We are quickly approaching the three month mark on our round the world excursion and already we've collected more amazing memories that I can...well...remember!! Luckily we have a zillion pictures! Still, there are some memories that will always stick out with unusual clarity as the "best of times". Lately these unusually amazing experiences have been streaming out at us almost every day and we're not complaining. This entry actually deals with two seperate days of fun and friends. Come take a look!

Magical Morning in Byron Bay

We got to Byron Bay only planning to stay a night but found the place so down to Earth and friendly that we had to stay for a few extra nights. The hostel we stayed at kept us busy with workshops and tons of hostel games. Amanda and I came in second at Trivia Night earning us 2 cheap bottles of champagne, gifts for our Sydney hosts Chris and Loren! I came in second in a basketball tournament earning me zilch except that they thought I was Kobe Bryant. I don't think they've ever seen anyone actually play basketball though! It used to be a hippie hang out in the 70's and has been converted into a lucrative, attractive hostel. It was one of our favorites!

Welcome!

Ever stay in one of these? We should have!
Where my squaw?!

Its an artsy place. Very cool:
Activity Board

We decided to get up early and go out for the sunrise tour our second day there. I was not really thrilled about getting up at 4:30am to go out in the freezing morning to sit on some windy rocks near a lighthouse. Amanda made me! I'm glad she did! We got out to the lighhouse while it was still dark and walked down to the Julian Rocks, the furthest most easterly point in Australia. It was so dark I could barely snag this pic of the lighthouse!
Too Early!

Things got better though as the sun came up! Amanda enjoys the peace and I look for a good view.
Amanda
Good View

Just as the sun's crown began to crest the horizon we got to see a small pod of dolphins surf the waves close to the rocks where we were sitting. I didn't get a good picture of them but you can just barely see one underwater at the crest of this wave though it doesn't look like one at all. Oh well. It was still awsome for us! :)
Waves

By now the sun was getting higher in the sky and we could look out into the ocean. Of all things what did we get to see?! Humpback whales!! Its a little better than the last pic and just after I took this he jumped out of the water onto his back. Only time we saw one do it the whole time!
Humpback Spew

As the sun came up and the morning got better so did the pictures. Here are a few of the area and lighthouse.

Fisherman
Splash
Sunrise!
Cliffs from the Julian Rocks

So the sun came up and all was well. We got to see dolphins and migratory humpbacks. Our guide even brought us all champagne to celebrate his last sunrise tour. We finally got up to leave and as we turned around we had another surprise.
Nice!
From the Cliff Top

THAT will always be a magical morning I'll remember!!

Gorgeous Gorges

Now on to Sydney where we once again caught up with our awesome friends and gracious hosts, Loren and Chris Vanags! They decided to share their precious weekend with us and head out to the Blue Mountains for a nice day hike. We should have known that these die hards would put us to the test. We should have found out what 17km converted to in miles before we left!! In the end it was all well worth it!!
And We're Off!

We started up high and walked way down into the valley. Here we are fidgeting with our camera's remote controlnot getting a decent picture. Chris captured the moment nicely.
Yes, I WILL figure this out

If your in the mood to see several beautiful waterfalls from the Valley of the Waters then look no further than the next few links!

Waterfall-Uno
Waterfall-Dos
Yep, There's More!
Lots of these suckers!
Better every time.
Tired of these yet?
Ok, Ok Last one!

Here we are almost at the bottom of the valley.

What a bunch of hotties!

Few things could follow that last one but we'll let mother nature have a shot at it. Here are a few pics looking out over the mountain range.
What a view!
Cliffs
High Waterfall

Finally we started our climb up and out of the valley. We got to climb lots of steep cliffside stairs that quickly made the 10+ miles feel like twice as far. Things got dark and made the going a little more treacherous. Eventually we got to the top and were TOTALLY drained. I thought my legs were going to fall off!
Stairs. Ugg.

I wish I could put some of the video clips on the site because no matter how hard I describe it the majesty of it all is not fit for words. This hike is one of my top 5 hikes and I've done quite a few! I will have to come back and do more hiking in the Blue Mountains!! Thanks Loren and Chris!