Lemon Sours

A couple of weeks ago, Garrett and I wandered into a lolly shop.  I was in the mood for something lemony sour.  The girl at the shop said they had some that were tart and sweet, and then there were others that were so sour that you would wonder why anyone would make something that sour.

Now when she said that, I assumed she was over exaggerating, like when many other Aussies complain that mild salsa should actually be called hot salsa.  So I went for the more "extreme" lollies.  Let me just say that the lolly chick wasn't over exaggerating.  She was spot on.  Here's the proof:

Note to self:  Trust an Aussie when they're talking about sour lollies.

Danae Brook Canyon and Thurat Spires

A few months after Jacquie and I arrived in Australia my mom sent me a National Geographic magazine (Oct 2011) that had recently come in the mail. She sent it because it had a write up about Australia's slot canyons, the majority of which happen to be a short two hour train ride west of my current location. She said "check this out!"

She was probably thinking the same thing as when she bought me a rock climbing helmet for my birthday a few years ago. "Here's a helmet. Don't use it." Though by saying that she didn't mean 'Don't wear it', but 'Don't get hit by a rock while you are wearing it.' So when she told me to "check this out." she may have merely wanted me to see the great pictures and to know that such great places existed so near to me. Since sending me the magazine I have been able to do about a dozen canyons in the blue mountains and they have all been pretty amazing but I haven't been able to stop thinking about the huge canyon I saw in the article.

Last weekend I went with three fellow canyoners and we checked it out for ourselves. We went down Danae Brook canyon and then exited via the daunting Thurat Spires route. The 19 hour trek was exhausting but well worth the effort. Pictures and a more detailed description of the day can be found if you click the link below.

http://lostbymoonlight.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/danae-and-the-spires/

And here is a video (taken by a different group) of the abseils.

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/the-magazine/the-magazine-latest/ngm-australia-slot-canyons/