2020 : Our Rides in Words, Photos & Videos

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It was all so very pleasant, this last day of no jackets and warm weather, so I took my time enjoying the views and enjoying my bike. I no longer run through the levels of assist anymore. I found that simply keeping the LaFree on the highest assist, and running through my gears instead, makes for a more pleasant ride with less attention having to be taken away from the ride to be paid to adjusting the bike's power. There is very little change in the amount of miles the battery was willing to provide at mid-assist (my former preferred level) and full assist. It was pretty much 32 to 35 miles per charge, either way. Thus, leaving the bike on the highest assist was to the utmost comfort of my knee, was well as my entire body. Now I only concern myself with my gearing, simplifying my ride altogether. Just like riding an analog bike, only better.
Thank you for this insight, I've wondered the same thing and thank you also for the lovely read. I felt like I was there with you.
 
Mother and child …

Kangaroo and Joey : Mural Painting : Mango Hill

Mango Hill
North of Brisbane
Another trailside scene from the Moreton Bay Trail; this time, a mother kangaroo and her joey.
 
There is nothing lower than bike theft, and nothing more cruel than to take a child's bike,

I tend to agree. Pretty rotten thing to do.

There is plenty that is lower than bike theft. Plenty. And it doesn't require a whole lot of imagination to find it, the available news alone should provide us with enough that shows some of the depths and depravity us humans are capable of unfortunately. Maybe someone took it in the hopes they will be able to sell it to buy food for their own child, which while not an excuse nor am I condoning such actions, without walking in such a persons shoes myself I would not be the one to cast the first stone. More likely, however, is that someone took the bike for their own child, or took it to feed their own habit. This is the world we live in.

For the person that had the bike taken, it is sad, doubly so for the child that probably can't yet understand why someone might do this. A harsh life lesson to learn at a young age.

If the worst I have to ever deal with is the loss of some of my 'toys', then I will consider myself fortunate indeed. People are of so much more value and I would gladly trade all of my belongings for a life spared.

Just my tuppence and I'll step down from my soap box now! Apologies if it comes across "preachy", that is certainly not my intention, but rather to try and keep it in perspective of the bigger picture.
 
There is plenty that is lower than bike theft. Plenty. And it doesn't require a whole lot of imagination to find it, the available news alone should provide us with enough that shows some of the depths and depravity us humans are capable of unfortunately. Maybe someone took it in the hopes they will be able to sell it to buy food for their own child, which while not an excuse nor am I condoning such actions, without walking in such a persons shoes myself I would not be the one to cast the first stone. More likely, however, is that someone took the bike for their own child, or took it to feed their own habit. This is the world we live in.

For the person that had the bike taken, it is sad, doubly so for the child that probably can't yet understand why someone might do this. A harsh life lesson to learn at a young age.

If the worst I have to ever deal with is the loss of some of my 'toys', then I will consider myself fortunate indeed. People are of so much more value and I would gladly trade all of my belongings for a life spared.

Just my tuppence and I'll step down from my soap box now! Apologies if it comes across "preachy", that is certainly not my intention, but rather to try and keep it in perspective of the bigger picture.
Of course, you bring out an excellent perspective.
 
An equine day. I am guessing that equine includes donkeys? But first, cute widdle ponies learning about traffic cones? Maybe they are getting used to the cones for a competition that involves cones? Who knows-- but there were ponies and traffic cones together in a small corral.
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A friend of the ponies had more room to roam.
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These are times of paranoia around here. A lady drove up and seemed a bit angry and wanted to know why I was taking pictures of her horses. I was on the public road, but I explained and got the OK. Here is her Appy, who was posing nicely.
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These two were each in their own patch of shade, squeezed between the fence and trailers. Today was a warm day. They didn't seem concerned at all about having their pictures taken.
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I shall finish with bovines, grazing next to the last cutting of hay for the year. We're having good weather for haying.
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While riding by the still to be picked apple orchards, the smell was driving me to stop and pick one, but one doesn't know what was used or when they were last sprayed and people are pretty worked up about things right now so I controlled my urge.

That's it.
 
The new bikeway …

Indooroopilly Riverwalk, Brisbane

Indooroopilly Riverwalk, Brisbane

I diverted from my next-to-the-motorway return from Wednesday's group ride and stumbled upon this bikeway under construction. It should be completed within a year.

Why wait? Fly over the the new riverwalk now …

Map - Indooroopilly Riverwalk Location


The new bikeway is between the 62 and 64 km markers on the map (photo looking SE from 63 km), clearly a much-needed link between the St Lucia Bikeway (SLB) to the university and the Western Freeway Bikeway (WFB) to the city.
 
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The new bikeway …

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Indooroopilly Riverwalk, Brisbane

I diverted from my next-to-the-motorway return from Wednesday's group ride and stumbled upon this bikeway under construction. It should be completed within a year.

Why wait? Fly over the the new riverwalk now …

View attachment 67109

The new bikeway is between the 62 and 64 km markers on the map (photo looking SE from 63 km), clearly a much-needed link between the St Lucia Bikeway (SLB) to the university and the Western Freeway Bikeway (WFB) to the city.
I love a bridge or bikeway, thats lovely, though I found that rendered video hard to watch, I kept feeling the 'cameraman' was going to crash into a bike.
 
Token cow picture plus a fuzzy caterpillar crossing the road. Clothes on the line always make me smile
 

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A bike dog afternoon. We did not get our usual ten miles in. I forgot that this road turns into a very, very rough and rocky beast of a road and after traveling down part of the nasty bit, I turned back. The snake was livelier when I went by the first time. In fact, I went so close without seeing it in time, I was expecting an ankle to get bitten. It was in a more ready position at that time. Don't know if it was a rattler. It was small and might not have any rattles, yet. It was just coiled and did not move at all when I stopped on the way back. I suspect it was stunned and perhaps runover by one of the several vehicles that went by. It was not smashed though. I left it well alone.

The Demon dog flushed out a large amount of wild turkeys, and they did not hold still for a picture. They did make a huge racket with lots of flapping and squawking. I had to set the taser to vibrate to get the demon back on the road again.

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A bike dog afternoon. We did not get our usual ten miles in. I forgot that this road turns into a very, very rough and rocky beast of a road and after traveling down part of the nasty bit, I turned back. The snake was livelier when I went by the first time. In fact, I went so close without seeing it in time, I was expecting an ankle to get bitten. It was in a more ready position at that time. Don't know if it was a rattler. It was small and might not have any rattles, yet. It was just coiled and did not move at all when I stopped on the way back. I suspect it was stunned and perhaps runover by one of the several vehicles that went by. It was not smashed though. I left it well alone.

The Demon dog flushed out a large amount of wild turkeys, and they did not hold still for a picture. They did make a huge racket with lots of flapping and squawking. I had to set the taser to vibrate to get the demon back on the road again.

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The eye patch and shape of head says definitely rattler. Although it is a species of rattler I am completely unfamiliar with. How on earth did you keep the demon dog away from it? Rattlers and my dog are one of my most prominent concerns.
 
The eye patch and shape of head says definitely rattler. Although it is a species of rattler I am completely unfamiliar with. How on earth did you keep the demon dog away from it? Rattlers and my dog are one of my most prominent concerns.

I grew up in rattler country and when I went by it the first time it definitely seemed to be one then I was wondering on the way back. I have no idea why the Demon Dog went by it TWICE without seeing it. I have no idea how she would act around a snake either. When I was a kid, our dogs had a distinct SNAKE bark and would keep the snake busy while we ran for the hoe or shotgun. The demon dog was busy looking for squirrels, I think.

I really think the snake was stunned because it just stayed in that position, no movement on my way back down. In fact, it should have moved on in all the time we were gone. It was quite lively and set to get me on my way up the road, and I really thought I was doomed. I think my dog got it riled up when she ran by. On the way back it seemed that something was not quite right with the snake. I was a safe distance away with the camera on zoom.
 
I grew up in rattler country and when I went by it the first time it definitely seemed to be one then I was wondering on the way back. I have no idea why the Demon Dog went by it TWICE without seeing it. I have no idea how she would act around a snake either. When I was a kid, our dogs had a distinct SNAKE bark and would keep the snake busy while we ran for the hoe or shotgun. The demon dog was busy looking for squirrels, I think.

I really think the snake was stunned because it just stayed in that position, no movement on my way back down. In fact, it should have moved on in all the time we were gone. Something was not quite right. I was a safe distance away with the camera on zoom.

I think you lucked out with the dog. When you see that eye patch you know it's a rattler. The second thing to look for is the 'raccoon tail'. stripes. His was tucked away but you could still see the stripes. He may have been damaged. Maybe got his tail run over and he was hurting.
 
A bike dog afternoon. We did not get our usual ten miles in. I forgot that this road turns into a very, very rough and rocky beast of a road and after traveling down part of the nasty bit, I turned back. The snake was livelier when I went by the first time. In fact, I went so close without seeing it in time, I was expecting an ankle to get bitten. It was in a more ready position at that time. Don't know if it was a rattler. It was small and might not have any rattles, yet. It was just coiled and did not move at all when I stopped on the way back. I suspect it was stunned and perhaps runover by one of the several vehicles that went by. It was not smashed though. I left it well alone.

The Demon dog flushed out a large amount of wild turkeys, and they did not hold still for a picture. They did make a huge racket with lots of flapping and squawking. I had to set the taser to vibrate to get the demon back on the road again.

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Careful, you and Demon Dog stay safe out there.
 
The lost banana …

Suttons Beach, Redcliffe, Moreton Bay

Suttons Beach
Redcliffe Peninsula
Thursday's ride was just another pleasant pootle up the bayside bikeway. At 8.20 am I took a break to eat a banana but became distracted by a pelican looking for somewhere to splashdown.

Of course, I forgot the banana, including it in the photo and then leaving it on the pannier rack. Ten kilometres later I remembered. It was gone!

The only feature that attracts me to R&M Homage (but not Rohloff!) is the suspended rack :) If I ever bought an R&M, it would be the Homage!

So much for the attraction of a suspended rack, Stefan. The Homage failed the forgotten banana test!

Trivia: The tidemark of flotsam on the beach is seagrass which grows in abundance in Moreton Bay and is the favourite (only?) food of dugongs.
 
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So much for the attraction of a suspended rack, Stefan. The Homage failed the forgotten banana test!
Haha!

When Jacek and I had our Big Day in the Czech Republic, there was the "Magnificent Descent" of 12 km. Prior to the descent, I had a cigarette. After we rode down at high speed to Hejnice and had lunch at the inn, I could not find my lighter. I approached my Vado where...

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...I found my lighter resting inside the "anatomic" part of the saddle.

It survived a crazy downhill ride under my backside for the whole way, including getting off the bike, and parking it! :D (Not recommended for banana storage though) ;)
 
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