PART I - Chapters 1-4

Chapter 1 - Bon Voyage

In typical Pale Rider fashion, the Tour starts before the Tour starts. In this case it started early Sunday afternoon when "MOP-2" arrived to issue me my flight jacket. This isn't an ordinary flight jacket, or even a Pale Rider flight jacket; no. This is an Official USAF ACC 17TH WPS flight jacket issued to me for recently becoming the Honorary Commander of the 17th Weapons Squadron out of Nellis AFB. Learn more about the 17th WPS by going down the column on the right until you get to the 'Shouts Out' and click on our unit patch. My flight jacket is fitting armor for a quest upon the likes of which we are about to embark. I'm now suited up, as it were.

Later in the day, Kristy, call sign "Ms Teton" and I, "Tatanka", were joined by "Rhino" and "da Judge", "Pool Man" and "Ms Shirl", "Ram" and "Bear". We feasted. We talked of our quests and adventures past, and those yet to come. And because this particular vigil was in in preparation of the Yellow Brick Road Tour, when it came time to toast the adventurers with the traditional corn likker, it was "Ride or Die, to Oz". And, in traditional fashion the vigil lasted well into the night. After all, why start an adventure well rested?

Chapter 2 - The Black and White Part

Monday morning it's a standard early departure, to the airport anyway. You know how the airlines let you check in early online? Well, maybe you. My emailed docs said I had to use the machine at the airport; no prob. We get to the airport at 11:00am for a 2:10 flight and when I scan my passport at the United Airlines computer ("United Airlines computer" my first joke of the story) says it never heard of me. "See a representative at the counter", where they've taken slow motion to a new standard. The representative (of the snail racing team) takes my passport to the same machine and pretended he was me. It didn't know him either. He comes back and says, "I can't help you. Next!"

"Whoa, who can?" He looks at me disgustedly and walks to the end of the counter to speak to a manager. Actually "walks" is non descriptive. I could say "crawl" but "crawl" is too fast a word; you get the idea. 10 minutes later he comes back to where I've been standing, mumbles something about an "E-Visa" and starts "helping" (yeah, right) another customer.

I walk down to the nice lady who has the passports and she asks me about my visa. What? Yeah, when you buy a ticket to Australia the computer (there's that joke again) is supposed to get you an E-Visa. Nope, not for me. So, after telling me she has been at her job for 24 years the nice lady representative has to issue ours; $40 please...and an hour. That's right we stood at the counter for over an hour while she inputted our passport info into the computer (hah) at least six times, I stopped counting. She mumbled to herself and moved her lips when she read. The first two managers she asked for help said they had never seen this problem before either. Finally somebody that knew what they were doing showed up, looked at the screen, pointed and said, "Scroll down...more...again".

"Oh my, there it is!" So after more than an hour at the counter the issue was resolved. When I thanked her for her time and acknowledged her hard work she actually said, "It would have been easier if I knew what I was doing." Really? Really.

Now I know what you're thinking. They haven't left Las Vegas yet and already they've encountered the Flying Monkeys. Nope. Our flight out of Vegas was delayed for over two and a half hours (There's probably a Two and a Half Men joke in there somewhere, but even they haven't been funny since Charlie left.) So, while the United Airlines employees in Vegas are certainly monkeys, they really haven't got the flying part down completely right yet.

Anyways, once we finally get to Palm Springs we make our connection to LAX and then onto the BIG flight to Sydney. Good seats, magic pills, efficient flight attendants, great pilots (they get to use the plane again); even the food was good. This group wasn't monkeys, but they did know how to fly. Beats a house in a tornado anytime!

Chapter 3 – Welcome to OZ

So, after landing it’s through the airport without delay. We’re met by Lyn, Vic, and Denis, our dearest friends in all of Oz. I’ve traveled all over the world several times with Vic and Lyn, and we were all featured on the cover of the November 2010 issue of Riding On with Mt. Rushmore, and that’s Denis with me on the cover of the February 2012 issue of Riding On, with Devil’s Tower. After kisses all around Denis takes some of our luggage and heads home; we’ll see him soon.

Lyn and Vic take us back to their gorgeous home on the outskirts of Sydney, “in the shire”, for a quick clean-up then it’s out for a bit of adventuring. Featherdale Wildlife Park; how great was that!?! There were 2,200 different animals and birds indigenous to Australia. Everything. It was so cool. If you ever get to Sydney it is a must do for you, too! http://www.featherdale.com.au/

After Featherdale it was on to the Nepean Rowing Club for a bit of “tucker” and wine while we sat on the veranda and watched the crews scull down the Nepean River. Beautiful; idyllic actually.

We came back to the house for a quick combat nap and then the party started. The Sydney Chapter of the Pale Riders came over to Vic and Lyn’s home for a “Welcome to OZ” barbecue; a great spread, champagne included, of Aussie delicacies followed by a mixed grill of different meats prepared by Vic with only one small explosion. It was grand, and lasted into the night.

Also in attendance wearing their Pale Rider t-shirts and carrying their Pale Rider Challenge Coins were Lollipop Guild members Warren, Jack, Dennis, Neil, Pauline, Ross and Cathy. Kristy and I couldn’t have gotten a better reception to OZ even if we had dropped a house on the local witch!

Chapter 4 - Sydney; The Emerald City

It's up first thing and a little "brekky', Vegemite sandwich, an OZ staple for me, of course. Then it's out of the Shire and into the Emerald City, Sydney proper.

We parked at Darling Harbour and did a bit of a walk about until it was time to board our Sydney Harbour lunch cruise. Sumptuous feasting and drinking on the ship whilst we cruised around Sydney Harbour; under the Harbour Bridge, past the Opera House a few times, out towards Manly; fantastic! We disembarked at Sydney Harbour proper and did the walking tour of the Opera House itself, along with that side of the city. A stop for coffee along the water with a view of it all again, and then onto a ferry to take us back to Darling Harbour and the car.

From Sydney it's a car ride through the City Center Tunnel and south to the town of Sylvania, Denis' haunts. Ian, a fellow traveler, and a wine expert to boot (imagine) has arrived shortly before we did and after a quick catch up on the email it's off to the Korean BBQ for dinner where we are joined as well by Nikki, Denis' daughter. David, the Korean BBQ owner, said he recognized me as one of his regular customers (go figure) so dinner and the service was great, matched only by the company.

I meet some more Ozzies, Ivan and Gai, at a nearby table and now have more new friends in OZ.

Sadly, however, Vic and Lyn won't be joining us on the road trip so this is "Farewell" to them. To Vic and Lyn, we love you both. XOXO

Tomorrow, it's on the bikes and headin' south!