The Mussel Inn

(photo courtesy of my man Chipotle)

It doesn't happen often, but you know those moments when you feel like you're in a scene from some old favorite movie? That was last night at the Mussel Inn. Tucked away in a little tree grove halfway between the Golden Bay hamlets of Takaka and Collingwood, this roadside pub could easily be missed if you weren't looking for it.

As night settles in around us, the soft din of long awaited conversations can be heard from all corners of the large front patio. Familiar faces from the ICE keep streaming into the bustling bar... sporting fresh tans and loose summer clothing, everyone seems caught up in the richness of the moment.

Pints of beer slosh back and forth as animated hands tell stories around the campfire. Toofless Sean takes the stage within the bar, and those that can, cram inside to watch one of our own captivate the unknowing locals. The rest of us nestle around the campfire and enjoy the melodies filtering out the open windows.

After the show, the patio's thinned a bit, and I'm enjoying a chat with Bija as the clouds above let loose a light rain. The warm mist barely dampens the t-shirt on my back and I can't help but let out an easy laugh.

Nirvana on Abel Tasman

The first of many tramps I hope to do, the Abel Tasman Coastal Track turns out to be - quite possibly - the most beautiful 4 days of my life. Roughly 53km along the NW coast of the South Island, I don't even know how to summarize my sprawling journal entries.

I'll go with this... Top 10 Highlights from Abel Tasman!

1). DA Johny... so funny, dry and easy-going. Couldn't have asked for a better hiking buddy. (PIC: start of Day-2 at Anchorage Bay)

2). 4 consecutive beautiful sunny days. I hiked the entire track in my sandals... sweet! (PICS: Day-1 approaching Stillwell Bay, lunch at Stillwell Bay, Johny points the way to Anchorage Bay)




3). On Day 2, stumbling into Shelton (one of my favorite people from the ICE) eating lunch on a beach at Bark Bay. The three of us hiked together the rest of the way. (PIC: Start of Day-3 at Onetahuti Beach)

4). Beach camping... the prettiest campsites I've ever seen... (PIC: my tent at Totaranui Beach)

5). Having 2 frosty pints of beer with my lunch of colby cheese, pepperoni sticks and dried peaches on Day 3. We walked our smelly backpacking selves into the fancy Awaroa Lodge which was just off the trail.

6). Learning that the guide book was right... the 4th day is indeed the best day. (PIC: descending toward Wainui Bay on Day-4... can you find Shelton?)

7). Tidal Crossings... I've never walked through tidal flats. (PIC: Johny in Torrent Bay Tidal Crossing)

8). Turquoise water always within sight. (PIC: Day-2 from the trail)

9). Exploring a small gave with our headlamps on Onetahuti Beach. Unknowingly discovering glow worms!

10). Easy hitchhiking to Takaka... 20km from the end of the trail. Pizza and beer tasting so good. (PIC: tired and happy at Wainui Car Park)

You can click on the pictures for a larger view, or click HERE to see more pictures from our hike.

John & Betsy... 440km from Christchurch to Nelson

Guest Writer: Ole' Betsy

This lil' feller here... the one with the tattoo... he asked me to write a spot about me last day. And a fine last day it was, though I was sad to see off my bloke John. John and me, we've traveled the South Island for a good 2 weeks now. What a calamitous last day.

It's half past 10:00 this morn' when John comes strolling up with this motley crew... a tall skinny one, Jeff, I think... the lil' tattooed one I was speaking of... and a smaller beady-eyed one, Eric, I think. I'm parked on the street and as the boys approach I'm getting written up by a parking officer. A nice guy, this officer, but why the need for a $400 ticket? No "registration" or "warrant of fitness", he says... well, what'd you expect from a rusty '85 Mazda Capella. Besides... another officer wrote me up for $400 just last night. What's the point? Ole' John's leaving in 2 weeks anyhow... he isn't gonna pay no $800. Shoot, John only paid $400NZ for me anyway.

We drop off the beady-eyed one at the YMCA and shove off, headin' North to Kaikoura. The lil' tattooed one is bouncing up and down in the back seat shaking the tall feller and John by the shoulder... he's blabbering 'bout finally getting out of town or somethin'.

We're some 100km out of Christchurch, maybe halfway to Kaikoura when a highway patrol car, one of those that's all stealthy and looks like a regular car, pulls me over. "No registration or warrant of fitness" the lady officer says. John shows her we already got $800 in tickets, so she lets me off with just a stern warning. Three times in less than a day? What are the chances?

The boys tape a receipt in the windshield so that it looks like we have the proper registration and such, at least from afar, and the rest of the drive is quite uneventful. The tall feller plays some Johny Cash, which I'm quite fond of, and we wind along the 2-lane highway.

In Kaikoura, John drives me over to a beach park that has some seal colony. The boys disappear for nearly 3 hours. They come strolling back over, blabbering about how they went for some beautiful hike. "Cows grazing, lavender fields, sweeping views and seal colonies!" they boast. (PICS) Whatever... I just sat here and baked in the sun the whole while.


The boys decide to cook their meals right there in the parking lot... so at least I has some company again. That's me on the left there. We hear about free beach camping 5km North of town, so off we go. In hind sight, I should've seen those tickets as a bad sign. Wouldn't you know it... as we drive over these railroad tracks to the camp ground, me exhaust system is ripped right out from under me. You should've seen the mess... 3m of exhaust pipe and muffler jutting out the side. The lil' tattooed feller... he had to tie up the pipe just so I could be pushed off the railroad tracks.

Well, at least I got the boys to a beautiful camping spot... a fine sunset behind me as well. John looks sad, and I hear them other two boys try to cheer him up. I can hear them on the beach, drinking beers as the stars come out. So that's pretty much it. The boys decide to worry about me in the mornin'... what a day.

...

John, Jeff and I (all DA's from the ICE) wake up the next morning to the sun rising over the Pacific. We break down our campsite and hike the 100 yards back to our broken down ride. Betsy looks worse in the day light. We manage to bend the exhaust pipe back behind the rear wheels and up on the trailer hitch, but there's still a section scrapping the ground. If there's any hoe of getting this car to town we have to bend the scrapping section off the ground. John jacks up the rearend and Jeff places some rocks under the low hanging section of pipe. John lowers the jack, but it is evident that weight of the car alone isn't enough to bend the pipe. I suggest we all climb on the bumper and jump up-and-down. That does the trick, and we're able to roll into town. What a sight we are... Reeking of exhaust and scrapping the pavement at every bump.


The mechanic says she's not worth fixing, but we're able to sell her to a man next door for $50. John seems at peace with how things turned out for Betsy. Jeff is hitching back South to Christchurch, where he's catching a flight to Samoa tomorrow. John and I are hitching North to Nelson, so we say our farewells.

Hitching in New Zealand, as it turns out, is the best way to get around. Free rides and personal encounters with interesting locals and travelers. Our first hitch takes us only 15 minutes of waiting. Kevin takes us 125km North to Blenheim in his delivery truck. Kind and talkative, he tells us of the local geography between puffs on his cigarette. in Blenheim we wait nearly an hour before Adam, a young guy working for the forestry department, picks us up in his van. He takes us 25km to Renwick, where we wait only another 20 minutes before we're picked up again. An English family on a month long vacation stops their rental van for us. With our longish hair, they mistook us for a couple of girls... how funny. Can't remember mom and dad's names, but 11-year-old Jack and 8-year-old Harry were a blast. Their backseat horseplaying reminds me of road trips with my Starving Artist Brother... how we used to torment our parents.

The 100km ride flies by. In Nelson, John and I settle into Bumble's Backpackers, then head out in search of some beers and dinner. What a great start to my New Zealand travels.

Life

It's all around me. Stepping off the plane at Christchurch, I'm nearly knocked over by the warm moist air, sweet with the scent of fresh cut grass. Every breath tests my lung capacity.

Later that night, walking the streets to the pub & eatery, I can't help but stare at the unfamiliar faces. So strange to be anonymous once more. Flashing lights, cars, children, dogs, trees - bushes - and grass!

Sipping draft beer on the patio, crowded around a small table, we take turns looking up at the night sky... mesmerized. Bermie suggests we take a moonlit walk through the nearby botanical gardens. Eight of us, pints of beer in hand, wander the lush botanic gardens in a dreamlike state. We reach up and touch low hanging branches...

In the rose garden, I slip out of my sandals and feel the soft grass under my bare feet.

Travel Plans... Ahhh Yaaa!

This is me, loving life...

- 2 months in New Zealand... mostly on the South Island. Cramming in as much tramping (backpacking) as my time and aging body (yes, it's happening already) will permit.

- About 6 weeks in SE Asia... thinking Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. No definite itinerary... it's better that way, right?

- 5/30 to 6/4 in Hawaii in route to Seattle.

- 6/5 back in Seatown... great coffee, micro-brews, the Olympics, the Cascades, and my great friends! 8 months will have flown by.

What About Next Season?

It's a question that floated around McMurdo Station like the inescapable smell of fuel, volcanic dust, and food cooking in the galley. Who's coming back next season? 99% of people answer... "Maybe. I don't know. We'll see after traveling." I've pretty much given the same answer for the last month...

"Yes, hopefully, but my chances aren't great. I'm applying for only 4 positions, and they are all pretty reachy. Everybody applies for these jobs. I'm only applying for jobs that'll get me outside away from station, or will teach me something new."

Which jobs? you may ask.

Well, they are...

1. Fuels Operator or "Fuelie"... handles all distribution and management of fuel. Refuels planes, building tanks, and field camp tanks.

2. Meteorological Technician or "MET Tech"... works at field camps (3 to 40 people). Trained as the camp weather-person; works as a general hand otherwise.

3. Carpentry or "Carp"... with my experience, likely only applying for a GA (general assistant) or "helper" positions. Does general carpentry work around station and occasionally at field camps.

4. Instrument Technician or "IT"... position is at the smallest USAP station - Palmer Station, on the Chilean side of the Antarctic Continent. Entails ordering, maintenance, trouble shooting, calibration and issuing of analytical instruments used by researchers.

Like I said... reachy at best. But, might as well aim high, right? If I get any of the jobs, next season will be my second and final season on the ICE... for a while anyway.

Sneak Previews! - Final Antarctic Posts.

So there's no good excuse for 1.5 months with no updates. I suppose I could blame it on a combination of things... slow connection speed, preoccupation on the ICE, 60hr work weeks, too many interesting people to spend my limited time with... but, those are all pretty weak excuses. I suppose, ultimately, I'd planned on plugging in my laptop when I reached New Zealand and throwing up a bunch of posts. Well... that won't be happening either. I just learned my little laptop is a little under the weather - spyware (I think) or a virus (God, I hope not) somehow climbed into my system. Either way, I'll have to wait until I return to Seattle before I can fix whatever ails my computer. Until then, the following posts, and the pictures that go along with them, will lie dormant on the C:drive...

NYC010105: Remembering the best New Year's Eve... Cooler Than He Knows Brother & Me unleashed on NYC.

Galley Runners: My DA Homeboys (Ed & Gavin) run the Antarctic Marathon. Ed's first... how cool is that?

ICE Rugby: McMurdo Station (USA) vs. Scott Base (New Zealand). A showdown that might make it into the Guinness Book for the "Southern Most International Rugby Match". My first rugby match, and I'm hooked. NZ wins 5-0... the closest match ever!

Outdoor Work Detail: Remember when Morgan Freeman, in The Shawshank Redemption, states "And wouldn't you know it? Me and some boys I know were amongst the names called... And May is one fine month to work outdoors." He's talking of the "special work detail," when the prisoners get to tar the roof of a new building. Morgan continues... "We could've been tarring the roof of one of our own houses. We were the lords of all creation." Well, for 2 weeks in January, me and another DA were picked to work outside for the FEMC (Facilities Engineering Maintenance Construction) department. Back breaking labor - spades, pick-axes, and rock-bars in hand, we chopped, smashed, and shoveled frozen rock & earth for 10hrs a day. Our hands and backs ached... but January was one fine moth to work outdoors, and I couldn't help but think of Morgan Freeman's words.

Fresh Perspectives From Castle Rock: Hiking with a new friend from Montana. Remembering without photos. Tandem sledding on Big Red. SE Asia - stop the dreaming and commit... in 3 days!

Ship Offload: The annual arrival of ice breakers, the cargo vessel, and fuel tanker. What an ordeal.

Castle Rock Camping: Having made it through the entire season without participating in the Snow Camping Course ("Happy Camper"), I decided to have my own rogue camping trip. I sneak out of town at 10PM, set up my tent at the base of Castle Rock, make some hot chocolate, and enjoy an evening of solitude outdoors.

So, I'm going off of memory here... the actual posts, already written on my laptop, promise to be far more interesting... check back in June!