Yorke Peninsula road trippin'

In January I went to the Yorke Peninsula for work. I photographed Point Turton, Marion Bay and Port Vincent Caravan Parks. I made the return trip from Adelaide all in one day. It was massive. I was slapping myself across the face to stay awake on the way home. 

To make sure I stayed as alert as possible (and because I'd just had a very yummy festive season), I packed fruit, carrots, cucumber, drip and rice crackers to nibble on all day as my breakfast, lunch and tea. It helped. I felt great.

Even though I was pushed for time, I still took the time to stop and take photos along the way - that's part of the fun of road trips. It's the journey, not the destination. ;)

I don't love driving, but I do like long distance driving on my own. Why wouldn't I? I get to sing - and not be told to stop hurting ears. I get to listen and bop along to my fave Latin tunes. Podcasts run til my brain can take no more. I can stop whenever, wherever. And, I can talk to myself. 

Do you like driving? What's your fave thing to do to keep entertained? 

Here are a few pics from "Yorkes". Very SA I think. :)

Eating and drinking my way around Fremantle...

When in Rome... or, as it is for me, when in Fremantle...

After visiting art studios, walking, cycling and swimming the waterfront and hanging out at Fremantle Arts Centre, it's time to refuel. The choices are plenty. And the yumminess factor high.

Here are some of my faves. 

Lapa Brazilian restaurant

Don't eat before you go - be hungry. Very hungry. The food is good, and I have trouble saying no. I prepare myself to roll out the door. Even though on arrival it seems all a bit haphazard, this restaurant has the service down.

All my faves like cheese bread and black beans are being served along with a constant offering of 16 different kinds of meat.

Drink coasters serve as signals to the waiters if I want more meat or not. Green 'yes please' or red 'no thank you'. I should have gone red long before I did, but what does one do when they are enjoying? 

 

Little creatures and Creatures Next Door

The place to chill, watching boats cruise in and out of the harbour as the sun sets. In fact, I feel like I am on a ship, especially while sitting on the front deck. The architecture mimics a ship very well. Live music and ultra friendly staff complete the setting.

It attracts a laid-back crowd of varying ages. We enjoy a game of Connect 4 and Guess Who while sipping wine. Yes, it’s not all about the beer. 

Raw Kitchen

This food is seriously delicious. I’d eat here every day if I could. We top our lunch off with yummy raw cake… think carrot cake and lime avocado slice that's like cheesecake. Yum. And not so guilty after my bean sprouts, quinoa, tofu and pickles bowl. 

It's housed in a big 1920's warehouse with lofty ceilings and retro furniture. Think old event chairs that can click together, bus seats, shipping container booths and long communal tables. It keeps me well entertained looking at everything, discovering new things. 

Bread in Common

Let's talk about bread. It's all about the bread. Well not really, but the bread is very good. I'm not meant to eat gluten but decide to suffer after one heavenly morsel. 

Bread in Common is a restaurant and bakery within an 1898 heritage listed building. The kitchen is open, and you can see the chefs working hard at your food while you sit with wine. The food is designed to be shared, and you sit at long communal tables. 

And did I mention the bread... delicious. With salted butter, olio or white bean dip - it goes down too well. 

Moore and Moore

A recurring theme - this place is located in an old building. The heritage-listed Moores building to be precise. Once I'm done (and it takes a while) looking around at all the gadgets and art stuff in the various rooms, I look at the menu. Biodynamic pancakes, vegan paleo bowl, halloumi burger all sound yummy... but I eventually decide on Mexican Florentine. A plate full of poached eggs, jalapeno & lime hollandaise, Moore’s baked beans (the best!), avocado, rocket and turkish toast.

Washed down with a seriously good strong coffee. Good morning! 

I think Fremantle suits me. I should come back more often. I know there are more places just like these to discover.

Any faves you visited? 
 

Recharging at South Beach, WA

The streets of Fremantle.

Where?

A little area between Coogee and Fremantle in Western Australia. Next door to Fremantle with better beaches and quieter pace, but still easy access to all the cafes, drinking holes and shops.

The crowd?

A mix of snobby upper class through to happy hippies. The upper crust walks past with their little pooches while hippies play congas in the parkland and backpackers munch on picnic style tea in the back of their station wagons. Of course, I love it.

Why?

A relaxed vibe of coastal living. Close to Fremantle but far enough away to escape the crowds. Cafes, cove beaches, fitness scene, cycling, and a great walking path along the coast. Not to forget the people watching either. 

What am I doing here?

I am spending the first week of 2018 here. Swimming, relaxing, reading, eating and drinking. It is the perfect excuse for me to step away from work and enjoy a guilt-free recharge. For anyone that knows me, you know how hard this is for me. I didn't even bring my laptop. Big deal, for me. 

How am I going with it?

Surprisingly well. I have loved my time not 'needing' to do something. I've relaxed into reading and finished two magazines and started on two books. I've wandered on the beach and splashed in the water just because. I've sat and done nothing. We've laughed hard playing Cards of Humanity. And I've eaten and drank way too much. 

And I've had time to think. I can get lost, and scared when I have time inside my head. But I know it's important. I don't allow myself this time too often, but its something I have realised and is improving. Working out what I need, what I want and what I need to do. Important personally and in business. 

So what else to do here, apart from being involved with your thoughts? 

Cycle the coastal path.
We ride from South Beach down to Woodman Point passing derelict old buildings, new Coogee development, family-friendly man-made beach, scrub, country style beaches and many parks. 20 km return. And of course, the path also heads north. We also ride this, heading towards Perth along the river. It's a very scenic and entertaining way of burning off some excess calories. 

Coastal path south of South Beach.

Bathers Beach House
As the sun sets, this is the place to be. Sun loungers line the small cove, with drink service. One of the very few places in Australia that offer service on the beach. Pretty sure I read it's the only place to legally be served an alcoholic drink in Perth. Tourists and locals alike line the waterfront for sunset photos but tonights isn't very spectacular. We enjoy our cider while laughing with our French waiter and again, people watching.

Sunsets and cocktails at Bathers Beach House, Fremantle.

Linger on the beach
I meet, and see, all sorts on the beach. Friendly locals are walking their pooches, random lounge chairs complete with a lamp sit on the beach, kitesurfers scream along the waves and families laugh and splash about in the water. Clear turquoise water, soft sand and warm sun complete the picture. 

The random things you find on the beach at South Beach. I was told it had been there for two weeks. The next day it was gone. 

Fremantle arts centre
A great place to see a variety of different art but also live music. The New Years Day concert attracts a well-rounded mix of people from chilled hipsters to the 60 plus-year-olds that love to kick off their heels and boogie. Soukouss Internacionale is my fave with their afro rhythms and got me up dancing while the other bands had me chilled and relaxed. Every Sunday afternoon the centre has live music. 

Soukouss Internacionale at Fremantle Arts Centre. 

Restaurants and drinking holes
There are many options in the Fremantle area. I eat in The Raw Kitchen, Bread in Common, Lapa, and Moore and Moore. We have drinks at Bathers Beach House and Creatures NextDoor too. All great. 

Start the day right with Mexican Florentine at Moore and Moore.

Of course, there is much more to discover in Fremantle, but that would require too much time off my sun lounger. I am, after all, meant to be relaxing. Discovering new things is exciting and quite possibly, lead me to work. Can't have that now...

A surprise at Two Emuz, Kangaroo Island

Whenever I go away, it's normally me organising everything. This time though, it is different. I'm heading to Kangaroo Island with Fleurieu Living Magazine for some shoots. And I'm told we are staying at a B&B at Emu Bay. I was in for a surprise on arrival as to what to expect. 

Well, first we got lost. Our phone lost reception and with it went our directions. Luckily, an attentive local who we met on the ferry saw us stopping, turning and stopping and wandered over to help. She knew everyone in the area and could point us in the right direction within minutes. 

Beyond the farm gate, down the rubble driveway, sits the accommodation and owners pad. A lovely limestone and cedar building. But the real highlight is stepping in and seeing the view from the living area. I stop in my steps and stand with jaw open. I'm not just saying that - I really did. 

Outside, beyond the sunloungers and green grass is the vast ocean. There is nothing between us and the sparkling blue water except the rolling hill down to the beach (that can only accessed by a couple of homes that sit next to us). A private beach (basically). I will be wandering up and down that in the morning before we leave. 

Our host, Rob is just as amazing... we sip gin and tonics with him while watching the sun set and his beautiful Dalmation greets us after our morning walk along the beach. It makes me feel very comfortable and 'at home'. The gourmet breakfast supplies including Illy coffee, crusty bread, eggs and range of teas set me up for the day before I leave too. Mmm. 

Can I go back? Please?

www.tuemuz.com.au

Whenever I go away, it's normally me organising everything. This time though, it is different. I'm heading to Kangaroo Island with Fleurieu Living Magazine for some shoots. And I'm told we are staying at a B&B at Emu Bay. I was in for a surprise on arrival as to what to expect. 

Well, first we got lost. Our phone lost reception and with it went our directions. Luckily, an attentive local who we met on the ferry saw us stopping, turning and stopping and wandered over to help. She knew everyone in the area and could point us in the right direction within minutes. 

Beyond the farm gate, down the rubble driveway, sits the accommodation and owners pad. A lovely limestone and cedar building. But the real highlight is stepping in and seeing the view from the living area. I stop in my steps and stand with jaw open. I'm not just saying that - I really did. 

Outside, beyond the sunloungers and green grass is the vast Southern Ocean and Bass Straight. There is nothing between us and the sparkling blue water except the rolling hill down to the beach (that can only accessed by a couple of homes that sit next to us). A private beach (basically). I will be wandering up and down that in the morning before we leave. 

Our host, Rob is just as amazing... we sip gin and tonics with him while watching the sun set and his beautiful Dalmation greets us after our morning walk along the beach. It makes me feel very comfortable and 'at home'. The gourmet breakfast supplies including Illy coffee, crusty bread, eggs and range of teas set me up for the day before I leave too. Mmm. 

Can I go back? Please?

www.tuemuz.com.au

Exploring close to home...

Explore your backyard. We have all heard it. But I seem always to find more interest in exploring far away places. Wrong, isn't it? Especially since I love my backyard and champion its beauty whenever I can.

Well, this years October long weekend marked the fourth year in a row of holidaying at Port Elliot Caravan Park. After spending many summers there as a child and living in the neighbouring town of Victor Harbor for my teenage years - I finally decided to discover some new things. 

Here are some of my fave places...

Beaches...
Instead of heading to Horseshoe Bay, we veered left and wandered along the Coast path to find ourselves on an untouched, semi-deserted beach. We spot a little (4-5ft) shark playing in the shallows. Watching for five minutes, we saw it twisting and turning before disappearing, only to reappear in another spot and repeat. Swim? Not today, thanks.

There are rocks to the right of the beach, at the headland, where a man is shark fishing. And there is a surf break called chicken run right there - which I'm told only breaks in a large swell. I do see some surfers, and the wave is nice. I wonder why it's called Chicken Run? Playing chicken with the sharks is my guess. 

I continued walking up towards Middleton, on my left, is Bashams Beach, or as my dad likes to say, Lewis beach. He's re-named it after the land he owns just back from the shore - just not sure if anyone else knows. A man can dream. 

Go further, and you hit Middleton, my fave surf spot. This long stretch of beach is popular for surfing but beware of rocks under the water level while swimming, bodyboarding or surfing. 

Retro Vibe Cafe - a casual cafe decked out in, you guessed it, retro furniture and furnishings. It's near the train line and quieter than the main Victor Harbor to Goolwa drag. There's a kids corner too to keep the little ones entertained while you enjoy your coffee. A trip down memory lane is inevitable. 

Too much indulgence? Bike ride through the backstreets and headland near the caravan park for a bit of exercise. Or if you are feeling more energetic, cycle the Encounter Bikeway that runs from Encounter Bay to Goolwa. It's 30km long, reasonably flat and well made. Do as much, or as little, as you like. 

Of course, there is much more to do, but that is the beauty of the Fleurieu. You can do as little or as much as you like. 

Summer dreams at Seawall Apartments Glenelg - check them out!

Summer loving! 

I can not wait until the warmer weather hangs around for day after day...

What better place to spend those summer days than at the beach. I'm lucky; I now live just a few minutes walk to the beach. But I'll still be taking a break at Seawall Apartments in Glenelg this summer. I love the place.

I've photographed Seawall a few times now over the years, as they renovate their rooms. And with each room being different - I will never get bored. 

But what is so great about Seawall?

I love the style, the comfort, and the location. 

My fave apartment?

Any of the beachfront ones... but Olive Court is kinda cool. 

I love a beachfront spa - relaxing as I watch the sunset over the ocean. Ok, so it does take a bit to get used to seeing people while bathing... but I know they can't see me. Cue glass of bubbles and some music and I'm set for a good half hour. I just need to learn not to run the water so hot that I overheat. 

The beach is just a few steps away, or I can walk a few minutes and be sipping a macchiato in a cafe along Jetty Road. Seawall is far enough away from the hustle and noise, but close enough to walk whenever I want the vibe. 

Check them out! And visit www.seawallapartments.com.au for more info (and to see the rest of my pics:))

3 adventure places to visit on Kangaroo Island...

Giant boulders that make up Remarkable Rocks.

1. Flinders Chase National Park - Admirals Arch, Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, Remarkable Rocks. Get about on day hikes, multi day hikes, guided tours or cruise in your car. The coastal views, rough cliffs, and natural scrub combine beautifully (of course, it's Mother Nature). And animals? There are kangaroos, Cape Barren geese, a smelly seal colony (which is totally worth persisting with), and various bird life.

Pups at Admirals Arch... playful and inquisitive. 

Where the southern ocean hits Kangaroo Island - dramatic and beautiful at once. The road to Remarkable Rocks.

The road that leads into the park. 

Just wandering about... the entrance to the the last campsite of Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail. 

Remarkable Rocks. They truly are. 

2. Seal Bay - there aren't too many places I know of where you can get so close to these cute animals. Stand on the beach with them, watch the males fight, smell their unremarkable stench, hear the pups cry for their mums to return from fishing. A guide is always with you ensuring we don't get too close - although the seals sometimes don't know the rules, coming right up to groups to say hello. While I was there, a little pup came sliding down the dunes right up to a group. He checked them out then waddled on.

Meeting cute critters at Seal Bay. Tourists can't approach the seals but nothing stops them coming up to tourists. 

Where's mum? The young seals let out mournful cries while searching for mum and the food she brings back for them. 

3. Little Sahara dunes  - clamber up the top then whizz back down on a toboggan or sand board. Repeat. Grab some beautiful views while there too - it's worth risking the camera (or keep it in a sealed plastic bag to improve your chances of a sand free camera when you slide back down. This place is just fun. Prepare to get sandy. 

Wind patterns atop the dunes at Little Sahara.

Don't let the legs get away from you... running down Little Sahara dunes.

Monkey fun at Little Sahara.

Where the dunes meet the bush. Little Sahara.

CLIENT SHOWCASE: Flinders Bush Retreats

Billy tea and scones by the campfire in the Gorge

How old are the Flinders Ranges? I don't know, but apparently, some of the worlds oldest fossils have been found here.

View from the property

I used to camp up at the Flinders Ranges with my grandparents and family as a child. We’d set up camp by a creek, sit around campfires at night, hike during the day and construct gravestones for the baby rabbits accidentally caught in my Grandpa’s traps that day. We’d name them, bury them, have a ceremony and put a headstone on top. 

Mt Scott Homestead kitchen

Twenty years later, and a few visits in between, I’m back. But this time I’m not camping, I'm staying in a three bedroom home complete with indoor fire, fire pit outside and bath overlooking the gorge hills. There is even a coffee machine. Luxurious. There is a water trough out the back which emus come and drink. Each day I take a bath mid-afternoon, so I can laze back and watch the sun play hide and seek with the stormy clouds while the emus slurp away. I laugh as sheep come running to the trough and scatter the emus one afternoon. I wonder who rules the roost?

Mt Scott Homestead

The Quarters

Eco tent

Eco tent

Flinders Bush Retreats is a working station about 10 minutes out of Hawker. There is a range of accommodation. Bush campsites, Eco tent, The Quarters (which are quite luxe shearers quarters) and where I’m staying, Mount Scott Homestead. Something for everyone, I’d like to think. 

Getting hands on and learning in the shearing shed

I love the isolation of Mount Scott Homestead. Five minutes drive from the nearest house through paddocks. I hear nothing but the wind, birds and occasional creak from the trees. I sit at the breakfast bar and see the outback farm for as far as my short sighted eyes can see. Adventuring up into the hills of the Willow Waters Gorge, I am comfortable knowing if I get lost I only need to head west, and I’ll see ‘home’. 

Walking through the Gorge

I am alone, but I can imagine having a few nights away with friends or family. Willow Waters Gorge, the gorge on the property is old. Very old. Boringly old apparently. So the scientific folk said when they came to survey the area. But it is perfect for wandering. It’s small enough not to get lost but big enough to walk for a few hours each day. I climb up to a peak one chilly morning and get a 360-degree view of the gorge. It’s a little utopia amongst the barren farmland over the other side of the hills. 

One of the campsites

Another day I climb up the hills, losing the track I'm meant to walk up, but find my way around on the goat and kangaroo tracks. I get over to the gorge side of the hills, but rain and wind lash in. I retreat, slipping down the hill on the scree. Just as I get back to Mount Scott Homestead, the sky opens and a storm rolls in. The wind makes a song as it hurtles across the farmland and through the gum trees lining the front of the house. I’m glad I turned back when I did. The hills were steep, and I can imagine the wind picking me up and throwing me somewhere further down if I’d been up on top still. 

Meet and greet with the farm animals

Sharon and Allen McInnes are working farmers. They live nearby with their children and have a farm of animals for guests to meet. Mini ponies, geese, chooks, sheep, pigs, cat, dogs… City kids (big and small) will be amazed. Unfortunately, due to weather, I missed out on shearing, but at the right time of year, guests can get involved with farm chores too. 

The Eco tent view

Thoughts and conversations while hiking Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail...

What goes through my head while I'm hiking alone for five days? 

Well, after talking to animals and plants, meditating on the beach, begging whales to come closer and walking in a trance, I have plenty of time to have conversations with myself. 

These may or may not have all been said aloud, multiple times - to myself, the birds and the bees, the plants... 

#1
OMG, what am I doing? I'm so cold. What if it rains the whole time? I hate winter, the cold and being in the rain. I can't escape the rain. What am I doing? What if it rains the whole time? How many more days do I have? (All said within the first 24 hours.)

#2
Wow. Look at the water droplets on the leaves. They are so beautiful. Wow, look at the leaves. Look at the shapes. There are some beautifully shaped leaves. How wonderful is Mother Nature? And look, wow, a redback spider I nearly stepped on. Lucky I missed it. I should get a photo...

#3
Thank you. I am so grateful. I am so lucky to be out here. How special is this? Thank you Weather Gods, you have listened. Look at the sky this side, look at the sky that side - I'll take this side thanks. Please. Wow, winter and summer in one sky. Eek. I hope that's not the 20mm of rain coming.

#4
Damn. I love beaches. I can't get this stupid smile off my face. I want to stay here. Wow. It's a shipwreck beach. Look at all the rubbish? Look there's a shoe - it's a nice shoe. Wonder what happened? Ahh, I don't want to leave. 

#5
Yuck. Sweaty Betty. I'm going to stink from day one. I really should stop and take some layers off, but the rain is too hard. I'll just keep walking. Yuck. Sweating. Argh, my feet feel so wet too. And I've missed stepping in all the puddles. Why? Damn, look, I have a hole in my shoe. Should have looked at them before packing them. Damn it. Hope it doesn't rain every day. My feet are going to be horrible. Wet feet for five days - yuck.

#6
The birds are singing songs. Sounds so pretty. It's natural music. How many different bird sounds can I hear?

#7
The wind is singing songs. I can see the colours and tones of the wind blowing through like waves over the treetops. It's a bit spooky. Is this a place of cultural significance? I feel different here. Something in my soul. 

#8
Am I going to get bored? I'm going to get so bored. What am I going to do? I forgot my book and only have one magazine with me. Shit. Oh well, guess I should practice meditating. Be good for me. How many pages a day can I read?

#9
So thankful it has stopped raining. I am grateful. I am blessed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

#10
Live a life that makes me happy. Life is a process, a journey of coming out of my shell. 

#11
I need more holidays alone.

#12
Nature is true, amazing beauty. Nature makes me calm. This is amazing. I'm so happy and lucky to be here. 

#13
The bonus of hiking through winter. I don't need to keep an eye out for snakes. I can look around a bit more while walking. There are so many twigs laying around, if it were summer, I'd be jumping every minute or two. (On day 3 I realise that snakes don't hibernate on Kangaroo Island. The guys hiking the trail at the same time spotted 2.)

#14
Shit. Up to 50km winds and up to 20mm of rain. Oh no. What if I get totally wet and can't dry out. I'll be freezing. I don't like it. Perhaps I can just keep walking today and do it all? Argh. Rain. Lots of it. Oh no. 

#15
F**K, so fricken cold. I'm freezing. Oh my god. What can I do? How long til morning (of course I don't know because I forgot to bring anything, except my flat phone, that tells the time). Really? I have three more nights of this? Oh shit. I'm not going to cope. I'm going to go crazy, not sleeping. This is horrible. 
*Thankfully I find a way of keeping warm the following nights.

#16                                                                                                                                                (When my knee starts 'talking' to me, I speak straight back to it - out loud.) Be quiet and stay quiet. I don't want to hear from you on this hike. 

#17
Um, why on earth did I choose to be here and not lazing on a warm beach somewhere? I guess the only answer is 'I love adventure'. Although, I remember now that I said one to two-night hikes are best for me. Oops. 

#18
I feel you girl; I know you are there, now steady. (Yep, I actually start talking to the wind as it tries to blow me sideways while hiking the clifftop. It is that intense I can feel all the muscles in my legs and core battling to keep me upright.)

#19
Thoughts are like the surrounds on the trail... always changing and never permanent or solely one thing. 

#20
Not a spoken word but written in my diary...
Cold afternoon, cold night, cold sleep, cold morning... only when I'm moving, am I not cold. Thankfully, I have the sun til 4-4.30pm to keep me warmish. But when that sun starts to drop, brr. It's cold. Which is about now and I start to think... 
"Sitting by myself at camp as it gets colder and the dark creeps in. I wish the night to go quick. I want the hours to zoom by so I can crawl into my sleeping bag and be warm. Now that I know I can be warm."

I also sang songs. In English and Portuguese. I made songs up of strength and courage, of living a life you love but perhaps the most intense thought, however, was a realisation that brought tears to my eyes. 

Most of my thinking time is while walking through the bush as I'm not as 'wowed' by the vistas, but this aha comes on a clifftop. 

"I feel like I've been living in a box. I am finally pushing the top off and living the life I am meant to. A life of adventure, fun, love and discovery. I can have this life. And by doing that, I can show my kids how to live a life that makes them happy. Not a prescribed life that they think they have to live." 

I wipe my eyes so I can see and walk on.

Hiking Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail for five days... and the things I forget to pack.

Carrying everything (except for the stuff I forgot) I need on my back for five days. Couldn't do it without the hiking poles - or my knees couldn't.

The track on day one. Nice. 

Presuming most people would check their equipment before going on a five-day hike? Yep, not me. I end up packing the morning I leave for Kangaroo Island. I'm pulling things from that room, a bit from over here, and remember as I'm packing something else that I haven't packed my hiking boots yet. Tell you now... probably not the best idea I've ever had. Not that it was an idea, it's just the way it has turned out.

So, did I forget anything? You bet. 
1. One of my boots has a hole in the side. I discover this after feeling my foot feeling quite wet after hiking in the rain for over an hour. 

2. No clock/watch. Not a biggie, but it's nice to know when I'm tossing and turning, waiting for it to be morning so I can get up.

Of course, everyone packs a tripod and DSLR for a hike, right?

3. No pegs for my tent. Oops. When the wind picks up, it's nice to know my tent isn't going to fly away. Especially since I don't have much weighty stuff to keep it on the ground. Only once did it have a little bit of lift off. Rocks and hiking poles came to good use in keeping the door fly off the inside of the tent. 

4. No pocket knife. Admittedly, this trip, I only needed one a few times. I managed to make do with the flint for my Trangia. 

5. No dishwashing liquid. Oh well. Not dead yet. 

6. No book to read. When I wake up before dawn and only hike until early afternoon... it leaves a lot of time to sit and reflect. A book for some of these hours, or a deck of cards, would be very handy. This is the one item I missed the most. 

Pegs could have been helpful when not on the tent platforms. Oops. 

7. Hat and sunscreen. Oops. Don't tell my Dad.

8. Thongs. It's really nice to get out of wet boots at the end of the day. But when I have nothing else... 

9. Mini Towel. What can I do? Shake 'em dry. 

10. Dehydrated wine. This should exist by now!

Ok, so that is a long list. Oops. Would I have remembered all of this had I packed earlier? Probably not. I always forget something. But next time I will try to pack earlier, and not forget so much. At least I kept the weight down that I had to carry!
 

And then you have to remember to pick things up after you put them down. Left my glasses here after they fell off trying to get the boat untangled from the tree. Enlisted my Jane of the Jungle skills to get that sucker unstuck.