Rejuvenation

Sometimes it's amazing just what a trip away can do for you. Regular readers of this page would, of course, be aware that I have just returned from two weeks riding around Eastern Victoria. It's quite amazing the diversity of riding experiences that one can cram into that time. I'm in the process of uploading photos and so on, and those should be revealed in the coming days. However, what really stands out right now are the events just after the tour "officially" came to an end.

It's quite strange really, because yesterday at one point was looking quite frustrating. First of all there is the fact that I pick up a mystery flat on the flight home (or possibly in the last 100 metres or so before Melbourne airport). Then QR are running a three-car train (i.e. one less carriage than normal) from Brisbane Airport back to the Gold Coast, which is quite ridiculous, when you consider that this is both their busiest service, and has the added hindrance of traveller's luggage cluttering up the place. To top it all off, the train terminates at Helensvale due to track conditions (I normally get off at Nerang, a station later), leaving me with 25km of boring suburbia to negotiate when I really wasn't in the mood.

However, the ride home somehow turned out to be extremely enjoyable. For one thing, the sea-breeze cooled the temperatures slightly, and for another, after two weeks away, the suburbia didn't seem quite so annoying. I guess the complete change of scenery for a while gave it a "new" feel, and one which was a pleasure to ride through. Of course, there were the usual Gold Coast morons to negotiate -- at one point I held back from approaching a roundabout by my new instincts, and saw two of them very nearly collide -- and the idiot who caused it had the hide to abuse the other guy. However, none of it bothered me. I just seemed to be in an eternally blissful state.

It's hard to understand exactly how I got this way. I can only guess that previously I was carrying around some mental baggage, which I must have ditched to lighten the load on the Great Alpine Road. I just hope I've learned my lesson this time, and that perhaps I can continue on, impervious to the trivialities that seem to upset so many and cause so much unnecessary stress.

Of ducks and drakes

The ducks came back last night. For those who aren't aware, I used to regularly feed bread to the ducks that used to come up to my apartment from the canal. Then I went away for four weeks at the end of last year, and apparently they found another donor (well, there are no shortage of them in that area), and I didn't see them again for the best part of 12 months. Last night they returned for some unknown reason. No photos this time, I didn't think to get one. Perhaps next time -- although I'm about to go away again.

Speaking of which, isn't it amazing the way things that need to be done before you leave always seem to show that last little bit of defiance. It's happened at work, and also with people I've attempted to contact before leaving. Of course, I'm not all that concerned, it's just a little annoying. Even the ATM I tried to draw cash from today wasn't working.

In anycase, this might be my last entry for a couple of weeks. I'm logging the trip at http://victoria2004.crazyguyonabike.com, and I don't know if I'll get time to update this thing as well. We'll see what happens. Just hours to go now.

Alright?

Is it alright to cycle across a flooded causeway at night on a narrow dirt road in a dark, deserted rainforest? Let me rephrase that. It is alright if I cycle across a flooded causeway on a narrow dirt road in a dark, deserted rainforest? Not that a negative answer to either question is going to stop me, I had too much fun out there tonight. There's nothing quite like the sound of the rushing water in my ears as I power throught he rainforest, then the road switches sides on the creek, giving me the chance to wash the dirt off my frame and get my feet wet. Ra!

This is what I really missed during the dry season, and why Austinville at night is one of the most special rides in South Queensland.

Nothing, frustrated nothing.

As you may have gathered from my lack of entries in the last couple of days, not a lot has been happening, and that's bad. Sunday was the first time I've not ridden in the rain since 1999. I'd been concerned about washouts on the steep, winding and dirt Mt Jerusalem road, meaning I called of the November century at that point (oh, but the month isn't over yet!). I still should have got up and gone for a Springbrook or Binna Burra however -- no dirt roads in those areas, so it would have been just about perfect.

Then tonight I was due to go for a quick one with Martin, but I forgot to recharge my lights, and it turned out he couldn't make it due to other commitments, so I only have my commute to keep me company. Effectively it means only 51km so far this week. Often I'd have as many as 300km for the week by now (and rarely fewer than 200). Right at the moment I have all this energy hanging around, waiting for an outlet. There have been studies done in the past about endorphins and so on, but I think the practical upshot is that being active is an addiction. If I don't get any, I get frustrated. I think I'll make sure I get an Austinville or Hinze Dam tomorrow night regardless. Still, it's good to get some rain.

I did get up to one thing last weekend. I updated some journals from a couple of long-weekend tours I took earlier this year -- Lions Tourist Road and the now notorious East Egypt Road. Not quite on the scale of a circuit of Tasmania, but enjoyable weekends nonetheless.

The Victoria tour is now just four days away, and I've had to make a change. My spanky new front pannier rack isn't making the journey. To cut a long story short, it would need to be dismantled to fit in my airline bag, and I haven't yet worked out how to do that quickly (i.e. quick enough to catch a plane, or a re-assembly to ride out of an airport). If I can do a circuit of Tasmania with rear panniers only, I can do the same in Victoria. Hopefully the next 12 months will give me the chance to get it sorted before New Zealand in 2005.

One wonders where we find them

I know this is the Gold Coast, and that people here aren't exactly known for their intelligence, but even after making those allowances, there are still some incredibly nonsensical situations that totally defy explanation. Two morons decided to block a road in Broadbeach last evening by fighting over a parking space. I'm not sure what was so special about that parking space, it certainly wasn't the only vacant one there -- the rain kept quite a few people away. It wasn't undercover (not that any sane person tries to avoid the rain around here anyway), but they insisted on that one anyway.

Of course, as always happens in these situations, I pedalled straight through their little stand-off totally unconcerned, and this was when one of them decided to do the old Queensland horn-lean. Now tell me this wasn't a waste of time. I certainly wasn't going to stop after I'd gone straight through. I had no intention of going back and either apologising or exacting "revenge", why would I? Still, it's his stress levels, so I guess he's entitled to do what he likes. Of course, he might have been honking at his adversary for the parking spot, but why he'd wait until I passed to do that, or why he thought it would help I have no idea.

The rain was nice though, even if it did stop on my ride home, meaning I didn't get to ride in it. It did some nice things to this morning's ride to Austinville. Hopefully it's the onset to a decent wet season this year.







The other thing to come out of Friday was the need for a decision soon on "The Green Machine", the old bike that I sometimes use as a back-up and for shopping. It's clear that riding any sort of distance (even a short one) with a backpack in a Queensland summer is extremely unpleasant at best. I need to either get it a pannier rack or pension it off completely. I'm thinking of a new bike next year, which means the current #1 (which I still haven't named as yet) will become the back-up. I'm thinking of maybe a touring bike, because it might suit the type of riding I do than a MTB. On the other hand, I'm concerned about how it would deal with dirt roads, which might reduce my options a little in that area.

Plenty of time to think about it. Perhaps the tour of Victoria will give me something more to think about. 7 days to go!

Time out

It's been one of those days. At work the boss is away, the clients are moaning for this that and the other. I stay back an extra half hour to finish a set of accounts for a client (who couldn't make up his mind about his deadline), before setting off way too late and trying to make up time, riding really fast down the coast to the latest Bicycle Gold Coast meeting (these things rarely start at the stated time, but I know if I'm late, this will be the one, and in anycase, there's pride at stake). And it had been like this for nine hours straight.

However, alongside the beachfront at Miami, for just one moment, the sky is lit up just so, by a powerful sunset on the opposite horizon (sadly, obsured by suburbia). It's that moment, where the ride reveals itself in all it's beauty. It's that moment, suddenly, everything else seems inconsequential. The evening ski is as soothing as the voice of Sarah Blasko. This is the moment where I take time out.

Is that *really* necessary?

Have a look at this sign and see if you can find anything redundant.



I know this country has gone litigation crazy (well, what did you expect us to do after America did it?), but I think the $200 fine is a little bit pointless. Unless, of course, they figure anyone stupid enough to touch the wires doesn't deserve an expensive funeral. I can't argue with that particular piece of logic.

Last night I rode to the shops on my second bike, and actually had some thoughts about what I should do with it. This is the Green Machine that has bailed me out on a few commutes when my main bike has been out of condition (and will do so again this Friday after the crank episode). Actually, it was my main bike for about four years, and covered a lot of km including two tours around South East Queensland, as well as however many commutes to and from University I had during those impoverished years.

The dilemma is this. I could spend a few dollars to turn it into a full-time commuter -- new tyres would be the first thing, probably a pannier rack, and there might be others, I think the brakes are going to go soon. However, I sunk over $200 into it last year to get it back to this level, and I'm really not sure whether I'd end up getting value for money if I sunk another wad of cash into it. Knowing me I'll probably just keep going as it is for as long as it lasts anyway.

However, everytime I take one of those shopping trips, I sometimes wonder whether I should restore it to it's former glory. Perhaps I will next time something breaks. Perhaps.