Australia Day in the Highlands

Just as cane toads have infested Australia, so too have Australians overrun the world.

Further proof of this Aussie invasion emerged today, when even here in Colorado's Rocky Mountains the slopes pulled out all the stops to celebrate Australia Day.

They're clearly no strangers to Australians in these parts, but it was surprising to see so many Americans getting in the Australia Day spirit.

It started soon after sunrise when the local television channel had Neil Perry on to discuss Australia's (ahem) contribution to global cuisine.

After declaring that Aspen was his second most favourite place in the world after Sydney, he then tried to explain the concept of Vegemite to the bemused hosts.

Clearly bedazzled by our culinary offering, one of the hosts then enthused that there would be meat pie tasting competitions and barbecues across the slopes today.

Adding to the festivities, the ski lifts started an hour earlier today (because god knows we just love an early start).

Sadly, I was not out of bed in time to take advantage of this.  But when I did stumble into my ski boots, it was to catch the bus to nearby Aspen Highlands.

Aspen Highlands

Here, the lifts were adorned with Australian flags, INXS was blaring on the speakers and an inflatable kangaroo was keeping watch.

Further up the hill, many skiers had Australian flags tucked into their helmets.   I was surprised to find that many of these flag wavers weren't actually Aussies, but happy to get into the spirit anyway. One lady was from Austria - that's kind close enough to count.

Cruising into one of the lifts, the attendant, looking resplendent with an Australian flag (hopefully temporary) tattoo on his face, offered me a Tim Tam.

"It's like a Twix," he reliably informed me.

One of the key things you need to know about Australia... we have the highest price of electricity?

Aspen Highlands covers a ridgeline, with runs falling off the spine.   There's a lot of double diamond and diamond runs here, but for me it was the rolling blue lines that kept me occupied.

Looking at the map, I initially thought I would only spend a morning here, but the sunshine, uncrowded lift lines and endless Australiana had me captivated for the entire day.

Pulling in for lunch presented another opportunity to re-connect with the Motherland.  Dingo Burger anyone?  Mmmm, just like the ones we have at home.

The afternoon allowed more exploration of the mountain, assisted by a guy dressed as a kangaroo.

The guy in orange is a kangaroo... obviously

As I unclicked my boots at the end of the day, I had the startling realisation that Americans celebrate Australia Day better than we do.

A prison with a view

There's a former Alcatraz prisoner in the gift shop on the famous San Francisco prison island signing copies of his new book.

Apparently it's a great read for those who have burning questions about what life inside the prison was like.

But my one burning question is: What were you in for?

Am I in the gift shop with a murderer, rapist or other?

Alcatraz from San Francisco

Then other questions pop into my head.

Am I able to fling this stand of t-shirts over to defend myself?  Will this tower of souvenir mugs make suitable projectile weapons?  And just how strong are these Alcatraz key rings; could they be makeshift knuckle busters?

I'm clearly the only one thinking these things as the line get this prisoner's autograph is getting longer.

Approaching Alcatraz

There's a special irony to the fact that this prisoner, who no doubt longed for the day he would escape Alcatraz, is back here voluntarily making a buck off his experience.

As the saying goes: those who break the rules go to prison, those who break prison rules go to Alcatraz.

Today, Alcatraz has transcended from being a mere former prison to a symbol of captivity and inescapable hell.

View from the inside

The place stopped being a prison in the 1960s, and a couple of decades of degeneration add to the bleak and oppressive atmosphere.

But I'm surprised by what a lovely view it offers of San Francisco, it's bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.  A view that no doubt taunted the prisoners and reminded them of everything they were missing out on.

Inside a cell

The prison itself is also surprisingly small, thanks in part to the fact that the cells are so small, with just enough room for a toilet and bed.   I count about six three-storey rows of cells.  Central skylights above tease the prisoners about what might be happening outside.

Rows of prison cells

The prisoners' only taste of the outdoors was a relatively small, concreted "recreation space" - complete with water views.

The recreation space

Since the prison closed, the island has seen more activity than ever.

An American Indian occupation from 1969 to 1971 turned the spotlight on native rights, while today more than 5,000 people a day visit the Alcatraz as a tourist attraction (that's more than double the number of prisoners who ever spent time here during the decades of its operation as a prison).

You certainly get a sense of its popularity while waiting in the lengthy lines to board to the island ferry and to walk through the prison buildings.

Needless to say, there's a certain Alcatraz allure that keeps people coming... and lining up to talk to its former prisoners.

A pretty cover-up

They're some of the prettiest cover-ups you're ever likely to come across.

I'd previously only seen covered, timber bridges on television and in movies like The Bridges of Madison County.

But here they are in Conway, New Hampshire, and Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood are nowhere to be seen.


Saco River Bridge, Conway
Built in 1890

Covered bridges were originally conceived as a way to protect bridges' wooden structures from the rain and snow, and extend their lifespan.

And this preservation attempt clearly did the trick - enabling me to make my way across the river today like many have done so during the past century or two.

While some of the covered bridges are still in use today, they have assumed a backseat role next to more modern, multi-laned, concrete bridges.

Swift River Bridge, Conway
Built in 1870

I'm not quite sure why, but covered bridges seem to stop me in my tracks (probably not a good thing when I'm driving across them).

Maybe it's because I have a vague recollection of watching a Disney cartoon as a child about the Headless Horseman, Sleepy Hollow and a covered bridge.

The bridges are both striking and a little bit sinister.   As I walk across them I feel as though I'm walking through a giant animal.   The timber beams, weathered over the decades, form a neat skeleton.  It's also noticeably darker and cooler inside - anything could be hiding in here and there's only two exits.

Honeymoon Bridge, Jackson
Built in 1876

But my covered bridge appetite has been whet, and I resolve to discover all the covered bridges I can while I'm in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for the weekend.  

The bridges straddle some impossibly beautiful landscapes.   Lush green forests, fast flowing rivers cascading down from mountains that are blanketed in snow during winter - these are not normal scenes I come across in the frequently drought-stricken Australia.


Wentworth Bridge, Jackson
Built in 1990

Bartlett Bridge, Bartlett
Built in 1851

Whittier Bridge / Bearcamp Crossing, West Ossipee
Built in 1870s

Albany Bridge, Albany
Built in 1858

Licence plate to thrill

They don't mess around in the US state of New Hampshire.

While other states around America and the world adopt pithy little slogans to adorn their licence plates, New Hampshire keeps its real.  Really real.

Yes, that's right.  "Live Free or Die".

Now I'm no expert, but I'm confident the word "die" doesn't appear too often on licence plates around the world.

There also seems to be a range of decorative "Live Free or Die" options you can choose from if the moose option above doesn't pick your fancy.

You can also "Live Free or Die" with mountainside option 1

Or "Live Free or Die" with mountainside option 2

The words are actually the official motto of the state and comes from a speech written by a soldier during the American Revolutionary War.   Though apparently Vivre Libre ou Mourir ("Live free or die") was also a popular motto during the French Revolution, so the phrase may have its origin there.

Either way, it leaves the licence plate slogan of my home state Queensland, "The Sunshine State" (formerly "The Smart State" but we got dumb), in the shade.

Though just when I thought Queensland was being original, it seems this slogan is shared by another in the US.

And yes, now that you ask I have spent the past few days photographing licence plates.

I've been travelling from Boston to Montreal, travelling through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and finally Quebec.

In between remembering to get into the left-hand side of the car and drive on the right-hand side of the road, I've been keeping check of licence plate slogans.

Awww - that's nice

Fun!

Worthy cause

Still working on it? 

How grand

I'm thinking Underwater World

"I believe the children are our future..."

Pretty

But New Hampshire means what it says.

Here, you don't need to wear a helmet when riding a motorbike (or a shirt it seems as I watched a chubby and elderly man cruise down the highway).

And if you're over 18 you don't have to wear a seatbelt, but if you've got a car like mine then it will beep incessantly until you buckle up.

There's also road signs pointing you in the direction of the nearest liquor and lottery stores.  How handy for those who like to drink and drive with the prospect of hitting the jackpot!