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Saturday, 14 January 2006 - My 100km slog, round 2!
Well I decided I didn't have enough fun busting my guts last time, so I thought I'd do it again ;) This time was all about throwing caution to the wind - literally! What ruined this for me last time was the relentless head wind I had for around two-thirds of the trip, so if I was to do this again then obviously the conditions would have to be perfect, and today's forecast was just that: sunny and 30 degrees with no talk of rain or wind or anything. I thoroughly enjoy my weekend sleep-ins (who doesn't?!) but I set the alarm for 8am this morning as, more often than not, morning is the nicest part of the day as far as that fucking wind goes so at least if it did pick up a little later it wouldn't bugger me for as long! I planned to do a similar route to last time as there is no other contiguous cycle path in the city anywhere near as long (at least none that I know of, and after doing more than 3,000kms on the bike last year I think I've seen them all ;)

After fluffing around with breakfast and trains etc, I eventually started out at 10:30. This is the Keperra end of the path.		That will be me one day after all the cycling - mobility scooter still wearing a bike helmet and living the dream ;)
Too bad it wasn't time for lunch yet.		Now this is a nice car - clearly somebody's pride and joy! You know you've really made it with your life when you drive a car as stunning as this.
And speaking of cars I nearly hit a cop - on the cycle path of all places! I was screaming around this bend at about 35-40km/h, looked up and there he was right in front of me! I slammed on the anchors and although he was only moving at a snails crawl he still veered out of my way. The driver's window was down so I said, "Are you lost?!" He just chuckled like Mr. Plod and said, "No no, just on patrol." Alrighty then.		I see several "Lost dog" posters around Brisbane but I hate seeing posters about lost birds. I own a cockatiel (back home) and when domesticated birds go free they don't last very long.

During the 20-something-kilometre trip east from Keperra to Toombul I noticed the wind was starting to pick up, and after last time there was no way I was going to put up with it. Change of plan: catch a train from Toombul heading North West to a suburb called Burpengary (burping Gary?). Burpengary is around 15kms east of Deception Bay (which was originally to be my terminus like last time where I'd turn around and head back south), and was the closest suburb to Deception Bay that I could get to by train. I'd bike from Burpengary into the north-easterly wind to Deception Bay from where the cycle path heads south and where I would have a tail wind. That way, I've only got to persevere with that fucking wind for those 15kms versus the 50-something from Toombul like I did last time. Good plan!

Just so you can get some sort of idea about where these places are in relation to each other, I drew a crap map with Microsoft Paint :) Last time I followed the solid blue line from Keperra to Toombul to Shorncliffe to Deception Bay, and back to Shorncliffe. This time I took a detour from Toombul to Burpengary via train, and biked from there to Deception Bay to Shorncliffe to Toombul. Clear as mud?		Alrighty, from the suburb with the weird name to Deception Bay into the goddamn wind.
I didn't see any?!		Mate that's a fantastic bit of DIY work on your car there, well done - I barely even noticed it at first!
Deception Bay has several water ways (or canals) with properties backing onto them, so people simply hoon around on their boats for the day, drive them home, and park them up out the back. Sweet as!		This sticker was on the back of a "Cycle Path" sign in Deception Bay hehe - good to know ;)
A man-made lagoon (similar to that at South Bank in the city) next to the path as it heads south from Deception Bay. Speaking of South Bank, there was a much publicised incident last year where some sicko got arrested for taking numerous photos of kids and putting them on the Internet. So I just took this one shot with severval adults in it and quickly put the camera away hehe.		Redcliffe Jetty / mini pier.
Looking back from the end of Redcliffe Jetty - very pretty!
		I didn't see this sign last time so let's see how many of these rules I obeyed: Go slow, speed limit 30km/h: Nope. Keep left: Nope. Slow down for corners and sound bell: Nope, and nope. Sound bell when overtaking: Nope. Dogs must be on lead: N/A Slow down for boardwalks and bridges: Nope. Don't block the pathway: N/A - I was going too quick to be in anyone's way. I love that illustration on the left, hahaha!
Imagine doing 100kms on that!		Ok well I eventually made it back to Toombul, very exhausted. This time I think it was the heat more than the wind that took it out of me - 100kms on a bike in sunny 30-degree heat probably wasn't the best idea in retrospect.
I was originally going to take the above-right photo with my helmet on (for no particular reason). Just as I pushed the button on my camera I heard a massive screech of tyres - somebody slammed on their anchors for something though I don't know what. Anyway, when I later saw this photo I thought it looked funny - a photo of myself taken by myself staring at something hehe ;)		I caught the train home from Toombul (the same station from which I'd caught the train to Burpengary some four hours earlier), and my speedo clicked over to 100kms while biking from my train station to home - hooray!
		Once again I'd done it, and once again I was absolutely 100% stuffed! Like last time, I biked the whole 100kms topless and wearing a backpack, but unlike last time it was sunny today - really sunny, and as such... well you can see for yourself. I'm going to peel like a banana. After biking home from the train station I'd done a total of 102.13kms for the day spread over 4 hours and 37 minutes of cycling (average speed 22.1km/h). During the ride I refilled my drink bottle with water at least five or six times. I don't know how much it holds exactly but I had the longest colourless piss when I got home. Once again I'll sleep bloody well tonight, and will probably be walking a little funny tomorrow.

Monday, 16 January 2006 - What's in a name?
Ever wondered what your name says about you? Find out here!

Tuesday, 17 January 2006 - One year!
Yup, one year ago today I left home and arrived in Brisbane, ready to face the real world! Well the real world has been pretty interesting so far, and despite some initial dramas (mostly employment-related) it has all worked out pretty well. This time next year I hope to be living in the UK somewhere if all goes to plan, so stay tuned! :)

Wednesday, 18 January 2006 - Almost

I very nearly saw a good pile-up while walking home from work today. This is Upper Roma Street - a madhouse during rush hour and not the best place to break down hehe, but this poor chick did. For some reason the traffic screaming up from behind just didn't see her, and very nearly slammed right up her arse before swerving at the last minute. The three vehicles behind her in the shot on the right all locked up the brakes at the last instant and it was almost very spectacular ;) During a break in the traffic I wandered over to offer her a hand to move the car or do something, but she was quite content to just sit there and wait for either a good bout of whiplash or roadside rescue to turn up.

Saturday, 21 January 2006 - The day before the Big Day (Out)
The Gold Coast's Big Day Out 2006 is tomorrow. I have no interest in going, but I accompanied a mate down there to meet up with a couple more as they were staying there the night for the 11am start tomorrow. I fucking love the Gold Coast, so it was a good excuse to spend a day down there :)

Yup, well there was plenty of sunshine on Sunshine Boulevard.
Didn't see any hookers though ;)		This is the (fucking ginormous) Q1 Tower in Surfers Paradise - the tallest residential tower in the world, and the tallest skyscraper in the Southern Hemisphere.
		Two better images of it here, especially the one above when the lightning conductor in tower's spire was put to good use during an evening storm in October last year! Some quick facts for those who are interested: 323 metres tall (one metre shorter than the Eiffel Tower), 80 storeys high, over three years in the making, sixty floors up is a 10-storey-high mini rainforest sky garden, and the penthouse is currently on the market for a cool $12,000,000.
Bel Air Resort in Broadbeach, directly opposite the massive Pacific Fair shopping centre. A bunch of friends-of-friends and friends-of-friends-of-friends (and so on) all chipped in on a room here for the weekend for the Big Day Out. I couldn't stay the night but did make the most of the facilities: swimming pools, spa, sauna, etc.
View from the 4th-storey room's balcony in Bel Air looking west into the sunset behind Pacific Fair and the Gold Coast Hinterland.
Another shot of the sunset, and the resort pools out the back by night - pretty and pretty :)
Long exposure shot of the intersection at the Gold Coast Highway and Hooker Boulevard looking towards Jupiters Casino.		I found this fella having a snooze in a garden along Upper Roma Street as I was walking home. I made sure he wasn't dead or something before doing the insensitive thing of putting him the Internet hehe. I nudged him with my foot and said, "Oi!" to which he grumbled, "I told you to fuck off ya bitch!" hahaha!

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