After the gale

We had gales here on Saturday, and this was one result - the entrance to the University of Edinburgh's George Square Gardens blocked by a large fallen branch. There's a pale wound on the side of the tree where the branch tore off.

Why do hard and dangerous climbs?

Learning moves on a project. Photo: Steven Gordon
We can all readily appreciate the beauty of rock and the shapes it gives to the world, we just have to travel through the landscape. If we want to dig deeper, we can travel over mountains and look at them. A visual interaction with the rock.
Rock climbing is a deeper interaction with the rock. The medium of movement on rock allows us to crack open the beauty of rock not fully visible to the eye and get more back.
The harder the rock climb, the more we have to understand the rock to move, the more we learn. The more dangerous the rock climb, the more we have to understand the rock so we can stay alive.
The hardest and most dangerous climbs are the most meaningful, but they come at a cost most rock climbers wouldn’t dare to pay. Every climber finds their own balance of cost and reward.

The climb formerly known as...

Since I've now done nothing for two weeks (more on that later), it's probably time for some "filler" on this blog, being a report from a ride back on April 26. I set off with Martin for a 180km ride through Northern New South Wales, knowing full well that I already had 280km in my legs from the last two days. I'm nothing if not up for a challenge, and the wind threw that at us early in the morning, with a screaming southerly wind trying it's hardest to halt our progress. As we were both already a little sore and sorry from the previous two days, we opted not to attack it, but take our time down the coastal strip, until we found the protection of the rainforest of Urliup.

The wind seemed to ease off, and the ride settled down as these things tend to do. We climbed over a couple of hills on Round Mountain road, with some great views back over Murwillumbah, before heading for the dirt, switchback climb over Cudgera Creek. While this isn't exactly a massive climb, it is very beautiful, with the dirt road snaking back and forth through the Burringbar range, alternating between rainforest and sweeping views in various directions. Maybe I should head for the Andes in South America and see if I can find a climb like this that lasts all day. One day...

After this it was time for a screaming descent into Burringbar, where a couple of stretches revealed that I felt absolutely fine, and the stretch into the wind was almost over. Did I say "almost" over? Maybe I was taking the section between Billinudgel and Main Arm a little lightly. The combination of westerly wind (yes, it was swinging around ominously), gradual climb and the worst section of chip seal in Australia slowed our progress for the next 10km or so. My progress was almost halted completely on the final descent into Main Arm itself when I totally misjudged a corner -- fortunately nobody was around to see me or hit me.

Now it was time for the climb formerly known as Mt Jerusalem -- largely because it passes through Mt Jerusalem National Park. We actually discovered the real one two years ago -- then earlier this year I discovered that it's now impossible to get through to it anymore. We now have to make do with the fake. Still, the climb over the fake is as beautiful as climbs get, at least from the southern side, with the dirt road winding through the rainforest, and a gradient that only reaches 13% (compared to 19% on the other side). I took my time and enjoyed it, and the ride through the cool forest at the top. I really need to come back here in the coming months to reacquaint myself with some of the attractions in the National Park.
We negotiated the screaming descent on the dirt into Uki, for some reason this one always scares me, even though I've never managed to crash on it (yet), and prepared for the ride home. The wind was still from the south-west, and this was promising to be only my third southern ride in two years to finish with a tailwind. The stretch to Murwillumbah was pleasant and uneventful, except that it confirmed my suspicions about the wind. Now it was time for the final climb over Tomewin, for the third time on the weekend. I actually struggled early on the climb, before finding my rhythm and cruising over the steep (11%) section.
With Tomewin safely in the bag for another day, it was now time to mop up the remaining kilometres, including another descent on which I almost misjudged a corner, and ride home with the tailwind. When we got back into Suburbia I decided to launch a stupid, crazy attack which served no real purpose other than to get the boring bit of the ride finished a little sooner (that's probably a notable goal in itself), and at the finish we were left to reflect on what had been a memorable long weekend. I hope there are plenty more like that to come.

Bike breaking ride

I suppose I should just be glad this happened before next weekend's 600k ride and not during it. The catalogue of things I've been forced to replace and/or repair on my bike this year is becoming quite extensive. I suppose the bright side of all this is that I've developed some new skills in repairs and/or simply coping with various problems.
This morning I headed for Springbrook, a ride that was something of a compromise. My legs wanted big km, but I'm supposed to be resting before the 600k, so I decided on a short ride which just happens to climb a mountain. Early on everything seemed to be OK. I handled the climb comfortably, and Springbrook turned on yet another glorious day, even if a little chilly. This place is known for it's waterfalls, but they weren't really at their spectacular best in the middle of the dry season. Cue a display of little-known wildflowers providing a burst of colour. After 11 years, I'm wondering if there is any thing that mountain can't do.


Even the local wildlife came out to greet me...

... even if I wasn't quite fast enough to take a picture of that Albert Lyrebird (note: the only known habitat of this species in the entire world is the Gold Coast Hinterland).
It was at the start of the ride home that the problems started. I noted the gearing at the rear wasn't shifting as it should. I made an adjustment to the rear derailleur, noting that I may have to replace a gear cable in the near future. Somewhere while descending a 7% gradient I heard a crack from my rear rack. It turns out the light mount I'd made for the rack had broken off (note: it wasn't my handywork that broke -- the bolt and the connection I had made was still intact, it was the metal itself that snapped). Incidentally, that was the rack I'd bought in Dunedin, after 600km of carrying a full touring load on another rack that I'd broken some days previously.
I salvaged what I could of the light, which may prevent me having to buy a replacement if I can assemble something from my garage. Further down the mountain the gear cable gave out completely. I was down to just two gears for the last 30km or so to get home. Granted, home was at a lower altitude, but there were still some nasty pinches around Mudgeeraba, not to mention the sea breeze from the coast to deal with. I now have a new found respect for people who ride singlespeed bikes.
As predicted, some of the hills around Mudgeeraba caused more difficulty than they normally would -- and it just had to be show day with the resultant traffic issues on a day when maintaining momentum was of unusual importance. However, in a grim kind of way, I was starting to enjoy the chase, the challenge of it all, and knowing that this ride had now transcended the usual "up and back" ride to Springbrook. I was actually a little disappointed to get back on the coast and out of the hills. Cruising along the flat, while easier, just didn't have the same interest -- even if a couple of red lights did provide some unexpected difficulty.
It's clear that I need to deal with this rack. It's been a problem since I bought it, and it just doesn't seem to be strong enough to cope with my demands. For the time being I think I'll swap the rack on my MTB over and use that. It seems to be a little more sturdy. This also means that I need to create a new mount for a tail light on the rack so I can continue to run two of them (the other attaches to a special hole cut into my saddlebag), but such is life. Maybe I'll start to look upon all these repairs as a grim kind of chase.
Finally (at last I hear you cry), it appears as though I've been tagged again. This time Allez is responsible. I'll deal with it tomorrow. Right now I need some sleep.

Stupid cows

Stupid cows.

Stupid cows.

Stupid cows!
Ack! The neighbor's stupid cows are back! The game camera was full of pictures of cows.
Actually the cows aren't stupid. They're pretty smart -- they know their owner doesn't maintain his fences. I'm just saying "stupid" because I don't want to cuss on the blog.
I was gone all day, so the cows had plenty of time to do some real damage. Then they came back again overnight, and were in the garden before it was even light outside. (Nocturnal cows!)
I considered myself lucky not to have to wash the dog this time, though.

Thank You

Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for your very thoughtful, kind comments about Terra. Her mom, Sue, conveys her thanks too. Terra's mom is doing remarkably well - she is tough and resilient, but still, of course, so sad. She has been keeping close company with Shanti in the last couple of days - I know Shanti is a comforting presence. This is a photo of me and Terra playing in Marinwood Creek - Terra (r) and me (with the kong, duh!). Me and my family are still a little shell-shocked; losing, really, two of my three good doggie pals here in "homeland" in just two months feels like too much. Mom's going to do a little research on this "hemang...." disease over the next couple of days. Thank you again so much for your generous outpouring of kind thoughts.
Love and Hugs xo,
Sammie and family

Yumzers!

Mom took us to Miller Creek a few days ago, thinking that we needed a run (and we did), but... once we discovered the gifts on the forest floor, we stopped our runnin' to investigate...
These are pretty awful pictures of us, but you can see us nosing around the leaves for something...
And here's a short movie of what we are doing...

And below... what. we. are. nomming. on. Yumzers!

CAMBA Trails - Telemark

Today was the first day of scoping out the CAMBA (Chequamemon Area Mountain Bike Association) Mountain Bike Trail System. The CAMBA trails area located in NW Wisconsin. The Trails System boasts some 300 trails, utilizing paved and grave, roads, fire roads, ski trails, single and double track bicycle trails.
The trail system is divided into "clusters". A cluster will be comprised of a couple of trail heads and the trails emanating from those trail heads. The clusters are located near the towns from which their names come - Hayward, Seeley, Cable, Drummond, Delta, and Namakagon.
Before coming up here, I checked out the CAMBATrails.org web site. Here, you can view and print trail maps. However to ride these trails, I recommend buying the CAMBA Map packages. These maps will be MUCH more readable than the ones coming off your printer!
For a first look at the trails, I selected the Telemark trails of the Cable Cluster. The main reason is that there was no parking fee at that trail head. There is a $5 parking fee at Sawyer County parks trail heads.
Yesterday I stopped by the Hatchery Creek trail head (a Sawyer County park). There you see a location with envelopes and a drop-box for paying fees. The envelopes showed monies went to a ski group and a $10 fee. For me, that is a bit high. So, i stopped in the Hayward Lakes Visitors Center. They called the county and told me the fee is $5. But, this weekend (Saturday/Sunday) all trails in Wisconsin are fee free (guess because its National Trails Day).
Telemark has been a Nordic ski resort out of Cable, WI. Recently the lodge was closed. But the trails are open.
The directions on the CAMBA map is easy to follow as far as parking. I had some problems making sure where the trail starts. I had decided to ride the "Out and Back" trail - a short trail to check out the terrain. The photo above is of "Out and Back".

The topology of the region gently rolling hills. No "mountains" here, but some good climbs.
The trails is a combination of bike trail down ski trail and singletrack. Most of the trail I was able to ride. I should have been able to ride all of the section I rode, had my legs a little weak from the pavement ride a couple days ago. That and not sure were I was going as I was riding on unfamiliar trails.
Telemark trails has ATV, ski, and bicycle trails. Each group going their own way. I started to understand the signage, but did not to go too far. Headed back to the motel after a paltry 3 miles.
Nap time (I had not slept well last night) then dinner at the Angry Minnow (a sponsor of Festival of the Trails). The Angry Minnow is on Hwy 63 about 4 blocks south of junction of 63 and 27. Its an old lumber company office building. The lower photo is of the Angry Minnow.

The prodigal returns

Well clearly it's been a while between posts. I spent a month in Tasmania as planned, and had a great time, but I haven't been able to post about it due to a computer suffering a functionality phobia. Consequently I have some posts to catch up on. The most recent thing I've been dealing with is the usual searing heat that I simply can't stand. As the picture above shows, the haze from the humidity was obvious from the top of Springbrook. It's days like this, when the humidity effectively means the sun doesn't shine properly all day, that are just generally unpleasant.

As it was, I decided to head for the summit of the mountain, knowing that at least the descent would be a lot cooler. It was, too. Officially a climb the size of Springbrook should wipe 6.5 degrees (c) off the temperature, in practice, the gap almost always seems to be much higher than that -- especially if you've managed to cover yourself in sweat on the climb.

With that in mind, I decided to spend some more time on the higher points, heading for Goomoolahra falls on the Eastern side of the escarpment. This place was famous for a drunken idiot walking off the edge of the cliff and falling 100 metres to his death a couple of years ago, and as useful as that event is, I still prefer to focus on the sight of the waterfall next to the cliff face. The views can be even better at a slightly lower point of the falls sequence, but I didn't have time on this particular day. I just had to enjoy what I had, such is life.

Kirby Hall from Gretton

About 4 miles there and back - to the road entrance on Kirby Lane

Kirby Hall in afternoon sunCamera-shy peacock

Pelicans A-Preening … and More

Fort Pickens Campground — Gulf Islands National Seashore (GINS), Florida
Temps: Lo 65F / Hi 72F (18C / 22C)

Woke up to a golden sunrise this morning … none of the pastel pinks and lavenders of yesterday.

We hurried through breakfast to get out there while the sun was still shining. Didn’t quite make it, but the sun peeked through occasionally, so we’re not complaining. Besides, the afternoon was filled with sunshine, making us a couple of happy campers.

We went our separate ways this morning — I strolled along Pensacola Bay … only 2½ miles (4 km) this time; Mui did a 10-mile (16 km) trike ride. Then we joined forces at home, putting out the awning and enjoying the warm afternoon and light breeze until the late afternoon chill drove us inside.

Since it was a quiet day with not much to write about, I’ll just share some photos from my walk this morning and call it a day.

No mirror-smooth waters on the Bay today.

As the light changes, so does the colors and mood of Pensacola Bay.

We’re late … we’re late … for a very important date.
While these two willets were rushing off to find breakfast …

… this willet was patiently waiting at the edge of the surf for breakfast
to be delivered by the waves.

At least one of these willets isn't going hungry. Can you see which one?

The small shorebirds were busy flitting about and weren’t about to stop and pose for me. The pelicans, on the other hand, having had their fill of the bounty of the bay, were pretty relaxed, preening their feathers near the pier. They were quite tolerant of my presence, allowing me to slowly approach and sit with them for a while.

All of these brown pelicans are juveniles …

… except for the one on the right, which is a non-breeding adult.
I have to admit that is my favorite photo from today’s stroll.

This Portuguese man o' war is not afraid to show its feminine side with a
fringe of pink frills along its sail.

On my way back to the loop E beach access, a cacophony attracted my attention. Several hundred feet off shore there was a bird convention in the making.

All those tiny white dots out there that were raising such a ruckus …

turn out to be gulls (I think Bonaparte’s) keeping company with some loons Mergansers.

The gulls take off in a flurry of white, leaving the loons mergansers behind.
[thanks, Judy for the correction.]

26-second video of Willets feeding; with a snippet of the gull and
loon merganser convention at the end.
(My videographer was off triking, so you’ll have to excuse my amateurish efforts.)

And to show that it’s possible to capture wildlife photos from our campsite …

I heard this armadillo scratching around a tree behind our site. It did not
cooperate for a photo op, but you can make out its head and ears if you look closely.
(Unlike the armadillo we came across the other day, this one stuck around for a
while, and even allowed me to approach within a reasonable distance.)

I found these visitors perched on the top edge of our wetbay door when I opened it.
I thought green tree frogs at first, but they seldom come down apparently except to
mate; so I’m not sure. There were four of these tiny critters, but two of them hopped
away in the time it took me to get my camera. the one on the left is today’s “The End” shot!