More of the Tour and Coffs Harbour

Yesterday (Monday), I got up and went for a run around Byron Bay. It was nice to see more of the area. I ran up to the lighthouse and when I say up, I mean it. It was about a mile long steady incline/hill up to the top. There was a path that continued on past the lighthouse, so I kept going and ended up getting to the "Most Easternly Point of Australia Mainland." Of course I didn't have my camera with me, so I was not able to take a picture. Byron Bay is a great little town with beautiful beaches and some great waves. There didn't seem to be much to do in the town other than going out diving, kayaking or snorkeling, but you can pretty much see the whole town in a hour or so.

After eating breakfast, Mark and I walked around the town to see some more and take some pictures. We decided to drive back up to the Quicksilver Pro Tour again today to hopefully watch Kelly Slater surf in the competition. We weren't even sure if the competition would be on, but we headed back up there. When we arrived, we found out that it would start at 10am. Kelly would be in the 3rd heat of the day, so we stuck around to watch. We had to leave the area around noon to get to Coffs Harbour by 5pm. The first two heats were good, but it was crazy to see all the spectators come out of nowhere for Kelly's heat. Where we were sitting, we got some great shots of him sitting in the "Surfer's Area" getting ready for his heat. (Erin - he is hotter in person!!!) The best part was when he came down to the beach and headed out to the water, he walked right in front of where I was sitting. I'm not kidding, I was about 3 feet from him - great picture opps! He had an awesome heat and it was amazing to see him surf in person. What a talented guy. He just made it look so natural and easy. We were so impressed and glad we make the trek back up to watch more of the competition - it was well worth it!

Next, we were off to Coffs Harbour - a four hour drive from Coolangatta. The landscape is still so beautiful. I don't think I have seen any place with so much great scenery. We haven't driven through one area not worth driving through again. The weird thing though is that we have been on their main highway the whole time and yet the majority of it is just a two lane road. There are a lot of overtaking lanes, but still, we have gone over 2,000km and the most we have seen is a 4 lane road. Also, the speed limit here is 100km/hour (62mph)...it is soooooo slow! The car doesn't have cruise control, so it has been a little frustrating a times. They have speed cameras all over the place, so I have to be very careful and really can't go over the speed limit by more than 5km/hr. I am learning to be patient...

Side note: Funny/bummer thing for Mark...he so badly wants to see wild koalas and kangaroos, but has not had any luck. We see warning signs all over for the animals, but he still has only see a couple kangas. I have seen heaps, but he is starting to think I am just pulling his leg and there aren't any really in the wild. I think they are all just hiding from him...

We arrived in Coffs and met up with Mick and Karen Stevens (Kim and Fiona's parents) at their store in the downtown area. Since we got in later in the evening, we just stopped for coffee and groceries and then headed back to their place to eat and hang out. It is so nice to be in a house again. It felt great to have a home cooked meal and was nice to just sit on the couch for the night. I'm glad Mark will get some "Aussie" experiences while he is here.

We were both obviously very comfortable in the house because both of us slept until 8am...not having to worry about checking out by 10am or getting on a tour at 7am made it easy for us to relax. I went for a run to check out the neighborhood and then Mark and I headed down to Coffs Harbour Jetty. It is such a great town here and the weather was perfect today - not a cloud in the sky! We walked out on the jetty and up Muttonbird Island to get some great pictures of the town. Afterwards, Mark rented a surfboard to go surfing and I hung out on the beach soaking up some more sun. The water is getting colder as we have gone further south, but it was still pretty decsent - especially when it is so hot out. Then we walked around the Coffs Harbour downtown area and checked out some local stores.

Tonight, we met Karen and Mick and went to their local RSL club for Bowls Night. Mark subed in for Karen and played with Mick and another guy. He did pretty well and caught on quick. They unfortunately lost, but had a great time. It was a nice night because Karen and I got to sit around and chat and catch up on things. It is nice to be around friends again...