Carcas Count: 82
We are on the way to Townsville from airlie beach and we have decided to count the roadkill on the side of the road. Morbid.... I know. It is extremely sad to see the number of animals that are killed on the highway here. I can't even imagine the kind of damage that a full size kangaroo would do to a car.
The drive today is only about 270km and the scenery is beautiful. The landscape is dry but seems never ending and at random points throughout the drive we have driven through lush sections of rainforest.
Last nights party was a lot of fun. We are planning on meeting up with a few of the girls on magnetic island and one of the girls lives in manhattan so we are planning on visiting her next July when we hopefully go to new York for the new York triathlon.
All is well and both of us feel much better today. More from Townsville when we get there.
D&S
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands
We have been slacking on our posts about Airlie because there is not much to tell. It is a beautiful beach town that I can sum up in three words: beach, bikini and booze. It is definetly a party town that is crowded with backpackers waiting to sail the whitsundays.
We stayed in a super clean, super institutional hostel right on the esplanade and just far enough away from the party scene that we could get some sleep. We spent four days lazing on the beach in the lagoon, sleeping and swimming in the sun.
On Monday the 28th we got on our boat for three days in the islands. Our boat was actually a sixteen meter catamaran called wings 2 and it was beautiful! Our skipper was a young woman from Sweden named Annika and in her crew there were two dive instructors and two deck hands. David and I slept in a double bed that we had to climb into in the right pontoon of the catamaran.
There were twenty five guests on the boat all in their twenties. On our first day we made the two hour trip to tounge bay which is directly opposite whithaven beach on Whitsunday island which is the biggest island of the 74 in the area. We anchored the boat and took the small dingy to the beach where we hiked up to a lookout to take some pictures and enjoy the view. We then walked down to the beach where we walked through the water while sting rays and small sharks swam around our feet. Back on the boat we watched the sunset while we ate dinner on the deck. After dinner we watched a slideshow of pictures from the day before going to bed for the night.
Day two started EARLY! Annika was up at five thirty starting up the boat and bringing up the anchor. Needless to say, the wall between our bed and where the anchor chain came in is not very thick. We watched the sunrise while we drank tea on the front deck and Annika moved the boat into the next bay. We anchored the boat again after breakfast, got into our stinger/wetsuits and jumped off of the boat for a swim to whithaven beach. For two hours we played in the water, took pictures and slept on the beach.
Back on the boat we made the trip to hook island for our first dive. It was awsome! We saw two giant sea turtles and tons of fish! We ate lunch back on the boat and hoped in the water for a snorkle. Everything was going well until I moved my hand and all I felt was jellyfish! There were dozens of them around us and I freaked out. We made it back to the boat and I decided to take a break from the water for a bit. We made the trip to a spot just off of hayman island. We tied up to a mooring and settled in for a relaxing evening... Or so I thought. At some point I realized that David was missing so I went to check on him and found him sleeping. When I climbed into our bed to check on him he was burning up. I gave him a tylonel nighttime cold and sinus, made him take all of his extra clothes off even though he was cold, and gave him an ice pack to put under his back and a cold compress for his forehead. Luckily all of it worked and his fever came down enough for him to come up for dinner and the days picture slideshow. We slept really well that night with the rocking of the boat and the sound of the water outside.
Day three started early once again. We stepped onto the deck and we were greeted by whales, dolphins and turtles alongside a beautiful sunrise. We ate beakfast and a few of the certified divers did a drift drive and then it was back the the mainland. We all enjoyed the sun on the two hour ride back. The haze from the dust storm finally lifted on the last day and for the first time we could actually see the beauty of the whitsundays. Getting back to the mainland was sad. We all gave each other hugs and contact info and decided to meet at the beaches pub for drinks later tonight. So we will see what tonight brings!
For now we are relaxing and enjoying our first showers in three days and I am religiously applying itch cream to the over fifty sand fly bites that I got on whithaven beach. Maybe a few beers tonight will help!
D&S
We stayed in a super clean, super institutional hostel right on the esplanade and just far enough away from the party scene that we could get some sleep. We spent four days lazing on the beach in the lagoon, sleeping and swimming in the sun.
On Monday the 28th we got on our boat for three days in the islands. Our boat was actually a sixteen meter catamaran called wings 2 and it was beautiful! Our skipper was a young woman from Sweden named Annika and in her crew there were two dive instructors and two deck hands. David and I slept in a double bed that we had to climb into in the right pontoon of the catamaran.
There were twenty five guests on the boat all in their twenties. On our first day we made the two hour trip to tounge bay which is directly opposite whithaven beach on Whitsunday island which is the biggest island of the 74 in the area. We anchored the boat and took the small dingy to the beach where we hiked up to a lookout to take some pictures and enjoy the view. We then walked down to the beach where we walked through the water while sting rays and small sharks swam around our feet. Back on the boat we watched the sunset while we ate dinner on the deck. After dinner we watched a slideshow of pictures from the day before going to bed for the night.
Day two started EARLY! Annika was up at five thirty starting up the boat and bringing up the anchor. Needless to say, the wall between our bed and where the anchor chain came in is not very thick. We watched the sunrise while we drank tea on the front deck and Annika moved the boat into the next bay. We anchored the boat again after breakfast, got into our stinger/wetsuits and jumped off of the boat for a swim to whithaven beach. For two hours we played in the water, took pictures and slept on the beach.
Back on the boat we made the trip to hook island for our first dive. It was awsome! We saw two giant sea turtles and tons of fish! We ate lunch back on the boat and hoped in the water for a snorkle. Everything was going well until I moved my hand and all I felt was jellyfish! There were dozens of them around us and I freaked out. We made it back to the boat and I decided to take a break from the water for a bit. We made the trip to a spot just off of hayman island. We tied up to a mooring and settled in for a relaxing evening... Or so I thought. At some point I realized that David was missing so I went to check on him and found him sleeping. When I climbed into our bed to check on him he was burning up. I gave him a tylonel nighttime cold and sinus, made him take all of his extra clothes off even though he was cold, and gave him an ice pack to put under his back and a cold compress for his forehead. Luckily all of it worked and his fever came down enough for him to come up for dinner and the days picture slideshow. We slept really well that night with the rocking of the boat and the sound of the water outside.
Day three started early once again. We stepped onto the deck and we were greeted by whales, dolphins and turtles alongside a beautiful sunrise. We ate beakfast and a few of the certified divers did a drift drive and then it was back the the mainland. We all enjoyed the sun on the two hour ride back. The haze from the dust storm finally lifted on the last day and for the first time we could actually see the beauty of the whitsundays. Getting back to the mainland was sad. We all gave each other hugs and contact info and decided to meet at the beaches pub for drinks later tonight. So we will see what tonight brings!
For now we are relaxing and enjoying our first showers in three days and I am religiously applying itch cream to the over fifty sand fly bites that I got on whithaven beach. Maybe a few beers tonight will help!
D&S
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Rocking Rockhampton and the Tropic of Capricorn
We are on the way to airlie beach after a stay over in rockhampton. David is driving so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to catch you up on yesterdays events.
We had an amazing second day at Fraser island! We woke up early and after a quick breakfast we were driving down the beach. We didn't even get ten minutes out before David was freaking out about a couple of whales breaching not far out in the water. We stopped to take some photos and watch them wave their fins at us.
After the whales we went on a short hike that ended with the path opening up to a massive desert with perfectly smooth white sand and a deep clear lake at the bottom of an eighty foot sand dune where we went for a swim. The lake was called lake wabby and we were told that the sand dunes are slowly swallowing it up and eventually there will be no lake.
After swimming we had lunch at an old center ranger station and drove to another lake called lake birrabean where the water was incredibly clear and shallow really far out. We all swam here for an hour and a half and got back onto the bus covered in the finest 100% silica sand.
On the ferry on the way back to the mainland we could see the red haze of the dust storm. We had heard that it would move up the coast and they were not kidding. David and I left as soon as we got back to the car knowing we still had to drive 400km to rockhampton in the dark with the haziness. It was a really scary drive because australias main highway is a single lane winding highway plagued by accidents caused by tired drivers and kangaroos. The haze was really thick and at times it was worse because we were driving through bush fires where we could smell smoke and see hot spots in the trees. That was the closest either of us has ever been to an active wildfire. At one point David almost hit a small animal walking accross the road that looked like a possum. After we almost hit the first one we saw them EVERYWHERE! They were in groups of three or four just hanging out in the ditch. We still don't know what they are.
After a long night we pulled into rockhampton at ten thirty and went right to bed. This morning we woke up early, went for breakfast and then did a walking tour through the capricorn caves which is a massive system of limestone caves. At one point we were using candlelight to squish through narrow passageways. It was so scary!
We are almost an hour outside of Mckay where we will stop for lunch. I have stopped counting the roadkill (three massive full grown kangaroos, three babies and a million god knows whats) and we both need a break.
D&S
We had an amazing second day at Fraser island! We woke up early and after a quick breakfast we were driving down the beach. We didn't even get ten minutes out before David was freaking out about a couple of whales breaching not far out in the water. We stopped to take some photos and watch them wave their fins at us.
After the whales we went on a short hike that ended with the path opening up to a massive desert with perfectly smooth white sand and a deep clear lake at the bottom of an eighty foot sand dune where we went for a swim. The lake was called lake wabby and we were told that the sand dunes are slowly swallowing it up and eventually there will be no lake.
After swimming we had lunch at an old center ranger station and drove to another lake called lake birrabean where the water was incredibly clear and shallow really far out. We all swam here for an hour and a half and got back onto the bus covered in the finest 100% silica sand.
On the ferry on the way back to the mainland we could see the red haze of the dust storm. We had heard that it would move up the coast and they were not kidding. David and I left as soon as we got back to the car knowing we still had to drive 400km to rockhampton in the dark with the haziness. It was a really scary drive because australias main highway is a single lane winding highway plagued by accidents caused by tired drivers and kangaroos. The haze was really thick and at times it was worse because we were driving through bush fires where we could smell smoke and see hot spots in the trees. That was the closest either of us has ever been to an active wildfire. At one point David almost hit a small animal walking accross the road that looked like a possum. After we almost hit the first one we saw them EVERYWHERE! They were in groups of three or four just hanging out in the ditch. We still don't know what they are.
After a long night we pulled into rockhampton at ten thirty and went right to bed. This morning we woke up early, went for breakfast and then did a walking tour through the capricorn caves which is a massive system of limestone caves. At one point we were using candlelight to squish through narrow passageways. It was so scary!
We are almost an hour outside of Mckay where we will stop for lunch. I have stopped counting the roadkill (three massive full grown kangaroos, three babies and a million god knows whats) and we both need a break.
D&S
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Hervey Bay
David: Welcome to hervey bay yha (youth hostel).
Steph: this is the worst place I have ever stayed
David: I am sure you have stayed in worse?
Steph: pause .. No, no I haven't
What a place hervey bay is. This town is the harbour that connects to Fraser island which is a very popular tourist spot for whale tours, there 75 mile beach and more. We both firmly believe that without Fraser island, hervey bay would not exist.
We have our Fraser tour booked to leave tomorrow for 2 day 1 night. So today being free we thought we would spend relaxing on the beach. The focal point in hervey bay is the 800m long pier. This turned out to be the most exciting part in all of the town. The pier is this long because of large changes in tides. Today the tide was in and the beach was 5 feet wide. Not much room for a suntan.
As stated in the town info booklet we received there is no town center. They are not lying. A five minute drive along the beach proved this to be true. To fill our day we went to the marina and asked what afternoon tours are available to fill the time gap. So we are booked on a ferry ride to Fraser island and an afternoon at the kingfisher resort.
To return to the opening statement, while cooking dinner last night in the open air kitchen steph noticed 2small cocoons on the wall. Then she looked up... Bad idea. All along the rafters were dozens of small cocoons. As steph started her freakout I went to the front desk to inquire. The staff came back with me and informed us that they were mud nests built by wasps. This as I am sure you can imagine put steph in a comfortable state of mind. As a result my job for the night was to search every crack, corner, dark area, cupboard, confined space, under the dinner table, under the bed, in the sheets... For anything really.
Last night in this exciting and adventurous town. Oh and by the way I almost stepped on a big frog walking down the sidewalk
D&S
Steph: this is the worst place I have ever stayed
David: I am sure you have stayed in worse?
Steph: pause .. No, no I haven't
What a place hervey bay is. This town is the harbour that connects to Fraser island which is a very popular tourist spot for whale tours, there 75 mile beach and more. We both firmly believe that without Fraser island, hervey bay would not exist.
We have our Fraser tour booked to leave tomorrow for 2 day 1 night. So today being free we thought we would spend relaxing on the beach. The focal point in hervey bay is the 800m long pier. This turned out to be the most exciting part in all of the town. The pier is this long because of large changes in tides. Today the tide was in and the beach was 5 feet wide. Not much room for a suntan.
As stated in the town info booklet we received there is no town center. They are not lying. A five minute drive along the beach proved this to be true. To fill our day we went to the marina and asked what afternoon tours are available to fill the time gap. So we are booked on a ferry ride to Fraser island and an afternoon at the kingfisher resort.
To return to the opening statement, while cooking dinner last night in the open air kitchen steph noticed 2small cocoons on the wall. Then she looked up... Bad idea. All along the rafters were dozens of small cocoons. As steph started her freakout I went to the front desk to inquire. The staff came back with me and informed us that they were mud nests built by wasps. This as I am sure you can imagine put steph in a comfortable state of mind. As a result my job for the night was to search every crack, corner, dark area, cupboard, confined space, under the dinner table, under the bed, in the sheets... For anything really.
Last night in this exciting and adventurous town. Oh and by the way I almost stepped on a big frog walking down the sidewalk
D&S
Hervey Bay / Fraser Island
After deciding to make something of our day yesterday, David and I walked down to the marina and caught the super slick catamaran ferry to the kingfisher resort on Fraser island. The package we bought got us our ferry transfers, lunch, afternoon tea and an entire afternoon of lazing by the resorts amazingpool. We relaxed on the front deck of the boat overlooking the turquoise water until we got to the island. We had an amazing lunch at the beach front restaurant after which we walked the resort grounds. David swears that we stepped into the Jurassic park movie because all I the buildings are built into the of the holland are surrounded and covered by jungle. We laid by the pool for a few hours before having afternoon tea by the beach and hopping the ferry back to Hervey Bay just in time for me to make dinner and pack up.
Turned out to be an incredible day!
D&S
Turned out to be an incredible day!
D&S
Fraser Island Safari and Sydney Issues
Ok
I will start with the Sydney issues. We are on fraser island at the moment preparing to head out for day two of our adventures. We woke up this morning to the news that there is a massive dust storm in Sydney and surrounding area. The airport is closed and the ferries have all been stopped. Images of the city show that it is completely red. You cannot see the opera house or the bridge at all. The news said that strong winds have brought the dust in from the northern territories and the dust is expected to move north towards us this afternoon so we will see what happens.
On to the safari. We woke up early and were picked up by our tour guide Richard. We hopped on our fourteen person, four wheel drive bus and drove onto the ferry. The past few days on the coast have been very windy so the hour long ride over was really rocky. When we got to the island there was no dock where we were supppsed to land. The boat backed up. We all hopped back on the bus. The ramp on the ferry opened into the water. And we drove into the water and up onto the beach! We knew then that this trip would be interesting.
Every "road" on Fraser island is made of sand. In fact, the entire island is the largest sand dune in the world but it is covered in vegetation and fresh water lakes. We spent the day bobbing around on sand roads learning about the area with occasional stops for lunch, a swim in Eli creek, a look at the moheno shipwreck, climbing around colored sands pinnacles, whale/shark/stingray/dolphin watching at indians head and then back to our accomodation at Fraser island backpackers for a steak and fish dinner. The day was amazing and we took a million pictures.
We are about to hop off of the bus to hike in to a fresh water lake. Fill you in on more later!
D&S
I will start with the Sydney issues. We are on fraser island at the moment preparing to head out for day two of our adventures. We woke up this morning to the news that there is a massive dust storm in Sydney and surrounding area. The airport is closed and the ferries have all been stopped. Images of the city show that it is completely red. You cannot see the opera house or the bridge at all. The news said that strong winds have brought the dust in from the northern territories and the dust is expected to move north towards us this afternoon so we will see what happens.
On to the safari. We woke up early and were picked up by our tour guide Richard. We hopped on our fourteen person, four wheel drive bus and drove onto the ferry. The past few days on the coast have been very windy so the hour long ride over was really rocky. When we got to the island there was no dock where we were supppsed to land. The boat backed up. We all hopped back on the bus. The ramp on the ferry opened into the water. And we drove into the water and up onto the beach! We knew then that this trip would be interesting.
Every "road" on Fraser island is made of sand. In fact, the entire island is the largest sand dune in the world but it is covered in vegetation and fresh water lakes. We spent the day bobbing around on sand roads learning about the area with occasional stops for lunch, a swim in Eli creek, a look at the moheno shipwreck, climbing around colored sands pinnacles, whale/shark/stingray/dolphin watching at indians head and then back to our accomodation at Fraser island backpackers for a steak and fish dinner. The day was amazing and we took a million pictures.
We are about to hop off of the bus to hike in to a fresh water lake. Fill you in on more later!
D&S
Friday, September 18, 2009
Dolphins and Koalas and Whales, Oh My!
We love noosa! After spending the day doing nothing but sleeping and surfing on the beach yesterday, we decided to get a little bit of excersize today.
We walked up the hill to the noosa national park to walk some of the trails and look for animals. We walked to the peak of the peninsula on the coast trail. Along the way we saw a pod of six or so dolphins feeding. It was the most amazing sight because we were standing on the top of a cliff watching them jump out of the water and dive for fish.
After watching them for a while we made our way up to the final lookout where we sat to watch whales on the horizon. After the whales we took the inner path back to the main park office. Along the way we saw a young lizard run up a tree and we also saw two lizards fighting in the trees. The landscape was beautiful. It was very thick jungle and the trees were so thick together that in some cases they would grow around each other in a spiral. There were sections of the path that were completely made up of boardwalk and sections that were all sand.
The entire walk we were looking up in the trees for koalas because we were told that there were alot around. Unfortunately we didn't see any and David was really disappointed.
When we finished the walk I decided to check out the info booth and take a look at the animal sightings board. The first note on the board said "koala sighting today, location: turn around, take three steps and look up to your right." There he was! The cutest koala bear! I called dave over and he freaked out! We stood watching him for so long before heading back to the hostal. All in all it was about a ten km walk.
On the way back we ran into keith who is one of our triathlon friends from the edmonton. The three of us ate lunch and hopped in the car to go to sunshine beach. We spent the afternoon body boarding and sleeping on the beach before driving back up to the park gates to show keith the koala. We lucked out! Our little friend was still there and there was another one eating!
Now we are drinking free wine that the hostal has given us after a dinner of stir fry a la stephanie and chocolate croissants. The boys are playing ping pong while I sit here and relax.... This is the life.
D&S
We walked up the hill to the noosa national park to walk some of the trails and look for animals. We walked to the peak of the peninsula on the coast trail. Along the way we saw a pod of six or so dolphins feeding. It was the most amazing sight because we were standing on the top of a cliff watching them jump out of the water and dive for fish.
After watching them for a while we made our way up to the final lookout where we sat to watch whales on the horizon. After the whales we took the inner path back to the main park office. Along the way we saw a young lizard run up a tree and we also saw two lizards fighting in the trees. The landscape was beautiful. It was very thick jungle and the trees were so thick together that in some cases they would grow around each other in a spiral. There were sections of the path that were completely made up of boardwalk and sections that were all sand.
The entire walk we were looking up in the trees for koalas because we were told that there were alot around. Unfortunately we didn't see any and David was really disappointed.
When we finished the walk I decided to check out the info booth and take a look at the animal sightings board. The first note on the board said "koala sighting today, location: turn around, take three steps and look up to your right." There he was! The cutest koala bear! I called dave over and he freaked out! We stood watching him for so long before heading back to the hostal. All in all it was about a ten km walk.
On the way back we ran into keith who is one of our triathlon friends from the edmonton. The three of us ate lunch and hopped in the car to go to sunshine beach. We spent the afternoon body boarding and sleeping on the beach before driving back up to the park gates to show keith the koala. We lucked out! Our little friend was still there and there was another one eating!
Now we are drinking free wine that the hostal has given us after a dinner of stir fry a la stephanie and chocolate croissants. The boys are playing ping pong while I sit here and relax.... This is the life.
D&S
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Perfect
Sitting in an amazing Victorian era house converted into a hostel on top of a hill after a morning on a prestine beach and an amazing lunch with my husband... Bliss.
I love Noosa...
Back to the beach for another stressful afternoon...
D&S
I love Noosa...
Back to the beach for another stressful afternoon...
D&S
Last day at villa Garfield, surfers paradise
David:
Today is our last day in surfers paradise. We just found out that Ian had skype on his computer. As I am writing this steph is talking to her grandma pender back home in lethbridge and we are watching Monday night football live. We have talked to alot of family back home today which has been really great.
Our car rental is confirmed to pick up tomorrow and take us to our next destination noosa.
Steph:
We are having so much fun talking to everyone on skype! It's really strange to be able to talk to everyone on the other side of the world. We are getting ready to head out to noosa tomorrow and later today we are off to tamborine mountain to check it out.
More on our adventures tomorrow!
D&S
Today is our last day in surfers paradise. We just found out that Ian had skype on his computer. As I am writing this steph is talking to her grandma pender back home in lethbridge and we are watching Monday night football live. We have talked to alot of family back home today which has been really great.
Our car rental is confirmed to pick up tomorrow and take us to our next destination noosa.
Steph:
We are having so much fun talking to everyone on skype! It's really strange to be able to talk to everyone on the other side of the world. We are getting ready to head out to noosa tomorrow and later today we are off to tamborine mountain to check it out.
More on our adventures tomorrow!
D&S
Noosa at Last!
This morning we woke up and packed up our house in surfers paradise. Dave went to pick up our rental car and after a brief mishap with the cars air conditioning and a car swap, we were on our way. We drove down to the wet and wild waterpark just outside of surfers. We spent three hours running aeound like we were five again. Dave had two favourite rides. The first was a racing ride where there were eight lanes and you raced down on mats. He kicked my but the first two times but the third race was really close and he won again. His second favorite ride was called the tornado. You sat in a four person tube and you flew down a steep slide and into a massive cone tilted on it's side where you whipped back and forth on the walls of the cone before you shot into the finish pool. My favorite ride was called the black hole. You went down a pitch black slide in a two person tube and you could not see a thing. I think I screamed the whole time.
After our time at the park we hoped in the car and atarted our trip to noosa. Dave is really good at driving on the left hand side of the road, although I do have to get after him every once and a while for drifting to the left. We made it here without any injury and the hostel in beautiful. It is in a heritage home on the top of a hill overlooking the beach. There is a massive veranda that wraps around the house where we sat to have a drink and dinner.
Yesterday we took a trip up to a mountain outside of surfers called tamborine mountain. At the top of the mountain there is the most incredible view and the cutest mountain town filled with wineries and small shops. We wondered the town and sat down for a wine rating and some good. Afterwards we walked down the main street and stopped in on a bunch of cute shops. When we went into the. Crystal shop I managed to find a beautiful pair of paridot stud earrings.
It has been a great couple of days and we could not be happier. We are in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
D&S
After our time at the park we hoped in the car and atarted our trip to noosa. Dave is really good at driving on the left hand side of the road, although I do have to get after him every once and a while for drifting to the left. We made it here without any injury and the hostel in beautiful. It is in a heritage home on the top of a hill overlooking the beach. There is a massive veranda that wraps around the house where we sat to have a drink and dinner.
Yesterday we took a trip up to a mountain outside of surfers called tamborine mountain. At the top of the mountain there is the most incredible view and the cutest mountain town filled with wineries and small shops. We wondered the town and sat down for a wine rating and some good. Afterwards we walked down the main street and stopped in on a bunch of cute shops. When we went into the. Crystal shop I managed to find a beautiful pair of paridot stud earrings.
It has been a great couple of days and we could not be happier. We are in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
D&S
Friday, September 11, 2009
Race Day
Dave: Race Day is here and what a great day for a world championship. The water somehow dropped almost 2C in the last two days so that we were allowed to wear wetsuits. All of us were up really early 545 and Ian was nice enough to drive the steph, jason, neil and myself down to the site. transition was set up really well and was very easy to navigate. We started the 1km walk to the swim start with wetsuit in hand.
The swim wnet realatively well I felt pretty good for all but about 2-4 minutes where my shoulders were sore. I got out of the water well in just under 26minutes which I was really happy with.
The run through transition is a little long especially in a wetsuit. I got on the bike and felt pretty good and my hips were a little tight. The bike course was full of 20-30 man packs with the draft marshalls doing nothing about stopping it. I tried to keep it honest for the first lap but it is frustrating to see people breaking the rules and not being penalized for it. On the second lap i got caught in a couple of packs and gained some time and effort, but overall the bike felt pretty good and not that hott. I got off the bike right beside jason (he started 9minutes after me) which I was actually happy with. I am guessing my bike time to be apx. 1:08 ish
Through transition and onto the run i still felt good but with hips still tight. For the most part I felt comfortable on the run and had a good time with it, lots of people cheering yelling. coming through the finish shoot steph passed me the big flag and I crossed the line very happy with the way the day went 2:22:20apx.
Great day for everyone here. Mens elite race starts in 2 hours so we are heading back to the site soon after a shower and some food. Pictures will be coming to facebook later tonight hopefully.
Thanks for all the support and messages from everyone it really helps.
D&S
The swim wnet realatively well I felt pretty good for all but about 2-4 minutes where my shoulders were sore. I got out of the water well in just under 26minutes which I was really happy with.
The run through transition is a little long especially in a wetsuit. I got on the bike and felt pretty good and my hips were a little tight. The bike course was full of 20-30 man packs with the draft marshalls doing nothing about stopping it. I tried to keep it honest for the first lap but it is frustrating to see people breaking the rules and not being penalized for it. On the second lap i got caught in a couple of packs and gained some time and effort, but overall the bike felt pretty good and not that hott. I got off the bike right beside jason (he started 9minutes after me) which I was actually happy with. I am guessing my bike time to be apx. 1:08 ish
Through transition and onto the run i still felt good but with hips still tight. For the most part I felt comfortable on the run and had a good time with it, lots of people cheering yelling. coming through the finish shoot steph passed me the big flag and I crossed the line very happy with the way the day went 2:22:20apx.
Great day for everyone here. Mens elite race starts in 2 hours so we are heading back to the site soon after a shower and some food. Pictures will be coming to facebook later tonight hopefully.
Thanks for all the support and messages from everyone it really helps.
D&S
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Update from Surfers and Race Report #1
Steph:
It has been a great week so far in surfers. We have been back and forth from the race site a lot and there has been a lot of time spent on the beach. Dave and I have some good tans and we are RELAXED! Yesterday was the opening ceremonies for the worlds and it was a blast! all family and friends were allowed to walk in the parade of nations as long as we wore Canada clothing. It was super cool to walk into the arena with people screaming for Canada and about 200 fellow canadians around you waving flags and cheering. We had opening ceremonies dinner in the biggest tent I have ever seen in my life! It was a simple pasta dinner but everyone was dancing on the tables and meeting other international team members. I think we bought half of the expo and all of the race merchandise and I have no idea how we plan on carrying it around. Other than that there in not much more to tell. It is race day tomorrow so we are just relaxing today. Maybe a few more hours on the beach this afternoon and a big pasta dinner tonight!
Dave:
Race day tomorrow. Looks like we will probably not be wearing wetsuits as the water is over 22C. My rental bike has been a pleasant surprise and actually feels pretty good.
The aquathlon was wedensday and there were over 600 people racing. I had two. Good runs but a bad swim that was close to 20minutes for 1000. But tomorrow should be better. There will be a full race report coming soon. They have put on a great event here and have much outdone vancouver
D&S
It has been a great week so far in surfers. We have been back and forth from the race site a lot and there has been a lot of time spent on the beach. Dave and I have some good tans and we are RELAXED! Yesterday was the opening ceremonies for the worlds and it was a blast! all family and friends were allowed to walk in the parade of nations as long as we wore Canada clothing. It was super cool to walk into the arena with people screaming for Canada and about 200 fellow canadians around you waving flags and cheering. We had opening ceremonies dinner in the biggest tent I have ever seen in my life! It was a simple pasta dinner but everyone was dancing on the tables and meeting other international team members. I think we bought half of the expo and all of the race merchandise and I have no idea how we plan on carrying it around. Other than that there in not much more to tell. It is race day tomorrow so we are just relaxing today. Maybe a few more hours on the beach this afternoon and a big pasta dinner tonight!
Dave:
Race day tomorrow. Looks like we will probably not be wearing wetsuits as the water is over 22C. My rental bike has been a pleasant surprise and actually feels pretty good.
The aquathlon was wedensday and there were over 600 people racing. I had two. Good runs but a bad swim that was close to 20minutes for 1000. But tomorrow should be better. There will be a full race report coming soon. They have put on a great event here and have much outdone vancouver
D&S
Update from Surfers and Race Report #1
Steph:
It has been a great week so far in surfers. We have been back and forth from the race site a lot and there has been a lot of time spent on the beach. Dave and I have some good tans and we are RELAXED! Yesterday was the opening ceremonies for the worlds and it was a blast! all family and friends were allowed to walk in the parade of nations as long as we wore Canada clothing. It was super cool to walk into the arena with people screaming for Canada and about 200 fellow canadians around you waving flags and cheering. We had opening ceremonies dinner in the biggest tent I have ever seen in my life! It was a simple pasta dinner but everyone was dancing on the tables and meeting other international team members. I think we bought half of the expo and all of the race merchandise and I have no idea how we plan on carrying it around. Other than that there in not much more to tell. It is race day tomorrow so we are just relaxing today. Maybe a few more hours on the beach this afternoon and a big pasta dinner tonight!
Dave:
Race day tomorrow. Looks like we will probably not be wearing wetsuits as the water is over 22C. My rental bike has been a pleasant surprise and actually feels pretty good.
The aquathlon was wedensday and there were over 600 people racing. I had two. Good runs but a bad swim that was close to 20minutes for 1000. But tomorrow should be better. There will be a full race report coming soon. They have put on a great event here and have much outdone vancouver
D&S
It has been a great week so far in surfers. We have been back and forth from the race site a lot and there has been a lot of time spent on the beach. Dave and I have some good tans and we are RELAXED! Yesterday was the opening ceremonies for the worlds and it was a blast! all family and friends were allowed to walk in the parade of nations as long as we wore Canada clothing. It was super cool to walk into the arena with people screaming for Canada and about 200 fellow canadians around you waving flags and cheering. We had opening ceremonies dinner in the biggest tent I have ever seen in my life! It was a simple pasta dinner but everyone was dancing on the tables and meeting other international team members. I think we bought half of the expo and all of the race merchandise and I have no idea how we plan on carrying it around. Other than that there in not much more to tell. It is race day tomorrow so we are just relaxing today. Maybe a few more hours on the beach this afternoon and a big pasta dinner tonight!
Dave:
Race day tomorrow. Looks like we will probably not be wearing wetsuits as the water is over 22C. My rental bike has been a pleasant surprise and actually feels pretty good.
The aquathlon was wedensday and there were over 600 people racing. I had two. Good runs but a bad swim that was close to 20minutes for 1000. But tomorrow should be better. There will be a full race report coming soon. They have put on a great event here and have much outdone vancouver
D&S
Monday, September 7, 2009
Another Day in Paradise
It is 25 celcius without a cloud in the sky! Glorious weather for laying on the beach. We had a crazy monsoon of a rain storm last night and a few of us went for a quick run around in the rain. Drenched would be the only way to describe us afterwards. Dave went to the team Canada swim and bike workout and I stayed back to lay on the beach. After a brief incident involving a wave that came up way too far and my top being undone I had a quick nap in the sand and met up with dave at the house. We are on cahill road now ( the major food and shop area ) waiting to meet up for lunch with a couple of our house mates. Then it is back to the beach this afternoon.
Talk soon and thanks for the comments, we are reading every one!
D&S
Talk soon and thanks for the comments, we are reading every one!
D&S
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Surfers haircut
Ok this post is more for the women.... I cut off all my hair today! I lost about nine inches but it looks great and it's so much better in the heat! Pictures to come soon! We are being incredibly lazy on the warm beach in surfers... Doing nothing but being happy. More to come!
Finally Taking the Time to Catch Up
So I have finally found the time to tell you about the last few days. David and I are sitting in the Sydney airport waiting for our flight to the gold coast so we can get race week underway.
We have had a great couple of days. On Thursday we "slept in" until eight. I made a big beakfast and then we walked down to circular quey to catch the Ferry to manly. Manly is a small beach suburb of Sydney filled with small shops and restaurants. We were all set for a day in the sun on the beach but the weather had different plans for us. It was miserable and cold so we spent a few hours walking around, had lunch at a small cafe and then we hopped the ferry back to the city. By the time we got there it was pouring! We hid out under an overhang until we could catch a cab back to our flat. When we returned we made soup and hot chocolate and we were in for the night.
Thursday was very different. We walked down market street in downtown Sydney and did some shopping. Our intended destination was Chinatown which is just past darling harbour and by the time we got there we were starving. Chinatown was pretty much a small alley style street packed with shops and tiny restaurants. There were people and product everywhere! We sat down and had a great Chinese food lunch. After lunch we went to paddy's market. It is a sprawling, overpacked, overwheming indoor market filled with.... Junk. Interesting nonetheless.
That night we had tickets to see a dance group called bangarra do a performance called fire at the opera house. It was incredible! They blend traditional indigenous Australian dancing with modern dance. Combined with tribal costumes and body and face paint the outcome was stunning. Bangarra has been around for twenty years so the show was a retrospective. You have to YouTube them!
Yesterday was our last full day in Sydney. We walked around kings cross ( which was historically a very seedy area) and we stopped for lunch and a beer. After lunch we returned to the flat, changed and walked to the rocks for the dinner that teryn and jeannie had organized with teryn's friend Dean. It was at a restaurant called Ventuno which is on a warf overlooking the water. We met up with Dean and his girlfriend at the beautiful restaurant. We sat down and had a drink with the two of them after which Dean gave us a tour of the restaurant and showed us to our incredible table where they left us alone. They had organized a private menu for us and everything was in the hands of our super awesome waitor tony. Dinner started with fresh bread, oilive oil and Italian olives with a side of chili oil and a fantastic bottle if white wine and a bottle of gourmet water. Next course was deep fried cheese and ricotta balls (cannot remember proper name) with marinara sauce. After that we were served fresh scallops in the half shell with a citrus sauce... My favourite! Next was eggplant rolled around a batter of pinenuts, cheese and rice and deep fried mozzarella. We were then given a passionfruit sorbet to clear our palets for the main course. The main came as two courses. The first was a fresh linguini served in a creamy porchinni mushroom sauce. The second was a vegetarian thin crust pizza with mushrooms, artichokes, olives and peppers on it as well as a caprese salad. This came with more wine because we had of course worked through the first bottle. Desert was the final course and it consisted of vanilla gelato with strawberries and a nutella pizza! Yum! We had a glass of desert wine and followed up with some tea.
By the time all of this was done we were a little drunk, alot full and... Four and a half hours had passed! It was bar none one of the best nights we have ever had together.
This morning we woke up a little hungover. We packed everything, had a shower and left. After walking around the market at the rocks, we took the train to the airport and here we are!
This is a very long post and I am sure you are bored by now so I am off for now and the next time I blog we will be in surfers paradise!
By for now!
D&S
So we are in surfers after a long bus ride from the airport. The house is great and everyone is here safe. But the is no Internet!!!!! So posts will be slow until we figure something out. Right now we are using free Internet at mcdonalds
D&S
We have had a great couple of days. On Thursday we "slept in" until eight. I made a big beakfast and then we walked down to circular quey to catch the Ferry to manly. Manly is a small beach suburb of Sydney filled with small shops and restaurants. We were all set for a day in the sun on the beach but the weather had different plans for us. It was miserable and cold so we spent a few hours walking around, had lunch at a small cafe and then we hopped the ferry back to the city. By the time we got there it was pouring! We hid out under an overhang until we could catch a cab back to our flat. When we returned we made soup and hot chocolate and we were in for the night.
Thursday was very different. We walked down market street in downtown Sydney and did some shopping. Our intended destination was Chinatown which is just past darling harbour and by the time we got there we were starving. Chinatown was pretty much a small alley style street packed with shops and tiny restaurants. There were people and product everywhere! We sat down and had a great Chinese food lunch. After lunch we went to paddy's market. It is a sprawling, overpacked, overwheming indoor market filled with.... Junk. Interesting nonetheless.
That night we had tickets to see a dance group called bangarra do a performance called fire at the opera house. It was incredible! They blend traditional indigenous Australian dancing with modern dance. Combined with tribal costumes and body and face paint the outcome was stunning. Bangarra has been around for twenty years so the show was a retrospective. You have to YouTube them!
Yesterday was our last full day in Sydney. We walked around kings cross ( which was historically a very seedy area) and we stopped for lunch and a beer. After lunch we returned to the flat, changed and walked to the rocks for the dinner that teryn and jeannie had organized with teryn's friend Dean. It was at a restaurant called Ventuno which is on a warf overlooking the water. We met up with Dean and his girlfriend at the beautiful restaurant. We sat down and had a drink with the two of them after which Dean gave us a tour of the restaurant and showed us to our incredible table where they left us alone. They had organized a private menu for us and everything was in the hands of our super awesome waitor tony. Dinner started with fresh bread, oilive oil and Italian olives with a side of chili oil and a fantastic bottle if white wine and a bottle of gourmet water. Next course was deep fried cheese and ricotta balls (cannot remember proper name) with marinara sauce. After that we were served fresh scallops in the half shell with a citrus sauce... My favourite! Next was eggplant rolled around a batter of pinenuts, cheese and rice and deep fried mozzarella. We were then given a passionfruit sorbet to clear our palets for the main course. The main came as two courses. The first was a fresh linguini served in a creamy porchinni mushroom sauce. The second was a vegetarian thin crust pizza with mushrooms, artichokes, olives and peppers on it as well as a caprese salad. This came with more wine because we had of course worked through the first bottle. Desert was the final course and it consisted of vanilla gelato with strawberries and a nutella pizza! Yum! We had a glass of desert wine and followed up with some tea.
By the time all of this was done we were a little drunk, alot full and... Four and a half hours had passed! It was bar none one of the best nights we have ever had together.
This morning we woke up a little hungover. We packed everything, had a shower and left. After walking around the market at the rocks, we took the train to the airport and here we are!
This is a very long post and I am sure you are bored by now so I am off for now and the next time I blog we will be in surfers paradise!
By for now!
D&S
So we are in surfers after a long bus ride from the airport. The house is great and everyone is here safe. But the is no Internet!!!!! So posts will be slow until we figure something out. Right now we are using free Internet at mcdonalds
D&S
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Wedding Pictures!
Ok. I know that this is completely off topic but... Haley Shandro just posted some of our wedding pictures! Check some of them out on their blog at www.shandrophoto.com or on the shandro photo facebook site where there are many more.
Daves Bondi Blog
So sleeping in for this trip apparently means 0730. This we found out today. We hopped onto the train to bondi junction and then a bus to bondi beach. Total price $15 total round trip.
The water was a chilly 17c so all of the suffers were in wetsuits. We dipped our feet in the water and decided it may be worth waiting a while to go in. I figured that if I go for a beach run I would warm up and then the water would feel nice. 15min run later and I was neck deep in the pacific with waves crashing down. A rational person would go and lay on the beach. I decided to rent a wetsuit and board. For those of you who don't know yes I have surfed before and yes it was almost four years ago. Can't be that hard to remember right???
Wrong. Waves were much bigger than Hawaii and I can't remember ever feeling currents that strong. It took a while but I managed to get up and catch a few waves without swallowing too much water
There are lots of cool little shops all around bondi. We both found a few things for eachother. But now at 830 I am paying for two hours of surf and sun as I start to fall asleep.
We are heading onto the ferry to Manley tomorrow for another day at the beach.
D&S
The water was a chilly 17c so all of the suffers were in wetsuits. We dipped our feet in the water and decided it may be worth waiting a while to go in. I figured that if I go for a beach run I would warm up and then the water would feel nice. 15min run later and I was neck deep in the pacific with waves crashing down. A rational person would go and lay on the beach. I decided to rent a wetsuit and board. For those of you who don't know yes I have surfed before and yes it was almost four years ago. Can't be that hard to remember right???
Wrong. Waves were much bigger than Hawaii and I can't remember ever feeling currents that strong. It took a while but I managed to get up and catch a few waves without swallowing too much water
There are lots of cool little shops all around bondi. We both found a few things for eachother. But now at 830 I am paying for two hours of surf and sun as I start to fall asleep.
We are heading onto the ferry to Manley tomorrow for another day at the beach.
D&S
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
A Night to Remember
Last night was incredible! We made dinner, got changed and walked down to the opera house.
Before I go on there are a few things I should tell those who have never been to Sydney.
Number one, it gets dark here really early. This makes two things difficult: staying up late enough to adjust to the time change and stating warm, as it gets cold much earlier.
Number two, this place is basically an Australian new York city. Roads are winding and everyone drives backwards making it difficult to get you bearings. Also, none of the streets have numbers, just names, so bring your map! This place is packed with people! There are people running, going to work, having coffee at a streetside cafe and biking everywhere.
Number three, the Sydney opera house is incredibly beautiful and detailed up close. There are a few things David and I noticed when we were there for the ben folds show last night. The entire outside of the opera house is covered in white ceramic tile which gives it the appearance of having scales which I talked about in my last post. Each shell houses something different. The largest shell contains the main concert hall and the two attached to it on either end are it's lobbies which also contain bars. The shell seperate from the others is actually one of the most beautiful restaurants you will ever see. It has full glass walls and a massive vaulted ceiling which allows you to see all of downtown. The last thing I will tell you about is the Sydney opera bar. At night the lower level outside of the opera house turns into a bustling, well dressed group of people all there for a drink or a chat. Many of them are the after work crowd (could you imagine being able to do that everyday!) or those waiting to get into a show and there are slot as there are five concert halls.
Ok back to our night. The reason we had gone to the opera house in the first place was to see ben folds do his solo act. Being in the actual concert hall was unreal, especially because the seats were all bright pink and you realize you are in the biggest shell. The opening band was a band called No Mercy from Melnourne. They were a really mellow indie band that sounded great. Then ben came out and the crowd went crazy! He made us laugh all night and at one point he had the entire crowd singing three part hamony... In the opera house! He had a suprise guest come out on stage too... Amy Mann! It was so cool. The entire thing was done with just ben and his grande piano in the centre of the stage. At the end of the show we managed to (after alot of effort) catch a cab home and pass out.
We are off to bondi now!
Talk to you soon!
D&S
Before I go on there are a few things I should tell those who have never been to Sydney.
Number one, it gets dark here really early. This makes two things difficult: staying up late enough to adjust to the time change and stating warm, as it gets cold much earlier.
Number two, this place is basically an Australian new York city. Roads are winding and everyone drives backwards making it difficult to get you bearings. Also, none of the streets have numbers, just names, so bring your map! This place is packed with people! There are people running, going to work, having coffee at a streetside cafe and biking everywhere.
Number three, the Sydney opera house is incredibly beautiful and detailed up close. There are a few things David and I noticed when we were there for the ben folds show last night. The entire outside of the opera house is covered in white ceramic tile which gives it the appearance of having scales which I talked about in my last post. Each shell houses something different. The largest shell contains the main concert hall and the two attached to it on either end are it's lobbies which also contain bars. The shell seperate from the others is actually one of the most beautiful restaurants you will ever see. It has full glass walls and a massive vaulted ceiling which allows you to see all of downtown. The last thing I will tell you about is the Sydney opera bar. At night the lower level outside of the opera house turns into a bustling, well dressed group of people all there for a drink or a chat. Many of them are the after work crowd (could you imagine being able to do that everyday!) or those waiting to get into a show and there are slot as there are five concert halls.
Ok back to our night. The reason we had gone to the opera house in the first place was to see ben folds do his solo act. Being in the actual concert hall was unreal, especially because the seats were all bright pink and you realize you are in the biggest shell. The opening band was a band called No Mercy from Melnourne. They were a really mellow indie band that sounded great. Then ben came out and the crowd went crazy! He made us laugh all night and at one point he had the entire crowd singing three part hamony... In the opera house! He had a suprise guest come out on stage too... Amy Mann! It was so cool. The entire thing was done with just ben and his grande piano in the centre of the stage. At the end of the show we managed to (after alot of effort) catch a cab home and pass out.
We are off to bondi now!
Talk to you soon!
D&S
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