For those who missed me on the weekend (there was at least one message on my phone) I have taken advantage of a local long weekend to indulge in my passion for cycle touring. I have seen spectacular coastal scenery, a big waterfall, mountains and rainforests over the course of three days. I'll write up a report and upload some pictures when I get around to sorting through the 102 that I snapped between Friday and Sunday.
There was, however, one interesting observation on Friday morning. Tweed Heads is the Gold Coast suburb most notorious for being the place where the dead are buried *above* the ground (if you ever visit, you'll know what I mean). It became apparent, however, that Tweed Heads is now looking to make a name for itself in the off-beat sport of Darts. Evidently they think they have some talent, and have gone to the trouble of setting up a giant dartboard in the form of a billboard with a picture of Shannon Noll on it.
Pity I didn't think to bring any darts myself.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Darts
Monday, October 28, 2013
Jurassic Way 8 :Cottingham-Bringhurst-Gt Easton-Rockingham-Gretton
This is the same route as this walk from September 1st , but we started from Cottingham, and picked up the Jurassic Way on Mill Road after the school and playing field.
The footpath hugs the edge of the playing field, before going along between hedges andemerging at the junction of a road and a track to the right, marked on the map as "Occupation Road". We followed this over a bridge across the Welland.
There is a left hand bend and before long a footbridge where we turned right to head towardsBringhursthigh on its hill.
The section from the dismantled railway and through the fields to Bringhurst was very hard work, and we ended up soaked, even though no rain was falling.
From Bringhurst, we turnedturned right at the road junction. A couple of hundred yards down the hill is a footpath sign to the left, and the path goes round the hill, below the site of a Roman villa, and then behind Bringhurst primary school and across a couple of fields before reaching the road at Great Easton.
Turn right and over the stream, following the road to the centre of the village. Turn right at the Sun Inn, and continue along the road towards Caldecott, past a house with horseshoes on the wall.
A little farther on there is a small cemetery with the graves of the Cave family. After this we took a track to the right, with recycling banks at the start.The track leads across the dismantled railway and behind some buildings, across a footbridge over a stream, and then a bridge over the Welland.Just after crossing the river, you turn left and go through a hedge to follow the path between two hedges. This leads to the road between Rockingham and Cottingham.Slightly to the left across the road is another footpath sign.
The path takes you thorough a couple of fields and gates to Rockingham's cafe and shop, where we stopped for an early lunch. We sat outside, although there were a few sudden gusts of wind. The path emerges on to the main road by the Sondes Arms.
We went up the hill, and turned left at the sign for the footpath to Gretton. This goes to the right of Rockingham Landrovers yard. We went through two gates, then diagonally down the field. From here it was mostly a question of following the path, keeping a look out for gates, and avoiding the path which crossed our route.
The walk ends with the steep climb up West Hill and into Gretton.
The footpath hugs the edge of the playing field, before going along between hedges andemerging at the junction of a road and a track to the right, marked on the map as "Occupation Road". We followed this over a bridge across the Welland.
There is a left hand bend and before long a footbridge where we turned right to head towardsBringhursthigh on its hill.
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| This stile is not very welcoming with the extra crosspiece! |
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| and this way marker isn't very clear |
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| Three fields of overgrown wet oilseed rape up to Bringhurst |
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| Looking back from the edge of Bringhurst |
From Bringhurst, we turnedturned right at the road junction. A couple of hundred yards down the hill is a footpath sign to the left, and the path goes round the hill, below the site of a Roman villa, and then behind Bringhurst primary school and across a couple of fields before reaching the road at Great Easton.
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| Possibly the oldest cottage in Great Easton |
Turn right and over the stream, following the road to the centre of the village. Turn right at the Sun Inn, and continue along the road towards Caldecott, past a house with horseshoes on the wall.
A little farther on there is a small cemetery with the graves of the Cave family. After this we took a track to the right, with recycling banks at the start.The track leads across the dismantled railway and behind some buildings, across a footbridge over a stream, and then a bridge over the Welland.Just after crossing the river, you turn left and go through a hedge to follow the path between two hedges. This leads to the road between Rockingham and Cottingham.Slightly to the left across the road is another footpath sign.The path takes you thorough a couple of fields and gates to Rockingham's cafe and shop, where we stopped for an early lunch. We sat outside, although there were a few sudden gusts of wind. The path emerges on to the main road by the Sondes Arms.
We went up the hill, and turned left at the sign for the footpath to Gretton. This goes to the right of Rockingham Landrovers yard. We went through two gates, then diagonally down the field. From here it was mostly a question of following the path, keeping a look out for gates, and avoiding the path which crossed our route.
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| From West Hill, Gretton, looking over the Welland Valley |
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| More changeable June skies |
Saturday, October 26, 2013
A pretty decent bike-to-drive ratio
Some of my readers might recall my month-long goal in April to bike/run more miles than I drove in my car. You also might remember that I accomplished the goal, with cardio disciplines totaling 625 miles versus 576 miles driving.
I haven't written about it much since then, but my bike-powered commuting hasn't let up. I still use my bike to get EVERYWHERE in town, whether it's going to the movies, doctors appointments, or trips out to Land of Memories Park to play some disc golf. Heck, I even did another round of grocery shopping on the ol' bike recently (though my load this time was considerably lighter than the one I wrote about in April).
Somewhere along the line, it occurred to me that bike transportation isn't just a blog gimmick to gain a few readers; it's a legitimate way to save some money, get some exercise and -- if you want to take the environmentalist approach on it -- cut down on pollution.
I'm not actively trying to out-distance my car anymore, but I still keep track of biking miles on a regular basis (old triathlon training habits die hard) and I recently remembered that I wrote down the mileage on my car at the beginning of April for the run/bike vs. drive challenge. Out of sheer curiosity, I totaled up my driving mileage since then and I compared it to my biking miles.
Here is what it totals out to (updated from my Facebook post a couple days ago, as the mileage has changed since then):
Driving - 2,687 milesBiking - 2,294 miles
As you can see, my car has taken a substantial lead on my bike for mileage. It will be taking a larger lead this weekend too, as I'm driving up to Hastings on Sunday to compete in the Warrior Dash.
However, you have to admit that's a pretty decent bike-to-drive ratio.
*****Note: Out of boredom recently, I took a screen shot of Google Maps and played with it on Adobe Photoshop to create a map the towns I've biked to from Mankato. It doesn't cover EVERY town I've been to (too small of scale to include the St. Clairs and Ellendales of southern Minnesota), but I still think it's pretty cool to look at. The towns are circled in green:
I haven't written about it much since then, but my bike-powered commuting hasn't let up. I still use my bike to get EVERYWHERE in town, whether it's going to the movies, doctors appointments, or trips out to Land of Memories Park to play some disc golf. Heck, I even did another round of grocery shopping on the ol' bike recently (though my load this time was considerably lighter than the one I wrote about in April).
Somewhere along the line, it occurred to me that bike transportation isn't just a blog gimmick to gain a few readers; it's a legitimate way to save some money, get some exercise and -- if you want to take the environmentalist approach on it -- cut down on pollution.
I'm not actively trying to out-distance my car anymore, but I still keep track of biking miles on a regular basis (old triathlon training habits die hard) and I recently remembered that I wrote down the mileage on my car at the beginning of April for the run/bike vs. drive challenge. Out of sheer curiosity, I totaled up my driving mileage since then and I compared it to my biking miles.
Here is what it totals out to (updated from my Facebook post a couple days ago, as the mileage has changed since then):
Driving - 2,687 milesBiking - 2,294 miles
As you can see, my car has taken a substantial lead on my bike for mileage. It will be taking a larger lead this weekend too, as I'm driving up to Hastings on Sunday to compete in the Warrior Dash.
However, you have to admit that's a pretty decent bike-to-drive ratio.
*****Note: Out of boredom recently, I took a screen shot of Google Maps and played with it on Adobe Photoshop to create a map the towns I've biked to from Mankato. It doesn't cover EVERY town I've been to (too small of scale to include the St. Clairs and Ellendales of southern Minnesota), but I still think it's pretty cool to look at. The towns are circled in green:
Friday, October 25, 2013
Not a Typical Day
View out my laundry room window to the 'little house'. My husband's office is on the bottom floor, and up that staircase on the back is my studio.Today was a very productive day. Thanks, Laurel, for keeping Darcie all night AND day! Here's a list of things accomplished today:1. Had a worship time2. Exercised for an hour3. Cooked breakfast4. Cleaned upstairs5. Sent e-mails6. Worked on the budget7. Read art articles8. Wrote on an article for my writing class9. Vacuumed downstairs10. Cleaned out the dining room cupboard11. Treated the cat's ears for mites (Yuck)12. Talked to my Mama for almost an hour13. Ironed14. Took a nap15. Had morning and afternoon tea16. Made white chocolate and cranberry cookies17. Planned my next projects in my studio18. Took a walk in the woods and wrote in my journal19. Made baked spaghetti and sent Laurel a dish of it20. Watched Sahara with second son21. Washed and dried a load of clothes22. Wrote this blog23. Build two fires24. Listened to book on tape25. Visited with future daughter-in-law26. Finished Miss Buncle's Book27. Repaired tassels on a pillow torn up by baby grandson28. Glued together several broken things29. Repaired the flag holder I wish every day could be like this one. I'd have things whipped into shape in no time!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Hallelujah, Hail, & Hard Work
HALLELUJAH
On Thursday April 2nd, Philo & I saw Leonard Cohen live in downtown Austin, surrounded by some of the best musicians in the world playing together as the Unified Heart Touring Company (hear them play 'Hallelujah' on YouTube). We are both longtime fans, and it seemed miraculous when I got through to the website two minutes after the tickets went on sale. The show sold out within minutes and an added second show went even faster - we were very lucky! The Long Center is only a year old, a beautiful, comfortable, civilized venue and being there was wonderful, from strolling the courtyards with stunning views of downtown Austin after dark, to the interior spaces and the theater's lighting, accoustics and sightlines. Our seats were in the Mezzanine and this was a pretty expensive evening for us, but it was worth every penny. We couldn't linger in the emotional afterglow for very long - seeing Leonard Cohen would have been the biggest event of a normal April, but in this odd spring, he became the opening act.
HAIL DAMAGE
The more experienced among you who saw our hail video from March 25th probably guessed right away that it caused significant damage to our house. We knew the skylight was shattered, but last week we found out we'd also need a new roof and many other repairs. If you drive around our area you'll see similar marks on our neighbors' shingles. The ads and flyers began arriving the morning after the storm...now signs for roofing companies are popping up like rainlilies on the lawns. Here's an odd fact of life for gardeners - the insurance might pay for a hail-destroyed ceramic pot...but not the plant growing in it.
The hail that tried to smash the 'Ramona' clematis was buffered by the leaves and branches of an overhanging Saucer Magnolia - tough on the magnolia, but good for 'Ramona'!
HOWARD'S SOUVENIR
The tall metal obelisk in the garden came from Howard's nursery, once a favorite shopping place on Koenig Lane . This .. post mentioned the nursery closing, the obelisk, and a rescued one-gallon container of Weigelia 'Rumba'. Two rooted stems of the tiny shrub took hold and grew, made it through the heat and drought, and are now blooming beautifully in the Pink Entrance Garden.
HARD WORK
We spent Thursday with Leonard, met with insurance folks on Friday, and on Saturday April 4th the Divas of the Dirt met at Buffy's house for her annual project. Part of that day was spent cleaning up broken, dead, smashed foliage and branches from the hailstorm. I'd spent 10 days doing that in my own yard so was in practice! Photos from Buffy's April project won't be posted for awhile, but photos of the project we did for Mindy's garden day on March 21st are now up on the Divas of the Dirt blog. That's Buffy in the photo above - working in Mindy's garden.
I was at Buffy's from 8:30 AM to 7:15 PM - that takes us up to the night of Saturday April 4th. Two beloved, long-awaited out-of-state guests arrived on Sunday the 5th for a visit - a story for the next post.
On Thursday April 2nd, Philo & I saw Leonard Cohen live in downtown Austin, surrounded by some of the best musicians in the world playing together as the Unified Heart Touring Company (hear them play 'Hallelujah' on YouTube). We are both longtime fans, and it seemed miraculous when I got through to the website two minutes after the tickets went on sale. The show sold out within minutes and an added second show went even faster - we were very lucky! The Long Center is only a year old, a beautiful, comfortable, civilized venue and being there was wonderful, from strolling the courtyards with stunning views of downtown Austin after dark, to the interior spaces and the theater's lighting, accoustics and sightlines. Our seats were in the Mezzanine and this was a pretty expensive evening for us, but it was worth every penny. We couldn't linger in the emotional afterglow for very long - seeing Leonard Cohen would have been the biggest event of a normal April, but in this odd spring, he became the opening act. HAIL DAMAGE
The more experienced among you who saw our hail video from March 25th probably guessed right away that it caused significant damage to our house. We knew the skylight was shattered, but last week we found out we'd also need a new roof and many other repairs. If you drive around our area you'll see similar marks on our neighbors' shingles. The ads and flyers began arriving the morning after the storm...now signs for roofing companies are popping up like rainlilies on the lawns. Here's an odd fact of life for gardeners - the insurance might pay for a hail-destroyed ceramic pot...but not the plant growing in it.
The hail that tried to smash the 'Ramona' clematis was buffered by the leaves and branches of an overhanging Saucer Magnolia - tough on the magnolia, but good for 'Ramona'!HOWARD'S SOUVENIR
The tall metal obelisk in the garden came from Howard's nursery, once a favorite shopping place on Koenig Lane . This .. post mentioned the nursery closing, the obelisk, and a rescued one-gallon container of Weigelia 'Rumba'. Two rooted stems of the tiny shrub took hold and grew, made it through the heat and drought, and are now blooming beautifully in the Pink Entrance Garden.HARD WORK
We spent Thursday with Leonard, met with insurance folks on Friday, and on Saturday April 4th the Divas of the Dirt met at Buffy's house for her annual project. Part of that day was spent cleaning up broken, dead, smashed foliage and branches from the hailstorm. I'd spent 10 days doing that in my own yard so was in practice! Photos from Buffy's April project won't be posted for awhile, but photos of the project we did for Mindy's garden day on March 21st are now up on the Divas of the Dirt blog. That's Buffy in the photo above - working in Mindy's garden. I was at Buffy's from 8:30 AM to 7:15 PM - that takes us up to the night of Saturday April 4th. Two beloved, long-awaited out-of-state guests arrived on Sunday the 5th for a visit - a story for the next post.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Singletrack!!!
Today was the perfect day to ride some SINGLETRACK! Got the trail bike prepped, loaded the hydration pack, bike on the rack, and headed to the trails. Stopped a Fat Tire Cycles to verify where I should ride - the easiest trails in the area. My destination was the Elena Gallegos Open Space and the Sandia Foothills.
I mention it was a perfect day -- When I left the room down in the valley, it was in the 50s and bright sunshine. A bit cooler up at the trails area. And a bit windy. Not complaining of the wind, some areas of New Mexico were to get 30-50 mph winds.
I parked at the Michial Emery Trailhead. Luckily there was a couple parking spots open. From the trailhead I headed for Trail 365. Was having a little problem getting back into the swing of singletrack on the trail bike.
Rode Trail 365 north to the road into the picnic area. Some spots were a little above my abilities - these I walked. Things went down the tubes after the road - steeper climbs, more rocks, and rougher descents.
The altitude was starting to get me. I had been stopping lots to catch my breath. Sucked on a shot blok and drank some G2 (in addition to the normal water). With all that, I still got a little sick.
Got to the pavement. From there I was feeling better. Found the trailhead and rode Trail 366 to head back to the car. That trail ended at Trail 365. Decided to take a shorter, narrow trail off of Trail 365 back to the car.
While I only rode 4.8 miles and 1 hour of riding time, I was out for over 2 hours. Exhausted, but it felt good.
It might be a good idea that I take a day off tomorrow.
A Package from Addie and Lucie!
I'm still recuperating, so you can imagine my surprise and delight to smell such a yummalicious package that arrived yesterday from Addie and Lucie! These two amazing doggies picked some doggies at random to send some goodies to after celebrating their 200th post! I am so lucky to have been one recipient. Here I am scenting out the delectable nose of this pressie.
And here I am, practically diving into the package!
Ooooooh, yummers - food and squeakie toys! Yowzer - my faves - makes me soooooo happy!
I am overwhelmed with appreciation from pals Addie and Lucie for this magnanimous gift!
Here I am - totally appreciating the squeakiness of this fabu toy - I love it and can't thank you enough for giving me something I adore so much! Muuuuooaaawwww!!!!
And as if that weren't enough, check out my adoration of this jerky stick! Do I love this or what??????!!!!! Yummmers! (I was just allowed to have three of these - mmmmmmm)
Please Ma and Pa, may I have some more???? Thank you Addie and Lucie - sooooo much. I am so impressed by your generous natures and by what you do for other doggies - your 200th post celebration was unique and extraordinary - I am so glad to know you! One more note - a new and good friend is Hailey at http://haileyrugolden.blogspot.com - check out her new blog! Hugs and Love xo,Sammie
And here I am, practically diving into the package! Ooooooh, yummers - food and squeakie toys! Yowzer - my faves - makes me soooooo happy! I am overwhelmed with appreciation from pals Addie and Lucie for this magnanimous gift! Here I am - totally appreciating the squeakiness of this fabu toy - I love it and can't thank you enough for giving me something I adore so much! Muuuuooaaawwww!!!! And as if that weren't enough, check out my adoration of this jerky stick! Do I love this or what??????!!!!! Yummmers! (I was just allowed to have three of these - mmmmmmm) Please Ma and Pa, may I have some more???? Thank you Addie and Lucie - sooooo much. I am so impressed by your generous natures and by what you do for other doggies - your 200th post celebration was unique and extraordinary - I am so glad to know you! One more note - a new and good friend is Hailey at http://haileyrugolden.blogspot.com - check out her new blog! Hugs and Love xo,Sammie
Monday, October 7, 2013
Going to hell
One of these days I promise to actually get a post uploaded right away. It won't be today however. In this case, I'm around nine days late in documenting what was one of the best rides of the year -- to a place called Hell's Hole, hidden in Mt Jerusalem National park. This day was made special because of what came before I got anywhere near the destination, and started with a climb over Tomewin right on sunrise. What followed was quite spectactular and totally unexpected.
I descended into the Tweed Valley, into almost freezing temperatures (4 degrees C on the valley floor), and into a thick mist and a southerly wind blast that came out of absolutely nowhere. This route passes the bottom of Mt Warning, but the mountain might as well have spent a morning at the beach for all I knew, as visibility was only around 200 metres or so. I was actually pondering whether or not the condensation in the air might clean some of the dirt off the bike, so thick was it. Yet by the time I started the next climb to the national park, it was all but gone.
There are some really stunning patches of rainforest in Mt Jerusalem National Park, but Spring is also the wildflower season. The flowers seen in this area don't seem to make it to the nearby Lamington or Nightcap national parks, but here they find a home. Today I was meeting some friends at the top of the final climb for the final walk to Hell's Hole itself, and the waterfalls that surround it. This is a truly beautiful area, and one that I only discovered, believe it or not, last year.
Today a few members of the group got even more ambitious, and tried to descend to the big rock pool at the bottom. Nobody made it of course, as I understand it has to be approached from a track on the other side, followed by a scramble along the creek. I've since looked at a topographic map of the area, which suggests that it may even be a different creek, but that's an adventure for another day. While this effort didn't make it to the rock pool, it did yield a slightly different view of the waterfall at the end that drops right into the Hole itself.
After all this it was time to retire to the cafe in Uki for (in my case) a double-serving of lunch before the ride home. If there was one sad thing to come from the day, it's looking at what the Tweed Shire Council have done to Urliup Road, as they appear to be preparing to seal what may be my favourite dirt road in the world at present. This would, of course, be a tragedy for all of mankind, but I guess it was inevitable sooner or later. Still, this would be an opportune time to remind the Tweed Shire Council of what happened last time they upset me. They have been warned!
