The past two days have been filled with more travel than sightseeing, but it’s been interesting regardless.

We left the whaling town of Warrnambool on Tuesday morning and drove 3-1/2 hours back to Melbourne on a different route. Along the way, we saw many dairy farms–as well as sheep when we went near the lakeside town of Wool-Wool. Seriously. I was surprised at the number of dairies and cheese factories. I commented to John that the cows seemed skinnier than I remembered in the Midwest. John agreed, but we then realized that these breeds were longer-legged, giving the appearance of being lankier. We both laughed about that. We also saw lots of grain (mostly hay) being harvested and baled into the usual cylinders–but with mint-green shrink wrap.

Some of the towns reminded me of the Midwest: town squares, tree-lined thoroughfares, clock towers, older repurposed buildings, small shops in the center of town, and angle-parking along Main Street. Outside of town, we occasionally had to slow down for tractors creeping along at the side of the road. I looked in vain for hopping kangaroos, but sadly, only saw a few dead ones lying pitifully along the side. (Thankfully, in our hotel room I later viewed a short documentary about the golf-course kangaroos of Anglesea–which we happened to go right by while on Monday’s Great Ocean Drive. Oh, well.)

I did enjoy some of the signs: Horse Poo For Sale; Do Not Overtake (Do Not Pass); Give Way (Yield); Yawning? A Microsleep Can Kill; Over the Limit. Under Arrest; Open Your Eyes. Fatigue Kills; and my favorite recurring one: Power Nap Area. Yes! How thoughtful! Speaking of thoughtful, that reminds me of the public toilets. On the backside of every stall door, the observant reader can learn who to call or where to go for help with anxiety, depression, adoption services, etc. Social services awareness is big!

After returning the rental car at the airport, we flew on Virgin Australia to Sydney, just over an hour’s flight away. From there we caught a train to the Blue Mountains. I must say that it was the smoothest two-hour train ride I’ve ever experienced. And the up-close views into Sydney suburbs fascinated me: many rooftop solar panels, either tin or terra cotta roofs, clotheslines with damp clothes drying on them, small plastic pools with fish swimming in some (above-ground koi ponds!), a few sheep grazing in backyards (no mowers?), barking dogs chained to poles, and even an angry altercation between two drivers who had just been involved in a fender-bender.

We arrived at Katoomba around dusk, promptly became disoriented by going to the wrong side of the tracks, and finally got reoriented (thanks to GPS and smart phones!) onto the steep, three-block walk to the mountain view hotel. The 100+-year-old building made us feel as though we’d stepped back into history.

From our room window, we saw a glimpse of the Blue Mountains before clouds and nightfall enshrouded them. And when we awoke in the morning, the fog was as thick as could be. During our breakfast, the fog rolled back and gave us hope that we could do the cable-car scenic view. But alas! Rain and clouds returned, canceling our plans. The fog moved in as quickly as it does in San Francisco. So at 11 a.m., we headed back on the train to Sydney, where we now rest at a hotel just outside the international terminal and gear up for departure tomorrow morning.

Like John Candy and Steve Martin whose adventures took them into unplanned paths home, we’ve had an unplanned detour today. But I can’t complain about our phenomenal journey.

There’s so much more to see and do in this fascinating country. Maybe another trip….