Well, one week has past since we arrived down under. It's been quite a blur since we arrived here. After landing and getting settled in our new home, it's been go go go to get a car, bank account, mobile, job and juggle life around to suit our new surroundings. The change of season and change of temperature did a number to my head I think, I went from summer weather, longer days ... to cooler winter climate and short daylight days. Ben and I both have felt quite tired, and getting over the jeg lagg took a little bit of time.
We are living with our friends Thomas and Liz. I met them in Japan in 2012, while I was there visiting Ben and traveling. We live up on Fernhill, just outside of Queenstown, in Sunshine Bay. It's a sweet little home. It's very warm (which is abnormal for a NZ home) and it sits up high on the hill, so we have a beautiful view of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables. It's a perfect location and we couldn't ask for more.
The weather was extremely rainy the first full day we were here. Everyone was very excited though, because that meant it was snowing up top in the mountains. Since a week has passed, the weather has been steady - sunny days and partly cloudy days. The temperatures have varied between -1 to around +5. The climate is nice though, it doesn't rain too much and it doesn't snow much in the valley.
The only real wildlife they have around this area are birds. Lots and lots of birds. There are so many different musical sounds to listen to, and they are all new to the ears. I cannot familiarize myself with anyone the new songs. I'm really enjoying it. I've seen goats and sheep, and a couple possums hit ont the road. There aren't any real predators at all in the country. It's very different. I went for an hour run this am, and got a little lost in the forests behind our place. It was wonderful. Millions of songs from millions of different birds and ... the best part, I didn't have to worry about bears or cougars. What a treat.
I'm working Part Time for Small Planet Sports, which is a backcountry retail store. It's similar to Escape Route in Whistler, but very small and has a lot of character. I work with a worldly group - Kiwi, French, Canadian, Israeli, Irish.. it's totally a transiet ski town. Couldn't mistake that for anything else. I love working in places like this, because you get to meet and become friends with folks from around the world. It's a good thing too, as when you are traveling and end up in certain places, you usually have a friend who can show you around or let you use the couch. Visa Versa when they visit Canada.
I'll be hopefully getting more work as the season progresses and the Heli Ski companies kick off. Ben is searching for work, as much as he can. He doesn't currently hold a working visa, so it makes it a little tough. But, like myself, once the heli skiing kicks off - he'll be better off.
It's quite expensive to shop for food in this country. I've noticed it's a lot worse than being in a resort town in Canada. We did a big 'bulk' shop - lots of rice, potatoes, onions, carrots, oatmeal, eggs.. all those items that keep and maintain the feeling of 'full'. It's hard not to feel tempted to go out for dinner and drinks constantly. As, that is what people do here. It's nice we are living with a couple that likes to make dinner and drink at home. Ben and I both have experience in resort towns, and knowingly fight that feeling of spending money out.
We have taken a handfull of photos since we have been here. I feel like we just haven't had enough time to do anything but organize. We are still looking for a car, which is proving to be harder than we once thought it would be. It seems there is a lot of shit out there for sale. A lot of expensive shit. So, we have gone and looked at a couple with no concrete decisions. We even tried a vehicle out, the other day. We were driving to the Remarks for a ski tour up Single Cone. The car seemed a-ok and we were stoked we finally found a goodie. These thoughts came tumbling down when the car pretty died and came to an immediate stop half way up the 13km road. It wasn't able to move anymore, and we ended up having to leave it up there for a tow-truck to grab it. Steve (our friend who is a mechanic and who was going to sell us the car) felt extremely bad. Anyways, the search goes on... hopefully we will find one that isn't stinking like dogs, broken down, bashed up, old as fuck or too expensive.
I joined the local gym/recreation centre here. I hope I can get back into my swimming. I miss it.
I've gone skiing twice already, one little tour and once to Corrent Ski hill. Both times were fun, and I'm looking forward to doing more. I like my new skis, I am able to actually ski them better. Which is good.
I will be adding photos to this blog asap. All of the other blog posts I've written from our USA trip need to be updated with images. I know reading these posts is quite boring without something to look at!
R.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Getting settled.
Wednesday was a blurr. I can't even remember what I did yesterday?
Today (Thursday the 20th), we went ski touring with Eric on Mt Dawer. The weather was snowy and the visibility was very bad. Nonetheless, we up and out for a walk in the snow and skied a bit of new 'pow'. It was my first NZ ski experience and we had fun. At one point on the ski tour, I actually got sheep shit on my skis somehow. It froze to the bottom and formed a large clump of brown. You now you're ski touring in NZ when.... eh.
I ate a lot of chocolate today.
I have a Kiwi Bank account now, and a Kiwi mobile number ... and a NZ home address.. and we bought a vehicle... it's all coming together. We just need to get some solid jobs, and we'll be on our way. All of Ben's guy friends are trying to get my a job serving or working in a bar. They obviously don't know me very well... as I cannot see myself doing a job like that. I am just not that type of gal. We went to the Lone Star bar tonight, for one drink, and I laughed to myself when I thought of me working there. It's just not... me. You know?
R.
Today (Thursday the 20th), we went ski touring with Eric on Mt Dawer. The weather was snowy and the visibility was very bad. Nonetheless, we up and out for a walk in the snow and skied a bit of new 'pow'. It was my first NZ ski experience and we had fun. At one point on the ski tour, I actually got sheep shit on my skis somehow. It froze to the bottom and formed a large clump of brown. You now you're ski touring in NZ when.... eh.
I ate a lot of chocolate today.
I have a Kiwi Bank account now, and a Kiwi mobile number ... and a NZ home address.. and we bought a vehicle... it's all coming together. We just need to get some solid jobs, and we'll be on our way. All of Ben's guy friends are trying to get my a job serving or working in a bar. They obviously don't know me very well... as I cannot see myself doing a job like that. I am just not that type of gal. We went to the Lone Star bar tonight, for one drink, and I laughed to myself when I thought of me working there. It's just not... me. You know?
R.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Haere mai New Zealand!
We arrived in Auckland around 6:30am on June 18th. Groggy and jet lagged, we exited the plane and headed to Customs. I felt like I was in a daze for most of the morning. My body felt weak. Being on our flight that was over 12 hours long, my whole body felt asleep. As we approached Customs, I fumbled with my passport and working holiday visa papers. I presented the items to the Customs Officer and she looked me and my information up and down. It's so easy going in NZ. With a big smile and a head nod, I thought for sure I was well on my way. BUT, as there is always a but, my working holiday visa had a little bit of an issue - as apparently my birth date was wrong on in the system, which cancels down the application. Thankfully, me being in one of the most friendly and easy going countries I have ever travelled to - they were able to wave off the mistake and honer my visa. phew.
Baggage claim is always stressful - it's always a gamble if your luggage is going to show or not. Our bags came out pretty fast and we only waited about 10 extra minutes for my ski bag. Once we had our belongings, we headed to the security check and had our bags scanned and checked again. Questions like 'are your hiking boots clean and are you carrying a tent' were the most important. New Zealand does it's best to keep out foreign flora and fauna. We were in the clear, and dropped out baggage at the check in station. Good to go.
We had a connecting flight at 10:30am, to Queenstown / Frankton. Waiting in the Domestic Terminal, I ate sushi for breakfast and drank loads of water. Feeling a little woozy and jet-lagged, we went through another security check point and headed to our gate to wait for our final flight.
The flight from Auckland to Frankton (Queenstown) was easy. Ben and I sat apart (as our seats were assigned without our planning) and I chatted up a UK guy, who had lived in NZ for 7 years now. The flight was only 1 hour and 45mins. Most of the flight was cloudy below, but as we approached our destination, the clouds parted and I could see the snow covered peaks of the mountains in the South Island. It was a beautiful sight for my tired eyes. Reminded me of flying over the Rockies in Canada. I had a quick thought: holy CRAP. It's winter. What was I thinking?? The anxiety passed once we landed and I saw (and remembered) how beautiful it was here. I was excited to get settled and explore.
Liz greeted us at the airport with a big smile and a loving hug. I hadn't seen her since Japan in 2012, and it was nice to see her smiling face again. The first thing she said to me was: holy crap your tanned! I mentioned that it would be very short lived, as the tan will fade with out proper sunshine.. ha! Thomas was working, and we would be able to see him later that evening. After waiting for our luggage, and jammed all our stuff into their truck, we were off to the grocery store to buy a bit of food to tie us over 'till tomorrow. I was hungry. I had a carrot salad to tie me over. The plan was to shower, unpack, explore, get a phone and meet up with friends for a steak dinner around 6pm. We wandered the streets of Queenstown in the rain (what a shock to the system) and met up with Ben's friends. He was so excited to see everyone. It had been three years since he was last here, and seeing his good friends again made him feel great. So far, I've met many great people from the UK, USA and NZ. I am sure it will continue...
Ben and I were trying with all our might to stay awake until a reasonable time. By the time we had two drinks and a full steak dinner in us, we were ready to pack it in. I think we feel asleep by 8pm. It was a long day, and it was most definitely time to rest out travelling bodies. Tomorrow, we working getting myself a bank account, a car and start searching for jobs. It's going to be a busy couple days here.
R&B
Baggage claim is always stressful - it's always a gamble if your luggage is going to show or not. Our bags came out pretty fast and we only waited about 10 extra minutes for my ski bag. Once we had our belongings, we headed to the security check and had our bags scanned and checked again. Questions like 'are your hiking boots clean and are you carrying a tent' were the most important. New Zealand does it's best to keep out foreign flora and fauna. We were in the clear, and dropped out baggage at the check in station. Good to go.
We had a connecting flight at 10:30am, to Queenstown / Frankton. Waiting in the Domestic Terminal, I ate sushi for breakfast and drank loads of water. Feeling a little woozy and jet-lagged, we went through another security check point and headed to our gate to wait for our final flight.
The flight from Auckland to Frankton (Queenstown) was easy. Ben and I sat apart (as our seats were assigned without our planning) and I chatted up a UK guy, who had lived in NZ for 7 years now. The flight was only 1 hour and 45mins. Most of the flight was cloudy below, but as we approached our destination, the clouds parted and I could see the snow covered peaks of the mountains in the South Island. It was a beautiful sight for my tired eyes. Reminded me of flying over the Rockies in Canada. I had a quick thought: holy CRAP. It's winter. What was I thinking?? The anxiety passed once we landed and I saw (and remembered) how beautiful it was here. I was excited to get settled and explore.
Liz greeted us at the airport with a big smile and a loving hug. I hadn't seen her since Japan in 2012, and it was nice to see her smiling face again. The first thing she said to me was: holy crap your tanned! I mentioned that it would be very short lived, as the tan will fade with out proper sunshine.. ha! Thomas was working, and we would be able to see him later that evening. After waiting for our luggage, and jammed all our stuff into their truck, we were off to the grocery store to buy a bit of food to tie us over 'till tomorrow. I was hungry. I had a carrot salad to tie me over. The plan was to shower, unpack, explore, get a phone and meet up with friends for a steak dinner around 6pm. We wandered the streets of Queenstown in the rain (what a shock to the system) and met up with Ben's friends. He was so excited to see everyone. It had been three years since he was last here, and seeing his good friends again made him feel great. So far, I've met many great people from the UK, USA and NZ. I am sure it will continue...
Ben and I were trying with all our might to stay awake until a reasonable time. By the time we had two drinks and a full steak dinner in us, we were ready to pack it in. I think we feel asleep by 8pm. It was a long day, and it was most definitely time to rest out travelling bodies. Tomorrow, we working getting myself a bank account, a car and start searching for jobs. It's going to be a busy couple days here.
R&B
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Day Twenty-Eight: June 16th 2013
TODAY WE FLY TO NEW ZEALAND!
We woke up in the hotel room, quickly packed our belongings and headed to LAX to grab our rental car. It was a piece of cake. We didn't really run into traffic, and before we knew it we were off to Palm Springs to drop the truck off.
Palm Springs was HOT. It actually felt nice to be in the scorching desert heat again. We pulled up to my uncles house, and started organizing. It took us about 3 hours to get sorted. Once we were done, we pulled the truck into the garage, where it would sleep until October 3rd (which is when we arrive back in the USA). We went for a quick dip in my uncles pool and laid in the sunshine one last time. We were headed to winter! I felt like we needed to get as much sunshine in as possible, as we wouldn't be seeing too much of it once we arrive in NZ.
I have a feeling the change of climate and season is going to do a number on my head... I am just getting used to the sunshine, heat and summer weather...... sigh.
The drive from PS to LA wasn't too bad, we only hit traffic once we entered the depths of hwy 10, which run straight into the city. We arrived at LAX around 5:30pm, dropped off the car and checked into our flight. We had about 4 hours to get through security, which is more than enough time. So, we made the best of the down time and did some last minute planning, emailing, watched a movie, had a drink... and before we knew it, it was 10pm and we were boarding the flight.
Our flight was to be 12 hours and 45 mins. Air New Zealand is a beautiful airlines and I felt extremely comfortable the minute I stepped onto the plane. Time to sleep, read and watch movies...
We are going to arrive in NZ a little jet lagged and confused.. but nonetheless, we are excited!
R&B
We woke up in the hotel room, quickly packed our belongings and headed to LAX to grab our rental car. It was a piece of cake. We didn't really run into traffic, and before we knew it we were off to Palm Springs to drop the truck off.
Palm Springs was HOT. It actually felt nice to be in the scorching desert heat again. We pulled up to my uncles house, and started organizing. It took us about 3 hours to get sorted. Once we were done, we pulled the truck into the garage, where it would sleep until October 3rd (which is when we arrive back in the USA). We went for a quick dip in my uncles pool and laid in the sunshine one last time. We were headed to winter! I felt like we needed to get as much sunshine in as possible, as we wouldn't be seeing too much of it once we arrive in NZ.
I have a feeling the change of climate and season is going to do a number on my head... I am just getting used to the sunshine, heat and summer weather...... sigh.
The drive from PS to LA wasn't too bad, we only hit traffic once we entered the depths of hwy 10, which run straight into the city. We arrived at LAX around 5:30pm, dropped off the car and checked into our flight. We had about 4 hours to get through security, which is more than enough time. So, we made the best of the down time and did some last minute planning, emailing, watched a movie, had a drink... and before we knew it, it was 10pm and we were boarding the flight.
Our flight was to be 12 hours and 45 mins. Air New Zealand is a beautiful airlines and I felt extremely comfortable the minute I stepped onto the plane. Time to sleep, read and watch movies...
We are going to arrive in NZ a little jet lagged and confused.. but nonetheless, we are excited!
R&B
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Day Twenty-Seven: June 15th 2013
Sleeping on an air mattress is like sleeping on a water bed. Remember water beds?! My cousin Joel had a water bed when we were younger. Or wait, was it Greg? One of the brothers did. I remember thinking.. how the HELL do you sleep on this thing? Swishy-swoshy sleeping isn't for me. I require a more solid surface under me while sleeping. Either way, it was nice to sleep indoors last night - it's a nice change from sleeping in a tent or truck for 23 days. Thanks a bunch to Chris and Em! :D
Today is going to be a day of organizing. We leave for New Zealand tomorrow evening. Breakfast with Chris and Em at the Java Hut. Yummy coffee, smoothies and Acai bowls. Then we all went for a walk down the beach before we said our goodbyes. It's always hard to say goodbye to good friends.
Ben and I drove down the coastal hwy from Mission Bay to Sunset Beach. So many people surfing and enjoying the warm sunny California weather. We stopped a couple times, trying to find a place to cook and eat lunch. All the Beach State Parks charge for parking, which in my mind, seems unfair. I guess the state has to charge to for the upkeep. So, it does make sense. We finally found a place to eat, just outside of Los Angeles.
Today wasn't an entertaining day really, it's hard to write when all we have done is drive around and find somewhere to eat, sleep and organize. We ended up staying at the Days Inn by the hwy so we could get a head start in the morning to LAX to get our rental car. We were picking it up, driving to Palm Springs, unloading and storing the truck.. and then driving back to LA.
I don't have much more to say really.
R&B
Today is going to be a day of organizing. We leave for New Zealand tomorrow evening. Breakfast with Chris and Em at the Java Hut. Yummy coffee, smoothies and Acai bowls. Then we all went for a walk down the beach before we said our goodbyes. It's always hard to say goodbye to good friends.
Ben and I drove down the coastal hwy from Mission Bay to Sunset Beach. So many people surfing and enjoying the warm sunny California weather. We stopped a couple times, trying to find a place to cook and eat lunch. All the Beach State Parks charge for parking, which in my mind, seems unfair. I guess the state has to charge to for the upkeep. So, it does make sense. We finally found a place to eat, just outside of Los Angeles.
Today wasn't an entertaining day really, it's hard to write when all we have done is drive around and find somewhere to eat, sleep and organize. We ended up staying at the Days Inn by the hwy so we could get a head start in the morning to LAX to get our rental car. We were picking it up, driving to Palm Springs, unloading and storing the truck.. and then driving back to LA.
I don't have much more to say really.
R&B
Day Twenty-Six: June 14th 2013
Skin burns.
My skin BURNS! All throughout the night I was plastering aloe on myself, trying to alleviate the pain. You would think I'd know better by now...
Anyways.
It's 7:45am, and I have to move the truck from the road. They clean the streets from 8am-10am here and I've been getting up moving the truck.. and sneaking in a litte Americano at a different coffee shop every morning. I really shouldn't have to 'sneak' in a coffee. Ben makes me feel like I'm the devil for liking the stuff... I just think I'm one of the normal ones really. I think my new found habit is a good one. I mean really, I'm 31 years old and I have only been drinking coffee for a year now. It's no even 'coffee' it's espresso and it's usually the GOOD stuff... I don't care. I don't have to convince the majority of the population that it's ok. I enjoy it, and that is that. I don't really eat or drink a lot of 'bad' things anyways. So there! ;)
Today, we want to try surfing again. It's cloudy and kinda cold. We decided we would hit up REI first, as we have a couple items to grab for friends in New Zealand. That way, we can wait for the cloud cover to burn off and the temperature to rise a little.
By 11am, the sun was trying to fight it's way through the clouds. We went to the surf shop to grab out SUP and changed our minds. Ben used the rental price for a store credit and bought himself a new t-shirt and a hat. We will surf when we get back in October. We went for lunch at the Sandbar, as they have delicious salads and burgers - and they are reasonably cheap. I had two ciders and a great BBQ chicken salad. Ben had a burger and massive onion rings. After lunch, we headed to the beach to watch the surfers and get in some rays. I covered myself up most of the time, as I really didn't feel like getting more sun on the body parts that were burnt. After watching the crowds try to catch waves for an hour or so, we agreed upon going to see a movie at the AMC in La Jolla. 'After Earth' was our choice, with Will Smith and his son (I think?). The flick started at 5pm, and it was 3:30, so we headed over to the cove to see the sea lions first.
I have been feeling sick for the last two days, and we finally figured out it's because I am off my medication. I'm having horrible withdrawal symptoms. They are like brain sparks or shocks. Nervous system and body shakes. It's hard to explain. I feel dizzy and nauseous periodically. It's a scary feeling really, and I have no control of it. The only real reason I am off the meds is because I ran out of them about 1.5 weeks ago .. (I forgot to get my prescription refilled before I left for this trip). Once I am in NZ, I'll be able to get a doctor and get back on 'em.. In the meantime, I have to fight through this and ignore the symptoms of the withdrawal.
The sea lions stink. There are about 35 of 'em, laying on the beach like lazy dogs enjoying the sun. Every once and a while, a couple of the young babies wiggle their way into the ocean to cool off. Super cute.
After an annoying drive to the movie theatre (too many people on the roads and we got a little lost), we were finally sitting in our seats about to watch the film. It was an hour and 45mins of .... an average movie. Will Smith is one of my most fav actors, but honestly, he was hard in the film. It was more about his son and the voyage and adventure of him retrieving a emergency device that was lost in the space shuttle crash. They crashed on 'earth' and well, the planet has evolved without humans, so it's very dangerous and he has to make it 100km .... blah. I am sitting here trying to write about the movie and I cannot because I didn't enjoy it that much. haha. Either way, maybe wait to rent it. HA! Listen to me, 'rent it'. What I mean to say is: download it for free in about a month.
After the movie, we headed down to the tourmaline surf park beach to make dinner and enjoy the last of the sun for the day. We are staying at Chris and Em's place tonight, and they live right on the beach. After the meal, we popped over to their house and pretty much fell straight asleep.
Tomorrow is our last full day in the USA. We leave for New Zealand on Sunday evening. There is a lot of organizing and prep to do before we leave. It's going to be a busy couple days!
R&B
My skin BURNS! All throughout the night I was plastering aloe on myself, trying to alleviate the pain. You would think I'd know better by now...
Anyways.
It's 7:45am, and I have to move the truck from the road. They clean the streets from 8am-10am here and I've been getting up moving the truck.. and sneaking in a litte Americano at a different coffee shop every morning. I really shouldn't have to 'sneak' in a coffee. Ben makes me feel like I'm the devil for liking the stuff... I just think I'm one of the normal ones really. I think my new found habit is a good one. I mean really, I'm 31 years old and I have only been drinking coffee for a year now. It's no even 'coffee' it's espresso and it's usually the GOOD stuff... I don't care. I don't have to convince the majority of the population that it's ok. I enjoy it, and that is that. I don't really eat or drink a lot of 'bad' things anyways. So there! ;)
Today, we want to try surfing again. It's cloudy and kinda cold. We decided we would hit up REI first, as we have a couple items to grab for friends in New Zealand. That way, we can wait for the cloud cover to burn off and the temperature to rise a little.
By 11am, the sun was trying to fight it's way through the clouds. We went to the surf shop to grab out SUP and changed our minds. Ben used the rental price for a store credit and bought himself a new t-shirt and a hat. We will surf when we get back in October. We went for lunch at the Sandbar, as they have delicious salads and burgers - and they are reasonably cheap. I had two ciders and a great BBQ chicken salad. Ben had a burger and massive onion rings. After lunch, we headed to the beach to watch the surfers and get in some rays. I covered myself up most of the time, as I really didn't feel like getting more sun on the body parts that were burnt. After watching the crowds try to catch waves for an hour or so, we agreed upon going to see a movie at the AMC in La Jolla. 'After Earth' was our choice, with Will Smith and his son (I think?). The flick started at 5pm, and it was 3:30, so we headed over to the cove to see the sea lions first.
I have been feeling sick for the last two days, and we finally figured out it's because I am off my medication. I'm having horrible withdrawal symptoms. They are like brain sparks or shocks. Nervous system and body shakes. It's hard to explain. I feel dizzy and nauseous periodically. It's a scary feeling really, and I have no control of it. The only real reason I am off the meds is because I ran out of them about 1.5 weeks ago .. (I forgot to get my prescription refilled before I left for this trip). Once I am in NZ, I'll be able to get a doctor and get back on 'em.. In the meantime, I have to fight through this and ignore the symptoms of the withdrawal.
The sea lions stink. There are about 35 of 'em, laying on the beach like lazy dogs enjoying the sun. Every once and a while, a couple of the young babies wiggle their way into the ocean to cool off. Super cute.
After an annoying drive to the movie theatre (too many people on the roads and we got a little lost), we were finally sitting in our seats about to watch the film. It was an hour and 45mins of .... an average movie. Will Smith is one of my most fav actors, but honestly, he was hard in the film. It was more about his son and the voyage and adventure of him retrieving a emergency device that was lost in the space shuttle crash. They crashed on 'earth' and well, the planet has evolved without humans, so it's very dangerous and he has to make it 100km .... blah. I am sitting here trying to write about the movie and I cannot because I didn't enjoy it that much. haha. Either way, maybe wait to rent it. HA! Listen to me, 'rent it'. What I mean to say is: download it for free in about a month.
After the movie, we headed down to the tourmaline surf park beach to make dinner and enjoy the last of the sun for the day. We are staying at Chris and Em's place tonight, and they live right on the beach. After the meal, we popped over to their house and pretty much fell straight asleep.
Tomorrow is our last full day in the USA. We leave for New Zealand on Sunday evening. There is a lot of organizing and prep to do before we leave. It's going to be a busy couple days!
R&B
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Day Twenty-Five: June 13th 2013
What a nice way to wake up. Cozy bed, parrots squeaking ad squawking outside and sand in our bed from out feet. Beach living!
Today, we surf. Or attempt to.
I got out of bed and grabbed a coffee and an Acai bowl for breaky. Ben slept in. See the pattern forming here?
So, today we are going to try to surf / SUP in the waves. I highly doubt I will be able to do it, as I have a tiny weeny fear of oceans ... and well, I haven't ever surfed before. Giving it a go...
$94 later, we have a surf board and a SUP for two days. My first attempt on a surf board was today.. I got tossed around and covered in seaweed. It's hard! I tired to stand up once and freaked out and sat rght back down.. Ben SUPd and did a pretty good job! Caught some waves while in this knees. It was my turn to try the SUP. I couldn't even get it past the break. I tried about 5 times and got my ass handed to me. I think I've swallowed enough salt water for now I also almost lost my hat in the process. I think I'll stick to climbing, mountain biking and flat water SUP. ..
I've had too much sun today. On that note, I convinced Ben that it was time to get out of the glaring sun and find lunch. We loaded up the surf and SUP boards and headed to the Bay to cook. I took advantage of the calm water and paddled around and got a mini workout.
My ass cheeks are white... and the rest of me is RED. It's not good. I covered up for the rest of the day. After lunch we headed back to Chris's Beach house to shower and relax till dinner. We watched a movie and lathered aloe cream all over each other.
I hurt.
Chris and Em invited us over to their house for a Curry dinner and wine. It was yummy and great to catch up. We laughed and watched silly YouTube Videos. It was nice.
Around 11pm, Chris drove Ben and I back to his Beach home and this is where I lay at the moment. Im hot and my skin feels really sensitive. Ouch! Why do I do this!! I don't learn.
Time for sleep. Tomorrow the plan is more beach and SUP ... which I may have to pass because my skin is afriad of sun at the moment...
Night!
R&B
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Day Twenty-Four: June 12th 2013
I have been awake since 5:45am. I am the only one awake in the hostel at this moment. I'm taking this time to update the blog and catch up on other things on the net.
Coffee. Breakfast. Tea. Apple.
Tired.
Today we meet up with my friend Chris! I haven't seen Chris since ... Whistler? In 2011? Actually I am not sure when I last saw him. We chat a lot, so I guess it doesn't seem that long ago. I met Chris in Whistler in 2009. He was there wen I snapped my arm in half .. funtimes.
Anyways, Chris has been kind enough to let us stay at his beach home in La Jolla / Misson Bay Area in San Diego. Thanks a bunch! If you ever need a place to stay in this area, Chris rents his beach house out. Go here for more information: www.lifestylerealtysd.com
We met with Chris and his friends pooch Cali. Ben and I were eating lunch in a resturant / bar called Sandbar on the Misson Beach strip. Ate a great salad and had a pear cider. Ben ate an amazing looking burger with onion rings. After paying, Ben, Chris and myself (and Cali) did a little tour of San Diego. It was nice to see the area. We walked on the beach and caught up. We drove past a cove that had tons of seal lions and people were snorkeling with them! Apparently there was a Leopard Shark breeding area too.. cool.
Around 3pm, Chris had to get back to working on his house, so Ben and I went swimming in the ocean and laid on the sand for 3 hours. We made a quick stop to a grocery store to grab dinner items. Back to the beach house, we made dinner, drank cheap champamge and watched The Fantastic Burt Wonderland. It was funny. Around 10:30pm, we passed out on a comfy bed and slept till 8am... good day!
R&B
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Day Twenty-Three: June 11th 2013
I woke up to the distressful buzzing sound of flies trapped between our tent and fly. They had found a warm spot to chill for the night, but once the sun hit the tent, it became too warm and they wanted out. Being quite stupid, the flies were obviously trapped and all the commotion woke me up.
I also had to pee quite badly. So, I must remove myself from my position and fix this.
Always the first out of the tent, I feel obligated to start breakfast. So, I did. Another morning of Oatmeal and Almond Milk – this time with fresh fruit. I must admit, I’m getting mighty sick of almond milk … and almost sick of oatmeal.
My PMS is so bad today, it’s ruining my day already. I am trying extremely hard to ignore the feelings I am having .. and using this as an experiment. You see, my medication has run out, so, I believe, I am feeling the repercussions of it. I have to try VERY hard to find other methods to relieve myself of the anxiety and sadness I am feeling. Stupid hormones.
I am currently sitting in the Pine Valley park, at the Noble Trail TH parking lot, waiting for Ben to arrive from the DH Noble Trail ride. He’s been riding for about an hour and a half almost now. I’ve made him lunch and am using this time to catch up on my writing. I am sitting in his chair he bought for $10… the one I said I wouldn’t sit in ;)
It’s hot in the sunshine, and I can feel droplets of sweat dripping down my stomach and neck. I had bought myself a hat in Las Vegas, and what a good idea what was. I have twist up my hair and hide it in the hat. It’s a life saving move to cool myself off.
I’ve tried immensely hard this trip, not to touch gum. I’m chewing it right now, however. Oops.
Ben finally arrived back at the truck, about 2.5 hours after I had dropped him off at the top of the mountain. He said he got a little lost, but all and all, the ride was pretty fun. I was hesitant with riding it, as I felt a little off today… but Ben talked me into riding part of it. So, I did.
The Noble Canyon is a great ride, flowy and fast. The ride starts up the top of the Laguna Mountain, close to the Pine Valley old hwy. It shoots down a single track, in and out of alpine desert environment, until you hit a valley. This is where you encounter beautiful old oak trees and quietly flowing rivers. I also encountered a shit tone of bugs, almost hit a squirrel and crashing was quite possible.
I was sweating too.
The Noble Canyon is a great ride, flowy and fast. The ride starts up the top of the Laguna Mountain, close to the Pine Valley old hwy. It shoots down a single track, in and out of alpine desert environment, until you hit a valley. This is where you encounter beautiful old oak trees and quietly flowing rivers. I also encountered a shit tone of bugs, almost hit a squirrel and crashing was quite possible.
I was sweating too.
It was fun! Ben picked me up on the Pine Valley road, where the trail intersects for the 4th time. He picked me up before there was a ridiculously big sandy up and a ridiculously big rocky down. I think he figured with the way I was feeling, these two areas wouldn’t be good for me right now. I was happy and agreed.
We packed up the truck (after a quick shower with our trusty portable shower …) and headed to San Diego! We drove straight to the HI Point Luma, got ourselves a dorm and bunkered down for the night. After a great meal, a warm shower and some Game of Thrones, we were very much ready for sleep. … which would have come easy, if this hostel wasn’t right under the flight path from the airport. So, everyone 2 mins or so, a MASSIVE loud plane shot over head. Ugh. Good night!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Day Twenty-Two: June 10th 2013
We have a week left of our trip in the USA. We leave next
Monday around 10:30pm for New Zealand… my my, how time flies. ….
I woke up grumpy. This didn’t make the morning very
pleasant. I was tired and my PMS was ridiculous. I start to make breaky;
oatmeal and almond milk. I tired my best to ignore how I felt and went along
with the morning.
I felt like I needed a shower, so I wandered over to the
campsite showers. Right when I was stripped down and naked, ready to clean
myself, I noticed that you had to pay for the showers and I hadn’t brought any
chance with me. Screw that idea. I clothed myself and walked back to out
campsite.
We decided to stay another night, as the campsite was
beautiful and the temperature was cooler. Paying for another night ($20), we
cleaned up our dishes and tuned up the bikes . After, we packed the truck up
for a morning of biking. We have our eyes on the ‘Noble Trail’ but seeing as
it’s quite late, we decided to just ride the Gato Trail and Laguna Lake trails.
Noble Trail will be for tomorrow (it’s a 12mile downhill trail, marked as
‘Epic’ on the IMBA website – need more time than we have now for that kinda
trail..)
The first bike trail we rode was a sweet little single track
DH trail, with berms and jumps scattered throughout the ride. It was fun. The
trails here are very dry and sandy, so I could feel my wheels washing out every
once and a while. The trail linked to a flat single track through an alpine
meadow. It was absolutely stunning and very different from what we have been
riding this whole trip. It was a welcoming change. We rode by Ponderosa Pines
and beautiful pink coloured grasses. The wind was still blustery, but it felt
good because we were sweating. We rode past Big Laguna Lake, which shown a most
brilliant colour of blue. I wanted to jump into the lake, but decided not to,
as it didn’t seem THAT clean (full of bulrushes and weeds and ducks..). The
trail ride ended on the Old County Road, which looked like it was the old hwy
up the mountain. We rode uphill ‘till we met up with the dirt trail we started
on. There we saw our truck. In total it was about a 14mile ride. It felt nice
to move the legs.
After the ride, and a quick snack, we decided to head into
Alpine to do some laundry, internet catch up and have lunch. We were in Apline
for about 4 hours getting all three things done. With a quick stop to grab ice,
we headed back to our campsite around 5pm.
We arrived ‘home’ around 6pm and made dinner. Drank wine,
and watched Shackletons Documentary. I was exhausted, as I had been awake since
5:45am. So, I turned in early and passed out. Good day.
R&B
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Day Twenty-One: June 9th 2013
I woke up to a hum. It sounded like a motorcycle. I opened
my eyes and much to my surprise, there was a hummingbird in our truck. He was
buzzing back and forth by our headlamps. I am assuming the little guy thought
out headlamps were flowers. They are bright colours, so I guess they looked
appealing. It was a nice way to wake up actually – something that doesn’t
happen every day!
We didn’t bother making breakfast, we just packed up and
drove from Mt Charleston to Las Vegas to get our bikes out of storage. We had a
thought that we would bike some trails up on the Mt Charleston area, but once
we got back down to Las Vegas, into the stupid heat, we decided to high-tail it
to California. With a quick stop to Smith’s for a coffee, food and Internet, we
planned the day.
San Diego is the destination; actually, it’s the mountains
close to San Diego. We scoped out of great bike trails around the area and we
wanna do it! It’s called Cleveland National Park – in Laguna California. We are going to camp and bike for two days.
The day seemed long. We were driving for at least 7 hours. It
was neat to see the changer of landscape, from desert to alpine forests. The
temperature was also a lot cooler. It felt like to be in +28 weather and able
to have the windows open. It felt a little more humid too, as we were getting
closer and closer to the ocean.
We didn’t roll into our campsite ‘till around 8pm, and it
was already getting dark. To make matters worse, we were both starving and
starting to get grumpy. We pulled into campsite number 70, paid our $20 fee and
started to make dinner. Everything was going smoothly, until the propane didn’t
work… we had to resort to our little MSR stove to make pasta. I opted out of
eating rice, because it would take way too long. So, I had a crap dinner of
chicken, rice cakes and hummus. Blech. We curled up in the tent, and enjoyed
the cooler weather. I fell asleep to the sound of wind. It was very blustery
all throughout the night. It woke me up a couple times, as it blew down our fly
at the back of the tent. I fixed it around 4am. Ben, of course, slept soundly.
R&B
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Day Twenty: June 8th 2013
Good-morning Lynn Boulders campsite! It’s beautiful here.
Woke up to the sunshine streaming into our truck. It’s only 18 degrees out and
it feels amazing. Last night’s sleep was amazing. The temperature is perfect up
here. What a good decision. Colin followed up here, for a day of climbing
today.
After a hearty breakfast of oatmeal with banana and almond
milk, Ben and I had a shower – WELL worth the money, by the way – and packed up
the truck to head towards the Sesame Street Wall by the Mary Jane Falls
trailhead.
The accent and approach was interesting. It was a hike, and
the heat felt hot. After about 25mins of up, we were covered in sweat and
looking up at a massive wall. The Universal Wall, was the name, and well, it
suited it. Our wall was lookers left, and it was a tad less intimidating. Ben
stepped on a plant that made his leg really itchy and burning.. we still don’t
know what it was.
We each climbed about 5 climbs each. With three of us, it was
a good chunk of the morning was gone quite fast. 5.8, 5.9, 5.9, 5.9, 5.9. All
the climbs were named after Sesame Street characters. I enjoyed the spot. We
had sunshine for only one of the climbs and then it fell behind the mountain
cliff that was towering above us. The rock was limestone, and it felt good to
be back on rock that is familiar to climb. Sandstone / Red Rocks is a lot of
fun, but it always feels nice to touch rock that feels familiar. That being
said, the rock was very loose and it was very easy to pull off holds and kick
off tiny rocks every once and a while. Helmets mandatory.
Around 4pm, we decided that it was a good time to call it
quits.
Colin is headed to Bishop this evening, and Ben and I
decided we will stay another night at Lynn Boulders campsite. We said our
goodbyes and gave hugs and wished each other best travel wishes. Ben and I went
to the local store and bought 2 cokes for our rum, and drove back up the
mountain to coolers temps. We made pasta for dinner (for Ben) and a nice veggie
/ bean mix for me. I downed 3 ciders ( I was thirsty ok?) and Ben had his rum.
We watched the movie Cloud Atlas. 2.5 hours of confusion Hollywood nonsense…
Ben and I have no idea what the movie was about. Please let us know, if you
know. :P
R&B
Friday, June 7, 2013
Day Nineteen: June 7th 2013
Woke up and had a great stretch.
We all made breakfast at camping spot – Lovall National Park - and enjoyed a quiet cool morning before the stupid heat was upon us. This heat is exhausting. I do welcome it though, as we ARE headed to Winter in NZ.. so, I need to get as much as in as possible. :)
We headed to Red Rocks to climb in the Black Corridor, as you know, because it's in the shade. We were there ‘till noon, until it got WAY too hot.
After trying to figure out what to do next, all three of us realized we were very hungry. So, we went to Smiths Grocery for food. We ended up sitting there for just over 3.5 hours. Researching, cooling off, drinking iced coffee - I am sure people were wondering why these three bums were loitering for so long.
The decision for the next destination was: Mt Charleston. The main reason? It was cooler up there. There was climbing on LIMESTONE and there was some DH biking. Perfect reasons?
We drove to Mtn Charleston and instantly, we all knew this was the perfect decision. The forest fire rating was HIGH, so so fires, but we didn't care, because the temperature was cooler. We found a campsite and ended up camping at Lynn Boulders. It was WONDERFUL. The campsite was free, quiet and in a forest.
We drove to Mtn Charleston and instantly, we all knew this was the perfect decision. The forest fire rating was HIGH, so so fires, but we didn't care, because the temperature was cooler. We found a campsite and ended up camping at Lynn Boulders. It was WONDERFUL. The campsite was free, quiet and in a forest.
Dinner and a movie.. and a drink - we were all set.
Climbing tomorrow, on Sesame Street Wall. All three of us are stoked.
Night!
R&M
Climbing tomorrow, on Sesame Street Wall. All three of us are stoked.
Night!
R&M
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Day Eighteen: June 6th 2013
Good morning!
I sat up in the truck and peered through the back window. Colin was parked ahead of us. He had found the road and ended up arriving around midnight. I quickly put on clothes and popped out of the truck to meet him. It was great to see him again and we gave each other big hugs. It had been sometime since we last had a chance to catch up and hang out!
With the introductions finished, we planned our day. Plan was to climb 'Cat in the Hat' up in Red Rocks on the Mescalito. It's a 6 pitch climb, very easy grades (5.5 and 5.6) and trad. Which, obviously for me, makes it harder than it is. Here is a little website that will give you a good idea on what the climb involves:
http://www.supertopo.com/rock-climbing/Red-Rocks-Mescalito-South-Cat-in-the-Hat
It's one of the most popular climbs in Red Rocks, and we were expecting to see people on the route. However, because it was stupid hot, we saw no one. We had the climb to ourselves. We kitted up before we hiked in, loaded down with rope, climbing gear and water. Once we got to the base of the climb, I took all the trad gear and started to lead the first pitch. I always get a weird scary feeling in my stomach before I start to lead a trad route. It's almost like, I forget how to climb because I am worrying about placing the gear correctly.
Anyways, I did find. Other than getting to the second anchor (because you are suppose to skip the first) and getting lost in the process (my rope was ridiculously run out and I was basically walking around the cliff of a mountain trying to find the anchor, while all along, it was above me...), it was great! Colin and Ben followed me up and we set up for the next two pitches....
Did I mention it was hot? It was WAY too hot. By the time we got to the 4th pitch, we couldn't even bare being in the sunshine on the darker coloured rock. So, we only did 3 pitches. I lead the first one, as mentioned before and Ben lead the second and third. As a group, we decided that the next two pitches were a stupid idea and we rappelled down to the ground where our extra water and food was waiting for us.
It was a fun day, even if we couldn't get to the top of the climb. We felt exhausted already, and it was time for a drink and lunch. Sitting at Smith's, we decided that it was Las Vegas Strip evening! WOO! Time to doll up and play some slots! ... or not. We still looked like climbing/biking travelling bums, but it was fun nonetheless. Plus, Colin and I drank coffee.. and that is important. ;)
http://www.supertopo.com/rock-climbing/Red-Rocks-Mescalito-South-Cat-in-the-Hat
It's one of the most popular climbs in Red Rocks, and we were expecting to see people on the route. However, because it was stupid hot, we saw no one. We had the climb to ourselves. We kitted up before we hiked in, loaded down with rope, climbing gear and water. Once we got to the base of the climb, I took all the trad gear and started to lead the first pitch. I always get a weird scary feeling in my stomach before I start to lead a trad route. It's almost like, I forget how to climb because I am worrying about placing the gear correctly.
Anyways, I did find. Other than getting to the second anchor (because you are suppose to skip the first) and getting lost in the process (my rope was ridiculously run out and I was basically walking around the cliff of a mountain trying to find the anchor, while all along, it was above me...), it was great! Colin and Ben followed me up and we set up for the next two pitches....
Did I mention it was hot? It was WAY too hot. By the time we got to the 4th pitch, we couldn't even bare being in the sunshine on the darker coloured rock. So, we only did 3 pitches. I lead the first one, as mentioned before and Ben lead the second and third. As a group, we decided that the next two pitches were a stupid idea and we rappelled down to the ground where our extra water and food was waiting for us.
It was a fun day, even if we couldn't get to the top of the climb. We felt exhausted already, and it was time for a drink and lunch. Sitting at Smith's, we decided that it was Las Vegas Strip evening! WOO! Time to doll up and play some slots! ... or not. We still looked like climbing/biking travelling bums, but it was fun nonetheless. Plus, Colin and I drank coffee.. and that is important. ;)
We went to a country bar and grill - only because there were deals on drinks and the food looked solid. We were all so hungry and thirsty.. anything would have been perfect. The bar had a mechanical bull and it was a hoot watching guys get on it and give 'er a go. I wanted to try, but didn't end up going on it. A full stomach and well.. I didn't want the attention. For some reason, mechanical bulls are sexual to me. Why!?
Around 11pm, it was time to head back to the mountains to sleep. Our plan is to get up early and climb. climb. climb. climb! The cooler temps make for a great sleep and I was looking forward to it. We had a good day today. Kept busy and stayed out of the heat.
R&B
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