By Erik Skye

December 21, 2010:

(Happy solstice and happy birthday to my sister Melissa back home!) Remember I get up early and want my long blacks? Well, this morning I woke up in the quaint little logging town of Augusta (SW tip of Australia) and knew my best bet for my fix was back up the road in Margaret River. I didn’t like Margaret River the first time I drove through, but ‘oh well’, I thought.

After a little kangaroo chasing (they’re just like animals in Alaska – somehow you’re invisible to them until you stop the car for a photo, and then they’re off to the races!), I finally arrived back to the still empty streets of Margaret River. I finally found a café open, and when I went inside, I was impressed at how fashionable it felt. That soon faded. The nice looking young woman proved to be sour, and when my pancakes showed up way too fast, she replied to my expression of surprise that “they aren’t fresh here”. (I have to add that she was a French national.) Alright, ‘that’s it’, I thought. I’m going to talk about this town and slam it for blatant lack of any real character. And I would have too, except…

I learned there was another café in town, just on the way out. Thus, my 2^nd long black was assured. As I approached this café, and went inside, I was greeted to wonderful originality and small town goodness. I loved it immediately and only wished I had stopped there first. But then it got better. There was a beautiful woman making the coffees. Although she was in her mid-30’s I’d say, she had a nose ring, a low-back colorful blouse showing a shoulder tattoo, and hair up in a flowery head scarf. She might have even been working on dread locks (I’m not sure). And the best part – she had a wonderful disposition towards the people around her. I took my long black, went to the car and wrote a little message on one of my Nunatak Air cards, and went back in and delivered it. Fingers are crossed that she will reply.

For the next few minutes, I got the turn signal and windshield wiper handles confused, ground through incorrect gears, and continued to chase kangaroos (but now through shaky lens). Think I liked her?

So – the name of this blog: “Contrast”. The town of Margaret River (tourist trap vs. the authentic), people (snobbish vs. open & real), the surrounding landscape (near-barren shorelines vs. some of the largest trees anywhere), and the world above vs. the world below...

I’m in the land of the giant Karri trees and limestone caves. My main mission was to tour one of the caves I’d read about (Jewel Cave). On the way, I thought I had a flat tire and stopped on a straight stretch of road (there was no shoulder) to do a quick check. A woman zipped up behind me, and I raced in and got moving. I turned into her work place (with her hot on my tail to get in on time), coincidentally. I was at one of the cave sites of Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park, and after a quick laugh we spent time talking about things to see in the area. Her name is Sue, and she spent heaps of time with me, pouring on the brochures. I accused her of ‘getting even with me’ (she was more than nice) for blocking her on the road.

I was blown away by Jewel Cave. There are 120 (known) caves in the ancient limestone sand dunes of this region. These caves were created when water saturated the limestone, creating a calcium carbonate (carbonic acid) brine that drained away. The same process created the stalagmites and stalagtites. They found the remains of a now extinct Tasmanian Tiger in this cave.

I heard a nice song on the radio. It was by an Australian named Glenn Richards. Give it a listen on my DJ site.