We're off to Australia, Fun Road Trips, Riots in the Street, Coast to Coast
Hello!
And now, in reverse order with regards to this entry's title...
We just returned from the Coast to Coast Multisport World Championship, where Travis competed and Amy served on his support crew. The race was quite an experience, and we were glad to be a part of it. We drove from Nelson on Thursday to the West Coast, where we met Robin and his wife Sue in Greymouth. Robin has competed in the event six times (!) and was keen to crew this year, and he was a perfect fit for the job! After a festive pre-race meeting where we met the crazy, Hawaiian shirt-wearing race director who's got more ego than the rest of NZ combined, we practiced transitions and then hit the hay early for a 4:00am start on race day. Well, actually, Travis hit the hay and Amy stayed up with Robin and Sue watching rugby and playing Scrabble. She then checked in online with Beauty and the Geek, the reality TV show in which our friend Nate is now in the final round!
Race day (The Day, as it's called here all year around in common conversation, seriously) arrived and the trip from the West Coast to the East Coast of the South Island began. Start on the beach, run three miles to your bike, ride it 34 miles up the road, leave the bike and run 24 miles over a mountain pass, get back on the bike for 9 miles, get in a kayak for about 40 miles down the river, and hop back on the bike for 44 miles...arrive at the East Coast and that's it. 243 kilometers of fun. Travis had a decent race and finished 17th out of 350 people! Thanks again to Amy, Robin, and Sue for providing wonderful support throughout the race!
After a night in Christchurch with friends Jeff and Sia, we drove back to the West Coast, which felt longer than the race itself. We stopped in the mountains on the way home and spent the night in the car, gazed at the stars thinking that this would be a nice time to remember, fell asleep to the sound of a very loud bird squaking in the bushes, awoke to road work at 6:00 a.m., and then fought a morning-long battle against thousands—no exaggeration—of sandflies trying to bite us.
A few nights before the race, we discovered just how ghetto Nelson's "Victory" neighborhood--the place we call home--actually is. Awaking at midnight to the sound of breaking glass, we crept to the window to see Neighbor #1 (who's favorite word at any time of day is the nastiest of nasties yelled at full volume, and at midnight is yelled even louder) in a fury because Neighbor #2, who lives above #1 and her Husband (more to come on him), had thrown something through her car window. Lots of yelling ensued, with #1 using her favorite word as an adjective, a noun, a verb, and even a participle phrase (she's pretty talented). Just when we thought volume had reached a crescendo, someone broke a huge window and the cops came running over. The fight ended with no injuries beyond the windows, but it was quite a night nonetheless. While her drunken husband stumbled around aimlessly, #1 yelled at the cops for a good hour or so: "Everyone in the neighborhood hates #2 because she's so -----ing loud and rude!" Yeah, sure #1. Luckily, it seems that she may have moved out for good. We'll see.
Delving further into the past… We took a road trip for two days to the Marlborough and Pelorus Sounds. Northeast of Nelson, this area is made up of many peninsulas jutting into the sea and even more small sounds extending into the land. It’s a very beautiful place, and we had great weather for a couple of days of exploring the beach, hiking, camping, and, Amy’s favorite, fishing. Using squid for bait, we casted into the sea from a small boat dock. Amy’s initial skepticism quickly dissolved when she reeled one in on the first cast. We continued to pull fish out nearly every cast, often catching two at a time and sometimes with no bait at all. They were all “spotties,” small scavengers with little meat for eating, but it was still a ton of fun. Travis had to peel Amy away from the dock on the second day of fishing in order to go home.
Finally, we also attended an enactment of “Macbeth.” It was a surprise date night planned by Travis, and it was a hit.
THE BIG NEWS… Trav finally ended up getting sponsorship for a race in Melbourne, Australia on the Great Ocean Road. So, in three weeks we will pack up our life in Nelson and leave for the race. Amy will serve on support crew for this race, and she is feeling a bit nervous about staying awake during the 24-hour section (who says that racing is the hardest part anyway?). Trav’s parents are arriving in NZ on March 22rd, so we’ll head back to New Zealand around that time and then leave again for Australia on April 8th. Just about a month later we’ll fly home to the US of A. Wow, where has the time gone?
Side note: Travis turns 24 tomorrow! He is really starting to become a fine young lad.
And now, in reverse order with regards to this entry's title...
We just returned from the Coast to Coast Multisport World Championship, where Travis competed and Amy served on his support crew. The race was quite an experience, and we were glad to be a part of it. We drove from Nelson on Thursday to the West Coast, where we met Robin and his wife Sue in Greymouth. Robin has competed in the event six times (!) and was keen to crew this year, and he was a perfect fit for the job! After a festive pre-race meeting where we met the crazy, Hawaiian shirt-wearing race director who's got more ego than the rest of NZ combined, we practiced transitions and then hit the hay early for a 4:00am start on race day. Well, actually, Travis hit the hay and Amy stayed up with Robin and Sue watching rugby and playing Scrabble. She then checked in online with Beauty and the Geek, the reality TV show in which our friend Nate is now in the final round!
Race day (The Day, as it's called here all year around in common conversation, seriously) arrived and the trip from the West Coast to the East Coast of the South Island began. Start on the beach, run three miles to your bike, ride it 34 miles up the road, leave the bike and run 24 miles over a mountain pass, get back on the bike for 9 miles, get in a kayak for about 40 miles down the river, and hop back on the bike for 44 miles...arrive at the East Coast and that's it. 243 kilometers of fun. Travis had a decent race and finished 17th out of 350 people! Thanks again to Amy, Robin, and Sue for providing wonderful support throughout the race!
After a night in Christchurch with friends Jeff and Sia, we drove back to the West Coast, which felt longer than the race itself. We stopped in the mountains on the way home and spent the night in the car, gazed at the stars thinking that this would be a nice time to remember, fell asleep to the sound of a very loud bird squaking in the bushes, awoke to road work at 6:00 a.m., and then fought a morning-long battle against thousands—no exaggeration—of sandflies trying to bite us.
A few nights before the race, we discovered just how ghetto Nelson's "Victory" neighborhood--the place we call home--actually is. Awaking at midnight to the sound of breaking glass, we crept to the window to see Neighbor #1 (who's favorite word at any time of day is the nastiest of nasties yelled at full volume, and at midnight is yelled even louder) in a fury because Neighbor #2, who lives above #1 and her Husband (more to come on him), had thrown something through her car window. Lots of yelling ensued, with #1 using her favorite word as an adjective, a noun, a verb, and even a participle phrase (she's pretty talented). Just when we thought volume had reached a crescendo, someone broke a huge window and the cops came running over. The fight ended with no injuries beyond the windows, but it was quite a night nonetheless. While her drunken husband stumbled around aimlessly, #1 yelled at the cops for a good hour or so: "Everyone in the neighborhood hates #2 because she's so -----ing loud and rude!" Yeah, sure #1. Luckily, it seems that she may have moved out for good. We'll see.
Delving further into the past… We took a road trip for two days to the Marlborough and Pelorus Sounds. Northeast of Nelson, this area is made up of many peninsulas jutting into the sea and even more small sounds extending into the land. It’s a very beautiful place, and we had great weather for a couple of days of exploring the beach, hiking, camping, and, Amy’s favorite, fishing. Using squid for bait, we casted into the sea from a small boat dock. Amy’s initial skepticism quickly dissolved when she reeled one in on the first cast. We continued to pull fish out nearly every cast, often catching two at a time and sometimes with no bait at all. They were all “spotties,” small scavengers with little meat for eating, but it was still a ton of fun. Travis had to peel Amy away from the dock on the second day of fishing in order to go home.
Finally, we also attended an enactment of “Macbeth.” It was a surprise date night planned by Travis, and it was a hit.
THE BIG NEWS… Trav finally ended up getting sponsorship for a race in Melbourne, Australia on the Great Ocean Road. So, in three weeks we will pack up our life in Nelson and leave for the race. Amy will serve on support crew for this race, and she is feeling a bit nervous about staying awake during the 24-hour section (who says that racing is the hardest part anyway?). Trav’s parents are arriving in NZ on March 22rd, so we’ll head back to New Zealand around that time and then leave again for Australia on April 8th. Just about a month later we’ll fly home to the US of A. Wow, where has the time gone?
Side note: Travis turns 24 tomorrow! He is really starting to become a fine young lad.
posted by Amy and Trav at 12:43 PM
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