So where was the camera?

This morning's ride was perfectly set up after I took the Nerang route out of suburbia and into the hills. The short climb to the junction at the Beechmont turnoff, before the ups and downs with the final assault on the Hinze Dam wall set it up perfectly. The water was like glass reflecting the mountains to the south -- just beautiful. There was only one problem: I didn't bother to bring the camera on an early morning ride of just 45km. This morning's view just never happened on this blog. That said, I may have something special tomorrow.

This week I've been close to totally losing my temper with my landlord. The owner of this apartment has a habit of fixing things around the place himself, which is a pain in the backside for two reasons. Firstly, it takes forever to get anything done, and secondly, the job isn't always done properly. If I actually spent more time at home, I'd probably just pay a professional to come and do it. The other downside is that this week I've had this guy snooping around when I've arrived home from work everyday this week -- and people wonder why I went for a ride through the flooded creeks on Tueday night?

Tuesday night's ride was actually quite pleasant. The flooded creeks that I had to cross (two of them -- twice each) were a lovely way to keep cool, at least temporarily, on a very hot night. They served another purpose, along with the badly cut-up dirt road, they effectively meant that traffic had been almost non-existent when I got to the glow worm colony out on Austinville Road. There's nothing quite like seeing those little green lights coming out of the undergrowth on the side of a narrow dirt road in the middle of a dark night. I really should try to get out there more often.

This weekend should finally see the long awaited debut of my camelbak -- having finally located the missing piece that I lost soon after acquiring it. I will now be able to carry 3.25 litres of water at any given time (once my water bottles are taken into account). Of course, in Queensland conditions, it will still need to be re-filled on a regular basis, but at least the need won't be quite so pressing. Another advantage it offers is the ease of drinking fluids when climbing steep hills on dirt roads (i.e Mt Jerusalem).

Finally, I've added a couple of links to the sidebar. I've actually managed to get a journal up of my short bike tours this year, which can be viewed here. Yes, I know it's not very exciting, but I plan to make up for that in New Zealand in 30 days' time. Something more interesting is Jill's blog from Alaska. Some of the shots she takes of the snow covered landscape look totally surreal to this Gold Coast boy.