oooo YOU'LL BE IN MY HEART

Ok now. I’ve been “randomly” patted down and searched for explosives at every airport so far. I wonder if this has anything to do with the way I dress. My sister says I dress like I’m between jobs and I’ve always argued against that. Now I’m not sure…

Anyways, I’m writing this entry on the plane as I fly over the Tasman sea towards Sydney Australia. There is turbulence. I am scared.

My trip is over! Donzo! Finito! And I’m so excited to be home again. Since my last post, (oopsies kind of a while ago) I have, in no particular order: hiked MOUNT DOOM, found amazing mountain bike trails on the North Island, painted pottery, gone sea kayaking,  taken the Interislander back across to the South Island, completed a 10-day road trip with Caitlin down South, read “Lullabies for Little Criminals” again (one of my favorite books), gone caving, sung my heart out to the Tarzan theme song, “You’ll be in my Heart” by Phil Collins followed by “Trashin’ the Camp” about a hundred times over, played the wave game on the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever been to, won a game of memory, and soy much more!

Mount Doom! 

A friend of Caitlin’s lent us his SUV for the trip (thank you Matt!), so we had a great time cruising down the West Coast of the South Island together. Being driven on the other side of the road took a bit of getting used to because you always felt like you were on the very edge of the road. Since I’d been biking on the roads everyday, by the time I was behind the wheel, it wasn’t a problem. And I have officially mastered the roundabout!

I still kept up my training during our road trip. We would choose a spot on the map about 50-60km away from our final destination (depending on the workout of course) and I would jump out of the car on the side of the highway. I’d assemble my bike and complete my intervals, then meet up with Caitlin at the agreed campsite. The views while biking along the coast were incredible, with huge swells crashing up against rocky cliffs and long golden beaches with waves breaking and rolling in from afar.

the day we only had seeds for dinner

got to this site late and woke up one morning to a beautiful view 

"you'll be in my heart...alwayyyyyyyyyys, i'll be there for you always! always and always. JUST LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER" ...if you don't know this song you need to

Caitlin and I caving! haha actually there's a nice path just below us so scaling the walls wasn't really necessary

We both agreed that our favorite stop on the trip was Wanaka. Every single person that we saw here was doing something active (with the best sportswear and equipment too!).  Honestly, everybody looked like they could be preparing for or had already taken part in the Olympics. The town sits on the each of Lake Wanaka, a stunning lake surrounded by mountains, and has a lovely community feel to it. To top things off, the place has amazing mountain biking. It’s looove baby!

Anyways, I really have to go to the washroom but am having an internal debate as to whether or not I should wake up the two sleepers beside me. Sometime the window seat can be a bit awkward. I think I will hold off …. J

CAUTION! STRUCTURES! haha so proper

Got caught in the dark during this ride but it was worth it!