Lake Manchester

With my young bloke attending a soccer tournament with his Mum, I was keen to spend some quality cycling time with my eldest.

I perused the extremely helpful "Where to MTB in South East Queensland" for a beginner friendly ride that we could attack. I was leaning toward a ride on the Sunshine Coast as the countryside there is spectacular but after checking the contours on the maps the rides all looked to be too steep for a ten year old. So I settled on the Lake Manchester loop. At 18km (11mi) and some change I thought this would be an interesting ride for us both as I hadn't yet ridden these trails. The profile looked a bit "uppitty" but the ride was listed as beginner friendly, so we headed out for a look.

Miss 10 was very excited on the way to the start point and was so keen to get going that I could hardly make her stand still for a "before" photo with all the huge taps.

Funnily enough, this gung-ho attitude changed within about 100 metres(yards) as we had to cross a wide, swiftly flowing stream. I had visions of her taking a dunking if she tried to ride it, so it was off with the shoes and push the bike across while I pedalled through the shallows.

What you can't see is the terror she was gripped by while walking this shallow crossing. She must have had visions of being washed away, as I had to coax her to move across even though it was only ankle deep.

Once across it was all smiles again as I dried her feet and she bolted her shoes on again.

We then headed up a short, sharp climb to be abeam the dam wall. Unfortunatley, her legs were "sore" by this point and would prove to be on most of the climbs throughout the ride. :(

The blurb on this ride was that by riding it clockwise most of the climbs were in the first few kilometres and it flattened out toward the latter stages. What I hadn't factored in was the complete lack of riding Lucy had done in the last 6-8 weeks and the resulting skills erosion. This made not only the climbs difficult but the descents were also being walked. I had visions of us finishing the ride in the dark at this pace, so the positive re-enforcement was flowing freely from quite early on. I knew she had the ability. She just needed reminding.

I also had to keep in mind that these WERE steep hills and for a ten year old, small mountains in fact. So almost immediatley, I was pushing two bikes up the hills. The ratio of whinging to walking decreased in proportion to how much I pushed right away!

Our confidence grew to the point where we were riding the downs as well as the flat parts. We soon came across a small cabin on the foreshore. One of the interesting things here was a piece of 4x2 that had been attached to a young tree some time in the last few years. Much more interesting than the cabin!

The trail was relatively flat for a while with just the odd boggy patch to negotiate. That was until we came to Branch Creek. Here was a reasonably deep, fast flowing creek where we stood to get wet feet. There were some strategically placed stones that saw me across using my bike as a walking pole. Dry feet so far, but with a daughter on the wrong side of the stream and no other real options I plunged in and carried her bike over, then held out a "Daddy" hand so that she could hopscotch her way across with dry feet this time. Lucky for me winter in Brisbane sees daytime temps of about 22C(72F)!

This crossing worked up an appetite so about 100m from here we stopped for some food. To be exact, some more food, as Lucy had been eating her way around the lake so far!

One peanut butter sandwich dispatched, then it was time to move on. I say move, not ride, as we were steeply uphill from here. This was the biggest climb of the ride and I must have been propogating a hunger in my offsider as she decided to tuck into a Mars bar as we climbed the hill toward Light Line Rd. Shame that I had a bike in each hand and couldn't partake of the Mars bar but it certainly put a smile on Lucy's face!

Once we crested the top it was a more pleasant rolling trail that could at least be partially ridden up. This part of the trail had a small black x on the map with the word "Wolseley" next to it. This was an old car wreck and after my missing the Bora Ring on the way to Blackbutt, I was definitely on the lookout for this feature. So was the little Miss! She spotted it and tore down the hillside to check it out. About 1,806,462 questions followed. "Where are the door handles?" "Where are the seats?" "Where are the wheels?" were in the opening salvo!!

The trail flattened out from here and we were passed by a few dirt bikes at the next creek crossing. In typical dirt bike style they passed us on narrow firetrail on the back wheel. F#cken  tools. Do they think we are impressed? This is after all a no motorcycle area.

After just a few more climbs the trail started to flatten out and we could pedal most of time.

 Apart from when we were looking at interesting trail side stuff.

We passed a couple of horse riders and the questions started flowing again.There is nothing like having an inquisitive child with you to make you feel uneducated!

On the roll down to the front gate the trail threw one last hurdle at us in the form of a total bog! I am so glad I told Lucy to wear her new white joggers! I was going to be so popular when I got home!! Whoops....

We rolled along the main road for the last few kilometres and this was about enough for both of us. A recovery  lamington was stashed in the centre console of the car and was duly inhaled upon arrival back at the car. 

So, slightly covered in mud, slightly tired and slightly hungry we finished this ride in just under three and a half hours. I was very happy with this time after the ominous look of the first few kilometres. 

And the first thing that Miss 10 told her Mum about the ride?

 How much fun that first terrifying water crossing was!!

Go figure!!?

Blurring The Line

The first day to dawn bright and clear here in Brisbane for a few weeks was pounced upon by four trail hungry mountain bikers.

We made the drive out to My Joyce as the local trails will be too wet to ride for weeks yet. We were not to be disappointed as the Mt Joyce trails were at that perfect level of moisture content and 'hero dirt" was in evidence throughout the network!

The reason for the ride, apart from curing singletrack withdrawl, was to celebrate Derek's birthday. Happy Birthday Derek!! I think he is like 120 or something but that didn't matter as he has a new bike and we all know you are only as old as the bike you are riding... ;-)

As you can see from the above photo, the Trek Remedy almost pedals itself up the hill, such is it's pedalling efficiancy. You can tell because Derek is smiling and he doesn't smile going up hills. :(

Black Rock was a great place to open the bikes up a bit and have some fun. Troy and Derek were hating every minute of it.

I almost cleaned up a walaby while trying to catch up to the others. I actually got hit by the dirt flicked up by it's feet, thats how close it was.

Some of the thumb tacks thrown in France must have landed on Mt Joyce. Either that or Derek decided on a "rest stop" part way down Black Rock. He is getting on a bit you know...

I am so not going to get invited along in future! He he.....

After rolling along the Gully Trail we hooked back up the hill again. This was done four times in total today and after the first pass of this "blackboy" I just had to stop and get a photo the next time. It is by far the biggest one I have ever seen.

 This being my first MTB ride since the end of June I was starting to feel the climbs. As we were about to roll down Bovine Groove for the last time a guy rolled up on a strange looking bike. It had a downhill look about it but the triangle on the frame was built in. He came up to us and we chatted for a few minutes. It turned out to be an electric mountain bike....or an electric dirt bike with pedals depending on how you wanted to see it.

Weighing 34kg and capable of 60km/h(35mph) I could see the appeal when climbing these hills. But then again, is it just a dirt bike...with an electric motor?

It could be a potential trail shredder in the wrong hands....something else for land managers to lose sleep over and for us MTBers to look like villians again? Time will tell as I think that Stealth are going to sell a shiteload of these things. Blurring the line between bicycle and motor cycle?

Thanks to the guys for a great day out on the bike again. Good company, mountain bikes and perfect weather. It sure beats working for a living.

Cheers guys.

Aerosexual* !!??

There was no time for riding of any sort last weekend. I finished work late Friday afternoon then jumped in the car and drove. And drove. Then I drove some more, eventually rolling out the swag at midnight in a moonlit paddock at Premer. Up at 5:45am, I drove some more.

The reason for this cannonball run? Well it was time to pick the kids up from my parents place and bring them home for school. The reason for the tight timeline? I wanted to spend a bit of time where I grew up before turning around for the 1100km (690mi) trip back home.

A few days before I left an email announcing an aircraft showcase (flying day) at the Temora Aviation Museum landed in my inbox. With the weather forecast looking to be pretty well perfect I decided to drive the extra 300km(190mi) round trip to Temora as they were planning on flying their fighter aircraft, some of which are the only airworthy examples in the world! And located right in the heart of sleepy, small town New South Wales. How about that for timing!!



The kids were keen to go and Dad has always had an interest in aircraft so there was no shortage of companions that could poke me with a stick to keep me from nodding off at the wheel.

We arrived to a glorious winter's day in Central West NSW with a temperature of about 15C (59F) and zero wind. Is was absolutely calm. Perfect flying weather.

First up was the CAC Boomerang, an aircraft rushed through development into production in the dark days of WWII when it looked like we were cut off and would be over run by the Japanese. As a fighter it was pretty third rate for the time and luckily we did not come to rely on it as a batch of P-40 Kittyhawks made it through from the US just in time. Still, it is a pleasure to watch an original example in action.

Next to fly was the Gloster Meteor. This was pretty much the Allies first operational jet fighter that entered service around July 1944. It is very impressive to see this immaculate example fly as the gentle whistle from it's two Rolls Royce Derwent engines sounds very low performance when compared to modern fighter jets. The "blue note" from it's cannon shell ejection ports, located under the nose, adds to the haunting melody.

The Cessna Dragonfly flew next. While the museum's aircraft are mostly types specific to Australian history, in that our Air Force operated them at one time or another, the Dragonfly was operated by the US Air force in Vietnam.  It has phenomenal performance for a jet of it's size and age.

 

At the controls of this two seat aircraft were David Lowy, the museum's founder, champion aerobatic pilot and son of one of Australia's richest men. With him was ex RAAF pilot and now Red Bull Air Race pilot Matt Hall (and apparently a top bloke according to the ex RAAF guys that I fly with). They threw the Dragonfly around the sky, trailing smoke which whipped into a vortex by the aircraft's wingtip vortices, hung in the still afternoon air forming bizarre shapes that had my kids marvelling at the smoke as much as the routine the aircraft was being put through.

Last to fly was my personal favourite, the Mk XVI Supermarine Spitfire. Unless you have been living under a rock since the 1920s this aircraft should need no introduction at all.

One of the most beautiful fighters ever to enter production, the sound of a Rolls Royce Merlin growling past will bring a lump to your throat. Personally, I prefer the sound of the Mk VIII that the museum also owns, but it's engine is in the US for a rebuild, so the latter model Mk XVI with it's supercharged Merlin flew today. Very impressive and worth the trip to Temora on its own!

The kids had a great day out as well, enjoying the sun, the action and the hotdogs with tomato sauce.

Oh, and the reason for this museum being located way out here in central NSW? Well, Temora aerodrome was one of many Empire Air Training Scheme airfields where thousands of Allied pilots were trained during the war years.

The reason they chose Temora over the others? "Apparently", when the founders approached the councils operating the other former EATS fields they were giving a long list of demands and red tape to cut through. When they approached Temora Council they were thrown the keys to the aerodrome and told "there you go"! Not sure of the actual truth behind the story, but this is the one I choose to believe.

With the flying over it was time to head for home with my little sidekicks. An overnight effort saw us back in Brisbane for them to prepare for the return to school and me to work. Yay......

*Aerosexual- A derogatory term applied by professional pilots (who are strapped to an aircraft more than they deem healthy or necessary) to their colleagues that spend their spare time messing around with aircraft. Do fishermen go fishing in their spare time?

In my defense, my hobbies are mountain biking and motorcycling, but remember, we all got into flying because we loved aircraft........

Solomons Sojourn

Today's work consisted of heading up to Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. Being my first time into Henderson, as is customary practice, I was accompanied by a check pilot to familiarise me with the particular intricacies of the route.

 

As an amateur military history buff I was pretty excited to be going to the site of a MAJOR conflict in the Pacific War during WWII. Guadalcanal, along with New Guinea was basically where the Japanese were stopped in their island hoping campaign across the Pacific, with the intention of cutting off Australia from it's ally, the US, and even though I would not have time to look around, just seeing the area with my own eyes would put so much into perspective. The campaign was made into a movie back in 1998. The Thin Red Line was one of the first "realistic' movies made about the Pacific War(sorry Duke, but Sands of Iwo Jima is just a recruiting flick in comparison) and as a result, very disturbing.

Located on the island of Guadalcanal, Henderson Field is the name that was given to the airport way back in 1942. In the convention of the day it was named after a US Naval Aviator killed during the Battle of Midway. The runway today is aligned exactly as it was back in the '40s, just longer and sealed for jet operations.

The water in the background is Sealark Sound. Known as Ironbottom Sound because of the amount of shipping that lies on the sea floor, it must have been a horrendous place to be in 1942 as the ships we are talking about aren't just little tinnies or supply ships. Cruisers, destroyers and if my memory serves, a big ass battleship. Please read the Wiki page (above) on the battle as it is yet another of the almost forgotten Pacific battles that really was vicious and decisive. Our HMAS Canberra, a heavy cruiser, lasted about "as long as a snowflake in hell" during the battle.

Anyway, we cruised up at 37 000 feet and would have been immune from Zeros at that height and speed.  Coming over the island at 15 000ft to ensure terrain clearance we threaded our way between two cumulonimbus(CB) which I have a sneaking suspicion are permanent features on the high ground.

The airport is on the other side of the island and we were approaching from the same direction as the Japanese troops had back in 1942 as it turned out. While this path looked ugly, these tropical storms are usually quite benign just to either side of the anvil(head) and we had a smooth ride through that cloud. Just don't try it under the build-up!

Overhead the field at 10 000ft isn't the normal approach profile of a 737, so gear and flaps were thrown out and we glided steeply down in an arc to the north, over Ironbottom Sound, to finally re-apply power at 500ft and land on runway 06 to the north east.

Facilities proved to be the expected third world fare, barely adequate and run on pacific time.

Looking back toward the high ground, it was looking a tad damp. I can't imagine trying to trudge through the rainforest covered hillsides on almost no food, trying to keep a weapon serviceable and find someone to fight all at the same time.

The Solomon Airways Airbus had a cracked windscreen (it happens from time to time) which they were in the process of changing out, so we inherited another seventy or so passengers for our return flight.

By the time we departed the CB had slid along the ranges toward the south west and our southerly departure track was relatively clear.

After a comfortable two hours and fifty minutes we were back in "wintery" Brisbane and the 31C (88F) warmth of Honiara was a distant memory.

Today proved to be very interesting and I would love to return to have a closer look around and examine some of the historic sites. While the Solomons isn't the safest place to hang, I think it is getting it's security concerns under control thanks to a peace keeping deal that has been running for most of the last decade.

So, somewhere else I have to go when I have the time......? Definitley!

First Second Half Spin.....

Freshly back from Un Zed I had a text from Dean0 asking what I was doing. My answer, "going for a ride" was soon replied to with a "see you soon". Excellent!

My first ride this Financial Year and the first in just over a week. Last week was a total loss with massive days at work and me just trying to stay rested enough to cope with those long, demanding days after my weekend away, so no time for the usual gym spin sessions.

Getting out also gave me a chance to try out my new winter gloves. Winter gloves here in the sub tropics simply mean full fingers. My old full finger dirt bike gloves are showing signs of severe index digit wear (too much nose picking?!?) after about 7 years of service. Some sweet Pearl Izumis from Wellington fit the bill.

There is never an easy ride here in Cornubia but the climb up Wallum Froglet is certainly a pleasant way to warm up. Meeting Dean0 coming the other way we threw together a couple of laps of Cornubia and a few climbs of the hill.

Dean0 was smokin'.

All of that secret training he has been cramming in is certainly paying off.

Some seriously fun climbing(suprisingly, that is NOT an oxymoron) and chewing the fat ensued with more plans being laid for upcoming bike packing trips. Time to break out the maps and start planning the details.

IceBreaker comfort. Gotta love the Merino.....but not literally....!

More Wellington Wanderings

Now that I am home I can upload some higher quality images of what we saw in Wellington over the weekend. And no, there aren't any more stylin' urinals...

I think we were pretty lucky with the weather. Only a few showers and not too windy. It could have been much worse in the middle of winter.

Wandering around we happened across this bike shop.

The biggest in town apparently. The very friendly staff kindly offered us a tea or coffee even though we were only tyre kicking.

Parked outside was this old girl. Practical as.

We saw this one ride past us, then a few hours later it was resting against a wall at a local market. I know a certain little girl who would love those tyres.

Jumping on a ferry across to Day's Bay we wandered into Eastbourne for a look around.

In town we saw these little fellas. My brother and I learnt to ride in the backyard on a Honda Cub, so they hold a special place and certainly took me back to when I was a boy.

There were some interesting houses in Eastbourne and this one particularly so.

We had a great weekend in Wellington, being able to do whatever we felt like, walk as far as needed, loiter as long as desired, all without a chorus of "how much further, my feet are sore" or "where are we going?" or "are we there yet" et cetera, et cetera......

Add to this the freindliness of Kiwis and the exchange rate and you have a recipe for a memorable stay.