We'll take that ride [Road to Nowhere - Song by Talking Heads] Yesterday there was an invitation from Steve to go for a ride. "Late notice for a tomorrow. Bernie T and I are heading off from Jerra Ampol at 8.00am and heading to Uriarra Rd up Fairlight Rd, Mountain Creek Rd, Wee Jasper Rd, Doctors Flat Rd, Webbs Ridge Trail and then a few tracks to get back on to Gentle Annie Trail, Brindabella Rd through Piccadilly Circus, Paddy’s River Rd towards Tharwa and back to Jerra. Happy to swing by Ampol Weston Creek for any northern riders. I can add a GPX file if anyone wants one." Adrian and I suggested taking Sawyers Gully Rd, a great stretch of dirt that cuts through many monotonous kilometres of bitumen. There was some talk about Doctors Flat Rd being locked and on private property, to which I thought, "Yeah, but..." I was eager to join the ride but had to juggle taking the kids to vacation care and getting the wife to the tram. If I timed things right and everything lined up, I might have made it to the second meeting spot Adrian suggested, at the Fairlight RFS Brigade Fireshed on Mountain Creek Rd. But, of course, I didn’t quite manage to hit the 8:30 am meeting time. Still, I was determined to get out for a ride and had a hunch I’d find something interesting. I arrived at the fireshed just after 9:00 am, and as expected, no one was there. I pressed on to Sawyers Gully Rd, stopping briefly to snap a photo of the old Mullion school. Then, it was on to Sawyers Gully Rd where I took a moment to lower my tyre pressure before diving into the dirt. This stretch of road is fantastic, winding through a scenic gully, offering plenty of photo opportunities. At the end of Sawyers, I turned left onto Wee Jasper Rd and followed it until I veered off again onto Doctors Flat Rd. I was surprised by how many properties lined the road, including a high ropes course. There were also a lot of trucks on the road, which I had to navigate around. It wasn’t clear what they were doing, but I saw distance markers, so I guessed it might be road work. The trucks seemed to go on forever. Eventually, I discovered the trucks’ destination: they were dumping gravel at the junction of Doctors Flat Rd and Webbs Ridge Trail. It was clear they were working on maintenance for the 4WD trail for National Parks. I had a moment of confusion here, thinking that was the end of the road for me, but a quick "oh yeah" moment reminded me I was looking for the end of Doctors Flat Rd. As the road started to deteriorate, I pressed on. Not long after, I encountered a fallen branch blocking my path, so I had to stop and clear it. With the branch out of the way, I continued until I reached what I thought was the end of the road. Sure enough, I soon found the intersection with Maginot and Baldy Range Trails. I stopped to take some photos to update OpenStreetMap. From there, I turned up Baldy Range Rd, which quickly became steeper, with sections of fist-sized rocks adding to the challenge of both the climbs and descents. Near the top, I spotted a side track that looked promising for a view, so I decided to explore. There was a slippery fallen tree to navigate, and I almost dropped my bike trying to get over it. Fortunately, I caught it just in time and had to give it another go. A short distance later, I came to a dead end, but then I noticed a hidden rock outcrop off to the side. A quick scramble revealed an incredible vista, and after a few photos, I was back on track. More rocky ascents and descents followed, and I started to wonder whether I’d make it to the end of the trail or face a mishap like a crash or a puncture—either of which would be a headache since I was riding solo and had forgotten to bring a spare tube. Classic. Eventually, I reached the intersection for Dingi Fire Trail, and I knew I was on the right track since I’d ridden Dingi before. Turning right, I enjoyed the flowing trail until I hit the intersection with Webbs Ridge Trail. The right trail was closed, so I turned left and continued past the Parks and Wildlife Service, who had stopped at the intersection with Waterfall Trail. There were three vehicles and several people, so I gave a wave as I rode by.
I followed Webbs Ridge Trail down to Flea Creek Day Use Area, where I took a break. I spotted a DR650, but couldn’t find the rider. I figured he might have been fishing, as I noticed a rod carrier on the ground next to his bike. After my break, I continued up Gentle Annie, then onto Brindabella Rd, making my way to Piccadilly Circus. From there, I turned onto Two Sticks Rd, followed it to Curries Rd, and descended out of the park before heading back to Weston Ampol for fuel. Another part of the Brindabellas explored, and I’ve got to say, it was an excellent ride. I’ll have to tackle Webbs Ridge Trail from Doctors Flat Rd again once it opens. View the ride map.
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After receiving some feedback on my logo design, I’ve made some revisions. The main points of critique were:
I felt that removing the spline left the logo feeling too bare, so I added an explorer figure in the center to fill that gap. This also helps tie into the foot section of the page title. This morning, after doing a bit of pruning on our bottlebrushes, it started getting too warm to continue. I decided it was the perfect time for a ride before the heat made outdoor activities unbearable. I opened up the GAIA maps and reviewed the rides I’d done around the area, searching for a nearby route with dirt tracks I hadn’t yet explored. It took some time, but I eventually spotted a potential route. Each time I’d ridden in or out of Namadgi National Park, I’d noticed Sunshine Road, which leads to Angle Crossing, but I’d never ventured down it. That seemed like as good an excuse as any to explore. On the way to Burra, I stopped at Jerrabomberra to refuel. With a full tank, I had no worries about running out of petrol during the ride. From there, I headed towards Googong, turned onto Burra Road, and followed it to Williamsdale Road, which brought me to the Monaro Highway. This alternative kept me off the main highway for most of the route, added a short dirt section, and meant fewer vehicles to contend with. I only needed to travel a few hundred metres on the Monaro Highway before turning off towards Angle Crossing. The road to the crossing was mostly dirt, with a steep paved section near the end. At the Murrumbidgee River crossing, I made a quick stop to assess the water depth and check for slippery algae on the bottom. A young man was fishing on the near side, while an older man floated in the cool water on the far side. The crossing looked safe enough today, so I stood on the pegs and rode through. It was a benign crossing, though I could see how it might quickly become hazardous with more water. I paused just past the river for some obligatory photos and to enjoy the scenery. With that done, I headed towards Sunshine Road. The climb out was less winding than the descent but felt longer. At the T-junction with Smith’s Road, I turned left and quickly veered onto Sunshine Road, wondering where Smith’s Road might lead — perhaps a ride for another day. Sunshine Road returned to dirt, winding through trees and leading to a causeway over the Gudgenby River. There, I spotted a 4WD and waved to the driver as he headed upriver to join his partner, who was walking their dog. After taking a few photos at the crossing, I continued to the end of Sunshine Road, where it met Naas Road. Although I could have followed Naas Road into Tharwa, riding a paved road didn’t appeal to me. Instead, I backtracked across the Gudgenby River and climbed back up to Smith’s Road. Continuing on Smith’s, I passed a woman riding a horse and leading two others. I wasn’t sure if she was local or had unloaded her horses at Angle Crossing, where I’d noticed a horse float earlier. Further along, I took a quick detour into Tharwa Sandwash, a pleasant spot with access to the shallow, sandy-bottomed river. Leaving the Sandwash, I rejoined Naas Road for the short ride into Tharwa. I turned onto Tidbinbilla Road and made a rest stop at Clarrie’s Café for a refreshing drink. After that, I followed Tidbinbilla Road briefly before detouring to Lambrigg Lookout, which offered some interesting historical information (captured in a photo of the sign). From the lookout, I followed the road down to Point Hut Crossing and then made my way home. It was an enjoyable ride and a pleasure to explore a new area. With that done, I headed towards Sunshine Road. The climb out was less winding than the descent but felt longer. At the T-junction with Smith’s Road, I turned left and quickly veered onto Sunshine Road, wondering where Smith’s Road might lead — perhaps a ride for another day. Sunshine Road returned to dirt, winding through trees and leading to a causeway over the Gudgenby River. There, I spotted a 4WD and waved to the driver as he headed upriver to join his partner, who was walking their dog. After taking a few photos at the crossing, I continued to the end of Sunshine Road, where it met Naas Road. Although I could have followed Naas Road into Tharwa, riding a paved road didn’t appeal to me. Instead, I backtracked across the Gudgenby River and climbed back up to Smith’s Road. Continuing on Smith’s, I passed a woman riding a horse and leading two others. I wasn’t sure if she was local or had unloaded her horses at Angle Crossing, where I’d noticed a horse float earlier. Further along, I took a quick detour into Tharwa Sandwash, a pleasant spot with access to the shallow, sandy-bottomed river. Leaving the Sandwash, I rejoined Naas Road for the short ride into Tharwa. I turned onto Tidbinbilla Road and made a rest stop at Clarrie’s Café for a refreshing drink. After that, I followed Tidbinbilla Road briefly before detouring to Lambrigg Lookout, which offered some interesting historical information (captured in a photo of the sign).
From the lookout, I followed the road down to Point Hut Crossing and then made my way home. The IdeaA huge thank you to The Cranberries for inspiring the title and theme of this post. These days, many people have YouTube channels or websites, often accompanied by a branding logo to represent their identity—something they can even trademark. While I have no immediate plans to turn this into a business venture, I thought it would be fun to create my own logo to represent my site and the activities I enjoy. The InspirationI wanted my logo to reflect the things I love doing:
The DesignCombining all four into a simple logo was a bit of a challenge. However, I came up with the idea of a container-style design: a logo where the central icon could be swapped to reflect a specific interest. The final design features a compass, symbolising exploration, with a cog in the background to give it a unique touch—setting it apart from other compass-based logos.
The colour of the compass rose can be adjusted to complement different background colours—for instance, a version designed to stand out on a red T-shirt. As of today (Tuesday, 21 January 2025), I officially have a logo! |
Head HomeAuthorMy name is Mark McIntosh, but everyone calls me Macr. Archives
January 2025
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