Well, I'm about 20 hours from beginning my trip to New Zealand and Australia. I will be

[sinkingfeeling]

gone until December 2. This is a trip first booked in Jan. 2020. Because of price increases and some other reasons, it's about a week less than what I planned back then. I will be meeting up with some friends I made on my Antarctic adventure 5 years ago. I'm spending 18 days touring both islands of New Zealand and the rest in Australia. Seeing Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. Have long layover in Fiji on my return.

[MLAA]

1. Sounds wonderful, Bon Voyage!

[MLAA]

2. If you will be in Sydney, the tour of The Sydney Opera House was surprisingly wonderful.

[sinkingfeeling]

6. Already booked.

[certainot]

21. knew the guy who helped make the original glass for it. he survived a 2WW soviet prison camp

by inventing a tool to help sharpen the saw blades used by the prisoners to cut wood

[MLAA]

30. Wow. What an interesting guy! I hope his latter years were good after all he had been through.

[certainot]

31. i think he was still walking on his hands into his 60s, and died in his late 80s. was a neighbor

and friend of my parents. his wife survived auschwitz.

[Walleye]

3. Really sounds great I hope you have a terrific trip

[Effete Snob]

4. Hope you like lamb

And lamb fries are not what they’ll try to make you think.

[certainot]

32. when we were there the local butcher was always sneaking roo meat into the hamburger......

[Diamond_Dog]

5. I'm sure I speak for many here

We’d love to hear of your experience and impressions!

Have a safe trip!

[Kali]

7. enjoy

been trying to get to Australia for 15 years or more.

[MontanaMama]

8. Oh wow!

You’re going to have the time of your life. NZ is my favorite place in the world, next to MT of course. We took a three week trip to NZ in 2013 when my kiddo was in the 2nd grade…then a 4 week trip to Australia and NZ in 2018. Wonderful people, amazing food, the most beautiful wildlife…Australian spiders would be my only exception. The birds in NZ will take your breath away. I hiked miles and miles and miles on the north and south islands. Enjoy every minute.

[Phoenix61]

12. I'd love to hear about the mist see/do in NZ.

I’m planning on going early next year.

[Srkdqltr]

9. How absolutely wonderful!!! Have a great time.

[kimbutgar]

10. I'm jealous

Australia is so awesome. I last went to Sydney and Melbourne in 2001. The aussies are great people. I hope to return there someday.

[blm]

11. Yeah, yeah, but did you vote first?

Heheh. Hope you have a wonderful trip, sink.

👋🏽

[sinkingfeeling]

15. Yep, voted 2nd. day of Illinois early voting.

[global1]

16. I Tried To Early Vote In Illinois Last Week & Was Told.....

that early voting starts on Oct 24th. Where did you vote?

[ShazzieB]

26. Hmmm....

I'm in Illinois, and early voting started in my county on Sept 29, but only at the county clerk's office. It's a long drive up there, so I decided to wait until other early voting locations around the county open up, which is on Oct. 24th.

Don't know if that sheds any light on your situation or not, but that's how they're doing it here, fwiw.

[global1]

27. I'm In Cook County (Chicago Suburb) I Received A Mailing From Cook County Clerk's Office.....

It was voter information. It indicated that Early Voting was Oct 12 - 21 M-F and Oct 24 - Nov 7 M-Sun.

It had the closest early voting site listed which I went to and a sign on the window indicated that the site change and they provided the new address. I drove over to that address and all that was there was an empty storefront. This was on Oct 20th.

I then recalled that I received another postcard from them and it had a third address for an early voting site. I went to that address and was told that early voting starts the next week on Oct 24th.

I showed them that the original mailing I received indicated that early voting started Oct 12-21.

I don't know what's going on at the Cook County Clerk's Office and was pissed that I had to chase around and still didn't get an opportunity to early vote.

I will go on Oct 24th and hopefully somebody will be there to let me vote.

Are they trying to dissuade people from early voting and is that why they provided us with bogus info? Are the shenanigans starting even before Nov 8th?

[sinkingfeeling]

29. Started early voting here, McLean County, on Sept. 29.

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/early-voting-for-the-2022-illinois-general-election-is-now-open-heres-how-to-find-your-chicago-area-voting-site/2953708/

[Phoenix61]

13. Please keep us posted!

I’m planning on going early next year and would love to hear your must see/do list.

[Permanut]

14. And driving on the left side of the road..

I don't know how my sister did it with a rented motorhome; it was the trip of a lifetime for her.

[Abolishinist]

18. A great trip! We were there in Feb-2020, just

prior to Covid. We actually took masks with us because at the time there were huge fires burning in Australia... as it turned out they were quite useful once back in the US.

Every place you mentioned will impart an incredible memory. We stayed at Latitude 131 degrees for the Uluru part of the trip, absolutely a fantastic place with a wonderful restaurant.

Bon Voyage!

[orleans]

19. i'm sure you'll have a great time

lots of pictures please

have fun!

[Bayard]

20. Have a great time,

Send us postcards!

New Zealand is one of the few places I still would be interested in visiting.

[homegirl]

22. If this is your

first visit to New Zealand-be prepared you will be tempted to stay. I have had the
joyful experiences of three vacations to NZ. Wish I had moved there 40 years ago! Enjoy!!!

[cstanleytech]

23. I envy you as New Zealand is one of the countries I would love to visit if I had the money to

ever do any traveling.

[DFW]

24. I'm jealous! Have an amazing time!

I wish I had a month free to do that. I hope you send back lots of pictures and reports to make me feel even worse.

[wryter2000]

25. Well done!

I've never been to Australia, but I have to New Zealand. Be prepared to see some of the most beautiful country imaginable. I hated to see the sun go down every day.

[babylonsister]

28. That sounds fantastic!

Have a grand ole time!

[questionseverything]

33. Have a wonderful time

Check in every now and then!