Dam it all...

Sunday's plan was to set off in search of Hell Hole Falls, believed to be somewhere in the south-western vicinity of Uki. The rain from the previous day and early in the morning here was expected to fill the falls with plenty of water and scare the tourists away, and it seemed like the perfect time to do it. A flat tyre inside the first 10km dampened my enthusiasm a bit, but that was soon patched and I was on my way again.


I climbed over tomewin, attacking the early steep pinch, to take a more scenic route into the Tweed Valley. This is one of my favourite passes, particularly the stretch across the top before the steep descent into the valley below. The rain returned in the Tweed Valley, the temperature dropping to 11 degrees C, yet beyond Uki, where the ride really started, the skies started to clear, leaving only remnants of cloud hovering around Mt Warning. It was time to move on to the next phase.


There is another world to explore in the area around the locality of Doon Doon. Today I would take a slightly different route, to Clarrie Hall Dam, then Commissioners Creek Road, then Rockface road, hopefully finding the falls at the end. It didn't quite happen that way. First of all, the turn off from Commissioners Creek Road had a different name for the first 100 metres or so, meaning that I followed that road for longer than I should have, finally backtracking, finding my way to Rockface road, and commencing the climb on the rutted dirt road.

The road continued to climb, the turn off to the right that was supposed to lead straight to the falls was fenced off as "private property", almost certainly illegally. I'm sure there's a "tosspot of the week" post there, but I have another nomination in mind for that right now. As it was, I continued to climb, realising that I probably wouldn't reach the falls, but might find the summit of the climb anyway. The climb continued, levelling out in places, but generally continuing to gain height, while offering no views.

At the northern face of the mountain there was an intersection, and a heap of wildflowers. The "road" turning off to the East went straight into the valley below, but I decided to press on with the climb, wanting to finish it off. It crested at around 460 metres above sea level before starting a gentle descent. The gentle decent would have been nice to continue, but it wasn't to be. I soon found the end of the "road" and the start of a "trail", where the final destination became obvious.

The final descent to the wall at the northern end of Clarrie Hall Dam was too steep to even consider riding in the muddy conditions. Even walking was treacherous enough. At one point I used the brakes to lock up the wheels of the bike completely, and it still slid down at walking pace. Eventually it was negotiated, and I was left with a simple ride home. I grabbed more food back in Uki, before taking the "conventional" route via Murwillumbah, Urliup and Bilambil. A few squalls of rain along the way made the return interesting, but I was able to negotiate it comfortably enough.
The only option left for finding these falls is now via the old Mt Jerusalem, with a detour from another map that I have seen. This ride was rewarding in and of itself for other reasons, but I still intend to find those falls one way or another.

One wonders where we find them

I know this is the Gold Coast, and that people here aren't exactly known for their intelligence, but even after making those allowances, there are still some incredibly nonsensical situations that totally defy explanation. Two morons decided to block a road in Broadbeach last evening by fighting over a parking space. I'm not sure what was so special about that parking space, it certainly wasn't the only vacant one there -- the rain kept quite a few people away. It wasn't undercover (not that any sane person tries to avoid the rain around here anyway), but they insisted on that one anyway.

Of course, as always happens in these situations, I pedalled straight through their little stand-off totally unconcerned, and this was when one of them decided to do the old Queensland horn-lean. Now tell me this wasn't a waste of time. I certainly wasn't going to stop after I'd gone straight through. I had no intention of going back and either apologising or exacting "revenge", why would I? Still, it's his stress levels, so I guess he's entitled to do what he likes. Of course, he might have been honking at his adversary for the parking spot, but why he'd wait until I passed to do that, or why he thought it would help I have no idea.

The rain was nice though, even if it did stop on my ride home, meaning I didn't get to ride in it. It did some nice things to this morning's ride to Austinville. Hopefully it's the onset to a decent wet season this year.







The other thing to come out of Friday was the need for a decision soon on "The Green Machine", the old bike that I sometimes use as a back-up and for shopping. It's clear that riding any sort of distance (even a short one) with a backpack in a Queensland summer is extremely unpleasant at best. I need to either get it a pannier rack or pension it off completely. I'm thinking of a new bike next year, which means the current #1 (which I still haven't named as yet) will become the back-up. I'm thinking of maybe a touring bike, because it might suit the type of riding I do than a MTB. On the other hand, I'm concerned about how it would deal with dirt roads, which might reduce my options a little in that area.

Plenty of time to think about it. Perhaps the tour of Victoria will give me something more to think about. 7 days to go!

Moving along...

Things I´m having trouble with:

1) Uploading my photos

2) Sitting in internet cyberias trying to figure it out.

Things I am not having trouble with:

1) This beautiful country of Ecuador

2) Riding along enjoying my days

3) Camping in beautiful places

4) Everything else

Photos from Fripp

These photos are from the fabulous Fripp Island off the coast of South Carolina. This is the second year we've gone for a week in May while rates are lower, temperatures are cooler, and crowds are fewer.
I love this place! I hope we make it an annual event. I like it because there are only a few shops and no tourists. You can't even get on the island unless you're staying here. There's a gate where you stop and pick up your pass before you drive on the island. There are some fabulous houses to look at. We drive around and pick out our favorites and try and decide which one we might buy. Yeah, right!
The kids love the wildlife. The deer came up our front steps looking for food. You can even pet them. We saw two huge alligators sunning next to a lake. Scary! There are all kinds of birds and small animals. A raccoon had left green paw prints across the concrete when it walked on a freshly painted porch.
We get around on golf carts and bicycles. Last year we had a golf cart limo that would hold us all. This year we all piled on a six-seater cart and looked like the Beverly Hillbillies leaving the mountains of Tennessee. All I needed was my rocking chair to make the look complete.
Laurel and her boys are going again with a friend and her children in a few weeks. Needless to say, I'm very jealous. Maybe I'll crash their party! Laurel and Stacy...don't read this. I don't want to spoil the surprise!

Suspended Between Times

Journal Entry-Thursday, August 6, 7:25 a.m.
I love the quiet of an early morning house before anyone else is up. I sit on the couch facing the dining room watching the morning sun make dappled leaf patterns on the curtains and rug. The tick tock of the mantel clock sounds in my left ear. My journal waits on my lap to receive thoughts hovering between dreams half remembered and the day's to-do list.

Return of the prodigal

I have returned from New Zealand after an amazing tour of the North Island. I thought I had seen everything on the South Island, but the North managed to produce vistas and scenery that was so different that it was difficult to believe I had returned to the same country. Those who haven't been to New Zealand really should make a point of visiting, as it is truly an amazing country. I took a lot of pictures, so it will probably take a while to get them all uploaded (I still haven't finished writing the narrative).
In the meantime, I have returned to insufferable heat, but at least my usual riding patch is still looking green after some apparently fierce thunderstorms while I was away. One of the things about being away for a while is that I always come home and want to catch up on my local rides, having done none of them for a few weeks (months in some cases). My body also craves endorphins on a regular basis, having just cycled over 1,800km in three weeks. Keeping those under control wasn't helped by receiving the Audax calendar for the upcoming year recently. I also have plenty of places to explore in the Mt Jerusalem National Park to the south.
Too much riding to do and too little time.

Old soap

Earlier this spring, I attended a gardening convention held at Landmark Park in Dothan, Alabama. The old Martin Drug Store was moved there from Enterprise, and reopened four years ago. An operating pharmacy from 1898 to 1983, it's now part museum and part ice cream parlor.

You might guess which display I gravitated towards: the historical soap! None of it's for sale, alas. More of these than I'd realized are still made today: Cashmere Bouquet, Octagon, Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap, Palmer's Skin Success Soap. I'm not sure what happened to the others... soaps with charming names like Sterne's Carbolic Soap, Drexel's Wonder Soap, Flotilla Floating Bath Soap, and Packer's Charm Soap.

According to the book Boiled Peanuts and Buckeyes, the people at Martin's "were notorious for not throwing anything away and keeping meticulous records. They held onto every receipt, medicine bottle and cosmetic that ever entered the store... They had the most comprehensive collection of pharmaceutical artifacts in the nation."

I can recommend the Peach ice cream!

Bike to Work - Spoke & Hub

This Friday (5/15/09) is Bike to Work Day in Council Bluffs. Registration is at Tazze di Caffe (on Valley View)7:45-8:00 am. We will ride with Mayer Tom Hanafan to Bayliss Park. There will be a reading of the Mayor's Proclamation and press conference, following with a bike ride back to Valley View Village.
Saturday (5/16/09) is the Bellevue Bicycle Club's 5th Annual Spoke and Hub ride. This year's ride benefits the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. Breakfast and packet pick-up at Hayworth Park 6:30 - 8:30 am. See the flier.