Northern Rivers defines a region to the very north of the Australian State of New South Wales starting 590 kilometres from Sydney and extending north out to just over 800 kilometres away from the State capital city. It's full of lush valleys, pristine coastline and combines the catchment areas of the Clarence, Tweed and Richmond rivers.
We were in the region for the wedding of a friends daughter and had made the 2,000 kilometre drive from home to Ballina in our four wheel drive towing our off-road camper along too. It would provide accommodation and the 4x4 would permit us to get a little off the beaten track and away from people.
We had arranged a few weeks off so based ourselves at Ballina and ranged out from there; Here's some of the photos. I'm sorry, they are not great quality as my camera was a bit dodgy. (Not to mention how dodgy the photographer was...Is dodgy!)
Australia is fortunate to have a lot of coastline, most of which looks something like this. 👆 Add in some blue skies with a few clouds scudding across and the surf relentlessly pushing up onto the beach plus my wife Faith and...Well you can see the result for yourself.
See how crowded our beaches are...Not! For Faith and I this is how we like beaches...The cities can keep their tourist-loaded crowd-fests to themselves...Pristine beach and no other people suits us fine! We had been out for a walk on this occasion, stopped for a quick selfie and went on our way - We saw no one else.
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The trip was about the wedding into which we incorporated a vacation and we wanted to relax and do very little; That doesn't mean sit around camp though, it meant getting out into the great outdoors hiking, biking, swimming, climbing and horse riding...And eating.
The day we chose for horse riding was a bit overcast but it was fairly warm still and it gave the sky a sort of dramatic feel which looked nice; We were focused on the riding though so didn't care.
Above is Faith and I walking our mounts along the beach. This is the first time we'd ridden on the beach and it was cool! I was given a problematic mount though, as the owner thought I'd be more able to control him; It was a contest of wills but I won out. He didn't like being behind other horses though and would accelerate into the lead against my will. Trouble maker.
The next shows me trying to coax him into the water which he wasn't very keen on ay first. The stubborn bugger just wouldn't go in but eventually I managed to get him into the surf and he loved it...The next problem was getting him out! Stubborn bastard. (A little like the rider.)
The day of the wedding came around and the weather was still clearing from an overnight storm. It was a nice wedding although, much to my annoyance, it was on the beach and I'm not a huge fan of sand, certainly not when I'm dressed for a wedding. We ended up taking our shoes off and I rolled up my trousers. Faith had on a short skirt so that wasn't a problem. I got sand on my trousers though...And grumbled about it.
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The reception was near a marina and we all had a really nice family-oriented night, loads of laughs and I even danced a bit...Which I hate doing...I may have had one beer too many...And three espresso martinis! I'm a funny dude when a little tipsy, something that doesn't happen often. Faith finds it funny as she's seen it so rarely. The picture above was taken at the edge of the restaurant and you can see the marina in the distance.
From right about here it started getting a little messy and in the end Faith was mock-frowning at me, not smiling...But it's all good...It was a great wedding and we both had a nice time.
The cool thing with the Northern Rivers area is the beaches and rain forest areas are both easily accessible; One could take a swim or run on the beach in the morning and a long hike in the forest that afternoon, quite easily.
The day after the wedding we started early and drove up into the hinterland towards the Nightcap National Park for some hiking.
I was feeling a little dusty after the night before but the prospect of a hike and a few waterfalls perked me up, along with a couple cups of coffee.
Above you can see a shot Faith took through the windscreen of my 4x4. It was quite a foggy morning but gave the forest a nice feel, sort of spooky. Sorry about the CB antenna in the shot.
We hit a few dirt roads once inside the National Park rolling the windows down to enjoy the birdsong and rich earthy smells of the wet forest as we went.
We're always on the scout for great camping spots so we stopped a few times and made notes for future trips then headed straight to the car park area below a fairly long hike to some falls. There was no one else there as we'd arrived very early (on purpose) and we pulled our hiking boots on, grabbed the backpack and headed off to explore.
You can see above that Faith is in short shorts and a summer top which was required as it was pretty warm a couple hours into the hike, humid too. A little after this photo was taken the top came off completely and she hiked in a bikini top; Of course, I had my shirt off almost immediately as I feel the heat more than she does.
The hike wound through dense rain forest, creeks, pools and small water falls and beneath the canopy out of the sun it was steamy but breaking out of the canopy brought the sun, thinly veiled behind some residual cloud, but still hot!
It was enjoyable though, accompanied by the birds and lizards, (and probably snakes), which slithered away as we approached; We could hear them in the underbrush and as long as they were going away from us it was all good. To be honest though, it's not an unsafe place to hike, from a snake perspective I mean, but there are some very steep drops and it can be slippery, so some care is required.
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Along the way we found some really cool spots like the one below. It wasn't easy getting in as the rocks were all slippery and uneven but once there we went for a swim and stood under the waterfall...Faith may have been topless so there's no photos for you I'm afraid...I took some though. 😈
It was a really cool mid-hike stop-over and...Well, what happens at the secluded waterfall pond stays at the secluded waterfall pond; A gentleman never kisses and tells you know. 😜 Seriously though, it was a nice spot that felt Jurassic; Lost-worldy.
We managed to get most of our clothes back on and hiked up to the waterfall called Minyon Falls (pictured below) which was basically a very wide fast-flowing creek that fell off a very long cliff-drop! There's a hike that goes to the bottom where people can swim but we didn't do it.
It's a 100 metre drop to the base from the look out where the photo was taken and many people have fallen to their death including an Australian TV show actor in 2019. I guess if one wants to jump the fence of the look out area and take risks, one must accept the consequences. We stayed on the lookout platform.
This was a really nice place and where we chose to stop for lunch, which we'd brought with us. We sat and ate whilst enjoying the sound of the waterfall and the view over the forest.
It wasn't long before other hikers turned up but we managed to have the inbound hike and about forty five minutes at the waterfall by ourselves so we were content. We headed into the forest for the hike back to our vehicle with a brief stop off at a couple of pools for a cool of...Mostly clothed this time.
That day we returned to our campsite for showers and then headed out for a bite to eat, neither of us being keen to cook for ourselves...And me eager for a feed after the big hike.
As we drove along the coast road we marveled at the view to the east over the ocean. If we could have seen far enough over the ocean the next land we would have seen is Argentina.
Below is a spot we stopped for dinner after grabbing some burgers and chips; We stayed quite late here letting the sun set behind us on what was a pretty nice day.
Our two week stay in Ballina was super-enjoyable and we would definitely go back. In fact we're hoping to take a trip to Far North Queensland this year to see my brother and his wife and will head back home this way I think.
There's a little of everything in the Northern Rivers area including the beaches and water sports, hiking, walking, four wheel driving, fishing, boating and just about everything you can think of that you'd want to do whilst on holiday. It's dotted with quaint little towns like Tweed Heads, Kings Cliff, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Kyogle, Lismore and so many more smaller places of only a handful of houses...And the natural beauty is amazing too! Just look at that beach below where Faith is sitting!
I'd suggest four to five days is ample in Ballina itself but the Northern Rivers is somewhere one could easily spend a few weeks or longer. There's accomodation at every price and comfort level from expensive resorts, hotels, B&B's and farm-stays to camping like we did...Something for everyone certainly and a four wheel drive vehicle is not required...Unless you want to get to the really great (and secluded) spots!
That's about it for now, thanks for scrolling through my pictures, and if you actually read the 1749 words of my text, thank you!
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
Discord: galenkp#9209
Gosh, I would love to go horse riding at the beach. It's an absolute dream of mine ever since childhood.
So far I only went for a long trip on horseback in Iceland ❄️
But we stayed in the center of the island and never rode to the shore. I really feel like doing that right now! In these days of lockdown, I can't help but dream about nature.
UPVOTED
@elenahornfilm
Hey there, it's funny...You want to ride on the beach and *I want to ride in Iceland! * 😂
I think horseback riding is cool no matter where it is though and I enjoy it a lot. Riding on the beach was really cool though. Really cool.
Is that you sitting over that gorge? Stunning scenery! I'm assuming that's Iceland? I have always wanted to go there but it's a long way from Australia. I have two brothers who live in Finland with their families and we've visited. In fact we were supposed to travel to Scandinavia in July 2020 but the trip was cancelled. We got our money back but wold have preferred the trip! Oh well, we'll get there, probably 2022 now though.
Thanks for commenting on my post Elena, I really appreciate it. I hope to see you riding on a beach in Australia someday!
!ENGAGE 25
ENGAGEtokens.Definitely make note of those camping spots like you mentioned. Looks like the perfect place to stop and stay. I just came back from a camping trip with a roof top tent. Would like to camp in those areas you've been.
Yeah, we're always on the scout for good camping spots. Australia is a big place though and it would impossible to know al the good ones. The best ones are kept very secret...I have a few, mostly on private land, massive stations.
Roof top tent...I've used a few in my day but have never chosen to have one. I tow a serious off-road camper that will go anywhere I take the 4x4 - Fully Aussie built and bloody awesome...And probably a little bit too comfortable to be honest! 😂
The thing is though...I don't care what people use as long as they get out there and get some! Seems like you do...I just checked your blog...I'm going to follow you and see what I find. (Also, I just left a comment on your post about the rooftop tent.)
Thanks for your comment, for looking at my post...I appreciate it.
!ENGAGE 25
Mate that sounds great and yeah Aus has a tonne of places. Im not gona pretend I know them but will say my evenings are spent watching all the Aussie 4x4 youtube channels that are out and about filming their adventures. You might have heard of them... Ronny Dahl, All 4 Adventure, Patriot Games and 4x4 24/7 - some great trips on their channels.
It does seem a little different out there though from where I am in Thailand - its a bit of a free for all here - if theres a track - just go. Fewer restrictions and regulations but the country is a lot smaller and you are never really that far from the nearest town or concrete road. Would like a real outback trip or up to those mountains on the SE part of the country.
Cheers for the comments will take a look
Yep, I heard of all those, and have even met Jase and Simon from All4 Adventure once at a 4x4 show. I used to work for ARB Australia. (arb.com.au)
The better part about it is that I've done the trips! ✅
Lol, no way, a couple of legends there and working for ARB would have been pretty cool. Ill have a look through your post feed in a moment - have you got any of your 4wd trips written up?
Yeah, I worked there for a while...Was enjoyable to seek people stuff for their off-roaders and talk about four-wheeling, camping and hunting all day. (I'm a shooter, which you'll see if you go through my feed). I have a shooting community also, called The Pew.
I've put a few posts about off road stuff, camping trips and all,also my equipment...Scroll far enough and you'll see them, but keep in mind I've posted over 2000 posts since June 2017 so...You better like scrolling! 😁
I've currently got the current Toyota 200 series (the V8 twin turbo one) which I'm still building up. Got some gear on though, and use it.
I see you have a Hilux. Good truck. My last truck was a 2016 XLT Ranger. I went mad with stuff on that...$25,000 of stuff if I'd paid retail. I only paid $9,000 though. 😊 One of the perks of working at ARB, not paying for installation and getting free stuff from suppliers like GME, Rhino Rack, REDARC, BF Goodrich etc.
Literally the dream job with all the perks lol. There's not many V8s here unless they are custom jobs and you have have a much wider choice of pickups trucks, we only have the Hilux, none of the ** series and no front axle trucks are sold unless customs jobs!
ENGAGEtokens.Ayyyy! Get you some! I blame a Bikini hike and the previous evenings Martinis 😈
Summertime, glad you are out and about making the most of it.
Haha, yeah anything goes at those secluded waterfall ponds...I'm sure you've had your fair share of experience with them, but a gentleman never kisses and tells!
That is right sir. And I agree regarding sand, gets everywhere doesn't it 🙄
If I even utter the word sand out loud I find it in all sorts of parts of my body...Even when nowhere near the beach!
Sounds chafing!
Yes, one of the most uncomfortable things ever. Worse than being waterboarded. Threaten me with sand, I'll reveal all the State secrets! 😂
@galenkp's alter ego?
src
Hands look too small :)
,,made the 2,000 kilometre drive from home to Ballina '' When I read this it seems like an extremely long road. But then I think about this video and that seemingly huge distance becomes nothing at all.
,,It was a contest of wills but I won out. He didn't like being behind other horses though and would accelerate into the lead against my will. Trouble maker.
The next shows me trying to coax him into the water which he wasn't very keen on ay first. The stubborn bugger just wouldn't go in but eventually I managed to get him into the surf and he loved it...The next problem was getting him out! Stubborn bastard. (A little like the rider.)''
Seems like G- dog has found a great rival.
Australia is a big place. For instance, in the State I live in (South Australia) one can drive for 1800 kilometers south to north and still be in it! the country is vast.
So that horse...He was a problematic old fellow but the equally old G-dog dominated and he ended up behaving reasonably well..I think he didn't like being told what to do, preferring to do it, but when he chose to! 🥴
I think that horse watched this movie and took main character as his role model
Quite possibly...Or maybe he was just being difficult. Had a bad day.
I remember when I did a round Australia trip I left from SE QLD heading to the NT and just assumed I'd be out of QLD if I drove for a full day. Two days later I was still in QLD! 😂
Lol, yeah people overseas don't get it, just can't conceive of how big a place it is, especially those from UK and Europe.
We're planning a year off and will tour for most of it I think; So looking forward to it. We've done up the centre and east but not west...We'll head that way first.
Very nice area the Northern Rivers. I can just see it now two trouble makers paired up together one horse and a G-dog🤣
Lol...Yeah I reckon the owner of the horse pegged me for a bit of a ratbag and so gave me a horse to match. He was a tough old bastard, cheeky as fuck but really handsome...Like the rider! 😀
🤣👍
Oh wow I loved the very Jurassic like photos! I actually like foggy spooky kinds forests, it is usually so quiet and people free when forests are like that.
You and Faith keep on going on secluded places, that's awesome.And I bet it feels nice to look back in time to these memories. I really liked the waterfalls, so so pretty!
!ENGAGE 20
We had a really great trip nicely balanced between ourdoor activities and sitting by the pool, reading and playing board games. It was very relaxing. I wouldn't mind a bit of that right now!
I'm sure you would trade a day's work for this🤩
In a shot!
You can see why people move up that way, that's for sure. So many Victorians have moved to Byron hinterland it's not even funny. Gosh, I haven't written a horse on the beach for ages - what fun. Looks like an awesome trip. Would love a roadie up there again soon, but guess we've done it so many times we're more looking at SA/WA now. Gosh, borders, stay open would ya!
Yeah, top notch spot for sure! All of Australia is though right? How fucking lucky are we that we're born and bred and get to enjoy the best country in the world? (When covid fucks off.)
Wow it looks so nice, everywhere! Sounds like you both had a good time for the wedding trip. I love the uncrowded beaches on horseback, sounds relaxing. Seems like you both did quite a bit of hiking, the waterfall looks sooo refreshing. Great photos and memories!
It was a really relaxing trip spent doing outdoorsy stuff like the hiking and horse riding and just relaxing around the pool at the campground we stayed at. We usually prefer secluded camping but there wasn't anything suitable so we stayed at a holiday park and their facilities were top notch. It made things a little easier and more relaxing. Coming home to a swim in the pool each night was nice.
That does sound very nice secluded camping is great but so is splurging every once in a while. How do you need a swimming pool with all that ocean to yourself! It's been for ever since I have been horse back riding but never on the beach.
Yes, a little creature-comfort is nice right? It was a holiday park with cabins and caravan sites and non-powered camp sites for tents and camper trailers like we have. That's where we went as I don't need power, it's on board. The pool area was nice and it had a nice sort of feel overall.
Yeah, the beaches...Well, I have a thing with sand. It get's everywhere you see. 😂 So, I walk on it and sometimes go swimming, but not much. It's Australia and we have these things called sharks...
Beach horseback riding is awesome. Get it done Rebecca.
lol, I suppose sharks would be a good deterrent! We have sharks too in New-Brunswick (East coast of Canada), we just didn't know about it until now...Ignorance is bliss growing up we thought all we had to worry about was shore crabs pinching our feet. 😂
Sounds like a nice campsite! I like the luxury of showers and flushing toilets, I tend to stay at those types of places. Spending time at the pool is def fun times, I suppose it doesn't have any sand getting every where...I forgot about that part, didn't stop us any from hangin out there, it was more fun when I was a kid and we could build these huge bonfires.
I wanna go horseback ridding again at some point, expensive tho. With covid it's a bit complicated but my friend lives in the foothills, I wanted to go last time but didn't have time, I used to love it as a kid. I did go on a slay ride in the rockies a couple years ago, that was fun.
I've never been on a sleigh ride...Snow isn't much of a thing here...But I'd like to. Rug up, get some hot chocolate and all...Seems like a nice way to pass some time.
Yeah, Faith generally prefers camps with amenities but also can free camp for a few days at a time. She's not a princess. We love out of the way places so there's no problem with her stripping off and showering in the bush. Our camper is very equipped too, so we're very comfortable. A lot of stations (massive farms) have eco tourism so they often have amenities near camp sites, rudimentary but serviceable. It makes things easy. We stay at one here in my State, north of Adelaide in the Flinders Ranges a lot. Willow Springs is what it's called. Nice spot. All States have excellent camping options though.
I decree that you should go horse riding. Just saying. Now it's official.
Yeah it's pretty fun, it was on New Years day too, wrapped in a warm velvety blanket, the price isn't that bad either, it's a good way to kill time indeed. I didn't think snow was your best feature in Aus! 🤣 I supposed it's like me and beaches at the current moment, I'm a little landlocked. I do want to go to Vancouver soon-ish if this pandemic could end, maybe i can find a beach to ride a horse on over there. hehe
Certainly easier if you have a bit of a trailer, we have nothing but a tent and an air mattress for now (and a giant tarp we turn into a really shitty camping castle in case it rains the entire week to keep our gear dry).
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ENGAGEtokens.Are deserts and rainforests occupying most of the Australian continent?
The continental United States has a variety of tropical, temperate and cold climates, while the continent of Australia appears to have only tropical climates.Dear @galenkp, Is there only summer in Australia for a year? I am currently shivering in the winter cold.
Your wife has an elegant beauty.
Australia has Summer, autumn, winter and spring...Then summer again, and then autumn, winter, spring and then...Well I think you get the idea. Australia is no different to the rest of the world in that we have seasons. They are varied depending on where in the country one happens to be, but there is seasons.
Australia is about 7,741,220 sq km, (7.7 million sq kilometres) while South Korea is approximately 99,720 sq km. That makes South Korea about South Korea 1.29% the size of Australia. Small. So, our seasons are different depending on where in the country a person happens to be. Vastly different. Not all of Australia is tropical, in fact more is not tropical than is tropical.
Deserts and arid lands make up much of the country and rainforests can be found in the sub-tropical parts of the Eastern Seaboard and up to far north Queensland then across to Northern Territory. There's alpine areas though, ski resorts and stuff. It's a diverse country. Have a look at google.
Are you insane? Not the sort of comments one makes from a photograph buddy. Inappropriate. Please desist. Possibly being polite in Korea is different from Australia but here that's not a comment you should be making champ. You need to think things through before you say them or people will stop engaging with you.
Dear @galenkp, I wish you understand that my English level is an elementary school student in America. It is my mistake. I deleted it.
Manners, courtesy and respect have nothing to do with your language skills.
What you said was not even relevant considering you were looking at a photo and you should have left it at the initial compliment. I showed my wife your comment and she said nothing, just rolled her eyes. Had you met us in a room and said that to her face...You would have been identified as someone to avoid at all costs, and we would have. It's a creepy statement, the wording...But what's really disturbing is that you think it's ok to say things like that, and that thought has nothing to do with language barriers.
Manners transcend language constraints. Unless you Koreans are simply just rude people. It's certainly looking like that to me.
If you comment on people's posts don't read between the lines if your language skills are not adequate to do so. Comment on the content, be generic and non-confrontational, not creative, you do not have the skills for that it seems.
This is the second, and last, time I'm going to say this...The next time I'll mute you. Don't make shit up in your head, don't call people nicknames you have no clue about and don't make assumptions...If you want to do that go and do so in your own language please, because if your English is not good enough all you'll serve to do is annoy people at best, and offend them probably. You need to remember that you don't know me and so should show some restraint, don't be too familiar. What you do with other people is your business, but I'm asking you to respect the boundaries when it comes to me.
As I said the last time I addressed you calling me all sorts of wacky names...You don't know what you don't know, and you certainly don't know who I am, what I and or how I think, you will never know so be generic, or don't comment at all.
I wrote this,for the second time, because if you continue with your line of commenting you're going to get yourself into some real trouble by saying something * really offensive* and thats not the best way to proceed here on a social network.
You can act as you like of course, hence the inclusion of a mute button on hive, so think things through fella, find it within yourself to have some common sense and find some manners and courtesy whilst you're at it. I'm sure someone in Korea has manners, you should ask him about it.
Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot - Clarence Thomas
I am currently studying English while watching American movies and dramas, so I couldn't understand your words.
I don't know much about the manners and etiquette you are talking about yet.Dear @galenkp , If my writing makes you unpleasant, I will apologize to you.
There was no purpose for me to unpleasant you.
I will try according to your advice.
sorry for my english.
If i think of Australia i think of desert and dry heat. Nice to see this part of the country :)
Nah, it's not like that at all however it's often pictured that way. We have very lush jungles, wetlands, rainforest, verdant valleys with lakes, rivers and creeks...It's a very diverse country. The cities are cosmopolitan and the climate very different from one part to the next. There's 7.7 million square kilometres of country here and a very diverse climate and natural features.
The far north of Queensland is very tropical for instance. The centre is dry and hot. My State is a more temperate mostly, although hot in summer. Tasmania is much cooler and very heavily forested. We have alpine ski areas, scrubland, deserts, arid and semi-arid lands...Lakes, rivers, creeks, loads of beach obviously...Rich pasture land, many vineyards, some of the best in the world actually. I could go on, but won't. Let's just say, it's diverse.
Skiing??? Dude... I probably watched to much Opal hunters :p
Lol...Yeah, we get snow in winter in the Victorian high country, New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory. Some don't believe it but it's true. It's an incredibly diverse country. I live in South Australia and if you watch Aussie Opal Hunters you'll know that's where Coober Pedy is...It's bloody hot and dry out there though. Now snow, ever. Lol.
hahaha love it. Going to folow you, maby i do put Australia on my bucket list :p
I've never met someone who traveled to Australia and didn't like it; It's one of the reasons why we have people flocking in to live here. I hope you make it here someday as there's a lot to like.
Australia has such nice places?🤔
Why didn't I include that in my bucket list destination🤦♀️
It's funny how your stubborn horse got into the water and didn't wanna get out even though he didn't want to get in at first.
Wait a sec! You hate sand, and you hate to dance 😂
Too bad you got sand on your trouble and you still had to dance, after all, you went for a wedding.
Nice to see you had a nice time and moment in all the places you mentioned here
I guess you don't know what you don't know...Most images of Australia overseas show deserts and the red centre but the country is vast and has so much more to offer. Some research will show you what it's truly like.
That horse was pretty hard to handle which is why I got him...But he eventually behaved once I'd shown him who the boss was.
So, sand isn't my favourite thing. It gets everywhere and so I avoid it when I can. Dancing...I generally avoid it all the time as I can't stand it. I dance like a spider monkey on crack, which is to say badly and so I don't see any point in doin git and neither do I have any desire to learn how to do it better. I don't see the point. I do other things well and would rather focus on my interests, not some pointless moving of my body that has no real benefit to me.
Hahahahha. Spider monkey? Now that had been cracking 😂
Anyway, I love dancing, it's what I can do very well even when you said it has no benefit for you, perhaps because it's not your field of interest.
It does have some benefits to me and I love it with all my heart🤭
Daily Travel Digest #1081.
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Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Your post has been manually curated by the @pinmapple team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!I live at Kingscliff. It really is bit of paradise up here. Glad you enjoyed your visit up here. :)
Yeah man, nice spot! I've been to Kingscliff. We'll be up again for sure man, we love it there! Hopefully planning a trip for this year to Cairns, will meander back home to Adelaide and probably hit Northern Rivers again.
Nice writings!!!
What I love about this post really, is the shots and angles in which they were taken. Great job!
You did enjoy yourself out there — good to know that.
Stay blessed @galenkp
Thank you for taking a look and the time to comment also, I really appreciate it.