Highlights of Tasmania

December 11

I am on the ferry steaming away from Devenport heading back to Melbourne, I am leaving Tasmania, finally. Not that I hold anything against the state or it's people, in fact I like the people, always friendly and talkative, but it's weather, leaves much to be desired. We have been there for 2 weeks, and it rained the whole time. I can count the times I have seen the sun using only 2 fingers. I miss the sun, I miss the feeling of being dry, hell, after sleeping in the tent that one night, I would have preferred the snow, it was cold enough for it. I have to admit I probably would have enjoyed Tasmania better if we had come a week earlier, or later, or had brought my heavy duty rain gear, unfortunately none of that happened, and I leave cold, wet, and feeling almost slighted. The week before we arrived, it was hot and dry, the day we arrived 2 inches of rain, by the end of the first week we were close to 8, and it hasn't stopped. I am on the ferry, and according to the weather forecast for the island it will be 28 and sunny for the next 5 days...............I hate Tas. My experience for Tas can be summed up like so, we arrived, got wet, got wetter, got cold, saw some water falls, saw some trees, got soaked, left. If it hadn't have been for the trip to the chocolate factory and brewery, and the consumption of products made by such factory, I might have tried to swim back to the mainland last week. I have to admit chocolate and beer do miracles for moral. Anyway highlights of Tasmania, Hobart as a city is really nice, not to big, yet has enough to get by, also has 2 very important features, Cadbury Chocolate Factory, where you can pick up dirt cheap chocolate, which was very much needed, Hobart also has the Cascade brewery, which was really cool to tour. On the Peninsula I loved Fossile bay where the most powerful waves crashed in making a deafening sound which sent chills down my spine, I filmed it for later analysis. On the West side my 2 favorite features were Montisuma falls, and the drive down the old railroad bed to get into Kelly's Basin. On the North side of the state my favorite thing by far was the chainsaw carvings of the WW1 veterans in Legerwood, by far the coolest thing. Well Tas I am happy to say you are in my rear view mirror, and I think I like you better that way. Well I have to write some other blog stuff, most importantly I need to get my Convict blog together, since it is a very important part of Tasmania's history, hopefully get it written before I reach Melbourne.

Hope everyone is well.