Daintree Rainforest

After a great few days in Sydney we flew up to Cairns, AU and drove an hour north into Port Douglas. Port Douglas in an amazing town with marina access out to the Great Barrier Reef, a seashore teaming with box jellyfish, and just a few minutes inland- a beautiful, lush rainforest. The town of Port Douglas itself is frequently visited by Bill Clinton and Steven Spielberg... and for a good reason. This town is your ideal small marina town filled with tons of cozy and yummy cafes, neat little shops, and a long beach backed by the mountains.

On our first day in Port Douglas we went into the Daintree rainforest. The rainforest is filled with all kinds of crazy shaped trees with roots above ground and a base that fans out into multiple directions.... streams, waterfalls, strange thorny plants. This rainforest hike was exceptionally beautiful and fun... but also very hot. It was great to finish up the hike and jump into the cool, fresh running water in the big swimming area.

Blue Mountains Climbing Excursion: NSW

Day 2 in New South Wales could not have possibly contrasted Day 1 more. We went from the Sydney city center and the coastal beaches to the Blue Mountains. Our mission: to climb the Dam Cliffs. On our way to the cliffs I was dancing along the trail, stomping in hopes of scaring away the poiseness snakes that were sure to try and attack us. 

Once we arrived at the cliffs we set up all of the climbing gear and started straight away like a wanna be pros! I was a little nervous and scared to to see him scale the wall but his confidence was unshakable. Once he set up the topline we each took a turn climbing to the top.

After a fun day on the rocks, we hiked back and stopped to eat a town called Mt. Victoria. I have to say, that I was a little disappointed with the dinner menu which stunk because I was starving. What did I expect? It was a dingy little hotel bar.

Well.... you can imagine my surprise when they brought out the freshest salad with the most amazing homemade honey-mustard vinigarette. It was by far the best salad I've ever had in my life. That's definitely something that Australia has over the rest of the world: The Food! No matter where you go, the nicest restaurant or the biggest dive, white table cloth or pub, you are quaranteed to have the best food of your life! It's amazing everywhere you go.

Circular Quay and Coastal Walk: Sydney, Australia

This will be my first post from the Asia Pacific Excursion! We began our 1 month journey in Sydney, Australia.

When the plane landed we hit the ground running. We started off in Circular Quay. Little did we know that we would immediately stumble on to a contortionist act and that Oliver would get picked out of the crowd to come and help! right in front of our eyes, this woman fit herself and a basketball into a tiny glass box! Welcome to Sydney.

After the sideshow spectacular we walked around to check out the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour bridge. All of which is located in Circular Quay. The Opera House is magnificent in its architecture and what makes this area particularly beautiful is the fact that the Opera House and Bridge are right next to each other to be seen in the same glance.

The action of the first day did not stop there. Next we went to Coogee beach and started the coastal walk from Coogee beach to Bronte Beach. The coastal walk was beautiful; rolling down along beaches and up along the cliff edge dropping into the ocean. Coogee beach is a fun beach with sand and grass, bath pools, and beautifully colored jagged rocks. Bronte Beach shares many of the same qualities including an awesome ocean pool next to the cliffs that the waves crash into.

Ice and Sand

 One of my new favorites to do here is trail running. I've tried it in the cold, when its warmer, and today in the slush. After today, I thought to myself, "this qualifies as a daring adventure." Slipping and sliding all over the trail while listening to Credence Clearwater and all the other good songs on the "Rusted Root" Pandora radio station. Loch Raven reservoir covered in snow is maybe one of the most beautiful places on earth and when it gets a little warmer like today the streams are raging with snow covered banks. I will absolutely never forget this great trail run! Enjoy the video! 

Post- Education

The definition of adventure is "To venture upon; undertake or try." To me adventure is not necessarily going on a trip or doing some kind of activity, adventure can also take place in your mind. To learn and explore new things, new concepts is an incredible adventure.
This is the view I had when I finished my undergrad. I had such a thirst for knowledge and an inquisitive nature. I needed more, I wanted to know more. I couldn't, however, decide what it was I wanted to know more about. After deliberarting for quite some time I decided that the most worthy pursuit was God. To learn more about my faith, who God is, what He (or she) means to me, and what God is to others. I enrolled in St. Mary's Seminary and University's Ecumenical Institute. I attended classes with pastors, Jews, atheists, and Christians from all kinds of demoninations from the inner-city, county, farmland. All kinds of people.
This education was incredible valuable to me. I spent the majority of the time learning about my Christian faith and all of the different facets of it- many dimensions that I didn't even know existed. History, spirituality, biblical study, ethics, Christian authors, Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, etc. I even took classes in World religions and Islam and attended a Hindu temple and Mosque twice. It was an incredible experience to break down my barriers, stereotypes, and ignorance and replace it with understanding and education.
The world has so much to offer- travels, experiences, activities, and explorations of education and understanding. I can't wait to further pursue educatiuon and understanding in religions, differnet languages, cultures, and the many other topics open to exploration.

Biking Below Zero

My heart and my head occassionally go in two different directions. The other day my heart was saying "let's go on a fun road bike, you haven't been out in a while, it would feel so good." My head was saying, "Hey crazy girl, it's 35 degrees out." Five layers of clothing I was driving up to Shawan road to go on a winter adventure on the bike.

It's amazing how much beauty you pass behind the wheel of a car and how aware of it you become on a bike. The different bike routes off of Shawan road are really wonderful to bike. It is a nice blend of rolling hills and the occasional flats. While I enjoy riding around the beach, the flat rides can often become monotonous while the rolling hills add a little more adventure. I would be willing to wager that more than half of Baltimore has no idea we have such beautiful farm land only a few minutes away from town.

The winter ride was tough. The cold air added an entirely new dimension to the biking challenge. When you are on a flat or climbing a hill you feel good, nice and toasty. When you are going downhill you feel like you are repeatedly getting hit in the face with snowballs. The ride would have been a lot more pleasant if I had a cover over my face. It's a funny feeling to not feel relieved by a downhill. I've never breaked so much coming down to cut down on the wind on my face.

I felt so happy at the end of the ride that I made it through. It felt great to be back on the bike and although the cold zapped about 100% of our energy, we had a great time and saw the most beautiful sunset. 

Loch Raven Reservoir, MD

Loch Raven Reservoir is one of Maryland's hidden treasures. Well known to some of the local residents and overlooked by most, this is one of the most beautiful spots in God's great creation. Not only does this location have astonishing scenery but it is also has a depth of history. This man-made reservoir was once the town of Warren, now flooded in to provide Baltimore County with its drinking water.

Home to trail runners, mountain-bikers, hikers, dog walkers, fisherman, etc. this site offers everything for the outdoor adventurer. I just bought a pair of trail running shoes to expand my Loch Raven horizons but my primary love is dog-walking. The sunsets are beautiful, the dogs love to explore and swim, and its great exercise.

I could spend a couple of hours on the trail every day of the week and love it.