Day 2 A trip to the Blue Mountains

On Sunday, Ken’s only full day off from meetings in Australia, we went for a walkabout in the Blue Mountains. We went with a colleague of Ken’s, Herb Hoover, a tall, elegant gentleman with beautiful white hair. 84 years young—he kept pace with us the whole way.In fact, sometimes it seemed we had to struggle to keep up with him!

Traveling by train, trolley, and glass bottomed cable car , we ventured into the Australian mountains. (Click the pictures for better details--can you see the gorgeous waterfall to the side of the cable car?

Filled with Eucalyptus trees, the molecules of the scent actually scatter light, giving the mountains a blue mist, an explanation from Herb who is an optical physicist.

But the leaves of the Eucalyptus also feed the Koalas and other wildlife that live within the rainforest. We didn’t see any Koalas but we did see—and hear—Kookaburras. Remember this:

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!
Gay your life must be

Whether Kookaburras are gay or not, I don’t know, but their laugh certainly is infectious.These two seemed quite enamored with each other and appeared to be feeding their young in the cavity of a nearby tree.

Our day included a walkabout in the town of Katoomba—an old mining town reminiscent of Colorado. I loved the Art Deco architecture of the Niagara Café across the street from an old mining shack near the train station. It was there that Ken and Herb had the opportunity to meet Betty Boop. Look at those eyes she's giving Ken!

Then Ken and I posed with an aborigine couple--only to discover that a real aborigine was playing his didgeridoo at the welcome center.

Later that evening we met a wonderful Australian couple, Trish and Kevin O’Connor for dinner. Kevin works with Ken on the standards committee—I had met him in Tokyo—and Trish was to become my guide(and friend) for the coming days in Sydney.

Tomorrow--the zoo