Born to Run

They're build like light
And they dance like spirits in the night (all night), in the night (all night)
Oh, you don't know what they can do to you
Spirits in the night (all night), in the night (all night)
Stand up right now and let them shoot through you

Bruce Springsteen once said that when he saw Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan show that he realised then that white men could make magic too. Last night we were treated to all of that magic by one of the greatest showman the world has ever seen. Springsteen was also faced with the dilemma when he became famous of not wanting to disappear like Dylan or destroy himself like Elvis. From what we saw last night he has done neither, he has created something that will remain with us forever.

We arrived at Castlemaine early Saturday morning, stocked up on some provisions and caught a bus to Hanging Rock in the heart of the Macedon Ranges. The local press said that what they had to do was convert a sheep paddock to city for 17000 people, and they had no infrastructure, no power or water. When we arrived we walked in with Melburnians dressed in their finest and country Victorians out for a great time, it was like the Melbourne Cup of music. Champers and Crown Larger flowed, and food of every variety. We were a bit worried about the rain, but we had our ponchos, but only had a brief shower at 3.00pm. Jimmy Barnes and band warmed up the crowd and by the time Khe San came on everyone was rockin. I'm pleased to say that when Bruce appeared with the E Street Band the skies had cleared. He was grinning from ear to ear and the crowd lapped up his 3 hour show filled with all the classics. I could have sworn that when he played Born to Run the hanging rock that loomed over the stage gave me a wink as if to say, this is rock and roll!
Bruce invited Jimmy on stage for a duo of "Tougher Than The Rest", for once it was good to see Barnesy a little bit humble in the presence of a hero.

We are writing this blog cruising up the Hume Highway nearing the end of our wonderous adventure.
We have been to the well and had our fill...... Bob and Ali Pigott

The setlist for Bruce Springsteen at Hanging Rock was:

Badlands
Prove It All Night
High Hopes
We Take Care of Our Own
Wrecking Ball
Death to My Hometown
Hungry Heart
Spirit in the Night
The River
Tougher Than the Rest (with Jimmy Barnes)
Atlantic City
Johnny 99
Pay Me My Money Down
Darlington County
Shackled and Drawn
Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The Rising
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Thunder Road
Encore
Born To Run
10th Ave Freeze Out

Madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older, I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing, the calliope crashed to the ground
Some all-hot half-shot was headin' for the hot spot, snappin' his fingers, clappin' his hands
And some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover's knot with a whatnot in her hand
And now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
And some bloodshot forget-me-not whispers, "Daddy's within earshot, save the buckshot, turn up the band"

And she was blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
She got down but she never got tight, but she'll make it alright

The first ever Springsteen single, from the album Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ, recorded way back in 1973, and like the album, did not really make a dent in the Billboard Top 100. Later covered by Manfred Mann and the Earth Band, the song became a hit, similar to Fire , another Springsteen song which became a hit for the Pointer Sisters. Still, those royalty cheques can add up!

We noticed as we've travelled around the south of the country that the light takes longer to arrive in the morning and sets later in the evening, particularly with the late daylight saving this year. For an early rising couple like ourselves, on holidays, this is nothing but good news, as our body clocks slow to the rhythms of the earth. Love that kinda talk!

We arrived in Queenscliff this morning, which is a seaside town at the mouth of Port Phillip Bay, a popular weekend getaway for Melburnians and just up the road from where the ABC TV series Sea Change was made. We jumped on the ferry to Sorrento and wandered round the town with all the other people who had forgotten to go to church. We did share one piece of whiting however in the good Aussie Good Friday tradition.

Tonight we dine in house at the Hotel Queenscliff, another great pick by the bride......and tomorrow, the gig! Mumma always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun, but Mumma that's where the fun is!

Can't see nothin' in front of me
Can't see nothin' coming up behind
I make my way through this darkness
I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me
Lost track of how far I've gone
How far I've gone, how high I've climbed
On my back's a sixty pound stone
On my shoulder a half mile line

Come on up for the rising
Com on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Using Apollo Bay as base camp for our last day of exploring the Great Ocean Road was basically a stroke of genius. Sadly I cannot take credit for this inspiration as Ali is the tour organiser and tour guide. My role over the years has diminished to scribe, food taster and wine waiter, tasks, particularly the last two, I have become, in my own humble opinion, both discerning and masterful. Enough of me, now where was I, oh yes, the trip.

Slowly drove north this morning, checking out Aireys Inlet, Anglsea, Lorne, Point Addis and of course the famous Bells Beach. Perfect waves today, which was just right for the annual Quicksilver Pro surfing comp which we glimpsed as we drove along the beach. The maximum temperature has plummeted 15 degrees, and the famous southerly winds have kicked in, so the competitors were definitely deserving of their hard earned. It looked cold from the headland, but not so bad from the inside of the car. A stroll around Torquay with a latte to warm us up (skinny of course) and back via the inland to Apollo Bay.

Our return trip inspired today's song, as you drive along the ridges high above the coast and then start to descend through dairy farms and rainforest. What made it more exciting was that the rains had come off the coast and inland, and we were suddenly up in the clouds, surrounded by mist and giant gum trees. A great road journey all round today and one we' ll always remember.

Tomorrow we head for Queenscliff, on the northern side of Port Phillip Bay.Two more sleeps till Bruce, I hope he can contain his excitement about the fact that he is finally going to meet us after our long journeys!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1gjy3_paradise-by-the-c-bruce-springsteen_music#.UVKG8IwaySM

We are sheltered this evening at Apollo Bay, in the shadow of Otway National Park and the Otway Light House. As we came down the hills that surround the town, I saw a sign that said 'Welcome to Apollo Bay, Paradise by the Sea', which immediately got me thinking about the great Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and the wonderful instrumental by the same entitled Paradise by the "C". As a special treat for all our blog followers, I've included a YouTube clip of the song for those of you with speeds fast enough to download. For those of you with speeds not fast enough to download (yes I'm talking to you Neville Iceton), I'll give you a brief description of the tune.

Basically it's a jam session on stage, with everyone having a rollicking good time, and each of the musician's given a little bit of space to show off their musical talents.Of course Clarence Clemonts, the now deceased but extraordinary talented sax player in the band, just gives it everything, and reminds us all of what being in a band is all about, having fun!

Speaking of fun, Ali spent the early part of the morning fixing the wi-fi connection for our lovely B&B hostess, who was extremely grateful and in awe of Ali's technological talents.We continue to spread goodwill wherever we roam!

Many walks today, rainforests, beaches, koalas hanging from trees.....we didn't get to close always being wary of former Tourism Minister John Brown's warning in relation to these seemingly quite and non intrusive creatures.

Looks like the possibility of rain tomorrow, but we have our ponchos and high spirits to keep us high......and dry! Paradise by the Sea or ....."C".

The highway is alive tonight
Where it's headed everybody knows
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
Waitin' on the ghost of Tom Joad

We walked, drove and photoed (is that a word?) our way along the Great Ocean Road (GOR) today, admiring all its majestic beauty and its wonderous but treachous coast line. Signs along the walks tell stories of its ancient past and the many shipwrecks of sailing boats which had journeyed for 5 months to get to the shores only to fall at the last hurdle, or in this case reefs and rocks.

On such a clear sunny day, with a slight northerly breeze creating a perfect wave along the sandstone cliffs, its hard to imagine that the ghosts of so many haunt these parts. Shipwrecks abound, but luckily we chose not to use a boat today, preferring the much safer mode of thongs to traverse the cliffs. Sadly my pair of thongs which I had run in over summer have not survived, so we dropped into Port Campbell for a reshoeing and a swim. I can now add the Southern Ocean to the waterways I have done the Australian Crawl in.

The GOR is something special, and it continues to be a drawcard for all. German, American, Chinese and the grey nomads joined us at various times today. And you can see why because its is very hard to get tired of looking at a blue, blue sea, pure white breakers and the sandstone as golden as this mornings sunrise.

Tonight we dine again by the barbeque of this perfect B&B. Free range eggs from the chooks that walk the lawns on the plate last night and for brekky again this morning. Ali and I continue to count our blessings. Bruce Springsteen, if your reading our blog again today, I can recommend this venue!