Noosa and Neil Armstrong

I'm working my way through supper while camped by a full moonlit lake at Boreen Point, 20 k North of Noosa with no wind and water lapping gently on the sandy beach. It.s probably about 18 degrees which is the comfort zone for me - at least that.s what I set heating for in icy Canberra winters. It's a tranquil settlement and reminds me of Lake Learmonth, Victoria in it's character, albeit several times larger, where I spent Summer holidays with the Ballarat cousins.

So apt that we have a full moon while hearing of Neil Armstrong's passing at 82 after complications from a heart operation. For the unknowing, he was the first astronaut to land on the moon in '69. How do I know? Well .... i excelled enough in Maths and Science to get a three-year scholarship and I supplemented this by giving class lectures on the full Apollo space program. My poor fellow students must have been bored stupid by a thirteen-year-old's enthusiastic explanation of jet propulsion, orbit trajectory and time take to get to the moon and back. But I will always be able to show the Sea of Tranquility where Apollo 11 landed.

After spending three solid days catching up with family and friends in Brisbane and getting bike bits, Noosa on the Sunshine Coast has been a surprise for me. Despite the horrendous traffic I weaved my way up and down several hills to find the Noosa Junction. I was told to expect the main street to be lined with sports and luxury cars of all descriptions but that's what I saw in Coolangatta not here.

Cyclists get to go first - I like the balance!

It's a very clean and tidy regional centre but obviously with a lot of quiet money. And quite frankly much cheaper that Canberra for morning breakfast choices.I also met some lovely kindred spirits, Roberta, and Mary and Dave; with youthful looks that hide their true age due to their long commitment to cycling and fitness. My new friend Roberta kindly arranged for me to 'camp' in her friend's yard which backs on to native forest. No snakes came out to great me. So now it's time for desert and an early night before the ride to Gympie and Hervey Bay on the first day of Spring. To quote a wonderful film - 'While armchair travelers dream of travelling, travelling armchairs dream of staying put'

Burning the sugar cane

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Mullumbimby, Subarus and Mt Warning

I'd always heard of the attraction for certain lifestylers to the Northern Rivers region of NE NSW. According to a local there was a rush back in the 80's of 50+ Sydney dwellers to up and leave the big city for a more relaxed and potentially alternative lifestyle in this region. They would sell their home, leave their jobs and try their chances up here - problem - there were already too many 'therapists' in Byron Bay already.

Some have returned back to their city life. It's not always a good idea to move to that favorite place where you spent your last holiday. I did enjoy my short stay in the region, following the Mullumbimby and Uki markets, camping near Mt Warning and enjoying its spectacular 360 degree views.

Getting to the peak involved a loooooonngg 3.6 km ride at a 30 degree inline followed by a 2 and a half hour hike zig-zagging the South and East sides.I politely took the group of Japanese/Spanish portraits for tourists and pointed towards the NE and told them how Japanese money built Surfers Paradise. I learnt some Japanese and Spanish survival words along the way and tips for next year's trek through the Pyrenees.

Trend Trivia - Maybe it's because I've owned several Subarus and notice them but they're everywhere in this region. I believe Canberra has the honor of having more Subarus per population, and Tasmania having the most Foresters per population. I think Northern Rivers wins the prize.

Tonight's music - Shostakovich Cello Concerto

Tonight's menu - Jenny's Chilli tuna with rice and green capsicum (a tasty, healthy and easy dish for camping)

Tonight's reading - Sherlock Holmes - Hound of the Baskervilles

 

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Downpours, native pea and Byron Bay

Well here I am a week into the journey and resting up for two days in the eclectic Byron Bay. Despite three days of tropical downpours on the first leg from Newcastle to Taree my tenacity has allowed me to pass the test of resilience in awful conditions. Both rider and bike survived. Would I rather sit in an office – I don’t think so. Already looking for shade in August!

Byron welcomes traveller

You tend to be a conversation magnet for passing folk on the highways and towns who will ask where you’ve been and where you’re heading. I even asked one couple what day it was and the date – that sounds like a good thing as i am not really trying to get anywhere in a specific time but making sure I’m camped before dark.

Native Pea Flower

One night I camped in a lovely quiet forest beside the cemetery and invited the ‘friendlies’ resident in the cemetery for a cuppa but they politely declined although we did have some nice ‘down-to-earth’ conversations about life in Coondalook during the past century and a half. Next comes Mullumbimby, Mt Warning and the who knows...

Little house on the Newcastle prairie - good fix-er-up project

Today's music - Carl Vine Symphony 4.2 (he's a Tassie composer who builds web sites for a living - an awesome piece!)

Today's reading - Cycling Touring Guide what to do if bits break.
Tonight's movie on the IPad - 88 minutes - Al Pacino the Seattle forensic psychologist

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Mr Bean's holiday adventure

There are events we experience that seem almost scripted by someone else for their amusement. I almost felt I was living through a Mr Bean holiday mishap ... So here's the story. I decided to travel Canberra to Newcastle by train as this would be my launching place after staying for a week with dear friends, The logistics of getting the bike, four panniers, the handlebar bag and three carry on bags was challenging enough. The folk at the Canberra train station were very helpful and provided a box for the bike and great advice on baggage arrangements. I was rather pleased with myself because I decided to do this the day before departure and cause little angst for myself and the station staff.

The journey began without a hitch as my friend kept me punctual for the 6:43am departure. This would be a straight forward trip to Newcastle ... Or so I thought. Five hours later we hear "...those alighting at Broadmeadow prepare to ...." etc. Well ..... I've travelled on country trains before and always had enough time to gather my things and step off the train .... but not in two minutes. The train starts moving and naturally I panic while grabbing my bags and watching my bike and bags waiting on the platform diss appearing in the distance. I quickly snapped into survival mode and dashed for the nearest train attendant to explain the situation in total embarrassment.

My phone was almost flat so I borrowed the attendant's  to ring my friend and tell her I'm now on the way to Maitland. "Ok I'll pick you up there..." and then the phone was needed to ring the attendent's on the train coming the other way that I was coming and hopefully if their train was late I could grab if at Maitland. Twenty minutes later I reached Maitland and yes you guessed it .... I was very very prepared this time and thanked the helpful 'survival operation' staff. Off I got and within two minutes the train travelling from Grafton arrived ...I'd just sat down. A voice on the the public address system announced "..train arriving for "Broadmeadow ......". I thought you've got to be kidding me, quickly grabbed my bags and made the call to my friend coming to pick me up 40 or so km away that I was coming back to Broadmeadow and then trying to explain my situation to a new group of train attendants.  I collapsed on the nearest seat and collected my thoughts as we travelled at considerable speed now in the Southern direction. The lovely and amused train attendant appeared and said there was no need to show my ticket as she knew the whole story. Whew!