Sorry for the Silence. We're Back Online

Crikies! The fact we haven't posted in a few days isn't due to inattention. It's just that we've been in areas where wi-fi isn't accessible to travelers, or where the Internet is prohibitively expensive.

Anyway, there's quite a bit to bring you up to speed on.

We are on a clockwise-direction tour of Tasmania, basically starting at 12:00 (Launceston, Tamar wine country and Bridport) and ending at 6:00 (the capitol of Hobart).

From our last posting in St. Helens, we headed just north to Binalong Bay, gateway to the Bay of Fires, called the world's second-best beach in 2005 by Conde Nast Traveler magazine. On our arrival, we quickly set out for a long hike north along the bay's white sandy beaches, only to quickly turn back when a dark and foreboding cloud came out of the south on its way from Antarctica.

So we checked into our cottage overlooking the bay, warmed ourselves after the blustery weather, and then set out for another hike, this time south along the sheltered shoreline. Good thing it was sheltered, because the wind whipped up and the rain resumed, shortening the excursion to only three hours.


Once back at the cottage, we prepared the fresh scallops and trumpeter that we brought from St. Helens. Even with the rain, we had billion-dollar views of the beach and simply enjoyed the serenity. Here are a couple shots, one from our bedroom and one from our deck:

We finally did our long Bay of Fires hike (four hours) the next day when the rain (but not the wind and clouds) held back:

 

Next up was Freycinet National Park, a couple hours south, home of Wineglass Bay. Everyone we checked with said the weather the next day was going to be "brilliant" following the morning drizzles. So off we went on a 6-hour hike, leaving in light rain and figuring it would clear by the time we got to the spectacular Wineglass Bay.

So you can imagine our disappointment when the rain got heavier, not lighter, midway through the hike at Hazard's Bay. You can feel Karen's mood in this picture:

But lo and behold, the clouds did eventually part by the time we got to the overlook of Wineglass Bay.

 

With such heavenly weather and scenery, we quickly moved from a lower-body workout (hiking) to an upper-body workout (kayaking). We paddled around Cole's Bay's numerous beaches, in the shadows of The Hazards mountains:

For a land of such natural beauty, we still are amazed at the few number of people we come across, either travelers or locals, and we are grateful to be two who are able to enjoy its many splendors.

Can you tell we're having fun yet?