The 2008 Honda TransAlp

This photo was taken in Melbourne Australia at the Honda dealer
downtown. We cannot get this rig in the states possibly due to
emmissions, or maybe they just dont want it cannibalising sales on
the more profitable lines of bikes.

Waiting on a cow

So I am hauling around the bend overlooking a valley between Chillingham and Mudgereeba on the border of New South Wales and Queensland. I am really ripping it up on this most epic motorcycling road ever gouged from a hillside. Signs read "Drive According to Conditions" which means "There's no speed limit, but please don't add to the Aussie public health care bill by being stupid."

So I come around the corner and this chick in milking boots and sweats waves me down and asks me to stop. It seems her brother is trying to return the neighbors cow that got loose. Nice kid. I woulda hopped on and tried the "Man from Snowy River" move and see how we fared down the cliff. But thats me if I was a bored farm kid (...and I am talking about the cow).

So I asked the Milking boot-Betty to snap a pic with my iPhone.

The book that captured my attention from start to finish

26 hours ago I picked up a book at the Melbourne Airport before heading back to the silicon forest of PNW .

The Four Hour Work Week

I think it is changing my life... or am I enjoying the justification of it?

Here is a snippet I ran across in the first 5 mins on the author's blog Tim Ferris:
The top 5 reasons to be a jack of all trades.


... But there is SOOOOO much more to it. Get some, BMag.

Shameless in Sydney

Almost two weeks in this cool country and I haven't been to the wilderness unless you count the 500 acre race horse farm in Nagambia. But those days were hardly roughing it.

Hamish invited us over for a BBQ so we stuck around Sydney and did the tourist deal. Fruitbats in the botanical garden, sharks in the aquarium, lunch near the operahouse.

So last night I am over at Rossers with my cute family having some lamb and mint suasages when I just decided to get shameless and let my lady take a pic. Avery's smile looks so good I thought I would share and let you all know how well we are doing.

Oh the art on the back wall was for selling a few extra albums of "Highly Evolved" in the UK.

It is sad that the band seems to be coming to an end, but I sampled many of the Hamish beers last night from his home brew and they were perfect. I can never stomach home brew but this stuff was golden- "Skinny Blonde" actually and you can find it in pubs locally already but he can't keep up with demand. Anyway, Nice beats, Hamish. And your brew is highly evolved as well.

Sprague Update from Oz

I've had to concentrate real hard behind the wheel of our rental in
Melbourne since I've been doing all the driving. Everything is
reversed from the side of the driver in the car to the side of the
road I'm supposed to stay on.

While visiting the offices and warehouse where "Walking with
Dinosaurs" is actually made, Avery got to run the remote on the 30
ft T-Rex. How many kids around the world have gotten to do that?

I got to experience "How it's Made" in real time by walking through
Jayco Australias dozen manufacturing buildings with the founder and
CEO, Gerry Ryan. It's a big operation to say the least. Aussies
love their caravans and Jayco has 48% of the market while the other
52% is shared among over 150 other manufacturers.

Watching "Stakes day" of the Melbourne Cup from an owners box suite
is a nice way to experience horse racing. The track is grass not
dirt so you get a sense of the rarity of the race. Especially when
the "riff-raff" having thier picnics on the lawn by the track are
all wearing suits and ties.

Dinner at the Ryan's was not to be outdone. Fig paste with a bit
of blue cheese (not the dressing but blue cheese) and red wine was
one of the finest deserts I have yet to experience.

Avery asked if the "waiters" are always working at their house.

Huge fruit bats moved overhead at dusk as if they were crows while
we sat on thier patio that would have put any sunset magazine
centerfold to shame.

And I was asked the most absurd question in my life... "sir would
you like to taste the worlds best Shiraz from last year". Uhh...
Yeah I think I better try that.


Eliot