Want to go on vacation again!

I want to go travelling sooooooooo bad! Our last trip was really fun. Here is a pic of Erica and our two best friends, Dave & Kat. This was taken on Frasier Island in Australia where you get to drive on the beach for miles and miles before you would see another living soul. It was an amazing trip overall and makes me think how badly we want to go and explore new stuff. Can't wait til we can save back up and get out there and take new photos with our friends and experience new cultures and sights!

Have any good ideas on where to go or have photos to back it up? Send 'em our way and give us tips on where our next adventure should take place!

Cairns Part 1

     The drive to Cairns was long; about 9 hours. And, once again, we did it driving in the night preventing a wasted travel day. We checked in at our hotel at 3 am and crashed.
     The first day we took it easy and just motored around town to get our bearings. The second day was great where we ventured just North of Cairns for a day trip into the Daintree Rain forest and Mossman Gorge. The rain forest was definitely awesome, just like a scene out of the movies. There were huge vines wrapped around trees that both clambered for sunshine. Many different varieties of Mushrooms sprouted here and there bringing colors from browns to reds to bright yellows. There were many spiders, literally the size of an adult male palm, littering trees and vines hoping to catch there next big meal. Small bridges crossed over streams that brought life to the parched ground where 98% of all rainwater is captured by the giant trees, vines, and palms. One stream we found had pooled into a small pond where we found several big fish, and to our astonishment, a freshwater eel!
     After that we headed back to our hotel for an awesome dinner on the beach overlooking the jellyfish infested waters of beautiful Cairns. Days 1 & 2 were complete and they were awesome.

 Rhinoceros Beetle we found near the Rain Forest

 Looking up at the trees towards the sky

Pond where we found the freshwater eel

 Dave and Brandon taking a ride down the fresh water rain forest river at Mossman Gorge

Vines climbing a rain forest tree

Panorama of the Cairns Beach Road

   

Byron Bay

Ever been to Byron Bay? If you haven't it's totally worth it! It is bustling with people and has great, white-sandy beaches. The water, as you can see, is beautifully clear. Doesn't hurt either that the water temp is around 75 degrees and the air 85. Just outside of the downtown area, a local pub bartender told us about a man-made lake to swim in that was a must see and that all the locals went there. Turns out it was an abandoned rock quarry that had filled with water and sported 35-50 foot rock jumps. We of course had to do the jumps and they didn't disappoint! Except for the small hematoma on Kat's leg ( yeah right, the bruise was huge and stretched the length of her thigh), everything was awesome! Our next stop is Mari's house just outside of Brisbane where her and her family graciously offered to put us up for a few days; we'll check in later to tell you how it goes!

 Byron Bay's beautiful waves

 Byron Bay Lighthouse

Rock Quarry outside of Byron Bay

Lennox Head, Australia

On our way up the coast from Crescent Head, we stopped off in a town called Lennox Head where friends of ours told us to meet up with friends of theirs. We ended up meeting Lee and Amanda and their there three kids. They had us and several of their friends over for a pool party/ BBQ. We had a lot of fun meeting different ones, swapping stories, and eating the best lamb hot dog and beef-beet-pineapple-Canadian bacon-burger I've ever had. To finish it off Lee took us on a little hike to Lennox Head Point where we enjoyed the moody sunset, good conversation, a bit of tropical rain, and a bottle of Pinot Noir. After many thanks for their insane hospitality, we left and headed towards Byron Bay just up the coast for our next stop.

 Shrimp on the Barbie!

 Lee and Amanda

 Lee's famous burgers!

 My beautiful wife

 Looking like tourists

Dave and I looking "manly" while we search the tide pool for rays

Australia here we come!

On our first leg of our journey! Leaving LAX right now to fly to Sydney, Australia. We're so excited to see new things and meet new people! Check back soon for more updates!