Yesterday was an exceptionally fun day.  Friday is Tony's usual day off and Sharon took the day off to extend the holiday weekend.  Bear with me while I digress for a little story: The state of Queensland celebrates the Queen's birthday on the first Monday in October, but the rest of Australia celebrates the Queen's birthday in June.  "So which one is the Queen's birthday?" I asked.  The answer:  Neither.

There are a handful of funny little things like that, that confuse me.  Like not all cookies are called bickies, but some crackers are. 

Back to yesterday: One of the surprises I've had in the miles we've covered so far is how hilly the landscape is.  Wherever we've been, there are always hills or mountains nearby.  Today we drove west to the hills, to a place called Springbrook, which is both a town and a National Park in some areas.  

It was less than a thirty minute drive from the coast and the drive alone was beautiful.  We hiked in rain forest so thick, at times you could hardly see the sky through the trees above.  We walked into a cave that opened to a waterfall.  We saw another waterfall that dropped more than fifty feet.

I could not get over how beautiful it all was.  I can't believe I never knew this place existed.  

Tonight is the Australian Football League's Grand Final, the Sydney Swans vs the Western Bulldogs from Melbourne.  Sharon and Tony are huge Swans fans.  I have a pretty good understanding of Australian Rules  Football (minus a million rules) so I hope I'm okay at following the game, or at the very least, don't  accidentally cheer for the Bulldogs.  

We booked a flight back to Sydney for Wednesday and a plan for October is starting to come together. 

Oh...and go The Swan-y's!  I'm picking some things up!

Because it's hard to describe a cave with a waterfall.

The town of Springbrook.

We had the most delicious lunch in this little cafe!

So much has been going on, I'm not sure where to start!

I left off after the only key we had to our return RV snapped off in the camper door.  We were a little delayed the following morning waiting for RACQ (aka Royal Automotive Club of Queensland or as we can secretly refer to them without the Australians finding out: Australian Triple A).  Anyhoo, it was a bit of a hassle between calling the camper people, and waiting for them to call RACQ, but hey, we were stuck in a tropical town on a beautiful day, so it was a pretty happy dilemma.  

We drove the final two and a half hours into Port Douglas and arrived just in time to go to Four Mile Beach, get a campsite for the next two nights and book ourselves onto a snorkel boat to the Great Barrier Reef the next day.

I don't know what to say about the Great Barrier Reef, because I'm sure many people who are more eloquent than me have said it better than I can.  It is every bit as spectacular as everyone says it is.  It almost doesn't look real - like a cartoon. We returned that evening and had a beer with another couple from the snorkel boat, on vacation/business trip  from Arizona .  It was fun to spend time with another couple.  Glen and I had been talking to only each other for so long, I think it took us a minute to remember how to socialize!  

Early the following morning we dropped the camper off in Cairns, then crossed the street to a different camper place to get our next return camper, a converted Toyota Landcruiser, with a Diesel engine!  We loved this vehicle!  We were feeling so good we drove south all day.  The sun set and we kept on driving.  It was about midnight and we were getting pretty tired and were nowhere near a town, when

****MOM, STOP READING****

we pulled over, set up the bed and slept in the camper on the side of the road.  I mean, it's not like we were in the shoulder with our hazard lights blinking.  It was a proper pull off...and there was a truck there...and another camper....and we were so tired, we had this huge power nap that felt so good.

Just before 5am we were awake and driving to Hillsborough National Park.  Less than an hour later we were watching kangaroos hop along the beach at sunrise.  We booked ourselves into a campsite, where we stayed for the next 24 hours.  

The following day we continued our long haul south with a destination in mind - The Sunshine Coast.  An old friend of Glen's lives there.  We left Hillsborough at 730am with a lot of road ahead of us, snacks and Pandora streaming.  We pulled into The Sunshine Coast at 630pm and Glen's buddy Marty and his girlfriend Kelly had T-Bone steaks waiting for us for dinner.  

Marty took the following day off of work to show us around.  I got to see the world famous Noosa beach (Noosa Yogurt, anyone?).  We explored the towns along the beach and they came in all varieties; Noosa was pretty glamorous.  We discovered a town called Coolum that I loved, a down to earth beach scene.  There are great food selections up and down the region and a very natural feel around the area with beautiful forests, hiking and hills....so, if you know me you know where I'm going with this; the Sunshine Coast is my new favorite place.  

On the last day, I ran five miles barefoot on the beach.  I excitedly told glen it was the best run I'd ever had and that's how I'll run for the rest of my life.  Then I could barely  walk for three days because my feet were so banged up.  I finally ran on the beach yesterday with my running shoes.  

Look at that, I posted a photo!  The view from my first and last long barefoot run.  

After two nights with Marty and Kelly and a night in the Coolum campground, we were on the road again to Brisbane, less than an hours drive, where we dropped off the Land  Cruiser and hopped a train less than 2 hours south to the Gold Coast, home of Sharon and Tony.

We've spent a spectacular few days here.  They live two blocks from the beach.  The weather has been incredible.  They have a big house and an incredibly comfortable guest bedroom and bathroom.  They have the cutest dog!  They ask when we're leaving and we change the subject.  

Really, though, we're going to stay here through next weekend and then head back to Sydney, about another twelve hour drive south.  From there...well, we're really not sure!  I'm sure a plan will unfold. 

L

On the Road Again

Glen and I love road trips.  In Colorado, we loved our camper van.  We'd load it up on Thursday nights with paddleboards or other toys, come home from work on Friday and immediately hit the road for a weekend adventure. This is why we're thrilled to be driving camper returns for the next few weeks.  

This morning we picked up a camper van in Airlie Beach.  We have four days to drive it 600 kilometers north to Port Douglas.  The plan is to get it there as soon as possible so we can spend time swimming, snorkeling and exploring Port Douglas.  

Being on the road here feels a little different from Colorado.  We're taking highway 1, a two lane road.  The entire road is narrow, and if you want to pass anyone, you have to cross into oncoming traffic.  But I was completely comfortable with Glen at the wheel and me in the passenger seat.  I help Glen by screeching anytime anyone makes an aggressive move.  I'm writing this at 11pm from a campground in a town called Cardwell, about two hours south of Port Douglas.

Although a little scary, the drive here was beautiful. The farther north we headed, the more tropical it became.  The map made it appear as if we were driving right along the Pacific Ocean, but we didn't see the ocean until we rolled into Cardwell.

We found a campground and as we were checking in, we asked the owner if there were crocodiles in the creeks.  He nodded enthusiastically and then told us they're in the ocean too.  He said that when some of the local kids turn 16, they jump off the jetty, into the water and swim as fast as they can back to shore - he even did it himself, when he was young.  With my usual sense of over-zealousness, I asked how often one of them actually gets eaten by a croc...I think I may need charm classes.

We had a delicious dinner at a little place in town; fresh caught crab with lemon, lettuce, salt and pepper on a roll.  Then, we dropped into the pub (it's always 'the pub' here, never 'the bar') for a beer.

This is a lovely town to spend the night in.  I could stay here longer, and we just may, because tonight, the camper key broke.  But right now, life is good...and I'm sure we'll get that one figured out in the morning.

Glen and I in our happy place, on the road.  Note to self, work on my selfie smile.  

This morning, I asked the owner of the little resort we're staying in if a nearby waterfall was within walking distance.  She replied "No, it's not. You should borrow my car."  I'm sure I looked puzzled.  (I don't even like it when Glen borrows my car.)  I asked if that would be a problem.  

She answered "Nothing is a problem, Jennifer, you're in Queensland."

That is just how it feels around here. North Queensland is very, very relaxed.

We parked her car and the spectacular waterfall was about 100 feet from the parking area.  We decided we wanted to hike, so we traveled along slippery rock.  We kept rising to a waterfall spilling into a pond, and another waterfall spilling into a pond. Eventually we stopped and swam in one of the ponds.  We dried off while we sat on a rock and ate lunch.

Glen was watching rugby last night and I proudly declared myself a fan of the North Queensland Cowboys because I like it so much up here.  (Then I asked him a million questions about rugby).  

A couple of more days here and then we make our first RV return run from North Queensland to Far North Queensland, also known as FNQ...let the road trip begin!

Hello from Beautiful Airlie Beach!  Glen and I arrived here by ferry this afternoon, and it's where we plan to spend the next 6 days or so before we move on to our new career - driving 'Return RVs' from one destination to another!  More on that later, allow me to back up from where we left off:  Last week in Sydney I got my New South Wales driver's license!  Silly as it sounds, I was very excited over what a simple process it was - they just tied it into my American license!  It also makes me feel a little more local, and it's nice not to have to carry my passport around.  I plan on learning to drive in Australia very soon.  😉

On Sunday we hopped on a plane to Hamilton Island.  We were there for my sister-in-law Sharon's birthday.  What a beautiful island!  Palm trees, exotic flowers, my own personal kangaroo (not really) (well kind of) who hung out on the lawn outside of our room....it was a blast.

There he is!  

Some of the Australian Morgan's (L-R) Bob my father-in-law, Zach, Me, Glen, Sharon, Pat (Bob's partner) and Bev my mother-in-law.

More Morgan's:  Zach, Gary & Megan (brother & sister-in-law), Sharon, Tony, Me and Glen.

I got to spend time with my in laws.  Although Glen and I have been together a long time, I haven't spent a whole lot of time with them because of how far apart we've lived.  We had a great time in a fun and beautiful atmosphere and it just felt very comfortable.  

For a couple of months Glen has been in touch with RV rental companies regarding driving campers back to certain destinations.  For example:  A lot of RV's are driven one way from Sydney to Cairns, and then there aren't enough RV's in Sydney.  So for a very, very cheap price, we can drive the RV's back in the other direction....perfect, considering we're slowly making our way back to Sydney!  So here's the plan for now:  next week we are driving an RV about 1,000 kilometers north to Port Douglas.  We'll spend three days there, in the RV while getting beach time in.  Three days later,we've arranged to drive another RV down to Brisbane, not far from where Sharon lives!  At this point, the RV people are arranging a relocate back from Brisbane to Sydney, where we should be by the end of September.

Which brings us here, to Airlie Beach, where right now Glen and I are sitting on the balcony of our little 'holiday apartment.'  We bought some groceries so we don't have to keep eating out. We just had a beer and it's raining, but very warm out.  We're going to put on our raincoats in a bit and explore the town.  

After months of counting down to this adventure, I can honestly say that so far, everything has been as wonderful as I'd thought it would be.  

In the months before we left Colorado, I'd put the Manly Beach Live Cam in a small window on the corner of my computer screen and watch the sunrise.  Depending on the time of year, it would be somewhere between 11am and 3pm in Colorado.  Yesterday morning, Glen and I woke up at 5:30am and ran to Manly to catch the sunrise in person.  Even though it was too cloudy for a sunrise, it was great to be there.  I was always happy to watch cloudy Manly mornings from my desk in Breckenridge and was just as happy to see it for myself.
   

An American girl down under

The past few days have been spent taking care of details such as new phone plans (unlimited texting and free calls to the US!) a tax file number for me, banking, healthcare and other details.  Not too exciting, but it feels good to have these things taken care of. 

I'm starting to feel comfortable in Australia.  I've been running a lot and Glen joins me most mornings. 

Glen and I have been walking to the beach and catching up with friends and family.  Unlike past trips we've taken to Australia, it's nice to relax and know we're not on a limited number of days.  We will be in Sydney for another three days and on Sunday, we'll be flying to Hamilton Island to spend four days celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday.  Glen and I have not booked a return ticket back to Sydney and plan to spend the next few weeks exploring Queensland and finding our way back to Sydney. 

As I write this, it's 5pm on Thursday.  I'm sitting on my mother-in-law's balcony and there are kids having cricket practice in the park across the street.  Glen and I are going to meet my father-in-law for dinner.  At this point in time, life feels different and relaxing and I couldn't be happier.  I'll post more from the road.  Here are a few pictures of what I've been seeing:

Aren't these flowers amazing?  Not sure if they're called 'pig face' or 'pink face' because I have trouble understanding people and you can only say "what?" so many times before you're annoying.

On our way to Curl Curl beach.

Other than a handful of surfers, not many people on Curly beach today...maybe Australians aren't as excited as I am to be on the beach on the first day of September...or maybe they're working.