Day 308 – 16 Oct 09

Home Again! 10 months on the road and to tell the truth it seems more like 10 days.

I was concerned when I started out that this may have been a bad idea because I may have got bored, but at this point there has been no sign of boredom. My added-up distance only shows about 22,000 km, but I have actually covered about 27,000, so I have obviously done a fair amount of side-trips and driving hither and yon. Time to do a fair bit of housework. Re-stock the freezer, re-register and service the van and vehicle, do my tax (for the last time) for 2008-2009 etc.

I’m going to stay in Perth for about two weeks and then head for the south coast of WA and over to the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas. From now on, I’m going to take things a lot slower. I intend to only do 60-70 km’s between stops, where there are things to see and stay at least three days at each spot instead of overnighting as I did at the start of the trip. In the first month I travelled nearly 6,000 km compared to only 1,500 in the tenth month. Much more relaxing. 35°C today, Winter’s Over.


Well, that;s the end of my first circumnavigation. I'll see you again when I take off for the next circuit.

Day 304 – 12 Oct 09

Down through Geraldton, where I fuelled up and on towards Mullewa. The campsite Don told me about was a little hard to find because Camps 5 doesn’t say which road to take to get to the camp. Eventually noticed a sign to “Pioneer Well” at the corner of the Yuna road and an indicator down a bush track. Track in is pretty rough and looks like it would flood badly after rain, but quite a pleasant site. Only one other vehicle in when I got there but tons of room. No real big trees but reasonable shade. Plenty of firewood around, but technically illegal in WA to light a campfire after 1st October. There are still lots of wildflowers around - these are some sort of Everlasting.
I went down and had a look at the well which gives the site its name. It's amazing to see the quality of the storework which they use to line the well. I wonder whether we even have the skills today to build something like this without mortar.

Day 305 – 13 Oct 09

Weather’s a bit better, although still a bit chilly at night. Got down to 8°C overnight. Bloody Flies! No blowflies, but lots and lots of little bushflies. I reckon I’m getting my daily exercise just waving my arms around. Went for a wander today up to the top of a nearby rocky outcrop. Great view across the salt lakes and over the wheatfields beyond. It’s fairly dry at the moment, but it would be glorious in winter with water in the lake and the fields green. Took a walk across the salt lake just to have a sticky beak. It appears that the land owners have planted an “orchard” of mallee gums on the edge of the lake. Probably as a means of salt control – why didn’t they just leave the original trees in the first place?

Day 306 – 14 Oct 09

Don and Xena pulled in this morning. Boy! That bloke could talk underwater with a mouthful of marbles (look who’s talking) must have something to do with travelling alone. He’s going on to Mt. Magnet and then south so I probably won’t see him again. Went for a walk today down to the abandoned school site and across the stone path across the salt lake to the old railway siding.

The station building appears to be a sort of historical display, but it was locked up so I could only get a glimpse of the inside. The building seems to be a long way from the rail line, but I think that the dirt road in front between the line and the building may have originally been a siding going by the shape and alignment of the road. The stone path is amazing.

I am guessing that it was built about 1920 or so and the amount of work to just go back and forth carrying rocks is astonishing. Today we would bulldoze or concrete the path in a couple of days, or spend 20 million dollars to build a boardwalk.

Day 302 – 10 Oct 09

I spent 2 weeks at back at Lyndon River and then headed down to Carnarvon again. I'll spend a couple of days here to replenish water and do some washing for the final legs to Perth.

Down through Overlander and Billabong. I must have done this stretch about 10 or 12 times, so not much along here that interests me. Did Denham, Monkey Mia and Steep Point with Hamish a couple of years ago. Pulled in to a Roadside Rest Area called Nerren Nerren. As are so many of the WA rest stops, it is huge - you could put 50 vans in here without trying. Toilets, bins and fireplaces, but as usual, no water.

Thursday went for a walk south along the fenceline for about 3-4 km. Fence parallels the highway. I saw a faint track leading into the scrub so went for a wander. Appears to have been a bush camp of some sort in the past - maybe a road construction gang or similar. Piles of broken beer bottles everywhere.

Friday went for a walk north along the fenceline for about 3-4 km. I could see a sand-ridge about 2 km off to the west so went for a wander. Fairly easy going through the mallee, but got very scrubby closer to the ridge and then Banksia scrub on the ridgeline. Couldn't see anything from the top of the ridge so back to the fence and back to camp. Still windy every day especially the sea-breeze in the evening. Met a bloke called Don who’s travelling solo with his dog Xena which is the biggest Golden Labrador I’ve ever seen. I think it may be crossed with something else. He says he’s been on the road for 7 years and I would say he’s about 70. Gave me a tip for a good campsite just out of Mullewa which suits my schedule.

Day 284 – 22 Sep 09

Left Lyndon River on Wednesday heading for Carnarvon. Had to wait until about midday to avoid the worst of the wind which is blowing from the south. It’s a very strong breeze so I can only imagine what it does to fuel consumption. Got to Carnarvon and found a top tourist CP for a change so booked in for a week to get the extra discount. When you add the normal 10% member discount to the “pay for 6 days stay 7” that works out to a 23% discount for the week which to my way of thinking is a good deal.

What a strange place Carnarvon is. I have been here many times, but never stayed before. There is a Woolworths supermarket, and like all the others, they give you a fuel discount voucher on your docket – But there is no Woolies Caltex fuel depot. There is a Coles Express fuel stop – but no Coles supermarket. I spent about 30 minutes looking for a Westpac bank before discovering that there wasn’t one (or a NAB either). I always had a mental picture of Carnarvon as being a fairly large centre with all facilities, but it is actually quite basic. Hell of a lot of new building going on, however.

I’ve been here a week and I’m heading back north again for a while. It's just too flamin' cold this far south and it's still raining down in Perth so I have headed back north to Lyndon River for a few days. Spring seems to be a bit late coming in this year. From memory, it's usually warming up in Perth by now.

Day 277 – 15 Sep 09

Left Miarree Pool on Thursday morning and headed south again. Just south of Nanutarra Roadhouse I spotted something that would spoil anyone's holiday trip.
The accident had obviously just happened, because there was a copy of the previous days paper at the site (also, nobody had had time to steal the wheels). There were skid marks on the road, so I'm assuming that the driver swerved to avoid an animal on the road. The positions of the Land Rover Discovery and the caravan facing back in the direction they had come from would indicate that the accident happened at quite some speed.
I stopped for a few days at Lyndon River Rest Area just north of Minilya Roadhouse. Found a really nice spot with shade from some giant River Red Gums. Toilets but no other facilities except barbecues. No water in the river at this time of the year, and it is really hard walking through the river sand because it is so soft.

Thousands (and I’m not exaggerating) of Corellas in the trees and what a racket they make when they’re roosting at sundown. I’ve been set up here for a couple of days and there are a pair of magpies, I think a mother and a juvenile by the colours, although the juvenile is bigger than the adult. They come right up to the van to get the moths which were attracted by the light the night before and they have become so confident that they walk straight underneath my chair while I’m sitting there.

Just for a contrast, there are a pair of pigeons of some kind (the ones with the tuft of feathers sticking straight up on top of their heads – (I call them “punk pigeons”) and they come pecking around on the green mat near my feet each evening. It’s great to be in an area where the wildlife obviously don’t feel threatened by humans.

Day 271– 09 Sep 09

I left Yule River on Monday Morning heading for Karratha. Weather is warm, dry and clear. Went via Whim Creek and Roebourne, but as the T-shirt says, been there, done that. Stopped in Karratha and did some shopping. Had to buy a new power supply for the Laptop. Honda had a “Father’s Day special on Generators so I bought one Got about $250 off. I was hoping there was a book-exchange in town as I’m running out of reading materials but no luck. I intended to stay for a couple of days in CP, but no room at the inn. Karratha CP was full, as was the Transit Camp at Dampier. Big4 in Karratha had powered sites for $44 a night so I gave them a miss – That’s just highway robbery.

I continued on to Miarree Poole on Maitland River only 18 km’s from the Karratha Roadhouse. Great area, plenty of water in pool, ideal for swimming. Very uneven surface and limited campsites with shade. Lovely down on the river’s edge, but VERY steep, bumpy dirt tracks up and down. Would probably make it but would rather not embarrass myself.

It has been blowing a gale all day, every day. It keeps the flies away, but it is really annoying. Did some washing by hand, just shorts – what a pain in the bum! That is why I wanted to stop in a CP in Karratha – to do the washing. School holidays are coming up I believe, so it may pay to charge up the phone and book ahead if I want to stay in a CP, especially getting down into the Gascoyne. I went for a walk around the area and found several nice little spots which would be good for secluded hide-aways for future visits. Reinforces my previous observations about taking one's time looking around the area before setting up. Climbed to the top of a nearby hill and had a great view of the surrounding area. Desolate to some, I guess, but I love this sort of wide-open country.

Bloody Backpackers! French guy and two girls in a Falcon S/Wagon with a tent. Jabbering and yelling (Stoned?) after 11:00 pm. What’s with these French? I have run out of books. This is a serious problem, will have to find a book exchange or I’m gonna go nuts!. Bought a new radio in Karratha, but not a lot on ABC regional radio up this way.

Day 267 – 05 Sep 09

Today I drove from Pt. Hedland to Yule River. Good Campsite, lots of level shady areas. Very popular, lots of vans and M/Homes each night. Lots of 5^th Wheelers for some reason. Not much water in pools, plenty of firewood, but had to go 400 metres to collect.

Spent a little time walking up and down the river, but not a lot to see. Running the motor of the Kia to top up the batteries. Doesn’t seem to make much more noise than the generator did, but the ScanGuage says that it’s using 4-5 l/h which could work out a bit expensive in the long run.

I have observed that there seem to be a fair number of families with young (school-age) children on the road. Questioned one couple who said they were home-schooling. I wonder how prevalent this actually is.

Tonight two or three French guys in a Coaster pulled up next to my camp. They spent about two hours trying to get their generator started. All OK until about 11:00 pm when they decided to play Grand Theft Auto or something similar. Gave it until just past midnight and couldn’t take any more and went and banged on the bus and gave them an opinion.

Day 258 – 27 Aug 09

Drove from Goldwire Rest Area to the De Grey River campsite. I’ve been looking forward to this for several years as I had a mind’s-eye picture of the campsite and several people have said it was a good spot. I thought I was being smart by going past the main area and heading for the rail-bridge. So was everybody else. The place was packed. One advantage of the small van is that I can get into spots which a full-sized van couldn’t manage, so I managed to get a good spot overlooking the river.

It has been quite windy for a couple of days now. Someone said that that is normal for the area at this time of the year – I hope not, it’s quite annoying.

Some surprises on the road. I was looking forward to getting to Sandfire to get some fresh milk. The roadhouse burned down three years ago it seems and there was a very limited range of product available. Glad I filled the jerry cans, though, diesel was almost $2 a litre. Stopped at Pardoo but they had no fresh milk either so just stretched the legs and took off again.

Day 262 – 31 Aug 09

I took off from De Grey River this morning and decided to take a side trip to try to find Red Hill which I visited many, many years ago when I was in the army and I thought it would be nice to visit some of the places I had been to previously. Turned left off the bitumen and tried to find Pippingarra Road. Interesting structures just off bitumen. Appeared to be some sort of revetment but no clues as to origins. Obviously known to locals, appears to be a rubbish tip for area.

I missed the turn-off and followed a truck which I presumed was going to Pippingarra Minesite, but after 30 kms I worked out something was wrong. Checked on NATMAP and found I was on Port Hedland-Wittenoom Road. Quite a good gravel road actually. Back-tracked using NATMAP (should have done that in the first place) and found the turn-off. Got about 1 km in and came to what was obviously the bed of Beebingarra Creek. Surface looked OK so in I went and BOOM! Down to the axles in soft, dry sand. Tried letting down the tyres, but too far down already. Jacked up each corner and back-filled to get the belly off the sand, unhitched and drove out to some firm ground and turned around. Drove back past the van and used the snatch-strap around the rear bumper of the van to pull the van out backwards. Re-hitched and finally got out after 4 hours. NOT FUN! After that, decided to take a couple of days in CP to recover.

Limited vacancies, but got into Black Rock in South Hedland. Plenty of vacant sites, but all full of branches from recent tree-pruning. Ended up on the far side of the site on crushed blue-metal with power, but no water to sites. Had to fill 4 jerry cans and lug them back to the van.

Day 256 – 25 Aug 09

Drove from Broome to Goldwire Rest Area. Toilets, picnic area barbecues and bins, but no water. Plenty of firewood within easy walking distance. Very large area, but only low trees for shade.

Generator has finally given up the ghost. It will start and run, but with no Oomph. As soon as I plug the power lead in, it dies immediately. I imagine it could be fixed, but seeing it only cost $250 brand-new, it wouldn’t be cost-effective. I’ll buy a Honda when I get to Perth.

Day 252 – 21 Aug 09

Spent a few days in Broome. I tell you what, this has to be the most over-rated place in Australia. Half a day is quite enough to see everything the place has to offer unless you use it as a basecamp to explore the general area. People rave about Cable Beach – It’s a beach, and quite frankly I’ve seen a hell of a lot better.

Chinatown is worth a few hours walking around and rubber-necking, but do it very early in the morning before the hordes of tourists descend. The Japanese cemetery is a must but as for the rest – give me the bush anytime. Prices are pretty reasonable too – NOT.

Day 246 - 15 Aug 09

March Fly Glen was absolutely delightful. Wonderful scenery, plenty of shade, a nice little creek, great weather, what more could one ask. Perhaps I could have done without the tourist buses full of Chinese or German tourists pulling in for lunch every day, or the dickheads who have to hit the ford in the creek at 90kmh just to make a big splash. I am astounded at the amount of traffic on the road. I bothered to count one day, and between 10 am and 6 pm, there were 83 vehicles went through. When you consider that there is now a commuter bus service along the Gibb, I reckon this place is getting way too civilised.

Five days at March Fly Glen (there aren’t any March Flies there incidentally) wasn’t near enough, but I’m tonguing for some fresh milk and I’m getting low on booze, so I need to head for civilization. Next trip on this road needs a bit more planning, freeze some bread and milk and take enough booze for a couple of months. The road from March Fly to the bitumen was excellent. Big stretches of bitumen across the floodplains, extensive roadworks in the vicinity of Lennard River and the rest was very good gravel road.

Day 241 – 10 Aug 09

Very pleasant campsite at Durack River crossing. On the east side there is a bank about 20 metres high which overlooks a large pool and on the west side there is a large area of sandbanks with lots of trees. I decided to stay on top of the bank and stay clear of the mozzies. I pulled in past the first parking area and went to the second and set up. I must get into the habit of doing a bit of exploring before deciding on a site. After I set up, I went for a wander and the next area along was absolutely beautiful.From the photos, the river looks like it's full of water, but it is deceptive. The crossing itself is actually bone dry. The water is in the form of pools although having said that, they're bloody big pools. Some great bush walking in the area. I went downstream about 4-5 km's and there was plenty to see. Sometime I'll do this road again and I'll plan for a week or more at each stop and do some serious hiking.
Two nights at Durack River. I could have stayed longer, but I’m running out of bread and milk. I have plenty of supplies, but I do like fresh bread and I can’t stand that UHT milk. I have about 4 litres of UHT for emergencies and some tins of evaporated, but I prefer fresh milk if I can get it. Got to the Kulumburu junction about midday and had to finally make my mind up whether to head for the Mitchell Plateau or not. Travellers have told me that the road is a goat-track the other side of Drysdale, and a couple of people have told me that there is not all that much water because it is so late in the season.

Had some lunch and decided to push on through to Barnett. I tell you what, you see some amazing things out here in the bush. I hadn't gone more than 5 km's from the Kalumburu turnoff and there, on the side of the road, was a couple of (I presume) backpackers having their "wicked" van being winched onto a tilt-tray truck. First, I wonder who told the poor buggers they could do the Gibb in a crappy van, and second I tried to do a mental calculation of how much it was going to cost to carry the van through to Derby. I got to about $20,000 and gave up.

I hadn't gone more than 2 or 3 km's further when I spotted the strangest traveller I have seen this whole trip. According to people I spoke to later, his name is Klaus and he has been wandering around the area for many years. I admire his initiative, but I think he could pack some washing powder in that van, he was absolutely filthy, and I think the camels smelled better than did Klaus.

Just before Mt. Barnett, I made a side trip where a sign indicated “Barnett Gorge 3 kms.” That’s not far, I thought. Took me half an hour. The track was really, really rutted. I spent most of my time with one wheel on the centre hump and the other in the scrub. It would appear to be not maintained at all, and after a wet season, it resembles a creek bed rather than a track. Anyway, finally got the 3 km and pulled into a parking area and spent half an hour wandering around a pretty scabby creek. There was a rock wall about 2 metres high on one side of the creek so I supposed that was the “gorge”. Note to Travellers: There is a gorge, but it is a further two km on. A sign would be a nice thing or a correction to the original sign. The gorge is FIVE kms from the road. So I missed it. Oh well, something for the next trip.

When I got back to the main road, I noticed I was down to a quarter tank, so I thought I’d fill up from the jerry’s. A kindly 4wd pulled up and asked if I was OK, and I explained that I was just topping up. He asked me If I new that Mt. Barnett roadhouse was only 30 km ahead and when I said I did, he gave me a strange look.

Arrived at Mt. Barnett and what a hole! Diesel was close enough to $2 a litre and was I glad that I had jerricans at $1.35 a litre. Bugger! They didn’t have any bread or fresh milk, so looks like I’m on the UHT for a while. Yukkkk!.

Stopped at Galvin’s Gorge, and, while it was very picturesque, there was not a great deal of water flowing, so I’m glad I didn’t make the trek up to the Mitchell. There were hordes of red-tailed Black Cockatoos and a beaut water monitor chilling out.

The road from the Kalunburu Turnoff to Mt. Barnett was VERY corrugated, but west of Barnett it has been excellent. I have been sitting on 90 kmh most of the time so I will make it through to March Fly Glen tonight.

Day 239 – 08 Aug 09

Five nights at Pentecost River and to tell the truth, I could have stayed there until my supplies ran out, but I need to push on.

Drove through to Durack River on the recommendation of a chap at Penetecost. Crossing the Pentecost River was no problem. The water was only about 500mm deep but the bottom was rocky so I had to take it really slowly to avoid bumping things around in the van too much. I learnt from a previous creek crossing where, when I opened the van afterwards, it looked like it had rolled over!

The road between Pentecost and Durack was reasonably good. A lot less washaways, so I was able to sit on 80kmh and even out the corrugations. Arrived at Durack and, as advised, camped on the East bank overlooking the river. The crossing itself was just a mudhole, but downstream the river was full and wide. We’re still fairly close to the coast at the crossing, so, even though there were no signs warning of crocodiles, I didn’t bother with swimming – I’ll leave that until later on.

Firewood was very scarce close to the camp areas, but I went for a walk along the river for a couple of kms and found plenty further away. Only trouble is, it takes me three hours to collect enough firewood to burn for two hours. Hardly seems fair somehow.

Day 234 – 03 Aug 09

Headed for Wyndham to take a squiz from the Bastion, or Five Rivers Lookout. Just about gave the Kia a rupture pulling the van up the hill. The intercooler air temperature reached 130degC which seems a bit excessive, especially as I had the intercooler fan fixed under warranty in Darwin. I’m not sure how hot the intercooler air is supposed to get, but 130 seems a bit high. I will look into it further when I get back to Perth.
Somebody mentioned that diesel prices were lower in Wyndham than Kununurra, so I took a punt and planned on refuelling in Wyndham. Just as well - 25c a litre cheaper! I filled the tank and the jerry’s so I should have enough to get me to Derby without filling up on the Gibb, unless I decide to go up to the Mitchell Plateau.

Pulled up tonight on a roadside rest area overlooking the Pentecost River underneath Mt. Gibson. What fantastic scenery. IMHO there is no better scenery in Oz than the Kimberley. The road from the bitumen to here (past El Questro) was pretty rough, lots of corrugations, and washaways. The washaways every 200-300 metres, means that you can’t get up enough speed to take the sting out of the corrugations. I hope it’s not like this all the way across.

Plenty of firewood around, so a lovely campfire each night. Only two or three other travellers each night, but very pleasant, willing to sit down and have a yarn around the fire.

Day 231 – 31 Jul 09

Three days at Saddle Rock, no more wankers luckily, but limited opportunities to do any decent bushwalking so headed on to Kununurra.

This place hasn’t changed at all, although it’s only 6 or 7 years since I’ve been here. From what I understand there has actually been quite a change with the closure of the sugar mill and subsequent shutting down of the sugar cane plantations, but the difference is not noticeable in town.

Stayed at the Hidden Valley C.P. as I did last time. I looked for a Top Tourist park and noticed on the website that there are hardly any in the North West, even in Broome which is a surprise. Only plan to stay for three days, do the washing, charge the batteries etc. ‘cos I’m getting toey for the Gibb River Road.

While you're in Kununurra, don't miss Hidden Valley unless you're going to visit the Bungle Bungles. The rocky prominences are exactly the same structure as the bungles but only 10% of the size. Also while I consider rock climbing to be the province of raving lunatics, I do like having a "scramble" up rock features like this.Important Note: If you are travelling south from here, DON'T buy fuel in Kununurra, take a small side trip via Wyndham (which is worth a visit anyway) and buy your fuel there at least 25c and sometimes 35c less than Kununurra.

Day 228 – 28 Jul 09

Stayed at Limestone Creek for three nights and then headed west. Had a bit of a break at Victoria River where they're building a new bridge. It boggles the mind to think that the river can rise from its low level to the height of the bridge overnight. I remember coming through here in 1969 when there was no bridge at all, just a ford across the river and if you got caught by the river rising, you could be stuck for several weeks.
Had another small break at Timber Creek. Just past the town is a road leading to a lookout. It is well worth the visit. There is a great view from the top of the ridge. Note: there is a 4WD track leading onwards from the lookout, but I found out the hard way that it doesn't go anywhere, so give it a miss.
Stopped at a roadside rest area called Saddle Rock (for obvious reasons). A very picturesque campsite, but again, crowded as hell by about 4:30 or so. I know some of these travellers can get a bit up themselves, but this guy wanders over at 5:30 or so, with his glass of chardonnay in his hand and asked how long I was going to run the generator. It’s half-past five, mind you. I told him that I intended to run it until about 7:30 and you would have thought I said midnight! Gee, he said, can’t you shut it down now? We’d like to watch the sun go down in peace. I felt like telling him to go and take a running jump, but managed to restrain myself.

Day 225 – 25 Jul 09

Well, Darwin is behind me and I’m on the road again. I can’t believe how much Darwin has changed since I left in 1973. I admit that it’s 36 years, and a cyclone virtually destroyed the place, but the changes are so wide-spread. I’ve been to Adelaide and Melbourne and Brisbane which I also haven’t been back to for about the same time, and at least those places are recognisable, but not so Darwin. I would have expected that the city centre itself, which was not so affected by cyclone Tracey might have retained some of the buildings and ambience, but it is all totally changed. Oh, well, what’s the saying? You can never go back again – so true.

The weather was very pleasant, being dry season, although there were a couple of humid days towards the end of my fortnight’s stay. I got a chance to get out-and-about a bit during the time, but I left the “touristy” things for another time. It has been school holidays while I have been here and everywhere is jam-packed. The locals get a double dose of holidays because of the weather. Every Caravan Park was chockablock and the numbers of tourists up here at the moment is unbelievable. I plan to spend the southern winters in the top end for the next few years, so I’ll try to do Kakadu, Litchfield etc at a better time.

Headed down the Stuart to Katherine and ran into a fellow Grey Nomad working as a checkout chick in Woolies. I was on the way and it was late in the day, but took the time to say hello.

Camped tonight at a roadside rest area called Limestone Creek. One thing I have noticed about the rest areas in the NT, they are very well maintained. They often have toilets and water tanks and the contractors even drop off a load of chopped firewood when they come in to empty the bins. However, as a result they are very popular with travellers and if you don’t get in early, you don’t get in. In general the rest areas are a lot smaller in area than some of the WA ones, but there are still 40 or 50 vehicles a night try to cram in. At one area, the vehicles were packed so tight that people couldn’t put their awnings up. I have got into the habit of taking off fairly early in the mornings and only travelling 150 – 200 kms, so that I get to the next area by midday or so which gives a chance of getting a nice site.

I Apologise

I'm sorry that I have been so slack in keeping this blog updated. I have been out of communication range for much of the time, but that's not a real excuse for going 104 days without posting. To tell the truth, I have been enjoying myself so much doing absolutely nothing that it has been simply too much bother to keep updated. Seeing I've just had a birthday, I have made a resolution: I promise to keep the blog updated every week - even when I'm out of range, I will ghost write the weekly page for later updating. Incidentally, I think the way I am setting out the entries may be a bit confusing, jumping forward and then going upwards, so I am going to change the style so that each entry goes in reverse e.g. October 14th October 13th October 12th etc. I think it will make the blog easier to read, after all, that's how the archive stores the posts anyway. I will bring my travels up-to-date over the next week or so and try to get every thing in order.