Canada

28/12/13
After 20 hours in the air I arrive in Vancouver, from tropical Queensland to cold and bleak Vancouver. Already with 24 hours of travel I have been on a roller coaster. Funny things happen when you get into the fatigue state. Feeling like death on the plane with a headache and fatigue, I was beginning to regret my 2 months of late nights and early mornings and non stop adventure. That thought came into my head, that uncertainty a weary traveller feels. The "what the hell am I doling" thought. But you push through, knowing that this is part of your journey, your adventure, for there is no greater adventure in life, then those experienced overseas.  And so the constant search for more depth in life continues.

2/1/14
Well, were to start... The first week has been full of intense moments, I guess you have to expect that when travelling. I guess I will start with my time in Vancouver. The start of my trip has already been an incredible journey. In 24 hours I have already found an amazing travel buddy and friend. It all started with the flight from Brisbane, as I was lucky enough to sit next to her. From here we spent 3 days exploring Vancouver, living up the start of our incredible journey. It is amazing the like minded people who come into your life when you are following your dreams and  putting yourself out there.

I arrived in Whistler New Year's Eve, to spend it with my favourite travel buddy. While I had a great time as the clock ticked over, I got very sick, very quickly. Thankfully I had only had a few drinks, as I got a raging fever and chest infection  that made me bed ridden for the first couple of days of the new year. I am determined to get better though, it is now snowing, which means a good day of boarding tomorrow. Body, you better be ready, cause nothing can stop me from snow boarding in fresh snow. Feeling pretty unwell, but so determined to get out there.

4/1/14
Day 2 in the slopes and I was straight into the back country with some hard core boarders. These tree runs were not for the faint hearted, they were steep and unforgiving, but I love a challenge, and thankfully I made it out alive. With some epic crashes, one involving about three rolls, thankfully into powder snow, got stuck in some trees, and did an epic 360 getting my board caught in the snow and regaining my feet to continue on the run, all in one swift motion, don't even know how that happened.

Anyway, I proved myself worthy today, so I think I am officially initiated in with the full time boarders. Ready for anything now... While I love the adrenaline rush of the difficult back country, nothing beats the feeling of flying down a nicely groomed run flat chat, closest feeling to flying I reckon.

7/1/14

Being boarding for 5 days straight now, my legs are hurting and the snow is getting thinner. I am giving every run my all, every jump and mogil. By the end of the day every turn hurts my aching muscles, but every day I am ridding with boarders that know their stuff, I need to learn a lot every day. I need to get stronger, faster, and more confident, but for now I am only just keeping up with the guys. I am determined to get out there every day, I want to do the tricks, the switch foot, the terrain parks, the 360's and the epic jumps. I have 4 weeks left, time to get serious...

8/1/14

You take a fall, a hard hit, your fingers are so cold they hurt, your body so tired it burns and yet you push on, you push on to get better, faster, stronger. It is not for the success, it is chasing that feeling, of reaching your potential. The feeling of such great speeds you feel you are flying, such heights, you feel limitless, and great tricks, that even blow your own mind and expectations. This is what life is all about... No, it is not all about snowboarding, it is all about pushing your own limits, finding it with in yourself, your own greatness. It is not what you find when you compare yourself to others, but rather, that feeling of inner accomplishment and growth... Never let anyone shrink your own potential, because you are capable of great things...

14/1/14

Today was a bit of a wake up call of caution. I got an epic hit to the head after pushing myself that little bit harder on a jump. I guess you can't call it an accident when you push yourself to ride faster and jump higher. My snow boarding had been improving every day, but today I pushed my boundaries a little too much, but  I still have many more things I want to achieve on the slopes before I move on from this snow boarders paradise they call Whistler. I have now been riding 12 days straight, my muscles are sore, but my love for this strange sport is ever so strong. No knock will keep me down...

17/1/14
Snow boarding has become so much more than a fun sport... In my 17 days of boarding I have done many a tree runs and seen amazing scenery. From cliff face, to peak views. Some days I really do feel like I am on top of the world! Flying down a steep slope, literally feels like flying. Floating through fresh powder snow up to the waist and getting air on jumps, again... Feels like flying. Mastering a new trick, or landing an epic jump gives you satisfaction like no other. Discovering new terrain or hiking up a glacier to make some fresh tracks, snow boarding is an adventure like no other.

19/1/14
In the 2 months I have been travelling I have come to see one thing... Everything around you may be in constant state of change with adventure around every corner...but your internal battles remain the same. You can't travel to escape yourself, but you sure can travel to expand your understanding of this world we live in.

21/1/14
Every day amazes me here in the snow with new experiences and new achievements. I am Improving every day, regardless of the competition. I must share all my triumphs, for I am reaching a level of snow boarding I never dreamed of.
When I came to whistler I dreamed of boarding some back country and powder... I achieved that on my second day on the slopes...
Then I wanted to go to bigger jumps... I got so much time in the air and began landing nearly every jump... So then I wanted to land a 180... Mastered that today. Now I want to master the "big" jumps and before I leave I want to land a 360!

On top of the daily achievements I get some unexpected surprises... Boarding with guys that know their stuff that are fun to board with and can teach me more... Finding freshly groomed runs first thing in the morning, when I am by myself and get the whole run to myself making first tracks... Then today, going for a short easy day and end up boarding for nearly 8 hours, with some beers on top of the mountain watching the sunset! So today I not only got to make fresh tracks with a whole slope to myself... But I got to have beer on top of the world (or so it feels) with great company, and some new acquaintances and then get the whole mountain to ourself as we board down. Yeah, today was one of the best days!

Other highlights include... Boarding powder, finding new tree runs and right up there... Hiking to some untouched slopes with some awesome people, such fresh snow. Then later finding out that it was a high risk area for avalanches... Oops.

Unfortunately pushing your limits comes with consequences... The epic stacks can sometimes hurt. Almost getting whip lash with daily knocks to the head, getting winded on those face plants, landing on icy patches, not quite landing those big jumps... Yeah it hurts, but the rewards of reaching new heights and speeds is definitely worth it!

Road trip across Australia

29/11/13
Today I set off for an epic road trip across Australia with my brother. We packed bare essentials for our camping expedition, to keep the trip simple. With my swag, surf board, fishing rod and SLR camera packed in the ute it was bound to be a fun trip. We set off with only two destinations in mind, first stop would be near Canberra for my cousins engagement party, then Manjimup in southern WA to visit my sister.

1/12/13
Now with the engagement party over we had less than a week to make it 4000 kilometres across Australia. So our plan now was to cover as many kilometres as we could. As the sun was getting lower we looked out for camping spots that might be on the river bank. After living in far North Queensland for 2 years my first instincts are to beware of crocs, cassowary's and jellyfish. Having the freedom to camp and even swim near a river still seemed like a novelty. But that is exactly what we did, found a secluded river bank and lay out or swags. This was pure bliss to have the luxury of sleeping under the stars. Such an amazing feeling to wake up, look at the stars and have nature, nurture you back to sleep. Camping in nature around Australia seems to really heal the soul.

3/12/13

Feeling like we had made good ground so far, we decided to take a detour to the Flinders Rangers. I knew it was quite iconic to South Australia, so we set off to cover 500 kilometres, our shortest day yet. 

While there was stunning scenery on the way, the flinders seemed to be in quite a state of drought, and we were actually the only people in the whole place, well apart from one passing car. We arrived at 2pm in the blistering sun. Due to the Barron state of the place there was no running water, however we did have taps, so we were drenching ourselves with water bottles to avoid heat stroke. I thought I would take the opportunity to set up my hammock. After two beers I felt sufficiently drunk with my blood vessels dilated due to the heat, so I curled up in the hammock and used the inspiration to write and dream of future ventures. Today I wrote down my dreams of the future for the first time, it was 

quite exhilarating. 

Despite the heat, I felt the urge, as always to go adventuring. With no map, I relied on the few signs around. This was quite an amazing walk, with the expansive gorges as far as the eye could see, and rolling thunder with a storm brewing. I did get a little wet, but even with my camera in my bag, it was very much welcomed to cool me down.

5/12/13

Now in the middle of nowhere, 500 kilometres from the WA boarder at the end of the Nullabour we managed to stumble across a gem. A sheep property that offered a lovely outback camp ground. Once again, I woke with the sun, a little unsure of the time now that we were in WA. I went on a great adventure up the hills to see some amazing views, plenty of kangaroos up close and personal, and a few wild sheep. Morning really is my favourite, as I have the whole place to myself for at least an hour before everyone else begins to wake.

7/12/13

Now on the WA Coast line I finally get to see the sun set over the ocean. We find ourself in yallingup, as I get all my favourite things in one afternoon, a bush walk, ocean and photography on the cliff face as the sun sets. Now Yallingup might sound like an unusual name, but in south western Australia, it is unusual not to have a town ending in "up". They say that "up" in the indigenous language means meeting place, so there are a lot of meeting places over here. Tomorrow we finally arrive at my sisters place in, wait for it.... Manjimup.

14/12/13

Today I got to experience The Great Australian Bight. Such a visual extraviganzer, with its soaring cliff face and white sandy beaches. It was not possible to drive down to the beach due to the cliff face, but a bit of adventuring on foot got me down the rocky steep walls. Then it was a walk through some Barron bush lands, and finally the sand dunes. A photographers playground, I was in a frenzy. Never had I seen such a sight, with towering white sand dunes, blue ocean waters to the south and a towering cliff face to the north. I wanted to stay here a whole day, but the sun was nearly setting, and I had my sights set on  the wispy waves and sunset. So some quick photos on the dunes, and then a rush to the beach. I got there just in time, found the perfect spot and in my excitement  I left my bag with my lenses and shoes a little to close as the tide was coming in. After my blissful haze of photography and spiritual connection to the amazing earth we live on, I turned around to find my bag and shoes drenched. I was so high on all the excitement and natural beauty that I just smiled and carried on. This was by far, the most incredible adventure and even moment I have had yet in my short 24 years of living on this beautiful planet. 

16/12/13

After travelling over 3000 kilometers through out South Australia, covering the Flinders ranges, Eyre Peninsula, the Nallabour and Adelaide, I have come to see that it has three things going for it... Amazing salt lake, rugged ocean shore lines and 10 cents for recycling each of your bottles. Yeah, the whole of South Australia is very desolate and their beaches, while stunning to look at, are not good for swimming with no waves, shallow sand bars and a whole lot of seaweed. 

22/12/13

12000 kilometres, 5 capital cities, 5 states, a kilo of almonds and a whole lot of coffee, 23 days later, I arrive home safe and sound with my brother. Had 24 hours home to pack for 4 seasons, hiking, snow boarding in 4 completely different countries. Said hi to all my animals, booked the inca trail and accommodation for the first month in Canada and a whole stack of other things and it is now time to leave for Dorrigo to have Christmas with my family. Just another day in my year of freedom...

Solo Road Trip'n

23/11/13

Phase three of my endless travel went very smoothly. This trip actually started with my level 4 Ka Huna massage course, but I will leave those experiences for my spiritual blogs. This Ka Huna massage is an ancient Hawaiian healing art, and heals deep to the soul. Man was I on an absolute high after this course, after spending the first couple of days integrating back into society in the bushlands of Imbil, it was time to set off on yet another road trip.

Coolum beach was the first stop, with surf board, mountain bike, swag and massage table packed, this was sure to be a great trip. I spent one night camping on the beach… in a tent, with Cailin. I was keen to get my board in the water again, but nervous looking at these monstrous waves, I can’t even use this board, how the hell am I meant to get out the back? So we have a drink to ease the nerves, then out we go. Wave after wave I get washed off my board, then finally I make it out there, exhausted! I soon realised that I was not quite ready for these waves as I still could not stand up on my 6.4 inch short board. So I played like a kid in the white water.

I was ever so lucky to have my parents staying at Coolum at the same time, so again, free accommodation, this time for two nights at a resort. I payed for my room and meals through massage, yep, mum and dad got a nice long Ka Huna massage as I got to try out my new moves. I could have stayed in this paradise for the whole week, but I had 1700 kilometres of road trip’n to do, oh yeah, and friends to visit. It seems weird to say this, but even though I have a whole year off work, I am just as busy as I always have been. With so much to fit in before leaving for Canada, I did not have a day to myself, no chill out day. I guess that is how I live my life though, in a constant state of change and adventuring.

Next stop was Blackwater to catch up with a very special friend from school. This day I spent nearly nine hours on the road, but I was still flying high from my massage retreat and relaxing beach time, so to my amazement I only needed one coffee. This is unheard of for me, as I have fallen asleep at the wheel a few times before, as I get driver fatigue pretty badly when I drive alone, but not this time! My head was full of dreams and thoughts of the future, I felt unstoppable.

I spent a few days in Blackwater, spreading the aloha spirit through massage to my two friends who were amazing hosts. Once again, so blessed to have free accommodation and cheap, healthy food.  Also, there may not be much in Blackwater, but they do have an amazing National Park. It was in this National Park that I found one of the best swimming holes I have experienced, and that is saying a lot after spending two years in tropical Far North Queensland.

Once again, I had a bit of a tight schedule, so after only two days in Blackwater it was time to head off again. Another nine hour drive, but this time to Kingaroy to see my paramedic friends whom I had worked with for the past year. These friends mean a lot to me, as they had become my family while in Kingaroy. The days spent with them brought me in touch with my emotional side, as I realised how all my travel had distanced me from those who I care about. I often get lonely in my travels, because as soon as I settle into a place, it is time to leave already. But this is my path in this world, there is too much to learn and experience to stay in the one place for too long.

So with a heavy heart, I left my Kingaroy family again and headed to the big smoke. Off to Brisbane to see my friends one last time, before I embark on my overseas travel. I always love visiting Brisbane, because it means massage swaps, dream sharing and inspiring, and mountain biking. Yeah, I have a pretty good life. 

East Coast

23/10/13

From the red dust to the ritzy Melbourne, what a contrast. I arrive into Melbourne airport with my bag and swag and make my way to the city to meet up with a friend. I enjoy the fine dining Melbourne has to offer, such a novelty after a year of living out west. Then it is off to catch up with my road trip’n friend Cailin. We are travelling buddies from way back, covering New Zealand, Vietnam and Japan and soon to be Whistler, all for the love of snow boarding, except for Vietnam that is.

So we leave Melbourne with surf boards packed and limited camping gear and head for Wollongong. We are very grateful to have some free accommodation and food thanks to Cailin’s family. Now we are both living a year without a wage, any money saved is a massive bonus.

From the beautiful beaches of Wollongong to the quiet national park of Bootie Bootie near Forster. This was an interesting day… with 2 hours of delays and detours due to the devastating fires round Newcastle we were glad to get to our next camp before sunset. Of course the craziness did not end there. We attempt to set up camp on the beach, but get absolutely mauled by mosquitos. Like I said earlier, we had very limited camping gear, we kinda lacked the most important thing… a tent. We soon realised this was not going to work, so we lugged our gear back to the car and looked for some backpacker accommodation. We thought we had found a place, until we arrived to find what almost looked like a retirement village in Forster. So we bailed on this booking, and booked into a cabin in the national park. Now the irony here is that it was a Christian camp with a big sign saying how alcohol ruins lives, so we had to “sneak” our two cartons of grog into the cabin and hide our empty bottles. The alcohol helped numb the irritation from our mosquito bites, cause we were covered in itchy bites.

The next day we were off to Byron Bay. Finally we had a chance to get out our surf boards. I had bought a second hand short board in Wollongong, so this was going to be hilarious with an amateur surfer trying to stand up on a short board, but hey, I gave it a go. So one night in a backpackers and it was time to head home. A whirl wind trip, but it was nice to see 2000 kilometers of beautiful Australian landscapes as well as some amazing beaches.

Home Base

15/10/13

First stop of course was home base, our grain farm near Goondiwindi. From the moment I got home it was go, go, go. With harvest beginning I was straight into the truck to carry 20 tone loads of wheat, linseed and chickpeas from the paddock to the silos. Now trucks are built for men, so driving these rusty old paddock trucks is not an easy job. Sitting on the edge of the seat, hanging off the stirring wheel, fully loaded almost creates as must adrenaline for me as driving the ambulance code one, lights and sirens through the city. Then there are the long days, 12 hours, 14 hours every day for two weeks, in the hot sun with a red dust tan. Many might think this sounds crazy, but man do I love it!