Here is another image of the upper Nisqually Glacier, with the route lines drawn. The BLUE represents the line Hannah climbed on the Nisqually Icecliff. The PURPLE is a variation on the Nisqually Cleaver, and the GREEN is the standard Nisqually Cleaver Route.
As we drove down Highway 58, a dirt path leading off to some ranches caught my eye because of its unusual name: Shooting Star Road. On the way back from Shell Creek, we stopped at this road and saw spectacular masses of goldfields with scattered sky lupines mixed in. No shooting stars, but definitely gold.
I think Mom shoulda made a photoshow outta this adventure, because there are so many pictures of another one of my favorite places. Our county has an amazing string of lands set aside for doggies like me, Sammie, (and people too, cyclists, and, other furry creatures - some wild - and some not. I personally like the horses because of the delicious apples they leave behind. It was still a dark and stormy day, but the riverbed now has rushing water in it which makes me extremely happy. I got a lot done here yesterday - met some old friends, investigated the gopher holes, checked out the bridges to see if they were still safe for my peeps, and finally - FINALLY ran into my old golden buddies from last fall! Just seeing them made me kick up my heels in a frenzy. I get a total case of the woopies! This is when I run about 90 miles an hour around and around, making me, as well as anyone watching go totally dizzy with vertigo. In the last picture you can see Roddy's tongue in the corner trying just to stand as I race around him. That sure was fun. I was old mud-puppy again. When I got there, I was so clean (see below). When we got back to the car, I felt exhilarated and satiated. Mom and Dad massaged the mud off me with towels and I slept until dinner time. What a day! And super good cause Dad came home early from work! I hope I get to go back soon!
It seems like I've had more escapes than Ned Kelly this month (not that I'm complaining!). I found myself house-sitting in Brisbane last weekend (more on that later), which was an opportune time to jump on a train to Caboolture, one of the outer northern suburbs, and continue riding north. The plan had been to ride into the Glasshouse Mountains initially, but I got onto Old Gympie Road a little too soon (I think it was the wrong Old Gympie Road), and ended up taking a series of very pleasant, but utterly pointless detours.
Eventually I found my way again, and the views started opening up. This is an amazing part of Australia, with mountains all around, but none that apparently need to be ridden up.
Of course, this will never do for me -- I have to ride up mountains! So it was after I got to Beerwah that I decided to ride west, against another blistering headwind (although not as strong as yesterday's), before a long, gradual climb through the village of Peachester and beyond. I was going to come out here a month ago, except that I was struck down by illness at the time.
10km or so out of Peachester, the long gradual climb suddenly kicks up very steeply. The steep section is only 900 metres long, but it puts on around 130 metres in height during that time. Once this section is reached, however, the views begin to unfold all over the place.
Shortly after this I reached the town of Maleny. After hours of near isolation, it didn't take long for all those people to start getting to me. I made a decision to swing across to the other ridge and ride across through Montville and Mapleton, before the screaming descent into Nambour for the train home. I was also somewhat against the clock here, but now that the wind was a tailwind, I figured I could make it. The views on this ridge are even better, and the stretch out for miles on both sides.
There were also some sharp ups and downs, in this shot, the road climbing the next spur is visible in the distance. This ride-hugging road really is an inspiring experience.
There were umpteen other photo opportunities up here, but eventually it had to come to an end, although I would have preferred a more gradual descent into Nambour, at least a little longer to enjoy the views. The road screams down out of Mapleton very steeply. Of course, Nambour suffers from the same lack of signage that most Queensland towns seem to, but I was able to find my way around it instinctively (at least, find my way to the train station). Beyond that, there is little to tell, apart from the fact that the train back to the Gold Coast takes a long time (well, it does cover 200km or so). This is something I'll need to plan for in the future.
Right now, I'm wondering about taking a bike onto the Tilt Train, the high speed rail link to Rockhampton or other points north. I'll do some research when I get around to it. It could be an interesting long weekend option next year.
I've been so busy over the last few days that I almost completely forgot to mention something special that happened on Sunday. I set off for what should have been a regulation 60km "recovery ride" after Saturday's spectacular 142km. What I was left with were the remains of the previous night's rain throwing all sorts of spectacular shapes around in the form of clouds hanging around the surrounding mountains.
At the end of the valley is, of course, the short, pleasant walk through the rainforest to Cougal's Cascades. What occurred to me at this point was that I had not ventured out here in several months, despite the relative proximity of this place to many of the others I regularly visit. I really should rectify that in the future.
This weekend I'm lining up a weekend tour to Mt Barney, including a hike to the mysterious Mt Barney Falls. I know nothing about them, save that they are located somewhere near the Lower Portals in Mt Barney National Park. I also know from prior experience that the Mt Barney Lodge has one of the most scenic campgrounds in South East Queensland. That alone will justify the effort I'll go to for this tour. Anything else will be a bonus.
