Grampians National Park- Halls Gap, Victoria

Mountains!!! I'm finally in the mountains and feel at home...ahh. Mike and I have spent the last two days in Halls Gap, Victoria...the intro to the Grampian mountain range and Grampians National Park. We took a combonation train/bus ride to get out here so have no car. Now, this made our time here a bit more complicated because there was a huge forest fire here last January and lots of the park (camping grounds, hikes, even roads) are still closed. The sites that are open are diffiuclt or expensive to get to without a car. So we chose to stay at a local Backpacker's Inn called Tim's Place because we read in our trusty book that they offered free use of mountain bikes for their guests. It's turned out to be the best place we've stayed at in Australia.





Without a car, we had to a bit of eco-traveling yesterday. We got up early and biked 17 kilometers up a mountain to hit a few beautiful lookouts and McKenzie Falls. Now, most of you know that my body is just not meant to be on a bike...I look funny and awkward and complain a lot...but it was a blast. I just kept thinking of Lorig, and wondering how in the world she biked through the U.S./Canadian Rockies considering how much trouble I was having getting up these wussy little Australian "mountains". So I thought of Lorig and forged on. We saw lots of wallabies and parrots in the forest on the way up. Evidence of the forest fires the previous January was everywhere.








McKenzie Falls











We were totally exhausted by the end of the day (45 kilometers in the moutains) but the vistas were totally worth it and we had a great time. At sunset heaps of kangaroos come out to forage in a field right next to the Inn, so we spent both days at dusk watching kangaroos and laughing because they look so silly. At night, as if we hadn't had enough time on bikes that day, we rode our bikes to a local pub with some girls from Germany we met at Tim's Place.













It was so relaxing and settling to be in the mountains, especially after being in the city for a week or so and not staying in one place for more than one night at a time. Today we're headed back to Melbourne for a few days before we leave for The Great Ocean Road and Canberra, the capital of Australia.

Love to all,
Cara

ps. Check out the sweet music video that Whit made about our adventures in Western Australia at their blog under the "Moving On" post.

Melbourne Hangover Hat Tourney!

Quick pics of our awesome weekend...more to come tomorrow!

Happy 1st!

A virtual, abridged, and intimate (no, not that way) reinactment of Mike and I's anniversary day, December 1st, 2001:

Setting: A clear, cool night in Austin Texas. Tank and Cara are hanging out at his apartment with some ultimate players. (No one is really drinking as we all had important frisbee engagements the next morning.)

Mike: Dude, I'm so parched...Cara, do you want to take a few shots of vodka with me?

Cara: That sounds like an awesome idea!

[Thirty minutes later, almost everyone else is gone and we are both silly drunk.]

Reid: Cara, I'm going to go, are you sure you are going to be ok getting home?

Cara: Oh yeah, I'll be fine...don't worry about me... it's only a 5 minute walk to my co-op.

Skizip: Don't worry Reid, I'll make sure she gets home ok.

Mike and Cara: [flirt, flirt, flirt].

[Skip leaves...Mike and Cara are standing by the front door.]

Mike: Cara, there's something I've been wanting to tell you.

Cara: Hold on. [Violently pukes in hands. Mike opens front door for Cara. She continues to throw up in the bushes in the front of his duplex for about a minute, while Mike holds her hair back. She finishes, eager to get on with the rest of the conversation that she had been anticipating, hoping, and attempting to have for the past few months.]

Sorry, what was that you wanted to say?

Mike: [Takes Cara's hands, mere minutes after being puked in] I really like you a lot.

Cara: Really? I really like you too.

Mike: No you don't! I like you a lot lot.

Cara: Dude, I can't believe this. I've liked for so long...it's true...I totally like you.

Mike: No, I like YOU!

[Repeat for about 10 minutes the exact same thing. Mike kisses Cara on the cheek, very close to her tainted lips.]

Mike: It's December 1st, 2001...I am Michael Natenberg, and you are my everytime. (Which doesn't really make sense, but was really cute at the time.)

[5 years of love.]

__________________________________________
The present:

Mike and I are still in Melbourne. We celebrated our 5 year anniversary with Claire and Whit. Just one of the many odd coincidences and qualities that we share is that they also have Dec. 1st, 2001 as their annivesary. So we went out for a feast at a local veggie restaurant on the St. Kilda pier. It was beautiful, yummy, and made me feel warm and fuzzy. I'll post a few pictures later.