It is almost 9 am Friday morning here in Cairns,  Australia.   The 28 hours of travel and lack of sleep caught up with everyone last night by 8 (for Alex,  it was more like 6), and we all hit the sack early and slept hard.   However,  by 4 am local time (1 pm in KC & St. Louis) everyone was stirring (well,  maybe not Alex).  I suspect teenagers are more talented at sleeping than some of us older geezers.   Anyway, everyone was up in plenty of time to grab a bite of breakfast (see the picture below), and make it to the boat for a day trip to the great Barrier reef which lies off the coast of Cairns (see the picture of Alex, Dan and Gary K boarding the ship).  Gary Teske,  having done the excursion to the reef before decided to stay in Cairns, update the blog,  explore Cairns,  and get ready for tomorrow's trip on into Papua New Guinea.   Everyone seemed fairly well rested after the night's sleep and ready for the day. I will volunteer a good word for the city of Cairns.   It is beautiful and extremely hospitable and visitor friendly.   I am writing this from a little cafe near the ocean where the city has provided free WiFi for a mile or more up and down the coast,  plus beautiful walking,  jogging,  biking paths, exercise equipment, playgrounds, and other amenities.  
It is fun having Alex,  a high school senior with us.  Please note the picture below which shows that Alex "had a date" within 24 hours of getting to Australia (groan).  After everyone is back from the reef trip this evening,  we will do our final planning,  make the final adjustments to the computers,  and get to bed early as our flight to Port Moresby, PNG leaves at 6:30 in the morning.   Alex and Gary T are celebrating the Royals moving on to the world series while Dan and Gary K are praying fervently for the Cardinals.