Washed Over

Six months from now, tanned and lubricated tourists will flock to these beaches.   Stretch out towels and relax in the bright sun lulled to sleep perhaps by the surf.   And on that sand they may wonder like I do over the amazing place they have arrived.

The callsign will fade out in the waves, washed up and replaced smooth.   The bands plied with the transceiver will quiet for a brief moment, then reawaken with spark and flutter as yet another QSO occurs between somewhere and somewhere else.   My callsign isn't my callsign, but just a borrowed identity.

Hopefully in your  log you can read out the report from our QSO, or more than one!   

As they say, "Don't forget to tip your waitress."  And the equivalent amateur  radio expression is, "OQRS staff are standing by for your order."  

The QSL paper will go out in due time.  But, the card cannot quite do justice to expressing how interesting, chaotic, beautiful and mysterious this island really is.   To find out, it takes going outside the boundaries on the tour map and that was far easier for me to do here in the low-season.  No one was really around -- except a huge population of birds, and a few local islanders.

For any other city where stress is the ground level of every experience, traffic and noise fills the void, and bias and ignorance just needs a spark to ignite into three-alarm blaze -- Lord Howe Island is the antipode of that place.   Physically and mentally.  

My flight leaves in less than 48 hours.  Half of the time left to dismantle and stow the gear.  Cinch up the bags and estimate weights for balanced luggage.   

A postcard message that I did not mail:

Dear [name withheld],  I believe during many instances across the Pacific DX'peditions test the newbie.  They discovered something about how this all is supposed to work.  Without a doubt, that moment arrived here with me trying to do this correctly.  With all my humility I can say everything you said was true.  I'm going to leave here better off with the knowledge gained for what I can do, and what I can do better. 

Best 73,  Jeff,  VK2/W7BRS