Gold Coast Getaway

It was Monday afternoon, I knew I had Wednesday and Thursday off...what was I to do? I had no extra work that needed to be done, the sun was shinning...what was I to do?

I asked my room mate Daz (Darren) if he had it off, he did, so we decided Gold Coast was the plan. I worked until 3am Wednesday morning, 8am was woken up and 830am we were on the road!

When we arrived at Goldy, the wind was blowing NNE, so our first stop was 'The Spit'. The beginning of beach stretch, where the river joins the ocean. 

Why I love this place, is that it reminds me of my time in L.A, with the peers providing a great backdrop to 'old school' Californian surfing pictures.

The waves were fine, I had good company and the water temperature was perfect. Our day was off to a great start!   

Daz 

After we finished the surf, we explored the area a little. The picture above of beneath the peer, is my favorite of the day. The colours, ocean and beauty of something that maybe on any other day, I would just pass.

The iconic high-rise Gold Coast in the distance. With the sun shining, life guards out patrolling and ladies tanning up in the sun...."welcome".   

Although this is not one of my friends, I like this picture for the time this guy the has taken to enjoy the day. I feel comfortable with no shoes or shirt on, in water and with the sun steaming down on me...who wouldn't?




This guy made me sit down for a while, take time out and although I didn't think of much, I found myself saying thanks, to allowing me to be in such a beautiful place.

It was time to leave this spot, however
heat of the path was SOOO hot, that is
why the grass was selected.

Like after any mid-morning adventure, there is only one thing to do after it, that is eat! As we wanted to eat somewhere special, 'Hooters' was definitely that.

It was 33 degrees, so a cold drink was first on the list. A frozen cocktail was my choice and the cold Aussie beer was Daz's choice (Above).

(Above) It would not be a Raph album unless there was some sort of acting picture. 

(Left) when the bill was delivered, I thought it was an amusing and cute touch, the little love heart.

(Right) The food, was fresh and well presented. Giving us the much needed energy for the afternoon ahead.

There was a lot of history of 'Hooters' on the walls, but one particular phrase stood out. It was from the original owners who said "Hooters is all about good food, cold beer and pretty girls, three things that will always be wanted". I believe that. 

Our next stop was 'Snapper Rocks', which is not only an iconic surf spot, but home to to Quicksilver Pro which is on Feb 26th- March 5th 2011. 

 (Left) An uncrowded view of 'Snapper', lets wait 3 weeks for all that to change!

As the sun was setting, I captured Daz coming out of the water just as the sun tucked behind the clouds, with the city peeking through in the background. 

 My last view of the coast before we left. I had a great day off, good company and relaxing doing what I love. I know I found at times I would take just a few seconds to stop, look around, give a nod and say thanks. I am lucky where I live, who I know and what I can do at a days notice.