2019 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Maps

30 miles yesterday in the afternoon, one of the last nice days before the rest of the week gets mired in cold and frigid weather that is moving down into Virginia like an express train from Canada and across the Great Lakes of the upper Midwest (US) . My route was half gravel roads (which necessitated slow travel) and half paved (which encouraged some ripping 20mph fun), so my 2 hour ride averaged a rather decent 15mph. Which was good because I had an engagement later, so could not devote a lot of time to tarry with stopping and smelling the roses, but had by necessity to keep those pedals cranking. Lots of endless rolling hills and terrain as my battery would testify. Certainly not a cakewalk.

However, there is a whimsical little sign enroute that I never pass, no matter how much of a hurry I may be in, without stopping, looking, and hoping it would come true. My apologies to Ogden Nash for his humorous inspiration to the following poem (which, by the way, was rather fun to write):

I think that I shall never see
A sign of such deceit as thee
Although you tell me to beware
I've looked and looked yet see no bear


Each time I pass I'm quick to slow
And park my bike to search high and low
For any sight of fur or paw
Yet all I see is ... nothing at all


Only woods and trees which refuse to show
What lies beyond and thus convince me so
That unless these trees decide to fall
I'll never see a bear at all.

BearCrossingSign.jpg
 
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The invisible Divide …
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A smoke-filled sky over a parched land limited visibility from the top of Evans Hill. Usually, I can see clear to the Great Dividing Range – four or five times more distant than the conical hill just left of centre. (Click for view in April.)

High temperatures, steady winds, low humidity and almost no rain for months have brought on extreme fire danger conditions in eastern Australia. Smoke hangs over the land from the fires that did start.

I cut this ride short when weather conditions became too unpleasant.

Ride : 65 km / 2019 : 14,162 km
It’s hard to click “like” on a scene like this but it’s a fascinating photo.
 
Country Road #1 …
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I enjoy riding country roads. Farm boundaries from long ago so often determine their route; traffic is light, shade is common and, if we're lucky, they'll have been graded sometime during the last year.

Marburg District, Queensland.
 
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The South Pacific was a bit off-colour today …
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Blooms of blue-green algae are a natural occurrence in subtropical waters during spring and summer; but whether 'bloom' and 'algae' are any more accurate than 'blue-green' is difficult to establish. Photo at 24 km.

The local media (Murdoch tabloids?) exort their followers to avoid swallowing the scum or getting it in their eyes. Oh, really! Look; don't touch (or topple in while taking a selfie).

It'll all be gone next week. Probably.

Ride : 102 km / 2019 : 14,279 km
 
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The South Pacific was a bit off-colour today …
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Blooms of blue-green algae are a natural occurrence in subtropical waters during spring and summer; but whether 'bloom' and 'algae' are any more accurate than 'blue-green' is difficult to establish. Photo at 24 km.

The local media (Murdoch tabloids?) exort their followers to avoid swallowing the scum or getting it in their eyes. Oh, really! Look; don't touch (or topple in while taking a selfie).

It'll all be gone next week. Probably.

Ride : 102 km / 2019 : 14,279 km
David you are a cycling beast! My odometer shows 14,237 km but that took me an extra 2 months and it is starting to feel like I am cycling for a living. Plus I believe you are 10 years older than me!
 
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The South Pacific was a bit off-colour today …
View attachment 41436
Blooms of blue-green algae are a natural occurrence in subtropical waters during spring and summer; but whether 'bloom' and 'algae' are any more accurate than 'blue-green' is difficult to establish. Photo at 24 km.

The local media (Murdoch tabloids?) exort their followers to avoid swallowing the scum or getting it in their eyes. Oh, really! Look; don't touch (or topple in while taking a selfie).

It'll all be gone next week. Probably.

Ride : 102 km / 2019 : 14,279 km

We call that the Crimson Tide in the states!
 
No longer missed …
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For almost a decade my road bike friends and I rode straight past this little trawler without giving it more than a moment's notice. With an ebike, my perspective has changed: if there's a distraction, I stop and appreciate it. It's life in the slow lane and I'm better for it.
 
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Just back from a mini-holiday tasting the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, near Naramata, BC. Only saw 3 other people the entire day (50 plus kilometres). Such a gorgeous trail!
 

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Country Road #2 …
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Old tractors were always red, weren't they? Apart from the grey ones. Now their presence has been enhanced by those outsize green monsters with bright yellow wheels that are so beloved by agribusiness and hobby farmers.

Pine Mountain, Queensland.

Ride : 15 km (Which means that this scene is close to home.)
 
New day; new ride …
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Nudgee Beach is a common stopping place on my coastal rides, either as the turnaround point of a long ride from Ipswich (when it’s the only place I'll be at the sea) or, more commonly, a few kilometres into a ride as it was when this early morning photo was taken.

Ride : 115 km / 2019 : 14,615 km
 
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New day; new ride …
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Nudgee Beach is a common stopping place on my coastal rides, either as the turnaround point of a long ride from Ipswich (when its the only place I'll be at the sea) or, more commonly, a few kilometres into a ride as it was when this early morning photo was taken.

Ride : 115 km / 2019 : 14,615km
Beautiful!
 
A shortcut through the city …
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I'm sure some of those buildings weren't there last time. More and more people = more and more buildings?

Below the motorways you can glimpse a short section of the pedestrian/cycleway running along the left bank of the Brisbane River.

Kurilpa Bridge, Brisbane.
 
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Riverside bikeway through Brisbane …
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Click photo to fill screen.
Right bank of Brisbane River (directly opposite last photo) —
  • State Library (centre), Gallery of Modern Art (right).
  • Pedestrian/cycling boardwalk over the river.
  • The trees sprouting out of the water are Brisbane's ubiquitous mangroves.
 
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