@ Disneyland

Today was a trip to Disneyland which is about 1.5 miles north of us but we paid $5 for an all day ART bus pass (mum got a seniors discount which was a $3 discount!) 

We got there just as it opened - we decided not to go with the 2 park pass as the other park (adventure land) is not really suitable for Caleb since he doesn't go on any of those adrenalin rides.  

It has been 35 years since I have last been at Disneyland and they still have the same rides and machines!  The only difference is the yellow submarine which has a Nemo theme ... Nemo was not around 35 years ago!

Our first ride is the train that takes you around the park and then we go over to Autopia which is car driving.  There are heaps of cars so Caleb had one to himself, Sharon was with mum (mum steering while Sharon was on the pedal/accelerator) and apparently that was hilarious with mum driving, while I was behind them in my own car filming their driving!  for some strange reason I think mum was struggling with the driving and they kept stopping !

 next was a short walk to Disneyland castle, didn't go in it as you just pass through it and end up in an area that is full of kids!

 We go in the yellow submarine and as soon as the  narration started we all chime that it was an Australian accent!  since it has a nemo theme and the characters are predominantly Aussie so it was only natural that the narration would be Australia.

 so this ride when I was 8 years old was fantastic ... now it doesn't really grab me!
So next stop is Small World.  This is a boat ride that floats inside this castle ...

and it constantly plays the small world theme while you cruise around looking a some very colourful dolls representing various countries ...

 it is a very small float for New Zealand

 and a little bit bigger for Australia which was right next door to NZ

 Hawaii dolls were nice ...

 and this is what Caleb thought of the ride ...

 Sharon on the other hand was singing the theme all the way through!  Mum was probably asleep!
At lunch mum had a toasted ham sandwich (right) while I got an iced coffee (left).  I didn't realise their version of iced coffee was not like oz or nz - milk based.  this one was just cold coffee ... it was actually quite nice!  I didn't buy any food as I bring a donut, muffin and apple from brekky with me ... sharon does the same as the lunches are big and I find that if I have too bigger lunch I can't fit dinner in and besides it is cheaper!

 this is Calebs ... chilli dog I think!

 after lunch was the jungle cruise and unfortunately I thought this one was just stink ... I could not understand the person that was narrating at all but Sharon was laughing at him and his jokes (she was the only one!)

 next up is a cruise on the Mark Twain steam boat ... this was nice as we were in the shade for most of it ...

 Sharon managed to convince Caleb to try Thunderbolt mountain which is a mild adrenalin ride, he hadn't been on it before but he loved it ...

 I forgot to show you our first adrenalin ride from this morning - matterhorn bobsled which he had been on a previous visit.

 by now it is hot and mum is getting grumpy and caleb is complaining about the heat while sharon is scratching herself silly as she thinks she has a heat rash on her legs and arms, so we make the cups the last ride ...

 caleb was with me again and he tried so hard to make me vomit by giving the cups extra spin but the heat got to him and it was too much work and he gave up!

 at this point mum is nearly dying of thirst and typically leaves it to the last minute to get some fluids in her, so I find what she wants - some ice drinks and we all by some to cool off - calebs was blue raspberry, mine and sharons was passion mango while mums was cherry

so we leave the park around 3 and straight away we put some laundry on as there is a guest laundry room and jump in the pool to cool off.
Tonights dinner is Carls Junior - I will hopefully remember to take the camera to brekky tomorrow to get some photos.

OMG we are in Los Angeles!

Okay it is just me with part of the family in Anaheim California.

So excited to be here with Mum, Sharon and Caleb.  So this will be a short post as there is not much to say really.  We left Auckland on the 3.45pm flight (air nz) and a mere 11 hours later we arrived in LAX.  None of us got real sleep, maybe a little bit for Caleb but funny how all of us can fall asleep sitting up in a chair in front of the tv but none of us can fall asleep sitting up in a plane!  So here we are about to disembark and head for passport control ...

 so this airport is massive but funny enough there was hardly a soul around as we walked from our gate to the passport control ... about a 10 mile walk!  So you could go through the machines if you have esta (which we have) and also have been here to usa since 2008 with the current passport - so this discounted all of us so we had to line up with the 400 others as there was another asian flight which landed just after us, so we are very tired and the lines are 100m long and 4 lines deep and it was like being at a supermarket - only 2 checkouts open!  fortunately once all the machine passport people are through we managed to be processed quicker as they opened up more checkouts for us.  So we all had to have our finger prints done by machine as well as a photo and then viola we were through - so 1 hour from gate to through passport and then baggage and customs which was a breeze.  Outside the airconditioning and into the heat was a real shock to the system.  The shuttle picked us up and did another loop of the airport as they can't stay and park so another lap to pick up another person.
Once on the road it is a real cut throat world out there on the roads ... it was just mad, the driver did not used the indicator once and wove in and out of traffic on the motorway that was 5 lanes deep and not once did I see a speed limit sign - basically the speed is fast and faster we went fastest!  Crikey I thought I was going to die - my seat belt was ill fitting (not sure of the laws here regarding that) we did see a crash that was on the other side of the highway and that had closed the highway (all 5 lanes) and so the traffic was banked up a loooooong way.
We got to the accomodation at around 11.30am - still too early to book in so we went down the road for lunch as we were starving and everyone was struggling with the 35 degree heat.  Inside IHOP which is a pancake type place we had burger and fries and an endless supply of drink - I drunk 1.5 litres of lemonade simply because it was bottomless!  So it was a big meal and all up for all of us including the tip it came to $85 which was bit of a shock for us so we have decided to do takeaway more so we don't have to leave a tip! and the meals are cheaper.
Exhausted walking back at 2.30 we get to our rooms - mum is almost passing out, caleb is beginning to whine and sharon is worried that she is perspiring to much ... by now I have aclimatised as it is very similar to melbourne summer weather so don't mind a little sweat!
The room is nice and unfortunately there is no jug to boil water and tea is not common here so we can go down to reception for cold water, fruit, coffee and cookies if there is any left!
Once in the room we endeavour to try to stay awake and go to sleep at a reasonable time at night - we are aiming for 8.30pm ... caleb manages until 4.30pm, I get to 5.30 while sharon and mum pack it in at 6.30!
I slept until 10.30, woke and read my book for an hour and then was in and out of sleep until 6.45am, got up and walked down the road - it is warm but pleasant, come back and they are all still asleep, so I gave them until 7.45am and had to wake them as the brekky room was filling up - nice brekky, crowded so we get a table and just help yourself to everything - i had cereal, yoghurt and apple, then a waffle and a muffin, i am full so we get a little extra for lunch as everyone else was doing that.  tomorrow we will get up earlier and now we know the system we will be more productive with using our time at brekky and stocking up on things!
so the morning was spent organising and booking our days ahead - tomorrow  (monday) is disneyland, tuesday is a hop on hop off tour of LA then wednesday is universal studios - thursday is our last day and we have left that open.
in the afternoon we walk down to big 5 (sports store) and target.
Sharon and mum were a long time in target so i sat outside and here is my view ...

from there we decide that I will take caleb back to big 5 to buy his christmas pressie - a Nike shoulder bag as he had already bought a pair of nike shoes and had spent most of his pocket money so taking pity on him I was the good aunt and said I would buy it for his christmas present.  here he is displaying his wares ...

the bag is hilariously bright but in it is my shopping - a new pair of sneakers for $25 and a pair of scuffs for $17, nothing for you neil unless your feet are size 11-13!
Sharon bought 2 pairs of nike sandals while mum bought jayden some crocs!
thankfully all our tourist things are paid up so all we have to do is pay for our food and shopping.
tomorrow is disneyland.  a few tidbits - petrol is $3.19 for a gallon (10c more if you used debit or credit card), the temperature is around late 20's early 30's during the day and early 20's at night.  California is in a drought and have water restrictions that are very personally based - some boys at the pool were telling us, at the lights the pedestrian crossing doesn't buzz instead it is a light of a person walking so a few times we have been caught  chatting and missed crossing at our correct time, caleb keeps forgetting to look the correct way when walking across the road!

Day 17 - 1448km to 1423km

 Saturday 23rd May = 1448km to 1423km = 25km
Total distance = 289km

Oh my lordy was it a cold morning this morning - I think I have frost bite on my fingers. If you remember we camped alongside a channel last night and this channel goes to a billabong.  It is not a formal channel but we think it just takes a little overflow from the Murray.  Well we marked some of the water and it was slowly creeping in - not alot to drown us but enough to make a puddle!  So here is a photo of when we got here ...

 and this is it this morning ...

 as you can see there is a stream alongside us!
Although it is freezing, the sun is shining and it is yet another cloudless day and also no wind.  Once we got going we soon warmed up and it was such a lovely kayak today with no wind, no real coldness and when we stopped at the end of the day sitting in the sun was just lovely!
Since it is Saturday there are a few people camping for the weekend and also a few boats out - all are drinking before lunch and all don't have life jackets!  I think they look at us with our life jackets on and think we are nuts!  But they all wave and say hello and all are catching carp!
Today we saw what is typical of NSW property owners ...

 hence why we mainly camp on the Victorian side.
there was a group of campspots at the wrong time for us and we struggled to find anything suitable, so we opted for this tiny wee spot and a sloping beach not far from a water pump that is going and it is loud!  Beggars can't be choosers when it comes to camp spots now!

it is very soft sand and we hope there is no wind as the pegs go into the sand so easily that one breath of wind will rip the pegs out!
It is a spot that faces west - so a lovely afternoon spot but a terrible morning spot as there will be no sun to warm us up.
the owner of the water pump came and turned off the motor at 6pm - lucky as I would have been awake all night!
Tomorrow we reach Swan Hill only 13km down the river.

Day 16 1470km - 1448km

 Friday 22nd May = 1470km to 1448km = 22km
Total distance = 264km

It was such a cloudless morning when we woke up, will have to wear a long sleeve tonight as I woke last night with cold arms - Kouta slept at my feet part of the night and he was warm!

Our eagles were flying around this morning - I think they were waiting for us to leave.  We did see a Kite not long after we started.

 Not alot happening on the river today - the odd old Steam powered pumps - or the remains of the sheds

 usually the new pipe and pump is built alongside the old one - in the photo above you can see the small white pipe coming out of the water to a modern pump system and then a very old piece of corrugated iron covering it!

About 10km up the river we passed the river that flows into the Loddon and then into the Murray a little later on and this form Pental Island.  

 We weren't quite sure what sort of island Pental Island was - it most definitely is not like Gunbower Island  a state forest in fact Pental Island is just like the main land - farms!  Not alot of houses along this side but a few pumping stations going into clear farmed land.
Alot of straight stretches this morning and we had to have a delayed cuppa as we could not find a place to beach the kayaks - we had 3 attempts and all failed - the first was not enough clay to beach and hold the kayaks while we got out, the next was amongst big tree snags which created to swift a flow of the river and the boats couldn't be anchored to get out (thoughts of Neils kayak floating off again discouraged this beaching!) and the last was again not enough clay to anchor the kayaks.  So 30mins later we find a small beach that could take the 2 kayaks.  Not liking Pental Island!

So with this in mind we did debate just how easy it would be to find our camp spot.  We have been discussing the various house boats on this river that we have seen and we have seen all sorts from flash to basic.  A few have been for sale and we both love the lifestyle of a riverboat and we couldn't believe that we came across one for sale and it is at such a bargain price  that we are seriously considering it.  We stopped by it and had a good look at it and are thinking about putting an offer in ... it is a little bit run down and needs a bit of renovating but we think when we get to Swan Hill we will put an offer in ... what do you think?

 LOL the houseboat must have been damaged in the floods around 2011.  I like the for sale sign!

So we had sun all day today - not  a cloud in sight which means that we will probably have a very cold night tonight again!  We did struggle to find a spot to camp and in desperation we came across one near an aerial that keeps track of the tagged fish in the river but it was so boggy and messy that I said no so just down the river I found a chanel and there was a nice little area to beach the kayaks so we chose this as our camp spot - a short day and another day like today for tomorrow and a smaller one on Sunday rather than 2 long hard days into Swan Hill.

Day 15 1497km - 1470km

 Thursday 21st May = 1497km to 1470km = 27km
Total distance = 242km

Today we woke and I wished Neil a happy birthday - 56 years young!  We were surprised that it was so warm this morning - around 11 degrees - it was cloudy though.  We were away by 8.30am.  I had forgotten to mention that while we were in Barham at some point the river rose 1 meter - the campground owner mentioned it to Neil so we assume that some water must have been released at Torrumbarry Weir.  Lucky as one of the campspots we had before Barham was on the waters edge so that would now be under water!  Hopefully tonight they don't release any more water as we are close to the waters edge again tonight!
We passed the entrance or exit of the Little Murray River about 10km up the river

 and just around the corner was the remains of an old wool loading wharf

 Although we feel that we don't see as much wildlife as we do on a pushbike (I still feel it is because we cover more distance on a pushbike so naturally we would see more!) we do get to see some birds close up - like the Azure Kingfisher, this time I came across this Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
 we see millions of these (we hear them first!) but we only see them flying in the tree tops and very rarely close up unless it is a pet!  But this one was sitting on a snag and as Neil passed it didn't budge so I decided that as I floated pass I would try to take a photo and it sat perfectly still for me and didn't fly off even after I passed!

Just up the river from this we went under Gonn Crossing Bridge

 so lots to look at this morning.  While approaching the bridge which looks younger than the one at Barham I took this nice photo of Neil and Kouta
 We had a cuppa on a beach in NSW and I am really hesitant to set foot on this part of the river - there are so many signs saying no tresspass or private property but we were desperate as Victoria offered little opportunities to beach the boats.  So this one had a private property sign but we still landed and had the quickest cuppa ever!  Mind you it was a shady spot and the southern wind was blowing through so it was cold.

Relieved to get back on the river and out of the exposed winds and back into the sunshine.  This didn't last very long as the clouds soon came over!  We came across this pipe and pump station

 At first we were astonished at the size of the black pipe and thought that it is for some serious irrigation and then I referred to the map and the remains of old steam pumps and upon a second look you can see that the left corrugated sheds are the old steam pump sheds while the small add on shed on the right which is newer is the current engine room for this pump - there was also a set of power lines running from this site so I suspect that the electricity is there to run the new pump!

Not far from this and just before we found our camp spot I spotted yet another wallaby - watching this one was funny as it saw Neil and Kouta and watched them intently completely ignoring me but when I passed it it jumped out of its skin when it saw me!  It was so busy watching Kouta that it forgot that there could be something else coming up!

 So just before the 1470 marker there is a beach on the Victorian side - now beaches on the Victorian side are crap but this one was okay - it was incredibly sheltered from the wind and also it was exposed to what sun was coming through the clouds so we decided to pitch here despite the tent being on a lean towards the river!
 For dinner Neil had a korma curry for his birthday meal, we did have an extra slice of fruit cake as a birthday cake!

 This is a lovely spot we chose - we got to spend the afternoon in the warmish sun and out of the wind, unlike yesterday where our camp spot was open to the cold southerly that blew through in the afternoon that it was too cold to sit outside.  So it was nice watching birds pass by.

We do have 2 birds of prey that flew off as we arrived but hung around - very hard to get a photo of them - this is the best I could do in the evening

Just before we were to retire we saw a group of Kestrel birds fly in - there was about 15 of them (there were a few crows chasing them) and they glided around the trees just behind the tent, they glided for about 15 minutes and then we think they settled in the trees behind the tent - I hope they are quiet tonight!  There are sheep across on the NSW side and they are noisy at the moment!
Tomorrow we will more than likely be camping on Pental Island which is about 8km away from here.

Day 14 1524km to 1497km

 Wednesday 20th May = 1524km to 1497km = 27km
Total distance = 215km

We are a day later leaving Barham - it rained yesterday so we spent an extra day there.  We felt well rested leaving at 8.30am this morning.  Since Neils birthday is tomorrow I thought I would make him a birthday cake the other day.  Nothing fancy just a packet mix done in the microwave!

 So it was a nice bright sunny day for most of today and no sooner had we started we had to go under the Barham bridge

 this is a one way bridge with no lights to control flow or a dominant arrow (like NZ one way bridges) it is first come first served and believe it or not it works well - maybe because the locals are use to it ... not sure if that would happen in Summer when the non locals use it especially if they are unaware as to what happens!  The middle part of the bridge does rise when something goes through that can't fit under - but generally most house boats can fit under - maybe not the double story ones.

 this photo is taken as I go under the bridge - I could hear a truck coming and was hoping it would pass over as I went under but it was too slow!

 Both sides of the river have houses now but that soon disappears a few kms up the river.  At about the 1515km mark you come across the little Murray river which creates another island this time in NSW the island is called Campbells Island Forest Reserve.  The photo below is not a great one of the Little Murray River ...

 So we thought we would be camping on this island tonight as the Victorian side is houses, however the houses are far and few.  Since we left early our cuppa break was early and I have a little story for you about our break but first - What is wrong in this photo below? or more to the point what is missing in the photo below?

 if you can't work it out maybe these 2 photos will help!

 yes that is me having to kayak out to get Neils  kayak which had floated off while we were having our cuppa!  So here is the story ... just towards the end of the break Neil looks and sees that his Kayak is about 1m from the bank and says that shit my kayak is floating off!  You'll have to paddle out and get it Janet as it is too deep to walk in and get it.  So up I jump and paddle out to the Kayak before it gets to just pass the corner as then it would have entered the midstream and where the river flow is strongest and then I might struggle to grab it.  So I caught up to it and it still wants to go out to the midde of the stream, but I need to turn around and go back to shore which is not that easy when you have to hold Neils kayak and still paddle.  Here is Neil telling me what to do on the bank and off course I am ignoring him as his idea is just ridiculous - untie your paddle string and tie my kayak to yours and paddle - 2 things just how can I tie the kayak to mine and then paddle as it will make my kayak twice as wide and before you say tie it to the back - I suggest you try to control 2 kayaks, get up and walk to the back of your kayak to hitch Neils kayak to mine!  So I decide no it is easier to herd it in like sheep while I am turning my kayak around and then shove it in towards shore, catch up to it and then give it another shove so Neil can grab it ... and that is what we did!
The amount of times I have told Neil to watch his kayak as the river flow will pick it up and it will float off - I have lost count, he doesn't anchor his kayak enough when we have a break but will definitely anchor it at night times ... so at the end of the day do you think this is bit of an over kill?

 I think Neil has learnt his lesson!
So the arms felt okay today - a little tired towards the end.  We did have a fair bit of a headwind today as it is blowing hard from the north west and the general direction of the river flow was north west.
Our camp spot is on the Victorian side as the island on NSW doesn't provide any great camp spots that are clear and have a place to beach the kayaks.
Even Victoria wasn't easy but we are between farms!

it is a nice spot - the river has narrowed here so the water flow is fast.
Tomorrow might be hard again to find a spot as we will have houses on both sides of the river.