Jan 10 - 12th Day 7 - 9
Blue Mountains
(Beth)
Once again, we respectfully set aside Kash's perfectly good advice and picked up our rental car at 10:30 pm in Sydney to make the 90-minute drive to the Blue Mountains in the dead of night. Miraculously, we did not encounter any rogue kangaroos or deviate from the left side of the road (even around traffic circles, thanks to Karen's coaching) with Larry at the wheel. We were cheerfully greeted at the lodge of Spicers Sangoma Resort just after midnight, where we separated into our "bush suites" for the night.
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| Poet's Rock overlook |
With no plans the next day, we 4 set out on a nearby trail. We were treated to a dramatic overlook at Poet's Rock, where we took our first (of many!) self-timer group photo.
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Found Fred Flintstone's
bowling ball at Poet's Rock
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After cleaning up for dinner, we found a deck of cards, which led to an extremely competitive tournament of Crazy Eights a la Sisselman rules, which Karen is pretty convinced she won. You don't argue with Karen when she is "a hundred percent" sure.
We were then treated to a Master Class in Bartending by the F&B manager of the resort. Larry muddled like a champ - ask him to make you a raspberry fizz next time you see him. Karen, Steven, and I tried our hands at espresso martinis and sparkling cosmopolitans. The only problem was that we drank those drinks and ate most of a cheese board before our first 5-course meal. Rookie mistake.
The 8-room inn was very quiet (except for us, obviously). We enjoyed the talented chef's personal attention and elegant presentations and probably would've gained a few pounds there if not for the hiking.
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Karen & Steve at waterfall
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Speaking of hiking... Steve and Karen had an adventurous 3-hour hike (and skipped lunch!) with their fabulous guide, Tim, while Larry and I explored Wentworth Falls, visited the Three Sisters rock formation, spotted a kangaroo family in the Megalong Valley of the rainforest, and picnicked in style with our guide Alan.
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| Tim shows Karen the rainforest |
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| Three Sisters rock formation |
The story behind the Three Sisters: Legend had it there lived a devil in the valley. The local chief decided to protect his three daughters by casting a spell on them, turning them to stone, so the devil could not harm them. One big problem with his plan- he died before reversing the curse. Oopsie.
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Near the source of Wentworth Falls
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Karen and Steve just before
we took a wrong turn on our trail |
The next day, we set out once again for another self-guided "easy" hike to the Vale of Avoca, which seemed like a grand idea until the satellite signal went dead on our trail app. Needless to say, we worked off our next 5-course dinner - and then some. You can probably spot the before and after pics of the fork in the road. Below you can find the gorgeous white cockatoos that populate these mountains alongside magpies and alpacas.
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