This is Bridget, Gentry, Bekah and Aubrey all cozy ready for take-off to Australia. It was cramped but on the way there, we flew at night and everyone slept really well.
We arrived in Sydney too early to check into hotel, so the first stop was at Bondi Beach. We all ran off the bus and down to the surf. The sand was so soft but really cold.
We walked around the beach and found this pool for lifeguard training right on the ocean. The girls loved it and wished so bad this was where they did their swim training 6 days of every week. Heck, I might swim in this location.
This is a really nice shot of the Sydney Opera house and the harbor bridge. You'll see the girls got to climb the bridge and they loved it.
The Opera house is an amazing structure. We got a full tour and found it very interesting. If your kids need an idea for a topic for report in school, I would recommend the opera house. It would make an interesting paper.
Another stop in a neighborhood overlooking Sydney before checking into hotel
This was some of the fans that went along. We all got together for a really thrilling and cold boat ride around the harbor.
Here's a picture of one of the boats in action. It was fun. We did spins and got soaked. Nice view of downtown in the background as well.
Above was a picture of the kids after one of our ballgames. That particular gym was like a barn and was freezing cold. We won that night....yea! Next, were photos of the girls and the gang that went on the bridge climb. It's easy to tell how much fun they had by their smiles. They all had to wear jumpsuits, ski pants, jacket with pouch, headset and walkie-talkies, gloves and heavy thing that connected them securely to bridge. Thanks to Wade(Arthur) for treating the girls. It wouldn't be the last treat. Below is a photo of Manley beach. Greg and I went over there while the girls were on the bridge. The beaches are much nicer than they appear in photo. The sand is so soft and extremely clean.
We are now in Brisbane. During our first day there we traveled to the Gold coast and got to play at the beach. The girls rented boogie-boards and had a great time. Aubrey took a hit into the sand by a huge wave and got slammed down but was alright except for a little scratch and bruise.
Pictured here are our new friends Chet (Chuck), Wade, Judy and Janea with the girls. All of them helped make our trip extra special. We are so grateful for there generosity and extending their friendship.
This was after one of our games. The host team and their parents served up a really nice meal for everyone. They also served fresh baked goodies during and after game. While in Australia you'll never have to look hard to find a fine pastry of some sort. They are everywhere.
These are mostly UNLV fans that traveled with us. They were all just so great and seemed to always be having a really great time.
We are now at the Australia zoo, home of the late Steve Irwin. We rushed in to hold a koala and they were getting ready to close this part. We talked them into just one photo. The little koala was so soft and cuddly. Holding a koala was at the top of my girls list of things to do in Australia.
They had a huge kangaroo habitat. It was so nice. With a little food these kangaroos seem like instant pets. They are so soft, more so than a koala. We had a really fun time loving on these animals.
The girls got to hold this huge boa constrictor snake. They didn't hesitate but thought it was really heavy.
Gentry held onto this critter for a bit longer so Bekah could jump into a photo. She was scared but did it.
Beas making a free throw near the end of another game and another victory. The team went 4-2 on the tour and made progress each game. The officiating was really bad most of the time but especially the very last night. I was really proud of the players. They played hard and most took advantage of new opportunities and adventures on the trip. If you want to know more go the the UNLV men's BB website and you'll find blogs and photo galleries.
These girls became tight during the trip. The older girls, Jessica, Cory and Allyssa were so nice to our three. They seemed to all connect and enjoy each other like girls do at camp. It was special to see.
Gentry getting to hold a koala again in Cairns.
Aubrey gets her turn.
I even got to hold him.
We took off into the rain forest and went Bungy-jumping. We are trying to look scared but this is before we saw what we were going to be jumping off of. I didn't have to try to be scared at that point. I just was.
This is the platform we climbed onto to jump. It is 50 meters in the air which I think is about 17 stories.
This is the bottom. Pretty
That's me. I was the first to jump off single. A few went tandem prior. I got dunked pretty good at the bottom into the water. That really made me disoriented.
Here's Gentry after her fall. She was next and got dunked just a little
This is Aubrey. They told her to avoid getting dunked to jump as far out as she could. She really did and really looked like a pro.
This is Greg. He went last and did really good. There wasn't any drama. Just good ol fun. Most of us said we'd do it again and agreed it was the highlight of our trip.
This is Coach Kruger and Barb on the Mingin swing. It's a lot like the ride at Lagoon that you pay extra to do. They really enjoyed it.
Now we are at the Great Barrier Reef. We had about an hour boat ride over. I got really cold and many got a bit green. While going over they talked to us about the option of scuba diving. Greg, Aubrey and I decided to go for it as well as some of the players. I think this is a really cute pic of Aubrey with Renee and Matt in their wetsuits.
Here's Wink, Beas and TreVon on boat.
Here are all the girls together again. They really did have so much fun.
Now back to getting ready for dive. We had a dry lesson of about 10 minutes and then about a 5 minute lesson with gear in the water. Aubrey had no troubles. I thought getting used to breathing through tank under water was scary at first. Greg was never real comfortable. We managed and had a great instructor. She stuck with us the whole way and guided us through the water. I swear the instructor and Aubrey pulled Greg and I along. We got to touch some pretty coral, saw a small shark, knelt a few times on the bottom to look around and hold a sea cucumber. It was a great experience.
This is the coral rising to the surface. About 20 days of the year it does this. It literally surfaced in some areas right before our eyes. The reef is so vast and the sealife that you get to see just snorkeling beats any place I've ever been before (Hawaii and Disney Island).
The highlight snorkeling was seeing one of those giant sea turtles swim right by us and watching the players in the water. They were really funny.
The family before heading back to hotel
The girls feeling on leaving Australia. Aren't they cute in their matching pajamas?
Here are all the girls together again. They really did have so much fun.
Now back to getting ready for dive. We had a dry lesson of about 10 minutes and then about a 5 minute lesson with gear in the water. Aubrey had no troubles. I thought getting used to breathing through tank under water was scary at first. Greg was never real comfortable. We managed and had a great instructor. She stuck with us the whole way and guided us through the water. I swear the instructor and Aubrey pulled Greg and I along. We got to touch some pretty coral, saw a small shark, knelt a few times on the bottom to look around and hold a sea cucumber. It was a great experience.
This is the coral rising to the surface. About 20 days of the year it does this. It literally surfaced in some areas right before our eyes. The reef is so vast and the sealife that you get to see just snorkeling beats any place I've ever been before (Hawaii and Disney Island).
The highlight snorkeling was seeing one of those giant sea turtles swim right by us and watching the players in the water. They were really funny.
The family before heading back to hotel
The girls feeling on leaving Australia. Aren't they cute in their matching pajamas?
It really was a fabulous experience. The trip home was too long and the recovery this week took 3-4 days but WOW....I'm still conviencing myself that I really was there and got to do all that fun stuff. Thank you to UNLV who took care of Greg and my travels and to coach Kruger for allowing the families to go. Also a huge thanks to the wonderful fans that went along.
I know this post is really long but trust me I really had to work on what to put in and all the stuff to leave out. Lastly thanks to the Barton's for allowing their daughter to travel with us. Bekah was such a sweetheart the whole time. She also provided a great buffer between Aubrey and Gentry. The girls handled themselves well.
