Ride to Malvern

Its not that I have not been riding - I have (a bit). Just there was nothing to report, nothing worth photographing. Rode pavement to/around Lake Manawa. After the heat we had last week, I rode a little later in the morning. One morning it was 59 when I headed into town for coffee - last week it was 78 at 6am.

Yesterday, I was ready for a ride on the Trace. Since I did not have a planned trip to CB, I rode South from Silver City.

Over the first couple miles, I was wondering how far I could make it - would I make my goal of Malvern (8.5 miles). By the time i was at the Silver Creek Bridge, I was in my pedaling rhythm and felt better.

Hydration stop at the bridge and pushed on to Malvern. G2 and granola break at Malvern and back toward Silver City.

At Janke Rd, I met and visited with Greg & Bonnie Pierce (and their son?) of Pierce Crossing Guesthouse in Malvern. There were out for their Wednesday ride.

Quick stop back at the Silver Creek Bridge (hydration). A mile North of the bridge I was stopped by a solo rider heading South. He was asking how far to the next town. Gave him some pointers into Malvern (refill his G2, etc) and gave him info about the Wabash Trace and towns along the way. He is from Council Bluffs and thinking of longer rides on the trace, likely with a friend or two.

With the stops to visit and only making 8.7 mph on the ride, the morning was shot when I got back home. Was my first ride to Malvern for the year. Tired when i got home, so napped.

Taking the next couple days off the bike.

Well wasn't that well done!

Just after lunchtime today I took a phone call from someone I'd never met or heard of before. "I'm just ringing to enquire about the ride that was in the paper today." Well, of course, it was understandable that if they read about a ride in the Courier Mail (assuming that was the paper in question), and see my phone number listed as the ride leader, that they might phone me about it. There was just one problem: nobody remembered to tell me.

A little bit of background here. I regularly lead rides for Bicycle Gold Coast, and a few of them have received a mention in the Courier Mail, probably due to the nature of the places that I like to ride. I normally don't have a problem with this. However, it's a little annoying when they 1) Get the date wrong (it's actually tomorrow night, hence I'm here typing this now); and 2) Don't tell me to expect any phone calls. I've actually been in and out today on various errands, and it's not inconceivable that I missed a call or two simply through not being aware that this had been published.

Coming on top of the other f*ck up with the ride calendar (i.e. putting me down to lead rides that I hadn't actually agreed to, then failing to delete them when I made this clear -- I don't know who's going to take them in my place, and nor do I care any longer), I have to say that I'm very close to just washing my hands of the whole situation.

I also have to ask just how stupid some people really are. Now the ride has been advertised as a 6pm start, with sections on dirt roads, and expected to take a couple of hours. It's fairly obvious it's going to be dark (and if it wasn't, the word "glow worm" in the title should be a giveaway), yet of the two calls that I took today, neither of them had lights, in fact, both seemed surprised when I mentioned the fact. Now even if someone's eyesight is good enough to find their way along narrow winding dirt roads in the moonlight (which will be non existent given the current phase of the moon in anycase), there is no way the moonlight is going to effectively penetrate the rainforest of Urliup Road. It's just not going to happen.

Perhaps I should be glad that this monumental cock-up occurred after all. On the forum this week I participated in a discussion asking whether we'd really like it if cycling were more popular. I have to say, after all this, I'm leaning toward agreeing with those who said "No".

Onto something slightly more positive now, I took a pleasant ride in Currumbin Valley this morning, enjoying near perfect temperatures (11 degrees C to 22 C), and the smells of the last of Queensland's winter wildflower wonderland. Sadly, my camera missed most of it this year due to mechanical problems, but that didn't stop me grabbing a couple of snaps this morning. The thing I like about the wildflower season is that the colours seem to be different every year. In 2001, purple was the dominant colour, 2002 it was yellow, last year it was red, and this year it's been pink.



That's not to say that red has had no influence at all.



Of course, the greens are always nice. This ride isn't actually as rugged as it looks in this shot, but it's still beautiful nonetheless.


Whatever happens, I'm going to to the Glow Worm ride myself tomorrow night, regardless. If anyone shows, good. If not, I'll still have a good time out there. Haven't been down Urliup for a couple of weeks, and I'm starting to miss it. Below is how it looks during the day -- imagine that rainforest closing in and being illuminated by a headlight! It's just amazing!

Another must-stop

The scene outside Sherman's Dairy Bar on a warm Friday afternoon.
Add this to the list of places you must stop on your way home from Michigan.
Sherman Dairy Bar, an unprepossessing creamery and ice cream parlor on Phoenix Road in South Haven, has been serving up huge scoops for 50 years. On a hot weekend afternoon, you might have to stand in line for 10 or so minutes, but it's well worth the wait. You can choose between about 50 flavors, from chocolate and vanilla to cappuccino and coconut almond fudge, all made with real ingredients and no artificial flavorings. It's anything but low-fat, and it's utterly fabulous.

Tom Yum Soup

Tom yum soup made last night. Delicious!

Last glimpses of Kosovo

These really will be the last glimpses, before I return to things Scottish. But Kosovo is not yet widely visited, and having experienced it I wanted to show something of its current-day reality.

Above, and the two pictures below, the Sinan Pasha mosque in the town centre. Built in 1615, it is in active use for worship today. My two female companions and I were welcomed inside, without the need to cover our heads. I thought the juxtaposition of the advertising sign and the mosque in the shot above was also notable in this respect. Prizren mingles mosques and churches, crammed in beside each other. We visited a cathedral under restoration (I am ashamed to say I can't remember its name), where we stood in the candle-lit interior listing to a nun having a singing lesson.





Below, the Gazi Mehmet Pasha Hamam, a turkish bath dating form 1575. It's in need of restoration - one call on funding among very many in this new nation.



A view down the Lumbardhi river, spanned by the 'stone bridge' dating from the 16th century. The bridge was washed away in 1979 - the river is tremendously fast-flowing even during the dry period we were there - and rebuilt in its current form.





The Turkish influence is evident in tea, nargile pipes, and many bakeries selling baklava.



The pesky hobbits turn up everywhere. As long as I don't have to sit through that film again...





The street on which our hotel was located, just out of sight at the bottom of the road.





A typical snack food - seeds and nuts in various coatings. Very tasty, and much healthier than Scottish snacks.





A small town we passed on the way south to Prizren. Note the futuristic mosque minaret.





And finally, leaving Prizren, with its backdrop of stunning mountains.





Kosovo is far too complex a country for me to try to sum it up on the basis of a week's stay. My overwhelming impression was of the people - welcoming, open, friendly, hopeful, striving for the future. It is a young nation in terms of age of population - there are various estimates, but around 46% are aged under 25. I'm involved in only a very tiny part of their building for the future, but I feel privileged to be contributing.

Another Sunrise Ride

Really getting tired of the heat here this summer. Not getting out to ride as much. When I do ride, it has to be at or about sunrise.

Yesterday was another of my sunrise rides to and around Lake Manawa. Caught sunrise just after crossing the road to the power plant.

When riding at sunrise, had to keep checking the mirror to catch the right image.

Old Man of Storr

From time to time I'll be featuring photos by two Austrian friends, Thomas and Elke. On a gloomy grey Monday, when it was getting dark at 3.30 p.m., I needed some sunshine, and so I reached for some images from their epic round-Scotland cycle trip. The luck of the Austrians - they had something like a day of rain.
This is the Old Man of Storr, on the Isle of Skye. Apparently it means 'Great Man' in Old Norse.