Riding Down Under - Tropical Cairns Australia

[MacDoc]

Could hardly the dog out to pee. Temps are nice on the deck tho so catching up on Kinga In Africa and the odd movie.
Pretty meager sun until next week.

Windfinder.com - Wind, waves, weather & tide forecast Cairns Airport

Windfinder.com - Detailed wind, waves, weather & tide forecast for Cairns Airport / Queensland, Australia for kitesurfing, windsurfing, sailing, fishing & hiking.

www.windfinder.com

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makes you appreciate your coffee

she's a good ambassador to the kids. √

 

[MacDoc]

Finally got out. Some sun for the dog so she's happy and it's trying to come out up at Lake Barrine. I can feel the warmth even tho not visible...clouds very thin. Grabbed my wrong jacket but was doubled up on shirts so did not bother to change it. Mid 20s so comfortable riding.
Nice ride up the Gillies and the wind has gone down to tolerable. Some greenmoss on the Gillies from the rains so might go back via Kuranda....see how I feel.
Will have a nice tail wind if I do and new sunglasses are a treat.
So much easier to keep clear than either visor.
Bike was smooth with the slight chain adjustment and fresh oil. Curing my cabin fever....longer ride tomorrow I hope.

Did the longer loop via Kuranda, just a sprinkle of rain. 177 very enjoyable km despite the slightly dodgy weather ...enjoying the audio book. biography of Simon Bolivar ...a figure I've always been interested in. Learning a lot and it's a well done story about a remarkle man.

Tomorrow looking a repeat as well. Wind down to civilized speeds and no rain at all forecast but little sun ...don't care - just happy to be out. North likely tomorrow up The James Cook.

 

[MacDoc]

Nice morning - dog got her sun bath and I'm heading north up the Cook along the Pacific. Mix of sun and clouds and moderate winds. Likely hit Daintree Village and sit and read for a while. Have not had croc springrolls in a while tho their steak sandwich is good as well.
Have a good book on the go reading ( actually three on the go ) and a good one listening. I have the Generals on Audio and the Aviators on ebook - same author so might pair those up.
Up to 26 later - just nice 23 now. Lighter gear today ...was chilled a bit yesterday with the mesh jacket and misty rain and no sun.
Nicer and warmer today and staying below the range.


100 Km ride up to Daintree village ...sprinkle of rain, nice tail wind...bit more of a slog going home and bit creaky from the layoff then two days in a row. Hate getting old

Bit of new vibration I'm not sure where from ...wonder if the chain is too tight. Doubt it's from the valve check. Will lube it when I get home and see if the vib goes away.
It was slightly out of alignment so putting it back into alignment might generate some vibration. It's really minor tho.
Busy with tourists and no masks cept me but looks like a new mask mandate coming in.

 

[MacDoc]

2" in four hours and still raining. More on the way. and just 17 with no heat
Lotsa layers ....wish I had my ColdPruf gear.

 

[AllistonGT]

2" in four hours and still raining. More on the way. and just 17 with no heat
Lotsa layers ....wish I had my ColdPruf gear.

Crazy amount of rain down there. Daughter moved to Sydney in January. She can't believe how much it rains.

 

[MacDoc]

Still coming down too..We're at 3" since noon yesterday ( it's 4 am )
..we expect it in the wet season but it's The Dry now ...
Cairns is 2400 km away from Sydney which is really getting hammered just now.
We actually need the rain here as was a wimpy wet season.
Yeah not the best year for a Sydney initiation.

Wet weather to continue throughout winter and possibly into summer

Many had hoped the end of the La Nina would also bring an end to the endless wet weather. But climate models suggest the rain will continue throughout the winter and possibly into next summer.

www.smh.com.au

14" near enough in 48 hours ....we're geared to handle that here but Sydney is not. Has shehad to evacuate?

Over the past few days, the Illawarra has copped the worst of the weather event. Dutschke said this might be because waters off the region are two degrees warmer than normal, which is creating more moisture and instability. Some places in the region have broken 20-year records, with Albion Park recording 349mm in the past 48 hours, while Kiama has recorded 270mm.

3 feet of rain sets up 4th round of flood misery for Sydney

More than 30,000 residents of Sydney and its surrounds have been told to evacuate or prepare to abandon their homes as Australia’s largest city faces more severe flooding

abcnews.go.com

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology manager, Jane Golding, said some areas between Newcastle, north of Sydney, and Wollongong, south of Sydney had received more than a meter (39 inches) of rain in the previous 24 hours. Some has received more than 1.5 meters (59 inches).

 

[AllistonGT]

14" near enough in 48 hours ....we're geared to handle that here but Sydney is not. Has shehad to evacuate?

Not to my knowledge.

 

[DownUnder]

Yea first thing I noticed when I came to Canada (summer time) weather wise. It rains for very short periods and stops, where as back in parts of Oz, you can get steady rain for weeks on end.

 

[MacDoc]

Can't beleive Kinga is attempting Sani Pass. sumabitch she did it - fortunate she had that new suspension ..but seemed worse when Noraly did it. Noraly did up and back down it appears Kinga carried on.

 

[ifiddles]

I'm pretty sure Noraly did it as well IIRC...

 

[MacDoc]

Yeah she did and I was seriously impressed I think Noraly did in 2021 after heavy rains as it looked worse than Kingas run.
Kinga music getting more tolerable and her audio improving tho stil miss the narrative Noraly provides

 

[MacDoc]

So chilly in the house at 5.30 pm I have 3 layers on including Itchy Boot Hoodie and running the laptop full throttle to keep my hands warm supper decisions revolve around what will warm us up.
16c and no heat. At least tomorrow some sun and warmer weather with a high of 23 and mostly sun. I'll get an arvo ride in and maybe by the time I get back the sun will have given us some hot water.

 

[MacDoc]

A few days of sun coming up ...still on the cool side but wind is down and sun is welcome.
Tomorrow some sun in the afternoon. Not sure I'll do the tablelands anytime soon.

 

[MacDoc]

Glad I fired up the electric blanket ..13 according to Alexa 14 on another source ...don't care ... not out on the deck for long - was watching tennis -It's 5 am so should be able to get 6 hours and have a nice sunny midday ride. mid 20s
and nearly zero wind will wait a bit til it clears 20c. around 11 am.


solar powered dog topping off for another chilly night
- bit tired ..likely not quite enough sleep and the wind guys lied tho it was beneficial coming home.
202 km ...easy ride tho was filtering and had clench moment with a ridge of pavement keeping me off the main lane and a persistent size large truck on my right so any mistake in that direction would be nasty and the filter lane was narrowing.
The ridge finally petered out ....
I'll keep my eye on that next run as I regularly filtered on that light.

 

[MacDoc]

Aside from some chilly nights...no excuses not to get some decent riding in.

Trouble is it doesn't get warm enough to hit The Tablelands until noon some days....then it's a short day
Today tho forecast 23 by 10 am....that'll do √
Even Ravenshoe is decent today and that sun will be lovely plus okay wind speeds. On fumes tho so need quick fill up.

Topping up warmth under the electric blanket for a couple hours then off for the day Hate starting out chilled.

 

[Wingboy]

Don't like the heat. But i made a promise to see a friend in SC before i head home. It's 34 in St Louis right now, and 36.7 in SC.ugh.

 

[MacDoc]

I used to shed my jacket in the US when the temps get above 30 there.
Those are real bad news ....hydrate

 

[MacDoc]

All the best laid plans...okay ride to Gillies then grew very grey and quite chilly plus I was hungry ( left too late for Ravenshoe ) so spent a lovely hour at Barrine with lunch and a latte reading in the so so sun which got warmer with less clouds as time went by. Fascinated with reading Lindberghs auto-biography of his trip across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St Lewis from conception to execution.. an unlikely tale but true.
The book is interspersed with stories from his mail flying days and even from his farm and his grandfathers arrival in the US almost penniless.
Lindbergh is just damn fine, lyrical writer that can evoke that flight especially as a pilot myself I can share his love of flight tho on a very modest scale.
He was awake 55 hours ( 33 in flight ) in the Paris adventure and he describes the actual flight hour by hour including instrument settings and his internal doubts and horrendous fight to stay awake.
Even if you don't fly small craft, it's a superb tale of risk and adventure that should appeal to every motorcyclists as he weighs risk.

Above all, both this book and The Aviators really shows both his immense skill as a pilot and innovator ( he shares the invention of the artificial heart ) and his enduring love of flying.
I'd strongly recommend either book either audio or book form.

In the meantime the ride home was very nice with warming air a nice modest tailwind and the equally enchanting biography of Simon Bolivar. The scale of his achievements has yet to play out in history and certainly he deserves to be in the company of Hannibal and Napoleon levering history to his own vision with incredible feats of military brilliance and personal endurance that so inspired his men.
The Bolivarian Revolution is a script yet to be played out in full in Cuba and formerly Spanish South America. Engaging listen.
The bike was humming, no wind issues, perfect mid 20s and just would like to fix the slightly too tight cheek pads on the Shark.

 

[MacDoc]

well 10 years riding down under covers this too....

Joined the club

$620 US ...$900 aus

https://www.eridesolutions.com.au/products/smartmotion-e-city-electric-bike

Grey nomad couple owned and only used it twice...ebike advisor thought it a good deal.
Guy is delivering it in a few minutes

Smartmotion E city electric bike 6061 aluminium frame in very good condition . Unisex step through frame means it’s easy to get on and off.Upright seating position easy on your arms. Shimano 8 speed gears,front and rear disc brakes and lights, 36 volt 15.6 amp hr battery with rear high toque brushless with free wheel 250-350 watt motor. LCD display 5 levels pedal assist,6klm p h function, battery and trip meter, adjustable max speed.Suspension front forks and seat post. Has a built in bike lock. 24 in wheel 2 in wide . Very easy bike to ride only selling it because going to a different style of bike.

 

[MacDoc]

Creeping down ...12 C at 4 am on the deck and I'm now on 4 layers ..I'll just wait a bit to ride later
Dog huddled up on the couch ...I threw a cover over her tho she's a camp dog ( rescued ) so used to rough living ....her scars show it...but getting spoiled now. Using the processor on the laptop to keep my hands warm at least.
Looking forward to wobbling around the neighborhood on the eBike. Throttle on the left will take a bit getting used to, both hands brakes will not as same as the Burgman.
Sorting the deraileur will take some getting used to.
Give me a reason to get out and some exercise as throttle only = walking pace but if I pedal I can get to 25 kph. Still trying to figure out Queensland rules on them - I know I can use the bike paths but not sure on the local roads.
This looks good info

The Cairns region is uniquely located between two World Heritage areas of the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforest. Cairns Regional Council provides over 450km of off-road paths as well as many on-road bike lanes for the cycling and walking enthusiasts to explore this unique region.

https://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/39134/North-maps.pdf

Day One EV bike.
I wobbled as much as when I switched from my small bicycle when I was 8 ish to my sisters 26" three speed I inherited but sure loved that bike.
Desperately need a rear view mirror...rode in the bike lane facing traffic so wasn't as nervous and slowly settled down to a couple of Ks around the neighborhood.
Need to sort the seat higher and figure out the gearing. Sure takes off the minute you start pedaling...goes from walking speed to 20kph in a heart beat. It's disconcerting as it does not feel fast at all but then you see the speedo.
No way to change the seat angle that I can see - just the height. But seat okay otherwise and tilt not horrid.

Got the rear view mirror ordered...

thought I might need rear lights ...nope

and a phone holder.

I will feel much better when that rear view mirror arrives