Ever since I explored Greece as an intrepid single 24-year-old in the late ‘70’s, I had longed to return, but not alone. This time, I wanted to share the magic of that golden land and its mythological roots with my soulmate. Ah, childish dreaming. Yet another myth, you may be thinking, for not many women ever find their prince. And so I humbly thank the gods and goddesses for the moment my eyes met his, on that theatre balcony in Encinitas, California, on Valentine’s Day, 1982.
Fairy Penguins are possibly the CUTEST of all penguins. It seems like a century ago now, but way, way back in 1990 Mark and I backpacked through Australia. While there, we saw the fairy penguins of Phillip Island. We spent a month backpacking, hitchhiking and camping out along the coastal fringe of Australia. We traveled from Sydney to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island, and then back across Barossa Valley wine country to Canberra and north to Cairns.
In 1986 my lover, Mark Schulze (now my husband), and I decided to sell or give away all our earthly possessions. Once we dispensed with our worldly goods, we bought a small camper and traveled around the United States and Canada for the next nine months.
Christchurch! The very name conjures a proper British town with a vintage aura. Just as Oz was for Dorothy, Christchurch became an all-consuming destination for us back in 1982 as Mark and I, brand new lovers, skipped over the emerald fields of New Zealand bearing 35-pound backpacks.
In 1994, when our crew of four climbed aboard a Quantas jet bound for Australia we were to become the pre-eminent mountain-biking tourism pioneers down under. We were literally on a “roll” with our video production called “Full Cycle: A World Odyssey,” the “endless summer on mountain bikes.”
You need to be in good shape if you engage in a hike like that. Because you’ll be wearing a backpack that will weigh at least 25 pounds with all the essentials. This includes tent, sleeping bag, clothing, food, cookware and of course the obligatory bottle of wine and flask of brandy.
