I love Australia, but am still yet to make it over west...I love travelling, especially on my bike. I can roam for hours and days if life lets me. I love the long roads, the different people, and the wildlife when you get out in the boonies. I love the Queensland weather for roaming, but enjoy the historical aspects of wandering about down south...there are lots of things to learn down there, it's not quite so 'fun in the sun' like up here, but there's some interesting places down there. Old gaols...historical towns...I like that stuff.

I have only been overseas once to the Old Country, travelling through England, Scotland and Wales back in the 80's. The most memorable moments of the trip were stopping at Dubai airport on the way and lining up for 25 minutes for the loo, only to find I was supposed to pee over this weird grate thing! Very freaky... even in the bush we build seats. I also thought the snow was pretty trippy...well, maybe drippy is a better word. I expected it to be fluffy and soft. It's not. I loved the architecture over there and still do...amazing old buildings that ooze a million stories. I remember feeling sorry for the Queen having to live behind those fences like monkeys at the zoo.

lol...hi Nic..Snow is soft and fluffy...at first...wind and such make it hard...come next winter i'll gladly send ours your way...

I live in plains country...flat as a pancake...a drive on the highway and we can see for miles...and miles...and miles...lol We have a man made lake in the city, does that count??? actually they just emptied it and redug,,,rebuilt..so it's looking much better...tons of geese call it home everyyear..

I'm from Calgary originally...i grew up being able to look out the window and see the mountains in the distance...beautiful..breath taking..i miss that...

Bragg Creek in Alberta is truly breathtaking...when and if i ever retire i always wanted to live there...i'm in love with forest terrain...

Banff alberta is in the middle of the Rocky mountains...Banff hot springs in the winter is an experience like no other...and tons of Skiing...its actually a resort. One summer, many moons ago...we hiked Lake Louise in the summer, its usually a skiing attraction in winter, the only way to get to a certain lake is by hiking...no roads...That was awesome...new hiking boots though...blister city!!!

Nanaimo , British Columbia is heaven on earth...a ferry is the only way to get to it from Vancouver. In February when most of Canada is in a deep freeze people there are wearing shorts, flowers are blooming, mowing grass, The vast ocean is something to be seen for sure!!!

I visited the columbian Ice fields once when i was in high school...in Alberta..water falls freeze mid stream...when the sun shines on the ice its just beautiful!!!

I won a trip to Hawaii when i was 8 years old...thats where i found out pineapples don't grow on trees...they have pineapple patches...they grow out of the ground like lettuce...go figure?!

I've lived in Manitoba...similar to Saskatchewan where i live now...winters suck!!!

Camping and fishing are my most favorite things...Duck mountain has been my most favorite so far, its on the manitoba, sask border. Lakes galore...being near water seems to soothe my soul.

Gotta watch out for the bears though...

Nature is definitely a HP that speaks to me.

I live ina an apartment in a city ...i've been wondering how, on my little back porch, i'm on the top of 3 floors...i could beautify it with some plants....or instead maybe a mini garden in pots or window boxes...not much room but where there's a will there's a way right?? Any suggestions??

\\// Wendy

Hey Nic!!  Hows it goin there mate??

Just found Stans phone number in England--going to give  him a call this weekend. Now--if I can remember the time difference, everything will be ok.:) If I wake him up, there could be reactions.hahaha

Have a good week!!

My dad was in the navy, so I've been all over the states. Mostly we lived in Fla and I ended up in Tx after I got married. Now I'm in the black hills of Wyoming. I get to look out the window at mountains and snow all winter long. Winters aren't too bad here...it only drops below zero for a month or so. I'm real close to Sturgis SD so if anyone goes to bike rally in August you should let me know. I've lived in big cities, small towns and now am in a flash on the road. I like where I'm at...gotta get used to driving for everything,though. My dream is to get to Ireland, scotland, and all those places. Maybe when I'm rich and famous!! Love, cheri

I've been though most of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Pretty wasted the first few trips way back in the 70's. The last 5 trips to SE Asia have been sober and wonderful experiences. Nothing like hooking up with a meeting in a far away place. Of course, some places don't have meetings so I try to carry the message and bring literature and Grapevines when in remote places. I've always loved to travel but it's so much better sober. Haven't been anywhere yet where there weren't alcoholics. Cultures can be a real barrier though to understanding alcoholism.

i have not spent muchtime other in the midwest where the summers are hot and the winter are very cold i spent two years in mass near boston very pretty there and also lived in egemont sd  worked out a appliance store in new castle wyo and hot springs sd now i am in a small town in northwest iowa that about all for mebless all wagon

What a fascinating look at the world that is...

Wendy had me in a convertible smiling across the plains with the wind in my hair like in the opening scenes of Thelma and Louise, but that movie just shows what can happen when two girls go to the pub...so I will just snap out of that thought, right now.

I would very much like to do a bike tour of the US I think...my mate and I have mentioned that and stuck it in the to do/retirement file. Sturgis...I remember in my teens seeing write ups of sturgis...hotdogs on strings...it may well have been one of the things that made me determined not to ever be satisfied with the pillion seat.

I have a globe sitting on my hard drive. I bought it last week to remind me that there is a big wide world beyond my own little world. I can't quite work out why the US is considered united when there is such a big place (Canada) in the middle of it. I tried looking for the places you have all mentioned. I found some of them. According to this globe the US and Aus are relative in size. Anyone know if that is right?

Phil, can't actually say how Stan is going right at the moment mate...he has been in touch, and it is hard to tell sometimes. He is laughing, but some sentences remain unfinished.

Cheri, I can spend all day wandering about aimlessly, and then come home to find I have to go get groceries or something and I roll my eyes like its a trip to the moon..no idea why..but yes, it is weird when there isn't a corner shop anymore, isn't it?

Cultures...you know Hanuman, I think sometimes sub-cultures are even trickier, because you kind of expect that things are standard or at least similar across cultures, and they often aren't. I attended a Finnish AA meeting when I first joined AA...it was the funniest thing! It was listed on the meeting list and I went thinking they would tell me how to finish...lol. Arrived and found all these ESL members and couldn't work out what was going on. Still makes me laugh today. You can imagine how quickly that story made the rounds of English speaking meetings...lol.

I am not sure of all the abbreviations Wagon. I am slowly getting to understand them...TX, FL, NY...mmm, yes well, I have them worked out! Has anyone actually mentioned that there isn't a standard method in those abbreviations? They are kinda tricky to fathom at first. Sometimes they use first letters, others they just seem to pick any ol letter... According to my globe, the midwest would be around the Great Salt Lakes...is that right? We have a salt lake in South Aus, called Lake Eyre, that I visited as a child. I remember feeling quite surprised by it, because it didn't (in my childs mind) seem at all natural. I thought someone had dumped it all there.

It is a wonderful world really...and I have enjoyed learning about everyones home turf. Thanks for sharing it with me.