One Tree

Mark and I organised a rough local ride last Friday for today.  But we had to put it off till late this afternoon so we would need to cut the ride a bit short, although this didn't detract from the experience. I shovelled and sieved 20 barrows of Terranora soil and drank a litre of soda water before I left.

[caption id="attachment_388" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="A cloud rising from Mt Warning (cloud Catcher) that didn't do much but it would be nice to break the dry"][/caption]

I rode to meet up with Mark on Watty Bishop Road for the climb to One Tree, it's only 100 meters high but it climbs over a rough cattle turd strewn badly rutted track of about a 1000 meters. In many places you needed to avoid the track as the rut sides would catch the pedals and cranks etc It seems to be a good training climb for fitness as well as having a great outlook to the south, west and north.

I struggled to the summit pushing the last 30 meters and we then rode off along the ridge to the east toward Towners Road. Here the track undulated steeply and the surface varied between loose dusty gravel and leaf and stick strewn single track. I was riding up the second to last climb behind Mark along side of a fairly dry creek bed when I started to hear the pounding of hoofs getting closer and faster. Committed to the climb I couldn't even turn to see if I was about to be run down by a cattle stampede. It turned out to be a small herd of poddy calves playfully spooked by our presence, no harm done!

Next we turned off into the descent to Towners Road via Jim's place, An in places slow, rough, steep ride. Once we hit the main gravel track we were able to commit to some more speed until we reached the climb over to Round Mountain Road. Here we parted ways Mark to a family BBQ at Hastings me to a roast at home.

Might need to try this a few more times to get used to some rough climbing, although during wetter time grass growth might cause some drama with the derailleur. 13 kms total distance.

Minyon Congestion

Saturday was a new experience riding over mainly known territory. The ride started at 6am with Mark arriving at 6:30 to pick me up on the way to Mur'bah to then pick up Rod. We were all going to attempt a Minyon Marathon (quite a stupid name, to me anyway). Mark and Rod do the 40 kilometre and I selected the 20. The starts were staggered by 5 minutes to avoid collisions between riders climbing and descending the same section of gravel road!

The 60 k started close to on time and the 40k left 5 minutes later etc. Riding from Rummery Park(300 meters) along Peates Mountain Road to about 500 meters along a loose gravel well maintained fire tail for about 3 kilometres then everyone turned down a side "track" to descend Plot Fire Road, through various undulations, to about 200 meters over 5 kilometers then circled around and climbed back to the top of Perlite Road about 450 meters  and 4 kilometres and back to the start/finish line. As I cruised through the first place getters of the 20 kilometre "race" were finishing, I'd ridden 16ks and still had a climb to go and they had finished their 20. The route was then to take a slightly technical "single track" but this was cancelled at the last minute instead the main track to the crossing of Minyon Falls was used including cars!

All riders continued up, to 375 meters, towards Telephone Road for 2 kilometres. Just before the summit the 40-60 riders split toward Boundary Road which Mark and Rod took, I continued back the finish line at Rummery Park. taking by my trip-meter 1hr 42mins but it mustn't read time below about 2 kilometres-an-hour because my time was 2 hours+, finishing just before the first 40k rider finished a good1/2 hour ahead of all his competitors.

I only got off the bike for about 100 meters of my last climb up out from Minyon Creek, not the steepest gradient but the climb with the longest steep gradient (hard to explain but I know what I mean), all that training on Jim's driveway helped but not enough. It was not that getting off would have slowed me down as many riders who elected to walk and push their bikes up the hills were actually travelling at close, within a k/h to the same speed as myself riding(?) and probably using less energy.

The knees held up and there was only one period of about 15 minutes, during the second climb, when I felt as though the boiler was going to overheat and explode still I kept chugging focused on not exerting the knees. During this climb a group of about 5 had decided to drop in behind me to let me set their pace, most of who I would not see again after the descent and start of the next climb they dropped me out the back on Minyon Fire Brk, thanks. Total climb 750 meters total descent 750 meters. (Mark did 1450 meters of up down)

As an experience it was fine, the lunch provided was good. Although the noise of a power generator as I waited for the others to finish was, after a short while, annoying. To the point of having to go for walk to get away from it.

I'm not sure if all the commotion and masses of people are required to make a ride enjoyable. This is, I have managed to undertake the same riding through the same areas without the added noise and congestion and, I think, more pleasurable! Your opinion may vary. You may prefer to ride with 270 others through the NSW's North Coast forest trails and tracks or maybe you prefer the solitude and associated tranquillity of riding in a much smaller group... different strokes for different folks.

If I do decide to go again next year I wouldn't change anything, I don't think I could!

Windy Flats

This afternoon I rode to a small short job at Hastings Point and finished just as the storm was nearly breaking. Nearly, because there was a lot of promise but nothing eventuated with it just rushing out to sea. Anyway my daughter had asked me to show her the route to Kingscliff via Salt so I gave her a call and said I would meet her at Cabba Cycles, (I needed a spare tube for the cypress). Off I rode into the 35-40km/hr Northerly at a chugging 15km /hour.

We joined up and I let her draught me on her 3 speed Beach Cruiser and we managed to sit on a constant 18 km/hr along the bike path up through Casuarina. At the end of the current path we entered the old Coast Road section, which has been denuded of all vegetation in preparation of the stalled development, and the wind just cut us to shreds getting us to suffer dropping to 12 km/hr.

At the sand pit, Salt, we just turned around and floated back home at a leisurely peddled 25 km/hr.

Making 26 kilometres all up. The return trip took less than half the time as the North bound journey had.

I've finally decided that I am a

"cruiser by choice"

I don't think I could ride "Dirt Jumping", "Downhill", "Cross-country (XC) cycling" or "BMX". Come to think of it I don't think I could even ride "Mountain Biking".
It comes as no surprise that I am also not a "Roadie". So what am I when it comes to bicycle riding? Nothing really!

I enjoy doing things which have me...

... acquaint, appreciate, comprehend, deduce,
detect, determine, differentiate, discern, distinguish,
enlighten, experience, explore, extract, familiarise,
fathom, gather, grasp, glimpse, hear, learn, locate,
notice, observe, perceive, recognise, reveal, sense, ...

So just getting on a bike and riding a road (bitumen or gravel), track  or trail (well worn or overgrown)  will satisfy me. I can think of many reasons for covering the same stretches of the local journeys I go on and I can also think of more, possibly, reasons to turn down a different route the next time I come past.
I can not think of putting all my eggs in one basket and trying to excel in a style of riding that will see me miss out on any opportunities to go through my list. Maybe I am missing other experiences but life is too short to try to fit everything in, god I am sounding old but if, as our dopey Deputy Mayor says

"if the shoe fits..."

Showered Sunday Scooter

Today's ride was to see if it was possible to get a loop happening through the Mooball National Park, entrance and exit. Mark and I met around Wattie Bishop Road and rode through to Palm Vale valley along Round Mountain and Reserve Creek Roads then did a gate open, I was a bit overly concerned but Mark thought it was cool so off we treadled up up up through a couple of nice stands of rainforest and a few banana patches pushing and pedalling when required. A gnat away from the top of the final climb Marks previously bent and then shop straightened rear derailleur dropper snapped, it might of been a stick. We broke the chain and tried to set it up as a fixed gear but there was no way of getting the correct tension too loose or too tight, when it was too tight it snapped. So Mark had an expensive scooter!

After this it was not going to be possible to turn towards Wabba Road exit as previously planned. As it was all downhill from the top of Smarts Road where we emerged mark made the DNF call to his misses and we free-wheeled to the bottom and exited the ride at Reserve Creek Road to await his lift. I eat the bit of the lunch I had brought for the loop ride as we waited and prepared to confront the now darkening sky and the climb home over the Reserve Creek hill. About 150m down along the road the first few spits arrived so on with the rain jacket and cruised over the top at nine kilometres an hour.
When I arrived at the old hall in Reserve Creek the rain dissipated and I rode home the rest of the way thoroughly wet but over completely dry roads.
Hope Cabba Cycles has a dropper for Mark to ride the Minyan 40 kilometre next weekend.
All up 45 kilometres with a bit of climbing and a bit of rain!

[caption id="attachment_384" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="looking back into palmvale"][/caption]

Just found this paragraph that I thought i had lost so posted all this again

Hoodoo Mooball Today's planed search for a Mooball National Park circuit ended in a DNF for Mark, more on that later. We, Mark and I planned to take the Youcan and his mtb over the Clothiers Creek Quarry hill and then into the Palm Vale valley to attempt a climb to Condong Range Road and then out to Wabba Road for the return ride down Cudgera Creek Road etc

A Family Day Out

Lots of short rides this last week, a few rides up to the water tower in cabba on the youcan, waddle up to Cabba Cycles along the back track, a few dawdles down the track taking the dogs for a run. A trip to do some fishing down the creek, and one loop on the cypress etc

But today didn't involve riding. I took the family, including grubs boyfriend, to Chowan waterhole for a bit of a swim but there was someone there meditating, camping by the look of it, (who didn't even bother doing anything other than turning their head slightly to acknowledge our presence, quite creepy and eerie) so we went off to Hell Holes. The walk down along Middle Ridge Road was pleasant and the return walk took only 3/4 of an hour!

We made it the end without too much difficulty. There we had our lunch and a swim even though there was only a trickle in the creek. The shrubs along the banks are showing a lot of drought stress, if they don't get a few downpours soon they will mostly be dead! Hope a fire doesn't get started there! At 3:30 we began the walk back to the car.

We returned via the old Uncle Toms Pies servo on a now freeway bypassed section of the Pacific Highway consuming a milkshake and quite a lousy pie, wont be doing that again.

A pleasant day all up.

Nightcap National Park

Public Holiday Trip to Minyon Falls with Mark in preparation for the Freedom Ride. A bush ride on the Youcan.

We got underway about 10:45am with mark picking me up in his work van (without me leaving anything behind this time) a journey through Brunswick, Mullumbimby, etc through to the Nightcap Nat. Park. We parked at Rummery Park Camping area and rode west onto Nightcap Range Road to the sign posted Telephone Road, on the maps it is Wirupa Break, but we made our planed turn too late to the left off Wirupa onto Telephone Road instead of the Minyon Fire Break. Dohh!

This led us on to Baldwins Road and a Southern exit to the park (although the proceeding ride was a nice descent along well maintained gravel road with heaps of small jumps, created from the cross road drains and a multitude of 50mm diameter strewn branches). We would need to retrace our tracks and try to get back to Minyon Falls.
So back up the short distance to the turn off (right) to Quirks Fire Track to the Quandong Fire Track and passing through Quandong Falls. Here we rested eating our lunch to the sound of small waterfalls and cool view in total quite (except for the forest sounds) and a great view then it was onto the Minyon Loop.

Clambering over fallen trees and as often as possible riding in granny gear along a rough walking track all the way to the intersection with the Miniyon Falls--Minyon Grass walking track. Here we started to see people again. We continued along pushing and riding where possible to the Minyon Falls Parking area until we were once again on course to ride along the single track to Rummery Park and Peates Mountain Road (freedom ride course)

We then, well me anyway, grovelled up to 615 meters elevation continuing past Perlite Road, past Watts Folly Road and turned around just before Tugan Road. Then the descent down Peates Mountain Road for a breezy 5 and a half minutes back to Marks van.

[caption id="attachment_380" align="alignleft" width="600" caption="Peats Road about to descend"][/caption]


No Photos, but here is a 5 minute video of the Descent of Peates Mountain Road from my new $120 - ALDI Oregon handlebar video camera (Warning: 7mb downloaded)...

Only 20 kilometres but a fun trip even getting lost was good!


[caption id="attachment_381" align="aligncenter" width="423" caption="nightcap route"][/caption]