After a 10 hour flight from Hawaii, we landed in Sydney with a 2 hour layover until our final destination for the night came to an end in Brisbane.  We really hadn’t made too many plans until we were in Hawaii which was just 2 days prior, and once we had a plan, we should have really booked a different destination other than Brisbane as we really needed or wanted to go farther north, but the tickets were cheap and that’s what we get for not planning ahead!  Nonetheless, we enjoyed a rest at the hotel right at the airport and then we were off the next day to Airlie Beach via Proserpine (local airport about 30 minute drive).

Since we knew we were going to get in late to Brisbane we got a ticket for around 1 or so to depart the next day…but due to the jet lag and sleep schedule, we were up around 3 A.M., so we managed to get on an earlier flight around 9 A.M. which worked out perfectly as we didn’t have too many days in paradise!  Once we arrived we knew we made the right choice as it was just like a postcard picture.  We enjoyed the rest of the day walking around the town, grabbing a local beer, and enjoying our view from our hotel.

Our second day in Airlie Beach was a sailboat tour.  Now….first things first…..when I was 10 years old or so, I went with my grandparents on a their sailboat in Ohio.  I absolutely LOVE the water….I love to swim, was a lake rat for 20+ years, heck, we even owned a houseboat for many years…..but for some reason, I am absolutely terrified of sailboats.  This was the one and only tour that had any availability and this was our last day at Airlie Beach, and we HAD to see the reef, hence the whole reason for this trip….lots of time has gone by since I was 10 (lots lol), so maybe I wasn’t even afraid anymore….so off we went for the ENTIRE DAY on a SAILBOAT.  The chartered 52′ sailboat had 2 crew members, the Captain at the helm and about 16 of us along for the ride.  The first 15-20 minutes were the most enjoyable…as the sail wasn’t up and we were just clipping along.  It was pretty windy the day we went,….which is perfect for sailing….bad for Tessie.  Once we got out of the bay and enroute…there was no turning back.  I had a good grip on the railing for the first 30 minutes…and the minute they threw up the sail and all I could do was hang on for dear life… that’s when it was all over for me.  The whole “heeling” thing is what I hate…which is what SAILING is all about lol.  I’ll spare everyone the dramatic details, but I couldn’t wait for it to be over which was unfortunate as it was an all day thing…so I tried focusing on snorkeling the reef….which was AMAZING.

After we snorkeled for about an hour, we had to get back on that cursed sailboat and head to one of the most stunning beaches I have ever walked on…Whitehaven Beach.  This beach is over 7 kilometers and boasts this brilliant white 99% silica sand that is among the purest in the world and evidently only NASA is allowed to remove and take any of it.  Unbeknownst to Aaron and I, this didn’t really register just how bright it would reflect from the sun onto our skin, well in fairness, Aaron was catching on quickly as the ginger….but with only an hours stay there….we sadly are still peeling and suffering from the effects.  Not good on our part…but the views were absolutely amazing.

The return back was just as bad getting over on the sailboat, and at one point, Aaron even thought we were going over…but obviously I am writing this so we lived!  That night we treated ourselves to some local seafood which was killer….next stop in the morning was Hamilton Island via the ferry boat.  We arrived around 11 and checked into our room for the evening and our view was unbelievable.

Aaron needed a little rest as the sunburn was making him a bit sick and the golf cart we rented wasn’t available until around 4ish so I just enjoyed the view from the balcony while he slept a bit and then once he was up….it was off to explore the entire island via a golf cart!

The views were unbelievable and we couldn’t have had a better time.  We enjoyed a wonderful night ride around on the golf cart and then took it to the airport in the morning where we caught our flight to Melbourne to start work.  What a trip!

We had a few weeks to get things in order at home and then it was back off to work.  But before we had to be in Australia we had a few places lined up.  The first stop was Vancouver to complete Aaron’s dunker training.  After a few days there it was off to Hawaii for a few days to rest up and break up the big trip across the pond.  We have been to Honolulu a few times before so we didn’t really plan on doing anything major or super touristy.  The first day we walked around downtown Honolulu and just took it easy.  The next day we awoke before the sunrise so we walked down to the beach and caught the sunrise with Diamond Head in the distance behind us, then we rented a cute little convertible and drove around the entire island, stopping along the way for some shaved ice, spam musubi, dim sum, POG juice and Aaron’s all time favorite Loco moco at the famous Rainbow Drive-In after treating me to a beautiful lei!  We soaked up all the sights in a quick but sweet visit.  It was a great layover until our early morning start to the land of OZ….Aloha!

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We had a couple of weeks at home in Arizona before it was time to pack our bags and head down under.  As usual, we NEVER have enough time at home, but we tried to get it all in and then some.  I flew home the 20th of September, while Aaron flew to Boise to get his recurrent night vision google training all cued up for this season.  After that he made 2 trips to Vancouver, but once that was done…we had some of our own flying to do!  Our first order of business was going to pickup the R44 in Utah.  So Aaron and my dad flew to Salt Lake City, rented a car, drove a few hours south to where the chopper was being stored and Aaron picked it up and flew it to Spanish Forks, Utah for the night and they would leave in the morning.  Once it made it to Buckeye, a few hovering lessons were in store for my dad as well as a few rides around the valley for the family, including a Sunday Brunch in Chandler at the airport.  

Aaron wanted to get some more time in the Piper, so we took my parents to Bermuda Dunes Airport in Palm Valley for lunch one day and to Sedona for breakfast one Friday morning.  Sedona Airport at the moment is my favorite fly in restaurants, not only for the unbelievable scenery but the food was amazing as well!  Dad and I were able to get in a few more lessons with the Red Rocket and take some trips around the patch which are always fun….I will continue my flying lessons when I get home.  

Aaron’s dad had to take the ranch helicopter to the owner in Carson City, so we picked him up in the Piper and were able to stay at the ranch for a few days and catch up with his dad and check on the cows.  The ranch never gets old….it’s just one of those places that does something for your soul….we get so used to being tied to our electronic devices that it’s nice to unplug for awhile and just enjoy nature’s beauty.  It was a short but sweet trip and we are always grateful for our time with Mike as we don’t get to spend as much time as we’d like together.  

Normally when we fly our plane to the ranch we leave pretty early in the morning as it’s a smoother ride…but we had been tracking the weather in Buckeye and the winds were ridiculous, so we didn’t leave John Day until around noonish and bucked a headwind the ENTIRE trip home, which normally takes us about 5.5 hours.  This trip home took every bit of 7 hours which put us home at dark….so a nighttime landing was in order….but before I get to that…one of my most memorable moments on this trip was flying by the Grand Canyon on the way home at sunset watching all the helicopter tour machines on their way in for the night below us, listening to game 7 of the NCLS in my headset!  WOW!  

My mom promised Aaron a train ride out of Cottonwood, Arizona for many years now for his birthday present and he just has never been home long enough to collect on it….well, we did this time home and it was a great getaway!  Super cute little town, awesome hotel, and the train ride was fantastic….best part of all was the company!  Thank you mom for a wonderful gift.  

We were able to enjoy our own bed for awhile, see the bushes, shrubs, and flowering plants bloom which we are never around for, catch up with friends for a quick visit, start the 56’ long enough to put it safely back in the garage lol, and mark off a few honey do list items as well!

My time home was amazing but also bittersweet at the same time.  My mom and I have shared two kitties for 15 years and I knew when I left it was time to say goodbye to our precious Dee Dee girl.  Pets are remarkable creatures that bring us nothing but absolute joy and unconditional love.  Both my mom and I have relied on these two beautiful cats for many years as sometimes they were all we would come home to during the week and it always felt like we had someone waiting and counting on us to come home when the boys were hard at work or away for months on end.  So they become your “kids” and it isn’t easy to say goodbye.  I’m grateful she is no longer in pain and am grateful for all the love and lap cuddles she gave us for the past 15 years….but her presence in our home will be greatly missed.  If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever Dee Dee….

Once we parked the big chopper from our EPIC firefighting summer, Aaron and I decided to stay on the east coast for one more week for a few reasons.  Unfortunately in our business many of our jobs with the helicopter are “mother nature” related, so once we completed fighting the wildfires in Canada, it was immediately hurricane season and Hurricane Florence was due to arrive on the east coast in a few days and the calls were already coming in regarding our location.  So we decided to sit tight on the east coast for a few days until it made landfall and see if we were needed.  But as most of you know, Aaron and I don’t do too much “sitting” so we caught a last minute 5 day cruise out of Boston that was headed north, out of Hurricane Florence’s direction!  Our stops included Halifax, Nova Scotia, St. Johns, New Brunswick, and Bar Harbor, Maine.  We both needed this time to just relax and unwind from such an eventful and hardworking summer and I wanted to cross off a few more places off my bucket list.  

Our first stop was Halifax.  My parents had been here before on the Fall Colors Cruise, which Aaron and I were beginning to catch a glimpse of and were fortunate to see it from the helicopter the previous year on a ski lift job he did in Vermont.  But we missed this color change by about 3 weeks or so…anyway…the parents told us to go to Peggy’s Cove.  We hired a local driver for a couple of hours who did a great job of pointing out all the local attractions and points of interest.  The weather in Halifax was absolutely gorgeous and we couldn’t have asked for a better day to check out the city.  We really enjoyed our day there and it really was an awesome stop.  We were hoping to catch up with an old buddy Wally Workman but unfortunately our stop was too short…so hopefully next time!

Next up was St. Johns!  Once again, we got a taxi driver to drive us around for 2 hours and take us to the famous spot called The Reversing Falls, which are a series of rapids on the Saint John River that run through a narrow gorge before emptying into the Bay of Fundy forcing the flow of water to reverse against the prevailing current when the tide is high. I’m sure it would have been pretty cool to see it at the times when the tide is actually changing, but sadly our ship left by then….so if this is something on your list…definitely get the times before you go…or I’m afraid you’re going to be sorely disappointed. 

One thing that wasn’t on the list of the cruise ship or really anywhere was this stunning 600 acre coastal park which our driver took us to just to kill some time.  If we had known about it or had done some more research, I think we would have went out there first and spent more time hiking around and spent our whole time here.  It was the Irving Nature Park and it was an amazing little piece of paradise.  I’d say next time…but I’m pretty sure unless a chopper job takes us here…this is a “once and done” kinda town!  We grabbed our last Tim Hortons coffee for awhile and the best beavertail imaginable and got back on the ship.  

Probably our favorite stop on this cruise was Bar Harbor.  We had pre-booked Lulu Lobster Boat, which I would highly recommend.  That mornings visibility was maybe 50 feet, so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen once we got off the ship….which was a feat in it’s own just to get the tender boat ashore!  Be sure to catch the video below.

Bar Harbor is home to the largest parts of Acadia National Park, including Cadillac Mountain (also named after my car evidently), the highest point within twenty-five miles of the coastline of the Eastern United States.   After Aaron and I had an extremely educational Lobster Tour, which really was exceptional, we took a trolley ride up to the top of Cadillac Mountain and Acadia National Park, then came back down for some lobster and wild berry pie!  Another great weather day for sightseeing…minus the early morning fog…but it made for an interesting tender ride!

Once back in Boston we got word that we were not needed for Hurricane Relief Efforts but Aaron’s partner Fred planned to meet him in PA in a few days….so what else to do in the meantime but start crossing off MORE BASEBALL STADIUMS!!!  Ironically, the Boston Red Sox were playing at 1 P.M. the day our cruise got back into port….so we caught Boston vs. Mets and with Fenway being the oldest MLB (built in 1912)….it was an honor to be able to be there and see it in person. 

We stayed the night in Boston and then headed to Baltimore to catch the Orioles vs. BlueJays. Part of my bucket list is not only going to all the MLB Stadiums but getting some pretty amazing seats….most of the time we are close to home plate.  The reason I bring this up is because most of the time these seats cost a little bit of money….but we know this and this is why we work lol…..anyway, we got on SeatGeek to purchase our Orioles tickets and the total came to $16 for the two of us for 4 rows back from home plate!  Now, the weather was forecasted for rain, so we figured maybe that’s why they were so cheap…but worst case, we get our money back….and for $16 bucks we were willing to chance it anyway.  Uh….it turned out to be clear, blue, and 22….one of the best nights in Baltimore….gorgeous sunset, phenomenal stadium, and $16 SEATS FOR TWO!!!!  It doesn’t get any better than that. 

Last but not least, we returned to Philly and caught a night game.  I am left with only 4 more MLB Stadiums to go…..after that….I will need a new focus!