife Park.  After GPS took us the twisty turny OMG CRAZY SKINNY ROAD way that was gorgeous enough to make up for it, we finally got there.  Of course it was going to be a rainy day... but that wasn't going to stop us.

We started with the Koala that we BARELY got there in time to go and pet.  Didn't get to hold him, but petting him was quite enough anyway.  He was SOAKED with the rain, but happily nomming on eucalyptus leaves.  When he was done nomming, he walked in under the eaves to get out of the rain and promptly shook water all over us.  I even just happened to be taking video when he did that. 

Went from there to watch the tasmanian devils put on a show for us and through the rest of the park.  It wasn't big, thankfully, because we only had about an hour and a half before they closed at 4, though they were kind enough to tell us they wouldn't actually MAKE us leave until 4:15.  We got through the park at 3:40ish and had saved the best for last... the kangaroo enclosure.  We were allowed to open the gate and go inside the enclosure to feed and play with and pet the kangaroos. Because it was a rainy day, hardly anyone had been in there so the roos were "starving" - probably for some attention too, but they REALLY wanted the food we had.  (We got the $5 bag of food that we were allowed to feed to any grass eating animal that we could actually get close enough to and there were quite a few!)

The first roo to come bounding up to me was horribly demanding for the food... I'd try to give some to someone else, and he'd stick his nose in there and try to eat it.  I named him "demanding fucker".  Annette and I had the whole enclosure to ourselves with about 15-20 kangaroos.  And there was a momma nursing her baby.  She let Annette get within about 4 feet to get some amazing pics and videos. Anyway, the demanding roo stood up and put his hands on my shoulders while looking for food... I pushed him away thinking things were gonna get ugly and instantly realized I probably shouldn't have done that.  Once I realized he wasn't going to retaliate (but he wasn't giving up either!), I knew we were gonna be just fine in there.  I got MOBBED by kangaroos looking for food.  We were both completely covered in mud by the time we walked out of there.  Annette doesn't like being dirty but even she admits it was fully worth every little bit of mud.  Including the acknowledged then "forgotten" fact that the mud probably also had a healthy dose of roo poop in it.  We didn't care AT ALL.

Note: Previous days were written while I was still in Australia.  At this point, they're being written about a month after the fact.  Details will get somewhat sketchy, but hey, at least there's something here, right?

We started the day with breakfast at Moby Dick's, which has become our morning routine at this point.  After breakfast, we ended up going up to The Brasserie to visit Rob & Barb while they prepared for service the next day.  We found Rob doing the specials board and got lucky enough to sample a few of the menu offerings for the week.  We had all been talking about the nut, which is the local landmark - the big rock that you can see in the header of the site.   Rob lost his mind and suggested we hike up the side of the nut then do the trail that goes around the edge.  Barb had the much better suggestion to take the chairlift up and do the hike around the top. 

And you know, for as flat as the top of that thing looks... it's really not!  It was a BEAUTIFUL 2k walk around the perimeter (it looks SO much bigger than that).  There were a few somewhat steep and/or seemingly never ending inclines, but I made it through.  Anyone that knows me knows I'm not exactly the hiking type. ;)  Anyway, the walk was amazing.  From the views to the wind in the grass to the wild wallabies napping just a few feet off the path.  We spent a few hours up there taking everything in and giving me enough rests so I wouldn't kill myself with the hike.

Then came the return chairlift ride.  I'm not a fan of heights... even less so with heights when I don't feel terribly secure.  I've avoided chairlifts up til now... and now I know exactly why!  Having to hold the restraint bar down while riding... yeah... real secure. The ride up wasn't too bad... but you're looking ahead and there's only about a 5 foot drop to the ground should you fall out of the chair and surely anyone could survive that unfazed.  On the ride down, well sure... only 5 feet the to ground... and a very very very very steep hill to roll down after that with lots of rocks and stingy things.  But again... I lived.  I just didn't like it much. ;)

We were supposed to go to the ruins afterward, but spent so much time at the nut that that particular part of the plans for the day fell through.  We decided to head back to The Brasserie and check out the finished specials boards and pester Rob some.  Sure, we had plans for dinner, but we wouldn't be Annette and spacey if we didn't pester him at every available opportunity.  After that, it was time to head back to the hotel for a little R&R before dinner at the pub.

Tonight is our first meal in a restaurant here in Australia.  Annette and I had previously discussed the idea of grabbing the check before anyone else could to thank Rob and Barb for their hospitality and for having a VERY awesome BBQ for us on their day off and our first night in town.  Yeah, this was our first bit of culture shock.  We Americans are used to checks being brought to the table at the end of the meal.  Whether you pay the server or take it to a counter varies, but you always wait for the check.  So yeah, there went that idea.  We were gonna have to be creative and figure something out later as a way to say thanks.

As for the food... it wasn't bad by a long shot, but I also don't remember what I had.  It was one more reason to look forward to tomorrow night - our first night eating at The Brasserie.  If it lived up to half of the hype, it was going to be AWESOME. 

Side note: I didn't realize until this trip exactly how much  I use the word "awesome".  While I'm trying to find new words, I refuse to lose that word entirely because sometimes it's just the right word.  Especially in this case - "worthy of awe"

Day 5 was a nice low key day.  Rob and Barb had suggested some local highlights off the beaten path and we had our Penguin Tour scheduled for today since the rain had let up and the weather was rather nice. 

After breakfast (at Moby Dick's, where else?), we took off for Dip Falls and The Big Tree.  We managed to find The Big Tree first so we went wandering to see that.  It definitely lived up to its name.  It's interesting that there's only one (now anyway, there were two) that really got that big.  While there are certainly some Redwoods in Northern California that are bigger, it certainly held its own in terms of size.  At least as big as the average Redwood if not just a little larger.

The Big Tree was surrounded by this great big ferns(?)... had to have been 10 feet tall.  Very neat feeling of being lost in an area last roamed by dinosaurs.  Everything was huge and we were pretty tiny in comparison.

Dip Falls was a LOT more interesting than I expected it to be.  I've seen a lot of waterfalls in my life and a lot of GORGEOUS waterfalls.  I had no doubt that this one would be beautiful as well or they wouldn't have suggested it.  But waterfalls don't impress me on the whole.  Dip Falls did.  It wasn't a waterfall like most people think of - one where water falls off a cliff and lands at the stream/river/lake/whatever at the bottom.  It ran down an incline that was anything but smooth.  The best description I can come up with is that it was a solid wall of black rock with pieces jutting out all over the place.  The way the water ran down the rock really looked more like intricate lacework than a waterfall.  Color me impressed.

When we were done checking that out, we headed back for one last visit to Rob's place now that we had real cameras.  Annette wanted some pictures around the property and we were hoping to catch some platypuses playing, but no such luck.  That's the only thing we didn't get to see that we really wanted to.  Guess we'll have to make another visit at some point. ;)

After that, it was a little bit of relaxation at the hotel then off to the penguin tour.  It's not so much a *tour* but an escorted walk into the rookery with the escort shining red lights at the penguins coming in from the ocean and making their way up to the nests.  In between games of "dodge the wallaby poop", we got to see more than a few penguins.  Some just coming out of the ocean, some on their way up to nests, and some walking within just a few feet of us.  It was really all very neat to see them in their own habitat.  I've seen them at zoos and such, but that's never the same as out in the wild. 

Finally, dinner time.  Our first night at the Brasserie and much anticipated.  Annette and I knew we were splitting all kinds of things tonight and ended up with the braised onions and candied brussel sprouts for entrees and the greek rack of lamb and the chicken breast stuffed with double cream brie for mains.  From the second anything got set in front of us, we were in heaven.  I can't begin to describe the dishes with any accuracy, so here's the specials board with most of what we ordered. 

Dessert was the Glace New York and Strawberries Romanov.  The Glace is a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with coffee toffee, iced vodka and little pieces of lemon served in a martini glass... topped with some BEAUTIFUL handmade sugar work.  For all that it sounds like a very odd combination, it was to die for.  Beyond delicious. 

The Strawberries Romanov was sliced strawberries mixed with little bits of soft meringue (and whipped cream?) with a large meringue "cookie" that had the perfect texture.   Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside... just melts in your mouth. (Shut up.  All of you!)

So here we are, 6 months later.  I'm finally getting around to writing more of this.  And I'm REALLY glad I put those headers up there so I could remember what we did on each day.

Friday started with breakfast at Moby Dick's again.  I wouldn't mention it at this point other than as we were sitting there enjoying our breakfast, I see this green comet go shooting backwards down the street and just start laughing hysterically.  When I can finally tell Annette that Rob just backed down the road from his restaurant, I think she might have gotten a quick glace.  Unfortunately, her back was to the window and she missed most of it.  So Rob came in to hang with us for a short while before we finally set off to go see our ruins that we'd been trying to get to all week.  He mentioned that Highfield House was up there and we should make a point to stop by there as well.

Highfield House is one of those historic sites that's mostly still the original structure, I believe.  There's certainly some work that's been done to keep it up and make it safe to walk through.  We did a bit of a self guided tour through the house, yards, gardens, stables... very neat stuff.  Got some nice pictures of the grounds and Cthulhu had a great time posing for tons of pictures in historic settings.  I think his favorite was sitting on the pulpit in the church while his flock (ok, just me) sat in the pews.

After going through that and (mostly) behaving ourselves, it was time to go check out the ruins (which is actually a convicts' barracks building that's part of the Highfield site).  Even though there's a small fence around it, there were steps built into the fence to make it easy for people to climb... which at least told us that getting "up close and personal" was merely frowned upon and wouldn't end with us locked up in a foreign country.  Hell, that's an invitation if I've ever seen one!  So up and over we went. 

We wandered around the base of it for a little while and checked out "inside" (there wasn't much of an inside anymore, but there was one spot where you could definitely tell how tiny the rooms were).  It was small and dank and musty... and that's with no ceiling and half of a wall missing,  not to mention the height missing from most of the few standing walls.  Not that being a convict could ever be fun, but holy crap that would have been terrible to live in.  When we were done checking that out, it was time for Annette to turn into a monkey and climb up onto the top of the walls for some pictures.  The good news is that she never ran out of oxygen and we escaped just fine.  She even found a water ration and a bag of crisps!  (and if you don't get that part, don't worry about it... it's an inside reference to a game we play)

When we were done there, we went to find some beach to walk on and have fun with.  We failed at finding what I thought I had seen before, but we did find a beautiful area to walk around.  We both waded into the water despite how cold it was... I don't think either of us was willing to pass up that opportunity. 

Back to the hotel for a little relaxation and getting ready for dinner.  Dinner the second night was every bit as awesome as the first.  Even if we did get mocked.  Oh the other hand, I'm not sure we would have known it was really Rob (and Barb) if we hadn't been mocked at some point.  Or, you know, constantly.

This is where Rob gets to say "I told you so."  I have no idea what I had for an appetizer this night... I *think* it was the pork belly.  I know Annette and I both had the Rib Eye entree... and neither of us knew just how OMG HUGE 600g of steak really is.  We both looked at our plates and knew there was no way in hell we'd finish it, but we'd give it the old college try.  I think I got about halfway through and Annette a little less than that.  After shamefully admitting defeat, Rob took the dishes away and relayed Barb's reaction... "if this is all you can eat,  no wonder the Americans lost in Vietnam!"  Rob followed that up by thanking us on behalf of Conan who would enjoy the hell out of our leftover steak and the bones they were attached to.  I tried pointing out that it was intentional and a gift for Conan, but I don't think anyone was buying it.

After dinner, we adjourned to the bar area for a little while to let the food digest so we could eat dessert without killing ourselves.  And of course to enjoy a few glasses of wine.  The bar at the Brasserie is AMAZING.  Fireplace that heats up the whole bar area and turns an already beautiful room into something downright gorgeous.  When we were done enjoying our time by the fire, it was back to our table for dessert.  (It's worth noting that this wasn't special just because we're friends.  No one is ever rushed and in the time we were there, we saw a few people do exactly what we did.  They were never made to feel like they were overstaying their welcome or that they were holding up a table that needed to be turned over.  Not sure if that's the norm in Australia or just the way Rob and Barb have decided to run their restaurant.  Either way, it was a nice change from the way things happen here.)  I remember Annette getting the profiteroles, but I can't remember what I had.  And I even asked Rob to send me a copy of the regular menu so I wouldn't forget... but you think I can find it now?  Maybe he'll take pity on me and remind me of some of these forgotten details... or at least re-send me the regular menu so I can refresh my memory.