|
Today, Rebekah and I hiked up Mt Taylor. It was a good little test to see how my legs were feeling after yesterday’s ride. Overall, they held up pretty well, although my knees were a bit out of sorts. With a few stops to take in the views — and, let’s be honest, to catch our breath — we eventually made it to the top. We realised it might have been close to 13 years since we last tackled this track. Although the weather threatened rain, it held off, and the temperature was surprisingly warm for this time of year. Typically, by ANZAC Day, the heaters are coming on in the ACT as the cold sets in. It seems the meteorologists were right about predicting a warm winter — or perhaps climate change is lending a hand in keeping the temperatures up.
0 Comments
Expanding my line of clothes, I designed this Explorerist photography truckin hat. It cost a bomb, and was made in the UK. But all in all, I think it worked out cheaper than getting it from Australia. ☹️ My ultimate goal, would be to have one 3D embroided, with a slightly larger emblem, but I am unsure whether I could afford to get one made up.  Wow, it’s been just over three years since I last rode my mountain bike in anger! In that time, I’ve had three surgeries, and now that I’m finally through the recovery phase, I’m working on shedding the weight I put on — largely from a lack of activity, especially mountain biking. That said, I have been getting out on the eBike a bit, trying to rebuild some semblance of fitness. Today, I decided it was time to get the Sentier out and hit some dirt. Lately, the only dirt I’ve ridden has been on my motorbike, so this felt long overdue. Luckily, Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve is only about two kilometres from home, so the pain of riding on the blacktop was mercifully short. I only had an hour, so my usual longer loop was off the cards — partly due to time, partly due to my current fitness. After passing through the anti-vermin gate, I turned left and followed the fenceline, aiming for the ruins of the old Inglewood Homestead. Along the way, I stirred up a few mobs of kangaroos. My biggest fear is always driving them into fences — they never seem to bound into the wide open fields, but rather straight towards danger. Sure enough, they headed for the fences instead. Sigh. Reaching the 'Back in Time Trail'* (I think that’s the name — I wasn’t paying too much attention to the sign), I followed it past a few sites of European heritage and onto the Inglewood ruins. European Heritage: Sheep grazing began in this area in the mid-1820s, with continuous stocking in large, fenced paddocks from the 1860s onwards. Between 1920 and 1925, old and dead trees were felled for firewood to supply the Canberra market. Some pasture improvements also took place from the mid-20th century. After stopping to read the sign, take some photos, and have a bit of a wander, I continued on into the inner sanctum of Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary. Passing through another layer of defences (aimed at keeping out cats, foxes, dogs, and rabbits), you enter an area rich with endangered or reintroduced native animals. Interestingly, all the gates in Goorooyarroo and Mulligans are named after local flora and fauna. Rather than following the Centenary Trail as signposted, I turned off towards the Old Coach Road — a more scenic, quieter route through the area. In fact, I didn’t pass another soul. After enjoying the most picturesque section, I diverted over to the Centenary Trail where it skirts Mulligans Woolshed. The historic woolshed is a must-visit whenever I ride out this way, and as usual, I stopped for a photo. From there, I followed a singletrack behind the woolshed, cutting back across the Old Coach Road and heading towards Echidna Flats. I then turned right, passed through another gate, and continued along the trail towards the wetlands. After stopping to take in the view and snap another photo, I headed towards Wildbark via the Orchid Gate and the raised walkway. From Wildbark, it was a shared path pretty much all the way home. It felt amazing to be back on the Sentier, and my love for mountain biking has been reignited. Expect more rides as my fitness improves! 🚲 Map of ride. The morning started off well enough, but it wasn’t long before a string of mishaps brought my planned ride to a soggy, frustrating end. Read on to find out how it all unravelled. Everything was just about ready to go for my circuitous ride out to Boorowa and back home.  I had preplanned my route so I would hit some of the dirt roads, which had previously been recommended to me. Sure, the weather didn’t look great, but I figured if I could push past Gunning, the skies would clear and I’d be in for a decent day. The Boorowa forecast promised 24°C and only a 10% chance of 0mm of rain — basically code for “don’t worry about it.” By the time conditions were expected to shift, I’d be well on my way home. So, with cautious optimism, I packed a light rain jacket to wear under my riding gear in case things took a turn. Dressed and geared up — SPOT tracker, goggles, helmet — I was ready. Or so I thought. I decided not to bother refuelling at Eaglehawk since the tank was almost full. Instead, I topped it up from my 5-litre jerry can, reset the odometers to track fuel consumption, and turned on the SPOT tracker. Or tried to. Once, twice, three times — nothing. Flat batteries. Inside I go, only to discover we’re out. Great. Looks like I am stopping at Eaglehawk after all… to buy batteries. I rolled the bike out into the drizzle, fired up OSMAnd+ with my preloaded route, and it actually worked — I’d finally figured out how to convert the GPX file properly. It’s about 5km to Eaglehawk, so I figured I could assess the rain jacket situation once I got there. About 3km in, I regretted not putting it on earlier. The drizzle had crept through my jacket, but I held out — no point stopping on the highway when I could get sorted under shelter. By the time I arrived, my gloves were soaked and my shoulders were damp. No backup waterproof gloves, so nothing to do there but hope I’d dry out later. I grabbed fresh batteries, got the tracker running, and set off again. Heading towards Sutton via Majura Lane — a dirt stretch — I quickly realised my pants were soaked through. Wet undies. Excellent. I reassured myself they’d dry out eventually. The new Motoz Tractionator Enduro IT front tyre wasn’t exactly inspiring confidence on the slick dirt, especially at 25psi. Still, I pushed on — it wasn’t far to Gunning, and I could adjust things there. Along East Tallaganda Rd, still not feeling stable in the wet, I told myself I’d reassess at the next dirt section. The drizzle seemed to be easing the further I rode. On Dicks Creek Rd, I finally decided enough was enough — I dropped the front tyre to 18psi and the rear a bit too. Much better. By the time I reached Boutchers Dr, the rain had all but stopped and the road was looking good — damp from last night, but solid. Even the sun showed up, and I started to dry out. Turning onto Greenwood Rd, I saw they’d finished the new higher bridge — hopefully it floods less now. On to Yass River Rd and, of course, back into the very rain I’d just escaped. The road turned to dirt again at Elms Rd. A few kilometres later, I turned left onto Berrebengalo Rd, cruising comfortably... ...until my phone rang. My wife. Huh. What could she need? FFFFFFFAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKK! Our daughter had a sore leg and couldn’t go to vacation care. I had to come home. Ride over! FFFFFFFAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKK! I turned on to Lade Vale Rd and hit Gundaroo Rd. Just a few kilometres from Gunning — so close — but I had to turn back. I wasn’t getting to Boorowa. The frustration was mounting. And of course, the rain was waiting. It felt like a tiny cloud was gleefully following me, dumping cold water right down my neck. Again. Now I was wetter than ever, and my hands were freezing. Fortunately, I had merino liner gloves in the tank bag. Bless merino wool — warm even when wet. Another call from my wife, but I missed it, juggling two sets of gloves. A few minutes later she rang again — I answered. Our daughter had miraculously recovered. I could go on with my ride. Grrr. I was soaked, halfway home, and the day felt like a write-off. No point continuing now. May as well head home, warm up, and dry out. But I had one last idea. I pulled over and called back. If our daughter was magically fine, she could go to Vacation Care — and my wife could drop her off on the way to work. She agreed. When I got home, everyone was still there. My wife was finishing up some online work before heading out. My daughter was cheery as ever. Me? I was cold, dripping, and trying very hard not to be grumpy. My shirt was damp halfway up from the hem, and my undies were a disaster zone. I stripped off and jumped in the shower. Took ages to warm up. Next time, I’m definitely taking rain pants too. So here I am, at the computer, alone and a little out of sorts, venting to all of you. Here’s the map of my aborted Boorowa ride. Time for a new front tyre on the mighty DRZ. I decided to give the Motoz Enduro IT a go. I’ve always run the Pirelli MT21, but after seeing the Motoz recommended on the DRZ Facebook page, I figured—why not? From this point, lot's of cursing and swearing ensued! Lessons learned:
Here’s another one of my one-off designs. This time, I’ve laid out what I see as the equivalency between motorbikes and bicycles — something that’ll likely spark a few debates. On the front, there’s a small explorerist emblem over the left chest. What do you think of the chart — do you agree, or would you draw the lines differently?  I recently picked up a 2022 MU-X LSM, and it's been a bit of a love-hate relationship so far. The car tends to complain a fair bit, and there have been a few surprises along the way. I'm gradually figuring out how to switch certain things on and off so it nags me a little less. But here's a nice little bonus I stumbled upon… While trying to stash some gear under the passenger seat today (we were heading to the beach), I spotted a small grey box tucked underneath. It caught my attention, and I found myself thinking about it all day. Later tonight, I managed to snap a somewhat abstract photo of it—just enough to help me identify it. Turns out, the vehicle was originally a government fleet car, used in the Dubbo region by the NSW Farmers Association. That means it’s mostly done good country kilometres, which is a plus. The mystery box? It’s a CEL-FI Go G31 mobile phone signal booster. I’d originally assumed the antenna was for a CB radio that had been removed, but nope—this thing boosts mobile reception. Brand new, it retails for around $900, though it’s now been superseded by the G41. Even so, secondhand G31 units still go for around $600. Needless to say, I’m pretty chuffed! Best part? The dealer had no idea it was even in there. The CEL-FI GO G31 uses the propriety Nextivity IntelliBoost chip to improve 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular coverage for voice and data in stationary or mobile environments. Features and benefits include: • Superior Performance: 100 dB Max Gain • Environmental rating: Outdoor NEMA 4 Rating • Multi-Carrier Support with Carrier Switching App • Multi-user support • Carrier Approved for 3G, 4G, and 5G Voice and Data • Unconditionally Network Safe • SMA Female Antenna Connectors |
Head HomeAuthorMy name is Mark McIntosh, but everyone calls me Macr. Archives
May 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
Proudly powered by Weebly