Been away too long

It's almost hard to believe that it's been three months since the last time I managed a night ride through the glow worm infested rainforest at Austinville. Last night I decided I simply had to do something about that statistic. Everything seemed to start fairly quietly, but once into the valley at the foot of Springbrook, and heard the sound of the tyres on the dirt illuminated only by the E6 headlight, the reasons why became apparent.

If it wasn't the pristine air of the rainforest, it was the sound of the rushing streams, or dodging the forest frogs that crossed my path on a regular basis, or the glow worms lighting up the undergrowth on the side of the road. I also had to unexpectedly dodge a cane toad -- not because I have any compassion for them, but because it was absolutely huge. These ugly, destructive creatures appear to be getting bigger all the time. Perhaps I should have stopped and kicked it. On the way home I even saw a rabbit trying to negotiate a roundabout at Robina -- I had to look twice to be sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Someone at Mudgeeraba was burning a little too much incense.

The overall feeling from the evening jaunt was that I had been away from these night rides for too long. The early morning rides that I had been doing virtually since my return from Scotland have been pleasant and rewarding, but there are delights in a night ride that just can't be found anywhere else -- even if I do make the effort to start before sunrise. I need the additional experiences, the special feeling that only comes from riding deserted roads while everyone else sleeps (or at least watches TV). This is why I paid for such expensive lighting in the first place.