2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

[RabH]

Suburbia …

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Diamantina Boulevard, Ipswich, QLD​

My Friday evening ride was a quick reconnect with my R&M Homage which, a few hours before, had been released from its latest prolonged hospitalisation (five weeks this time). All went well.

As I rode back along the rail trail shafts of sunlight were beaming down from behind the clouds which, in turn, were behind the houses lining the rail trail. Backyard fences are scarcely photogenic, especially the sides that the residents hardly ever see! I pedalled on to where I would have a less obtrusive foreground. The numinous shafts of light had faded but, fortunately, the main access road to the housing estate didn't intrude.

This suburban view is typical of many new developments around Australian cities. In a few decades from now, the bush in the background will most likely have been 'developed', too.

The concrete path in the distance is a new cycleway to the local school – still too new for the concrete to have become a dingy grey.

Today's Trivia: Diamantina Boulevard is named after Lady Diamantina Bowen, the Contessa di Roma, from the United States of the Ionian Isles. Let that put the other 'United States' in its place!​

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Judging by the number of places named after her, Diamantina, wife of Queensland's first Governor, must have been a hugely admired person!​

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(Gotta love the way suburban husbands turn their garages into workshops and then have to park their cars outside!)

I'm glad you have the Homage back again, I hope it will give you trouble free riding this time! Amazing photo with those stunning clouds, I think the kids will need e bikes to get up that slope!

 

[Cowlitz]

22 miles today. The first section with a headwind, and then, the wind did not switch like it has on past rides, so I had a tailwind home.

Apple picking is going like crazy around here. It's hard work. You have a canvas picking bag on a kind of harness. You work from a ladder and fill the bag, climb down, empty it into the big bin, and climb back up. Ladder placement can make a big difference in your speed, and money. You must not break the spur, which is attached to the stem. It will have apples on it next year. You must be careful not to bruise the apples. Shippers want perfect fruit.

The weather changed and there was a drop in temperature. I stopped here and put on a sweater. There were horses, but no cows today.

 

[Sierratim]

We've been wildfire smoke free all week! I finished the week with just over 112 miles. No record breaker, but the 12,230 feet of climbing was! My last ride of the week was a tour of the nearby town's murals. All of these local murals were privately funded, no public $ involved.

The local movie house had this mural painted on it's parking lot side in 2007. It depicts a mining history and a present based on the local rivers and trails. The painted figure at the bottom was the Pres of the Downtown Assoc who was instrumental in getting this mural approved and funded with donations. He wasn't a part of the City approved mural, but they saw the humor in having him read an electric meter so he stayed. This mural replaced an original large heart shaped mural that in its center said, "Grass Valley Heart of the Gold Country". The Del Oro theater was restored a few years back to its original 40's era art deco elegance. It's been closed since MAR due to the 'pest'. A round of donations and a street side snack bar is keeping them going so far. Graphic from artist's rendering.

The Del Oro mural started a trend downtown. A group of high school students painted this mural a few years later.

This is painted on the side of what once was a downtown hardware store, complete with tall rolling ladders, nails by the pound, and clerks that could actually help you. It depicts local history including Chinese immigrants and their role in building the Transcontinental Railroad over the Sierras and then settling in mining towns. The phone recognizes the first long distance phone line that originated in nearby French Corral in 1878. The story continues further down the mural...

This one was painted to recognize those among us with diminished mental capacities.

The wording reads, "We All Get Lost Inside Our Minds". It's painted on the side of a downtown weekly room rental that houses a number of locals that might otherwise be homeless. On a different note, this mural over looks the parking lot for the local Odd Fellows Hall...

This one is on one of two main streets through downtown on the side of what I believe is now a real estate office.

City staff thought it might be a bit too 'new age', but locals prevailed. Hey, marijuana's legal now so what the heck...

This is the newest mural, still in-pocess.

On the side of a sourdough bakery this mural depicts Lola Montez, a Gold Rush era entertainer of some 'repute' that made her fame as a Spanish dancer. Born in Ireland as Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld, she like tens of thousands of others was attracted to gold. I've read that enthusiastic miners would throw gold nuggets on the stages where she performed. The only home she ever owned is preserved in Grass Valley,CA. This mural was funded by a commission by the building's roofing contractor and donations by a local paint shop.

I don't doubt that more murals are to come. Stay tuned, as they say...

Sorry, no cows or horses...

 

[rdowns]

@Sierratim those are lovely. A town next to me has some awesome alley art, it changes regularly, I need to get myself down to see what's new. Thank you for the pic. People are so talented

 

[Sierratim]

@Sierratim those are lovely. A town next to me has some awesome alley art, it changes regularly, I need to get myself down to see what's new. Thank you for the pic. People are so talented

The in-process mural is being painted by "mural artist Ursula Young". Who knew there were mural artists... But I am glad there are.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Acting innocent …

Mount Morgan State School​

I think the magpie on the left is the appointed lookout for cyclists!

Maggies are wonderful songsters with only a small, but by no means insignificant, minority intent on being spiteful towards cyclists during spring.

 

[rdowns]

Acting innocent …

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Mount Morgan State School​

I think the magpie on the left is on the lookout for cyclists!

Maggies are wonderful songsters and only a small, but by no means insignificant, minority are after our blood during spring.

The detail in that is amazing. We have magpies here ,too. They are very cheeky sometimes and very beautiful.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

@Cowlitz: Interesting story on apple-picking. I'd love to see how it is done in our Apple-Tree Land. Unfortunately, some rain season has just started here...

@Sierratim, @David Berry: Your post gave me great time during the morning coffee!

 

[Sierratim]

@Cowlitz: Interesting story on apple-picking. I'd love to see how it is done in our Apple-Tree Land. Unfortunately, some rain season has just started here...

@Sierratim, @David Berry: Your post gave me great time during the morning coffee!

Late evening here. Time for bed. Good night all.

 

[Chargeride]

There's always something worse. Right now, my next door neighbors have SIX cars. They've bladed out an extra spot in their yard but must fit a couple or three on the street, and they aren't the best parkers.

Thats us, luckily we have plenty of road parking space that doesnt block the road or peoples view, we live at the end and I park my van next to a big fence.
My 'work' van..wifes car ,my car, her classic beetle..daughters car.
Im just an ordinary joe and we can afford that.
It makes me laugh when people complain about the status of their lives in the west....stop comparing yourself to millionaires!
I wont even go into destroying the planet...at least Ive got an ebike.

 

[Chargeride]

My friend bought a small lipo emergency 'get you home' battery.
Stuck it in his back pocket and.
Well...

Dont know the full details yet, except he's OK.

 

[Cowlitz]

@Cowlitz: Interesting story on apple-picking. I'd love to see how it is done in our Apple-Tree Land. Unfortunately, some rain season has just started here...

@Sierratim, @David Berry: Your post gave me great time during the morning coffee!

I can't believe how many different varieties of apples exist now. I like the new, patented, Cosmic Crisp for eating fresh. They just came out last year. I rely on my old standard Golden Delicious for apple sauce making but....but.....there is a shortage of jar lids right now for home canning. Luckily, because of the way apples are stored, I can get a box of Goldens pretty much all year. I wanted to get some right from a local orchardist though. I ordered some jar lids from Amazon but I am not really expecting them to arrive. This is a disappointing year for quite a few activities.

 

[RabH]

When I woke this morning it was -3C so I had an extra hour in bed until it warmed up to 0C, 2 extra layers added and off I set into the cold air, no wind at all so it didn't feel so bad! I soon warmed up though with the first climb of the day and I was now in my stride and enjoying the crisp air which is very refreshing! It looks like we are going straight to winter this year, it really is one of those years...

50 miles later and 3,349 ft of climbing and I was pretty tired, no real surprise after covering almost 200 miles this week! I'm edging closer to 5,000 miles, only 188 to go so if the weather plays ball I might make it this coming week! My 5,349 mile record from 2012 is ever closer, all thanks to this wonderful e bike! I went a bit crazy with the photos today, this is just a small sample!

 

[Art Deco]

When I woke this morning it was -3C so I had an extra hour in bed until it warmed up to 0C, 2 extra layers added and off I set into the cold air, no wind at all so it didn't feel so bad! I soon warmed up though with the first climb of the day and I was now in my stride and enjoying the crisp air which is very refreshing! It looks like we are going straight to winter this year, it really is one of those years...

50 miles later and 3,349 ft of climbing and I was pretty tired, no real surprise after covering almost 200 miles this week! I'm edging closer to 5,000 miles, only 188 to go so if the weather plays ball I might make it this coming week! My 5,349 mile record from 2012 is ever closer, all thanks to this wonderful e bike! I went a bit crazy with the photos today, this is just a small sample!

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Amazing the way the camera flattens the landscape in your pictures...over 3300 ft of elevation gain and it looks flat...hope the ebike made it feel flat, too.

 

[RabH]

Amazing the way the camera flattens the landscape in your pictures...over 3300 ft of elevation gain and it looks flat...hope the ebike made it feel flat, too.

Very true, some of the photos have 10% gradients but the camera doesn't show it! I was using eco all day so some of the climbs were hard work!

 

[Rizzo20]

When I woke this morning it was -3C so I had an extra hour in bed until it warmed up to 0C, 2 extra layers added and off I set into the cold air, no wind at all so it didn't feel so bad! I soon warmed up though with the first climb of the day and I was now in my stride and enjoying the crisp air which is very refreshing! It looks like we are going straight to winter this year, it really is one of those years...

50 miles later and 3,349 ft of climbing and I was pretty tired, no real surprise after covering almost 200 miles this week! I'm edging closer to 5,000 miles, only 188 to go so if the weather plays ball I might make it this coming week! My 5,349 mile record from 2012 is ever closer, all thanks to this wonderful e bike! I went a bit crazy with the photos today, this is just a small sample!

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RabH, I don't know if its mentioned before but what app is that tracking your trip? I haven't been to find an app that calculated the grade % .

 

[fooferdoggie]

A nice ride out into the country side outside portland Oregon. before it starts raining. mostly Christmas Tree farms and some pigs. goofed on the mount hood pic with a telephone pole in the middle of it (G) the start of the ride on the bike path . a huge house in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Mulezen]

Stopped at Miz Hicks' farm to see her Charolais' resting like so many big white rocks. Notice her signage...she suffers no fools

The three bears, more cows, soybeans dry in field

 

[MechaNut]

As far as apples go, I'm a big fan of the local variety of apple which is called the Empire (New York State is called The Empire State).
Today was an absolutely gorgeous day so a good friend and I went for a ride on the Erie Canal. This picture was taken at our mid ride stop for drinks and a snack. We went with Stewarts Orange Cream Soda (tastes like drinking a creamsicle) and a nice sized oatmeal and chocolate chip cookie to refuel. A dirty bike is a happy bike.

 

[Deleted member 18083]

No rain today …

The Bog Hole
Pine Mountain, Queensland​

I often take a break at this almost forgotten shelter in the country. The only other people I've seen using it are the council workers contracted to keep it mown and tidy. Thank you.