Well, we're here!

So this trip started out with running the Fargo 1/2 marathon - hardest run of my life because I decided not to run more than 9 miles during training. And then decided I should finish it in 2 hours. The pain wasn't really an issue until I got off planes. During my layover in L.A. I walked around a lot to keep from getting sore. I'm better now, and craving a run, though I don't know if that'll happen soon. I've been cooped up in a van for I don't know how many hours...

Sorry it's taken me so long to post. I didn't bring my computer along, so I'm using Clara's (right now, Sarah and I are traveling with Clara and Jana - more details in a bit). Add to that spotty internet access, everything gets just peachy.

Jana is Sarah's cousin, and Clara is a friend of Jana's. Hopefully that's detailed enough for you. :P

The flights were pretty boring. I slept a lot, it seems. Yay for earplugs and a mask! I have decided though that if L.A. is much like LAX, I've seen enough and have no desire to go back. I nearly hyperventilated checking my bag and going through security... However, in the airport I did get to eat California Pizza Kitchen pizza. And I ate it in a sunbeam, which made me happy :) I had an 8 hourish layover there, and forgot my phone until Sarah arrived several hours later with it. I was soooo bored. But when Sarah got there the time went by quite a bit quicker.

Sarah and I got into Sydney Tuesday morning, and Jana was there to pick us up. Customs weren't too difficult to get through, but long. We got a lot of questions about how we knew each other, being an American and a Canadian... We were able to shower soon after and then went for lunch - had a very tasty veggie-lentil burger at some cafe somewhere... my only complaint is that it was lacking in structural integrity.
We left Sydney Wednesday afternoon for the Blue Mountains. It was raining when we arrived in Sydney, raining when we left, and rained while we traveled to the Blue Mountains. We wanted to see the Three Sisters, but the fog made that impossible. We stayed the night in Katoomba at the Katoomba Mountain Lodge, basically a hostel. There we met Daan, pronounced Don, and the girls played card games with him and his friend while I fell asleep on a chair. My hat, at this point, was soaking wet because my shampoo had gotten on it (they were in the same bag while traveling) and I had to rinse it out. Because it was so wet, nothing was drying :( Thursday morning I bought a hat to wear around while we checked out Katoomba. It wasn't raining, for once!!!
Thursday afternoon we left Katoomba and headed for Melbourne. We stopped at some random lake near the coast to sleep - the van we're traveling in has a bed in the back :) Clara is suffering from terrible allergies and the van isn't helping, so she and Jana slept on the roof of the van. So far, I've been waking up far ahead of anyone else, but I think that will change tonight... it's 1am.
Thursday night we saw kangaroos!!!! They're kind of like deer... out at night, waiting to jump in front of your car, eating things that people may rather they didn't eat... We managed to scare them away with our headlights and camera flashes, and Jana and Sarah got really good pictures, while I just got proof. I'm avoiding posting pictures because this is not my computer, and I don't want to go through that irritating process multiple times. I shall do so in abundance when I can use Steve's, though :P

So we're supposed to fly out of Melbourne on the 3rd, go up to the Gold Coast, and then Sarah and I are planning on getting to the outback and going scuba diving. We'll see what happens, and hopefully blogging will be a possibility! I'm in a hostel tonight and should be getting to bed. Nighty night!