Travel plans are like waves on the beach. They constantly change and if you aren't paying attention, they can sometimes knock you over. As was the case this past week when we arrived in Albany. Now those of you that know Albany, Oregon, let me assure you these two towns have nothing in common.

Albany has a rich history as a major shipping port and military port during WWI & WWII. The country developed an amazing defense system to protect this port, which nature had already begun by creating a very narrow entry into it between two land masses. The Australian military built concealed bunkers and look-outs to monitor the harbor entrance to be sure no one entered that wasn't supposed to. The remnants of this installation are still there, and we spent a great deal of time exploring this. Some fun shots of me taking aim on some of the big guns.

Besides the man-made sights to see, there are beautiful beaches, spectacular rock formations, and great wilderness to explore. A five minute drive from downtown has you out in very rural landscapes with almost no traffic and plenty of open space.

We also visited a wind farm which can produce up to 75% of the power for the entire city of 32,000 people. Very impressive!

We had planned to stay two nights and then drive to Wave Rock. In the end, we wound up spending an extra day and skipping Wave Rock. I guess we'll have to come back and do it next time:) The extra day was well worth it. Sometimes you just have to forget the plan and go with your instincts.

The place we stayed, Bayview Backpackers, was run by two of the greatest hosts we have had at a backpackers. Peter and Kathy made it a point to walk each guest all through the facility and introduce them to the other guests as they did so. This was a wonderful way for everyone to break the ice, and it made for a very pleasant stay. They also both know the area very well, and had wonderful suggestions for things to see and do. In all honesty, we never would have stayed the extra day if Kathy hadn't taken a map of the area and marked out different sights for us and showed us photos of them on our arrival. If you are ever in Albany, Australia be sure and stay at Bayview Backpackers. I promise you'll enjoy it.

While we were there, we had the pleasure of meeting an English woman, Pauline, who was traveling with her two children, Frankie (11-12) and Harriet (15-16). She had taken them out of school for a year and the three of them were going around the world. Amazing! They had been in the US, the Bahamas, Russia, China and New Zealand. They were going to be in Australia for quite some time and will end their trip in July. I thought Val and I had taken on a pretty big trip, but I can't even imagine doing this with two children, especially as a single parent. I tip my hat to her and wish them all the best on their remaining journey.

And finally, we drove back to Perth today and will be here for a few days before we jump on the bus to parts north where I intend to break out the SCUBA gear and get wet!

Until then ,

Eric & Val