No one knew where I was including me

Kangaroo Island Ritz Carlton.....not! No deluxe accommodations were part of this 2 day pure adventure. I was picked up at my hostel in Adelaide at 6:00 in the morning & was feeling a bit hungover from the night before. Had a 2 hour drive ahead of me in a small van, did i mention I'm 6'5"? Self induced so i just tried not to hurl. I'm half way around the world & the hot little Asian girl in front of me is from Knoxville,TN which is where i went to college. I was half expecting her to be a hit woman & do me right there so i could escape this hangover. We boarded a ferry & headed for the bar at 8:00a.m. I had 4 beers before we made it to the other side. I was told by one of our guides & the bartendress that i tied the record for such a short trip. I'll do better next time. Kangaroo Island is a must for anyone wanting to see unspoiled Australia. It gets very little pressure from the mainland & the wildlife is everywhere. We saw koalas, fairy penguins,enchinidas, fur seals,wallabies,kangaroos & possums. My group was alot of fun & the guides were entertaining to say the least. I was the farthest away from Nashville that i had ever been & i was LOVING it! I will go deeper next time. The picture is of our overnight accommodations. It was basically a bunkhouse with one bathroom & the animals just came & went when they wanted to. A couple people slept outside but I didn't see the need as i was already out in the middle of f____king nowhere. Had a blast & give Kangaroo Island my ***** rating!
Cheers,
Rip

Some things are better if you wait

I was involved in a wreck in 1992 & received only $2,800 for my mangled mess of a car. My roommate & best friend threw a Wheels & Deals down on the table. He pointed to a 1972 Olds Cutlass Convertible for $2400 & proclaimed"You have to buy this car, it is so you Rip" I had no idea how big of a moment this would turn out to be in my life. 1 of the top 10 for sure & i'll tell you why. First, this car personifies my laid back, easy going attitude. When i drive the Cutlass i am never in a hurry & i'll get there in due time. I try not to drive it in the rain as the top should be down always. Second, this car was a mess in reality & desperate need of restoration. The previous owner had wrecked it probably more than once & repaired it with Bondo. It is a convertible so water damage was also a factor. There was massive areas of rust throughout the car. I have a list of a 100 things i will do before i die & restoring the Cutlass was way up at #2 but it took me 14 years to begin the long & expensive project. The guy in the picture is Yancey Hale, husband of my former processor Jackie Hale. I'm 6'5" 280 & he makes me look small. Big men were needed for this job. Yancey advised me to sell the car for parts & with the money i was about to spend, he could buy me another Cutlass. I said Hell No, i've given up on many things in my life & i was never giving up on this car. He understood & set out to restore my YeloSub to as new as he could. It was the best $15,000 i've ever spent. This experience taught me that vision & persistence are 2 necessary traits that can help me in life. I was patient & driven to get the YeloSub where it needed to be. People can have their Mercedes, Lexus & BMW's but I'm an all American muscle car kind of guy & this car will flat out get it. If you ever see me driving around Nashville in the Cutlass; you'll understand. #2 restore the Cutlass-Done
Go topless whenever possible,
Rip

Treasure from Down Under

I have always enjoyed going to flea markets as an adult....not so much as a child, it bored me. Everytime that I travel to Australia i get excited at the possibilities of finding new, one of a kind
treasure at the many flea markets in just about every city. The picture shows some Huen pine treasure from Salamanca market in Hobart, Tasmania. Huen pine only grows in Tasmania & it has a incredible smell to it. It can be very expensive but no one I know has any pieces. Whether it be opals from Coober Pedy, Aboriginal art from Kuranda or Popglass jewelery from Sydney; you will have unique treasure from Australia. Let's face the facts, less than 1% of the population of the U.S. will ever travel to Australia or New Zealand. This is the basis for my company OnMeWay,LLC. Nashville is a great city but very trendy. Everyone is trying to keep up with their neighbhors whether it be houses,cars or which private school their kids attend. I look forward to bringing back one of a kind treasure & reselling to the Jones so the Smiths will have to have the next bigger & better thing I import. Have you been someplace that has great treasure & maybe scuba diving too? Let me know & if I import from there, I'll give you a cut. Gotta run. Until next time...remember treasure is everywhere. Cheers, Rip the treasure hunter