Welcome, Gravelrash

[Gravelrash]

Howdy Gravelrash!

Wow, I have been reading your posts and am having fun learning about Australia and the original Ballarat.

I agree with your assessment that this country has much to offer for buffs of the backcountry. There is more to explore than can even be done in a lifetime. The solitude is what I enjoy, being out where the mainstream masses fear to tread, and becoming one with Nature!

You are fortunate to have met up with David Wright, for he is exceptionally knowledgeable regarding this entire region. He is also lucky to live right next door in Big Pine.

G'day Steve, nice to meet you. Thanks for letting me know my posts aren't boring. I've worried that I keep taking people off topic, so it's nice to feel I've provided some enjoyment.
My father was quite a recognised "amatuer historian" so I had a jump up start on my explorations of Australian history and the Gold Rushes have been constant fodder. Oz history is very fascinating, especially when you can compare it to a nation like America, where so much was similar but so much turned out so different.

I'd like to think I still am a teacher, just one who has not been doing it for 4 years! I am seriously considering emmigrating to the States and I'm hopeful my ESL background will provide the springboard. Like you, my main passions in life are all outdoors but..... the wherewithall is the problem!! If I can work a few days a week and explore the rest, I'll be like a pig in .....mud!
(I've noticed many posts here where folks complain about the cost of fuel, just by the by. We are paying the American equivalent of $4:70 a gallon so, to me, the great American highway stretches out infinitely, invitingly..... and cheaply!!)

I'm hoping to drain David Wright of every drop of "local knowledge" he has, and then some! He's one of several people on this board who have reached out to me with offers of exploring and sharing knowledge and I'm very pleased about that!
It's going to be a fabulous trip. This time lag I have between deciding to go and actual arrival is allowing me to get thoroughly prepared, so I have high hopes this will be one of the great road trips.
I'll have the "high point" of Going to the Sun Rd and the "low" of Death Valley (altitude!!) and all points in between.
One great highlight will be meeting up with like-minded people.
See you in Panamint!

[oldtrailmaster]

Your ESL training will land you a job in nearly any US school district, from what I can tell having been in the profession for a few years. Another way to slide into American education quite readily is if you have Special Education certification or background that could lead to certification. Districts all over the states are listing SPED openings on a continual basis, and ESL isn't far behind. You are fortunate to have background in an area that is in demand, and that could prove just the ticket to a job.

Hey, I understand your "off the topic" statement. I get to writing, and often drift hither and yon in my talk, sometimes leaving the original topic. But you know what? When some folks do that, you end up reading even more interesting stuff than what you came there for in the first place, so don't apologize for it. Reading your posts is fun because you don't know what to expect next, and that suspense is what keeps people coming back for more. Storytellers have always been a fascinating lot.

David will happily supply you with all the info you'll ever need to know the area intimately before you ever even see it. He has the knowledge (and time) to help others, and that is why so many turn to him for assistance. Since he lives right there at DVNP's doorstep, meeting up is possible. Sometimes I wish I were there in such close proximity also, because I find myself envious nowadays that groups of DV folks get together on a moment's notice, yet I have to plan way in advance since I now live farther north out of state.

The Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park is quite the experience, and the views always take my breath away (as does the air if you're there during the colder months). I met another fellow while hiking in Grand Teton National Park this past summer who was taking two weeks to tour every western Park, a very abitious trek circuit to be sure. We were on top of a mountain when we met, and I passed on some info to him about DV because that was where he was going next. He had also driven the Going to the Sun road in Glacier a few days prior.

I used to have a very good Aussie buddy back in the late seventies with whom I'd go Jeeping in the DV territory. He had a blue CJ5 and I had a black one. Once, when we were driving the infamous Ershim Trail in the high Sierras, his steering linkage broke, leaving him stranded. He camped out for a couple of days while I drove into town many hours distant and had a welder fabricate a fix. This trail is the kind that you creep along at 3 miles per hour on many sections, so it took some time to get him his repaired part. What a hoot that trip was! I loved the way he talked, and could listen to him for hours on end. He was always up for high adventure in the outback!

Okay my friend, back to work now ... thanks for sharing.

[Gravelrash]

Steve, just a brief reply, due to time constraints. The "House of Filthy Lucre" calls, in the shape of "She Who Must Be Obeyed"!
I'm very pleased to hear what you have to say about ESL teaching potential - it's very encouraging. I will be applying for a position at a New Mexico language institute when I finally get there. You can imagine all the dramas associated with that - Green Cards, sponsorship etc. I once made the fatal error of merely looking at a Green Card program and now, years later, my "inbox" still gets flooded with "lottery" scams!!

Mate - I love your website. I have (as usual) a lot of questions, but I'll get around to those in a private email. For now, I just wanted to compliment you on it and thank you for what will be many hours of enjoyment.

One thing, though.
I saw this entry in your "Visitors" section:-
2001 - 1,014,636 - World Trade Center is attacked
It stands out as a stark entry and I am moved by that. I divide my life into pre- and post-9/11 these days, the day the world changed forever. I will never forget who did it and the name of what "religion" it was done in. I hope no American ever does either.
Happy trails