Long Beach, California

The Long Beach visit was actually a four day stop over after my flight from Auckland to Los Angeles. In this setting I felt I had been transported from shangri-la to the land of the concrete jungle.

Queen Mary - Since her retirement in 1967 this vessel has been permanently docked at Long Beech, California. The ship serves as a hotel, museum, tourist attraction and for rent site for events. During World War II she served as a troopship often carrying as many as 15,000 men in a single voyage. Her speed allowed her to often traveling out of convoy and without escort.

The Wheel House of the Queen Mary – a few status - 311 meters over all length – 36 meters beam - 12 meters draft – maximum speed 32.6 knots / 60KM/H – 160,000 shaft HP

California Dreaming

Winter 2006

In January 2006 I drove to Ottawa to visit family and friends and then flew onto Vancouver and Victoria for more of the same.

The Empress Hotel's quasi-medieval architecture sit majestically on the banks of Victoria 's inner harbour. This Vancouver Island landmark captures the grandeur and elegance of a bygone era

One of my most pleasurable winter activities is skiing with my adult children. Here Tania and I share this 20 year old tradition at Mount Washington on Vancouver Island. This ski resort's claim to fame is it's 9 meters of annual snow fall.

Ottawa's Rideau Canal ‚– This rink (7.8KM) is being recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest natural frozen ice rink. Each year more than one million visitors flock to skate the canal and I was fortunate enough to be one of them.

This frozen ice surface the Rideau Canal Waterway which links the lakes and rivers between Ottawa and Kingston is the oldest continuously operated canal in North America. In summer the locks on this waterway are operated today much as they were when first opened in 1832.

Summer 2005

Retirement provided ample opportunities to load up the motorcycle and hit the open road. Secure your helmet, hang-on and enjoy the ride.

A weekend of Kayaking on the Restigouche River -This river is world famous for its Salmon fishing and for beautiful scenery. The region is completely unspoiled leaving the river to wind peacefully through dense forests and rough terrain. For the most part the river has remained the domain of the majestic Atlantic salmon.www.canotrestigouche.ca

The Welland Canal's lock 1 which is located on Lake Ontario. The canal is about 43.4 kilometers in length and includes seven lift locks and one guard lock that brings vessels from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. Approximately 40,000,000 metric tonnes of cargo is carried through the Welland Canal annually by over 3,000 ocean and lake vessels.

Tobacco fields of Tillsonburg - For generations southern Ontario has planted, cared for, harvested and cured tobacco in a small area on the northern shores of lake Erie.

Another BIG load of tomatoes. These trailers are loaded with tomatoes waiting to be discharged at the H.J. Heinz factory in Leamington Ontario, the tomato capital of Canada.

A fishing village huddles in the cove cut from the coast along the Gaspe Peninsula. This coastal region surrounded by the St. Lawrence River estuary / gulf as well as the Bay of Chaleur is one eastern Canada's best motorcycle touring route.

Baie des Chaleur – I have a tremendous passion for this Bay. I love to be on it, in it, near it or under it. I grew up on this body of water – I learned to swim here and later become a life guard / swimming instructor at one of it's many beaches. I windsurfed on these waters and later spend many pleasurable hours aboard my sailing slope “Life's a Breeze” Because of its great beauty and its exceptional quality this Bay is a member of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club. www.world-bays.com

The awe inspiring spectacle of Niagara Falls

Kawasaki ZZR 1200 at the Priceville Suspension Bridge over the mighty Miramichi River world renowned for it Atlantic salmon and for its beauty. Deemed by many as a sportsman's paradise.

Australia and New Zealand

Retirement has arrived. I completed my last work day on a Friday January 21, 2005. The following Monday I boarded an aircraft and commenced the long trek to Sydney Australia. Over the next four weeks I toured the east coast of that beautiful country. I then moved onto New Zealand for an extensive three months tour of both the North and South Islands. The following photo should provide some insight into my great adventure.

Mount Cook within Mt Cook National Park is New Zealand's highest mountain. The highest of three peaks on the main ridge of the mountain is 3,753 m high

A storm's brewing on Queen Charlotte Sounds. This area is renown for its 1500 KM of coastline, it's lush countryside and sparkling waters. Queen Charlotte Sound is a renowned tourist destination and the gateway to the spectacular South Island.

The spectacular Milford Sound fiords along the coast of the South Island are awesomely beautiful. The region is rugged and isolated. Waterfalls tumble hundreds of meters into massive fiords. Ancient rain forest clings impossibly to the side of the mountains.

New Zealand has 45 million sheep and produces some of the finest wool in the world. It is the second largest wool producer after Australia. The sheep outnumber the country's human population by more than 11 to one.

I think I best get off the road. All of these sheep were being moved to a fresh pasture by three border collies and a farmer on an ATV.

Abel Tasman National Park provides plenty of amazing tramping routes along the shores of Tasman Bay including offshore islands and hundreds of bays and beaches along the broken coastline.

While driving throughout these Islands one is often overwhelmed by the beauty of the scenery and the sense of remoteness. Can I possibly capture some of this with a camera? I must try.

Tramping along Queen Charlotte Sound is one of the finest and most diverse coastal track in New Zealand.

Marlborough is the largest wine producing region in the New Zealand which produces almost 57% of the country's wine production.

Wellington is the country's capital city and the home of the National Museum of New Zealand. This museum has been very well designed as it allows the visitor to explore this country story from the shaping of its land, the spirit of its diverse peoples, its unique wildlife and its distinctive culture.

Sunset in the Bay of Islands - this region consist of 144 Islands and many secluded bays. These bays has an abundance of marine life, including the big marlin, whales, penguins, dolphins, gannets and many other species.

A front seat view from the my aircraft. Auckland known as the city of sails has a population of 1.3 million making it the largest city in New Zealand with one third of the country's population.

The term tramping is a common word to describe exploring in Australia and New Zealand by foot in remote areas. This walk in the bush lead me to Rainbow Falls complete with a very refreshing swimming hole.

Here I am at the helm of a 22.5 meter sailing sloop. A very big boat that handled much like a small boat. It was my good fortune that I was the only tourist on board that afternoon and I got to stay at the helm throughout the sail.www.kiwisail.com

The Daintree Rain Forest located north of Cairns in Tropical Far North Queensland Australia is home to the largest range of plants and animals on earth.

Sydney Australia has to be one of the world's most enchanting cities complete with a spectacular waterfront. It's population of over four million make it Australia's biggest city

Australia’s most famous building the Opera House has become Sydney's best-known landmark and international symbol.