From strength to strength

Before leaving Perth and heading east, we were able to cheer on Greg Mickle during his race in the Indian Ocean Classic (an Ironman-style event) where he ended up winning his age group!  (Todd thinks that Greg's win was partially due the great handing that Todd did during the surfski - run transition.  See photo.)  Congratulations again Greg!

We finished off the final hours of our stay with an American-style burger bbq and some great Aussie wine:

Thank you again Mickle family for opening up your home for the past two weeks.  We had a great time in Perth and we feel very fortunate to have been included in the extended Mickle family!

With a red-eye flight from Perth to Sydney, we've "gone from strength to strength" (one of our favorite Aussie sayings) and changed gears.  Now that we've settled into the Coghlan apartment in Manly with four sub-30 year olds (Cam, Adelaide, Caitlin, and Mitch), we'll be trying to keep up in a different way.

p.s. Jack we miss you too!

Happy Australia Day!!!

Rottnest Island

We have been so busy the last few days helping out with The Doctor paddling race (http://www.oceanpaddler.com/events/the-doctor/) that we haven't had time to write about our visit to Rottnest Island - the largest in a chain of islands off the coast of Perth.  So, here's our belated posting from our trip:

After a dose of Dramamine (just to be safe) and three coats of sunscreen, we jumped on Ash's boat with the rest of the crew and headed to Rottnest Island.

First, we stopped near Cathedrals surf spot to check out the seals while Todd caught some waves:

Next, we anchored in Eagle Bay for some swimming and rock jumping off Eagle rock:

Before heading home, we made one last stop for lunch at the bakery (sausage rolls, meat pies, and fizzy drinks):

and a quick search for quokkas (the wallaby/kangaroo-like animal):

The water was so blue and clean, the island was magical, and the weather was perfect.  Thanks so much Ash and crew for a great trip to Rottnest Island!  

Caffeinated Craziness

We have now spent about 5 days in Perth, Australia, and we are both exhausted.  I (Kristina) am completely convinced that the Perth locals must be fueled by an intense amount of caffeine in order to maintain their level of enthusiasm for physical activity throughout the day.  My beliefs are based on the schedule that the Mickle family, who has generously put us up in their spare room, maintains each day.   From waking up at 5am Monday through Friday to participate in an insanely brutal swim practice, to afternoon board training, and a surf or beach session somewhere in between (not to mention crazy hours in the backyard pool), it seems to me that the only way to make it through a day in Perth without a “kip” is to throw back at least one coffee throughout the day.

This is the result of not drinking enough caffeine during the day (Jack doesn’t drink it yet):

While our muscles continue to adjust, the rest of our bodies are enjoying the nice clean air, the sunny weather, the crystal clear oceans, the great food, and the wonderful people!  Thanks Mickles!