Living Contentedly

OK, I'm officially fed up with this crap about T Rump. Yeah, I know that's what he wants, by creating a smorgasboard of side issues he hopes people will lose their focus on Epstein.  I just listened to a guy that describes himself as an "independent thinker". He describes these unprovoked attacks by US-Israel upon the civilians of Tehran as a suicide mission. His words: " Trump is casting America into meat grinder with no way out". He's predicting the biggest war ever. My fear all along was that as T Rump got forced into a corner he would turn on massive stink leading to the deaths of hundreds of millions of people. A retaliation? Or is he makng the statement,, that right never wins over might driven by evil bastards?  

Today's route was Taylors Beach, One Mile, Zenith, Soldiers Point then back to Taylors Beach.  Shortest distance 40k, add detours to Fingal Head and Tomaree Trail passed Box and Zenith Beaches.  Corps worked OK for only a few k, then maybe due to me poking it to maximise the nav screen, it went into some kind of lockout mode. This evening I downloaded a QR Code app and it seems to like this rather than via Google. Here's hoping. So 40-40k all up for about 3hrs out, including stops to eat, take in the sights or drink a coke and coffee. My goal was to just put time into the saddle, carrying kitchen, tools and wet gear. So this was achieved, happily. I can't recall having a bike that I enjoyed racking up the miles on, than this Krampus.  I had some bike hiking on the Tomaree NP, but coming off hills she scoots. I hardly felt the weight. Totally besotted! No photos, cos I just wanted to ride. Beautiful views of the water; Fingal, Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay, Dutchies, and sections ...

Rear Drybag (Purple) Kitchen (burner, gas, billy, lighter, cutlery)  Lantern (holder, t candles )  Food staples (tuna, noodles, oats mix, peanut butter, crackers, coffee, oil, chocolate) Wet & Cold Gear (puffer, spray jacket, thermal pants, buff) Clothes (Ls shirt, pants, 2 socks & undies, camp thongs) Swim Gear. (budgies, towel) Half Framebag (yellow) Tools ( Allen keys, tube, patches, pump, knife, levers, cord & chain lube) Valuables (cards & cash, keys, documents) Electronics (phone, cable, battery, headlight, headtorch)  Meds & Hygeine lip balm, teeth & bathing gear, pills) Bar Bag (green) Sleep System (bivy & hoop, pad, liner, pillow)  Water (blue) 600ml bidons on forks   Other Coros Dura   on bars for navigation Climbers Powder Pouch  on bars (lollies, phone, glasses) Extras Leatherman (heavy) Sleeping bag   (weather or season dependent Camelback worn to carry extra dep. on route, season...

The Alarmist just boarded this train. Two days sgo, pumped along the platform on rake thin legs that he raised a little too high, wearing a too small hat propped high on his head, and announced that the next train had been cancelled. None of the regulars flinched. The train arrived just as he scampered off the platform complaining about the people that run the trains.  He's  just boarded, same hat, floral pink and lime green shirt, carrying a shoulder bag with short straps so it sits uncomfortably high by his long neck. Reading Don Quixote keeps me on the alert for Knights Errant, & I suspect he's one.  The Knight With The Tiny Hat did not create enough fuss to stop our train & we arrived at Newcastle station. The coastal temperature is milder,  a gentle seabreeze channeling through the train terminus. After a short spin I see the ferry leaving the dock  allowing me time to ride further to Customs House. Back at the terminal, i wait on a flo...

Its still dark, my the seasons are changing. There is still hours of excessive heat & humidity, but the days are shortening.  There are literally only these two sounds. The pets are keen to keep dozing and the industrial drone has not yet begun. Its a good time to pray, for the day.  I'm feeling ergised Andy noisy brain is throwing about activities I could be doing today. Head of the list is bodysurfing off my motorbike, then checking the shops in town for parts I'm waiting on & getting repaired. There are no other options presenting, but the garden needs a good soaking. All these almost storms in the evening have produced nothing to nourish my friends.  Rastafarian Living:  

ROUTE 1/ Waratah Train Station to Fernleigh Track. Along passed Kmart and the Stadium, left at Garden City. Lots of footpath & cycleway, so flat & safe. (4) 2/ Fernleigh to Belmont & back to Adamstown via  Redhead Surf Club. Well its the Fernleigh, so it's cool, a little busy, and slopey work. Stopped in a Redhead for a surf swim and IGA for lunch. Saw my old house, trees, esp red frangipanni all grown out & lush. 3/ Adamstown to Hamilton Station. Just a downhill blast passed Broadmeadow Station. The 3pm train was chockers complete with a screaming tool. Back to the car @ Maitland , but this train ran on to Dungog.  HIGHS - doing 40+ in really uncomfortable humid conditions.  + swim in the sea at my old beach. + rail employee confirms bikes on Sydney trains = no problem.

Cemented paving blocks on the edge of the verandah in place to stop them creeping. . Mowed and edged the lawn.  Pulled weeds in driveway gravel. Watered garden several times.  Read Don Quixote Listened to reggae Fitted a mirror to bike. Recycled parts.  Measured verandah reframing Laundry Searched for battery charger everywhere. 

Listening to podcasts is a fantastic education. Whether it be about sailing, bikepacking or ultras, its all good and you can pick up the tiniest tidbit that may come in handy. I now feel confident that me and Rastus the Krampus can go far.  We may be slow, but I know from walking two Caminos back to back, that a) fitness will improve drastically once on the trail, and b) speed doesn't matter. Often speedsters will blow you off and them you will see them at the next stop. Besides, besides, it matters only that you're out having a go.  And, the reality is that at age 65 I could easily develop some health  issue that may take my oppprtinities to go, from me. So today I ordered a navigation tool to help me find where I am going and stick to the gravel, dirt or quieter roads as often as practical, and get me home again.  My new bivy, and colour coordinated pedals, should be here Monday!

I ordered these MAXXIS Hookworm  slicks on the net & they arrived from Brisbane fairly quickly.  Man, the old Dirt Wizards were a bitch to break the bead on. Wow, there was only a very shallow valley in the rim and the tyres are very snug. The Worms are quite a bit heavier and I found that on my Salsa: the tyres that come with the new bikes are very light. I wonder if this is a sales gimmick or whether they're actually good quality? I recall the Fat Larry tyre on the front of the Salsa Beargrease had a great knob of glue holding a tear together.  I found getting the wheels off showed the class in this build. Every step was easy and was engineered with quality. I wasn't looking forwards to inflating with my stumpy frame pump, but it worked out fine.  Now on the road, they were killer good. Immediately I guestimated 5% more speed for the same effort. They're faster and smoother and I enjoyed more accurate feedback from the road. Yes, the reality is...

Morning tea brew by the trail & over Leggy Point. My goals today are to build time in the saddle & limit time in traffic. I rode 4.5 hrs on a loop from  Hamilton station, Foreshore and down the coast to  Glenrock and Fernleigh Track.  There were many ebikes on the trail travelling above human speed.  A blend of bike and motorbike, is getting more people riding in a way more sustainable than the car; a good thing.  So goals reached, a very positive day on Rastus.

Following a bit of a failure with mileage and fum yesterday I want to zoom about Newcastle, for a few hours and get some fun, food and miles.  If I cant get enough miles in around town I'll go to the Glenrock  NP and hit the trails there. I've got my stove, so a roadside coffee or 2 will be had. 

I've been living " off grid ", or as I prefer " no grid " for over 20 years. I bought my first solar PV panel in 1986 and I've been here for the last 20 years with no cpnnections to;- power, water, sewer or phone networks. Just a quite rickety dirt trail is our sole hard link to the world .  On following the mellow path in life we are encouraged to be aware of our surroundings, how it impacts us and visa versa. Well, honestly for me this way of relating to my environment is somewhat of an obsession. Imagine my delight while I was showering tonight. Just to back track, I have a new routine that has evolved. It involves weight training, meditation and gardening. I start by doing 10 rep's of 7 dumbell exercises, then I rest, or recover. During these moments I pray a decate of the rosary and with a sharp knife I dig lightly about the garden pulling weeds. So after about 30 minutes Im feeling pumped, a little sweaty which attracts the dirt. Now, those preciou...

I'm certain that my love of cycling, on what is about week 4 of Krampus ownership, has never been higher.  I want to ride as often as I can and feel elated for the remainder of the day.  The highest point in my past cycling life was when I rode to TAFE perhaps three times a week on my red Giant Cypress.  That bike had a very relaxed geometry, but with an alloy frame, was quite a good mover. I said to my local bileshop guy that I hoped to rekindle that feeling. And gladly certain this has happened. Moving towards the  Thunderbolt rally, I'm getting my gear sorted. I've organised to return my newly purchased bivy bag and hope to rebuy a OR Stargazer bivy. This one is lighter and hopefully better quality.  SLEEP SYSTEM This bivy will become the mainframe of my sleep system. This will be completed by my old Black Wolf 3/4 sized sleeping pad, and the sleeping bag liner I used on my camino walks. In colder months, I will probably pack a sleeping bag. In emergencies, w...

Reasons for enlisting for the Thunderbolt:- ∆ k's (training & event) ∆ to learn from bikepackers ∆ upscale riding & camping So, I may ride to Gloucester. A train from here to Dungog would avoid possible death on that busy narrow road. Then its 60k on a side trail for the first bit & possible overnight camp. So, 60k x 2 to & from plus 47k on the event. A 110k ride over a few days, some camping (formal & stealth) & some road food scrounging as well as cyclists for company. Sounds more than good, great!

News emerging from the Epstein files is disturbing. Once thought to contain information relating to child trafficking and sexual abuse its worse.  Hints of global child abductions on a massive scale, forced pregnancies and then disfiguring and killing those babies. Upsetting, and beyond our darkest imaginations . This is also how those that have read the files are describing   what they've seen. So keep your babies close and turn off the news and prepare to be mind f#$%ed.

OK its not the Silk Road or Atlas Mountains, but I've timidly entered the Thunderbolts gravel event, Gloucester. I'll be riding The Remington, 47k with a healthy vertical register, but its  cruise not a race. Stopping for photos, rests & coffee is encouraged. While I don't intend to ever race, it will be good to see how the top riders go.  

11 Feb: Visiting my daughter out west of the state and not being able to ride due to heavy rain, was frustrating. I could not wait to get home and at least make progress on setting up for bike packing.  Yesterday I bought three items:-  A stove windshelter for the trangia. I took it out west and on several training rides making oats and coffee and two things happened. One the wind carried off the flames causing heat loss/ wasting fuel. And the flames lashing about presented a real fire risk. $14 well spent on a device that is 250g & stows flat. Bivy Bag : for me a tent seems so not bikepacky due to its bulk, weight & excess comfort. Whereas a good bivy bag can provide weather protection, quick set up, stealthy, light & small pack size. Research reveals that many Silk Road racers used the Outdoor Research type bivy, their particular model is expensive & works in -20°C etc. I discovered the Stargazer model which is cheaper, lighter and smaller, & practical f...

Made it to here Saturday evening and great to see mia. Yesterday she and Zack picked up a ute tray for hilux. I did gardening here, and rested. Good light meal last night and with being well rested, I wake to solid rain and thoughts to head off.  Would like to return soon to render this place! 

Less than a week before Xmas I had posted my Brompton bike for sale. A few hours later aessage came in from a guy just north of here offering full price. He later sent a request for bank details ... I was involved in a rare in depth conversation with my son. Pretty soon after sever requests for information, I became a bit "over it" and distracted by conversation.  Basically, I'd given out too much information to a,very cunning fraud professional. When I checked for the deposit by "Robert Jackson" I saw a withdrawal by someone with a distinctly Indian looking name. As I was gaping at the screen and berating myself, a second withdrawal followed.I did everything I could to shút the account down. It was too late to advise my bank. An auto response came through for me to approve the second payment, I declined. I .made an online report to Fraud Watch (?) and called my bank the following day. i was told they would take best endeavours in a field with few wins. Fortuna...

I missed the opportunity to ride yesterday. I am hoping to ride at least each second day to build fitness and systs prior to beginning bike packing.  Anyway, today I got the opportunity to get out before the heat hits. Laden with a nar roll containing my sleep system and puffer jacket, frame bag with tools, electronics and  bobs, tailbag with galley and rain jacket. Off from my local RFS base, I rode 12k to the base of Duns Creek Road hill, then back via Paterson. The DCR "hill" is a tad epic; it's the type of hill, actually a series of hills, that when you see a cyclist riding up of you think; "they're mad" or "badass". you're guaranteed to be as sweaty as a salami in the sun when you hit the top. The ride down is a screaming sprint that happens too quickly.  At Paterson I bought flat bread, tomato, cucumber and cottage cheese and went to the picnic shelter and adding tuna, ate a number of fresh wraps.   My cats,Patty & Sooty, ...

   Cricket ground, Dungog. Home of Doug Walters. This day last week I was heading to Gloucester to go camping in the mountains and I saw a group ride out of Dungog. Today I rode the train to Dungog as a launch onto Bingleburra and spied the same guys hanging out at the coffee shop. But being a solo rider, I kept to myself.  by the road near the top of B Okay, Bingleburra is a bloody big hill between the capital town of the shire to the neighbouring village of Gresford. I can't fond any elevation figures, but I did spend a good deal of time on the lowest cog. Distance between the two towns is a little over 20k but it took almost 2 hours including a scintillating drop off the top of the hill. At one point, hopping into s blind left corner, I was waiting to break traction. But Krampas was really fast and well behaved, so I tucked up and shot through.  gresford shop I was expecting to be hungry and spent at Gresford, but I only stopped...

2-Feb: PLAN use cooler weather and back to school date to take a long dog walk. WHAT HAPPENED on the way, I dropped the wheelie bins off for collection 1.6k from home. As I got back in the car I asked the dog to get in the back of the wagon. I then drove 60k, just before the destination I stop to leave empty bottles and cans for refund.  As I get back on the car, from 10' away, no dog. I search on foot and behind the wheel for 5 hrs. Meanwhile my daughter is posting on Facebook and calling vets and animal shelters.  I dreaded this, but texted my son; I've lost the dog. ... and copped heavy abuse.  As son arrived home he finds the dog.  retreating from the coast WHAT HAPPENED when I asked the dog to hop over the back, he hopped out the car window without me noticing. HIGHLIGHTS meeting lovely caring people after the dog was found, I bought some steak and had a waterside BBQ, and spied this very interesting little boat.

Mia reported that she had been enduring temperatures in excess of 40°C for a week. One day it reached 46°, and was still 40_ ° at 8pm. She described a level of hardship that few people can comprehend, but will need to love with in coming decades.  A little research reveals that temperature measurements are taken in a louvred box, that is, the gauge is not in direct sunlight .  Direct sun can easily be at least 15° hotter.  Health authorities warn that this amount of heat, raised even further by Mia's normal work setting (truck engines and hard surfaces) can cause "imminent [sun] stroke" or worse. Working in isolation at times throughout the day, an equipment failure could threaten her life. Council administrators (in air conditioned offices), expects work to continue and their concession is to have outdoor staff begin an hour earlier.  As a parent with a long history of protectiveness, and even though she is an adult, I am concerned. She is a very driven ...