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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? 
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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 Brand new, it retails for around $900, though it’s now been superseded by the G41.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 After yesterday’s rain, I was hoping for a chance to go out for a ride this morning, as the forecast predicted a few showers throughout the day. Fortunately, the morning turned out to be clear, though there was a bit of a breeze coming from the south. Most of the ride followed shared paths, but I also got to ride some single track along the edge of the Barton Highway. It was a nice change of pace, and I enjoyed stopping for a quick break at Patrick White Pond on my way home. Map of bike ride. On March 4th, I was riding my bike home, and after cycling 16 kilometres, I realized that I had lost my pannier. I was frustrated, but I knew exactly how it happened. My Ortlieb pannier has a cam locking system, which can be unlocked by pulling up the handle. The issue is that if you pull the handle to check if the pannier is securely locked, you unintentionally unlock it. Additionally, the locking system doesn't provide a clear indication that it’s locked properly. So, I must have failed to lock it properly, and it came off during the ride. I still had to pick up the kids from after-school care, so I drove back along the same route to see if I could find it, but no luck. Then, I had to wait for my wife to return so I could ride along the bike path to retrace my steps. Again, no pannier. I posted about it on Facebook, hoping someone might have found it, but I didn’t hear anything. Over time, I gave up on the idea of getting it back and reluctantly accepted that I’d need to buy a new one eventually. Today, I received a call from the guard box at Fairbairn, telling me someone had found my pannier and handed it in. I couldn’t believe it! But, I was puzzled as to how it ended up about 3 kilometres in the opposite direction from where I’d ridden home. When I went to pick it up, the guard told me it had been found hanging on the airport fence, and someone had brought it in. Strangely, I only pass near the airport fence for about 100 metres, roughly a kilometre from my starting point. Very odd! Still, I’m just thankful to have my pannier back with all its contents. Today’s a good day!  The day has finally arrived, and I can proudly take off my P-Plates! For me, the biggest perks of no longer being a provisional rider are:
I was fortunate enough to get a chance to escape for a ride, so I made the most of it and invited a few friends to join me on a journey to a place I’ve been wanting to visit for quite a while—Jugiong. Jugiong is a small town on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, near its confluence with Jugiong Creek, in the Hilltops Council Local Government Area of New South Wales, Australia. It’s located just off the Hume Highway, around 30 kilometers southwest of Bookham and 40 kilometers northeast of Gundagai. But of course, I wasn’t going to take the Hume Highway. My plan was to take the scenic route over the Brindabellas and travel on dirt roads. Luckily, I had created a GPX route to Jugiong a few months back, so I only needed to make a few tweaks to get it ready. I met up with Bernie (on the Tenere), Dave (on a DRZ), and Greg (on a DRZ) at the Weston Creek Ampol, which is a popular meeting spot for riders heading into the Brindabellas. With our tanks topped up, we made our way to Curries Rd for our first stop, where I aired down the tires. On the way up Curries Rd, we passed two groups of female trail runners, and at the top, one of them offered to take a group photo, which I gratefully accepted. It’s not often I’m in any of my ride photos! We continued along Two Sticks Rd and turned onto Brindabella Rd at Piccadilly Circus. From there, we descended past the turn-off to Brindabella and kept heading along Brindabella Rd for a while. When the road started heading south, we took a shortcut through the forestry at Wyangle Rd, which led us to Billapaloola Rd. We headed north toward Wee Jasper Rd. I think it was here that we hit a section of asphalt, which then turned back to gravel—this is visible in the photo below. It was here we came across a devastating accident. We stopped to assess the damage, and soon Foordy and Bernie joined me. Dave, seeing us stopped, probably overthought the situation, and with the gravel switch and everyone pulled up, he may have locked up his front wheel and went down. Now we had two crashes to deal with. Luckily, Dave’s crash was low-speed, and his pride was the most hurt. We got his bike upright and inspected the damage. Dave straightened his barkbuster, but there was nothing to be done for the car involved. After that, we rode into Brungle, a small village. I spotted my first funny road sign there: Killimicat St. I wish I’d stopped to take a photo of it! Turning onto Brungle Rd, it wasn’t long before we spotted the Tumut River. We followed it for a while until it joined the Murrumbidgee River. Along the way, I noticed an old church that had been converted into a house. I didn’t know about it, so I’ll have to look into its history. We continued following the Murrumbidgee River, passing a mix of cattle and sheep properties. By this time, it was getting quite warm, and I noticed the wind picking up. As we ascended Bundarbo Rd, the wind really started to pick up. Foordy and I stopped for a minute since we had somehow lost Bernie and Dave over the last few kilometers. When they caught up, we found out that the strap on Dave’s bike had come loose, so they had to stop and readjust it. Bundarbo Rd is a bit tricky on the maps, as it follows the ridge of a steep hill. With the wind nearly gale-force, the ride along the ridge was both exhilarating and challenging, trying to keep steady. It eventually descended back down to the bridge over the Murrumbidgee and into Jugiong. We stopped for lunch at the Sir George Hotel, which was a real highlight. The food was excellent, and I’ve since learned that this spot has a great reputation, drawing people from all over the area. Next door is the Long Track Pantry and Cafe, which is also well-regarded. After years of driving up and down the Hume Highway, I never knew this little township off the highway was worth stopping for. After a relaxing lunch, we headed to St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church to satisfy my quest for old churches. The weather was heating up, so we decided not to visit the other former church or the waterworks lookout. Instead, we refueled our bikes and started heading home. On the way back, we had the same challenge of riding along the ridge of Bundarbo Rd. This time, instead of turning toward Brungle, we continued straight through Gobarralong, following the Murrumbidgee River once again. At Nanangroe Rd, we turned away from the river and made our way toward Adjungbilly. We passed through several properties, and a few times I questioned whether we were on a public road or private property. It didn’t help that there were many signs warning of private property at cattle grid crossings. But these signs were mostly referring to land off the road, as the road itself was still public. We quickly passed through Adjungbilly and turned back onto Billapaloola Rd. Here, I had to stop for my now obligatory photo at the turn-off to WOFTAM Rd. It always makes me laugh—simple pleasures. We then turned onto Wee Jasper Rd, and at Tumorrama, I stopped at the memorial hall (opened in 1967). Tumorrama consists mainly of the hall, the fire shed, and the Holy Advent Church across the road, which I had visited on my last ride out that way. We took a shortcut on Fairview Rd, which was a more direct route to Wee Jasper Rd. It might sound strange, but Wee Jasper Rd took a longer, winding path. This shortcut felt even sketchier than before, as it led us through more private property and even onto some double-track at one point! Eventually, we made it back to Wee Jasper Rd for the winding descent into Wee Jasper. I stopped to take a photo of the Catholic Church while I waited for the others to catch up. In the town (if you can call it that), we stopped so Dave could empty the remnants of his (well, mine actually) fuel bladder into his bike. After that, we had several kilometers of asphalt, including some fun twisty roads out of Wee Jasper. We turned onto Sawyers Gully Rd for the last stretch of dirt. I decided to ride harder since I knew the road was straightforward. I was impressed that Foordy stayed on my tail for most of it. On the final stretch to the junction with Mountain Creek Rd, I was pushing around 110 km/h, and I could still see Foordy in my rearview. I was really impressed! When I stopped at the junction, Bernie pulled up beside me. It turned out he had passed the others earlier and was enjoying the chance to open up the throttle. Eventually, Foordy and Dave arrived, and we refueled before saying our goodbyes. We decided not to stop at the Ampol at Weston Creek on the way back. It was an awesome day, and everyone agreed that it was a fantastic ride. Thanks to Bernie, Dave, and Foordy for tagging along—it truly made a great ride even better. Ride Maps CBR to Jugiong (182Kms) Jugiong to CBR (178Kms) This morning, when I woke up, I realized my dinosaur wasn’t a Megasaurass after all, but a smaller, less fierce Igotasaurass! So, I decided to go for another ride, this time to check out some shared paths I spotted yesterday. The morning was much cooler than yesterday, with a crisp 3.7 degrees when I left. The highlight of the day was definitely the view from the hill in Moncrieff! The ride map. When I first started designing a T-shirt for my blog, I chose to feature a compass rose overlaying a front sprocket. The sprocket had a spline that matched with the countershaft of a motorcycle engine, and I thought it looked pretty good. I also decided to include the four cardinal points of the compass, symbolizing my goal to travel to all corners of the country. Happy with the design, I sent it off for printing and received the shirt last week. I figured I’d take a photo to show it off. Since then, I’ve gotten some feedback from a fellow photographer, Paul Wutzke. We brainstormed ideas and refined the design into what it is now. Now to get V2.0 printed!  Over the past three years, I’ve undergone three surgeries. While I can’t entirely blame them for my lack of cycling, they’ve certainly played a major role. Add to that my wife returning to work, the demands of school and family life, and a general sense of apathy, and cycling just fell by the wayside. This year, I’m determined to turn things around. I need to get fit, lose weight, and spend more time outdoors. Today marked the first step in that journey—I went for a ride on my e-bike. It was only 21 kilometres, but it’s a start. Tomorrow, I’ll no doubt be feeling the effects (finding a Megasaurass), but I need to push through the pain and reclaim my life. On the bright side, I explored more of Canberra and even stumbled upon some historic ruins I never knew existed. The ride map. 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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April 2025
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