We have been on the road in remote Cape York Peninsula until yesterday - almost a month. I am frankly glad to be back in civilization.

Despite the roads from hell, the folks we have met along way have been really quite special. I especially loved our days time at the Lotus Bird Lodge near Musgrave. Quite by accident we stumbled upon this isolated lodge after a particularly grueling stint in 4-wheel drive heaven. We didn't have reservations as we didn't even know this lodge existed. We followed a small hand-painted cardboard sign and our gut instincts. It looked so inviting as we drove in that we stopped to ask (beg?) if by any chance rooms were available. AND THERE WERE!

We couldn't have been more dirty and we were totally exhausted by that point. We also had had no clean clothes for a good while and only an occasional wash. We looked 'risky' at best from an innkeeper's point of view but Phil Buchanan, the Lodge manager, took it all in stride and couldn't have been nicer to us. Within minutes we were experiencing the divine luxury of a hot shower and slipping into freshly laundered and ironed clothes. It was sheer heaven! We later basked on the terrace, watching the red sunset glow, sipping cold drinks before dilapidating a gargantuan meal prepared by Chris, the resident chef.

We had a wonderful time with the entire staff there. The lodge's resident naturalist, John Augusteyn, spent several days helping us to find just the right nesting spots and the other photo ops that we were looking for. In return for his expertise and good company we gave him a few photography tips. Not that he needed them. Take a look at our Guest Gallery of some of John's work in our Special Features section on the web site.

We also greatly enjoyed meeting Gary and Sue, the proprietors at Punsand Bay Wilderness Lodge in Bamiga, at the tippy top of Cape York. They live isolated from the rest of the world but look out over an endless beach in the Torres Straits.

And Sandra Walker, the owner of Fur'N' Feathers Rainforest Tree Houses in the Tablelands near Atherton. Her lodge is tucked into a remnant patch of rainforest and there is a resident cassowary who comes to the house for a spot of tea promptly at dusk every day. We loved the cabin on stilts with catbirds swooping into the bird feeders and wild padamelon wallabies hopping upstairs to the deck for a treat.

We also met three 4WD enthusiasts at Bramwell Station along the OTL...they were traveling the same roads from hell so we decided to caravan to the top together. When you see the roads in the photos you will understand why this might be important. We plan to meet up with John Rundle and Marlene and Alan Gray again down in Sydney in November. We have met untold numbers of gracious Australians. I love it.

We have been fishing several times by now and plan to go out fishing again around the Barrier Reef on Monday morning. It's OK to be jealous of our traveling photographer lifestyle, you should be!

Speaking of the Reef, yesterday I found myself snorkling and scuba diving for the first time. Imagine! Nicole is an expert at it from way back and she talked me into trying it. I donned the heavy gear and actually swam around in the Reef under the watchful eye of an instructor and Nicole. It was great fun peering into the inquisitive eyes of the fish that swarmed around me! It was not without fear on my part, though, as breathing underwater is quite a unique experience. And while I loved the freedom of being under water I opted not to swim into the deeper parts of the reef with the others. It is good to know one's limits in these circumstances.

Each day brings yet another adventure. And this is only the beginning. The only thing I can't quite get used to is rising so early every day to meet these new adventures face to face. Don't you agree with me that getting up at 3am is a bit, um, early?