Riding Down Under - Tropical Cairns Australia

[MacDoc]

Tape came in and seems to work - will see tomorrow. Fixed both the left cramp buster which slips and the throttle lock which was the main purpose. Both will need some adjusting. Dog took some time to sunbathe.
Jude's garden doing okay - had our first lettuce yesterday,

 

[MacDoc]

Lovely day today but got up too early ( 2.30 am ) so iffy for a ride. Falling asleep typing this. ( 9 am)
Warmer and little wind - high of 26 which is just nice so does not matter if I nap now and ride later.
Mirrors are holding completely even at 120+ so that's off the table.
Throttle lock should be fine and cramp buster holding tho it was a short trip to the dentist and a long tiring and $$ appointment,.
I'll head up the Captain Cook highway along the Pacific and see how far I feel like riding.
Parts came in for the major service for next week...credit card getting dinged this month with dental and service even tho health insurance covers a good chunk of the dental work.
SIgh, life on a fixed pension.....bean soup for brekkie today.

 

[ifiddles]

here you go MacDoc...Kinga is back in Australia for a sojourn as she just finished her Africa leg and is shipping her bike to Vancouver...there's two episodes so far, here's the first one...

 

[MacDoc]

Terrific thanks.

 

[MacDoc]

Huge black boar with big tusks dead along he Cook.. would not want to hit that beast. Would have been cool to get a pic but no place to stop.

Wild Boar Hunt - Australian Outfitters by Andrew Mackay

Come on a Wild Boar Hunt in the beautiful Outback of Australia with professional hunter Andrew McKay and Australian Outfitters

www.australianoutfitters.com

Crazy wind but was fun. Could not beleive a bicycle rider on the Cook in that wind tho the person clearly knew what they were doing. Some of the big motorhomes were struggling.

 

[MacDoc]

I'm such a mark for pretty girl... ...and one that rides too !!!.

Itchy Boots webshop

Welcome to the Itchy Boots webshop

itchyboots.store

I was hunting around for a scarf to use as a wind dam as I find the helmet much quieter
and can always use long socks

Nice day but a bit windy - still might head out since the overcast has cleared
Match my hoodie

 

[MacDoc]

oh no - more tourists

Queensland's favourite road trip | Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

Discover 140km (not so) straight north of Cairns on the…

www.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au

One of my weekly rides.....it doesn't cover how sweet the winding well marked and paved highway along the Pacific is.

 

[MacDoc]

Determined to get a ride in this morning as may rain again. Will stay along the Pacific for warmth.
Very gusty ...winds to 39 kph all day. Maybe easier to go up to Kuranda. High is 24 here but only 22 in Kuranda ....what a wimp I've become.

 

[Baggsy]

Don't forget your frying pan.

 

[MacDoc]

Hehe ...
Stinky ride up to Kuranda before I could pass the garbage hauler. Did not get wet but looked threatening….not going further - hoping sun comes out. Windy.

Scored a good chicken burger with bacon and fries and a really good bun plus a latte for $13.50 all in from a place I like the owners....they know me for a decade and get a bit extra

Sun came out too

 

[MacDoc]

Kinda fun - kinda hokey but a look at Australia

 

[MacDoc]

Starting On her Bike from Day one.

I'm still not aas comfortable with her as Noraly. Little commentary on what we are seeing and bit too much "ballet moves", heel kicks and make up.
Will see. !! days in Korea and really zilch in the way of information. Not ot a lot about her actual journey and music too loud for background........I guess she'll get better.....I hope
2 episodes and 5900 km ....little to show.

Admire that she is camping. But really miss Noraly's chatter and damn is her bike heavily loaded.
Broken shock already and later a failed fuel pump ...I guess both due to conditions.

Sure showed up when she visited Gates of Hell which, while Noraly had some challenges, nothing like what Kinga had. She's not a sand rider for sure but now a bit more info on the screen and music less intrusive.
Drone appears in play too. Nice to see her in the homes.
Improving as more narrative and on screen info on where she is. Cappadocio a good episode

Kinda nice this morning after good sleep ...22 and some sun but that's it for temperature and stupid windy. Bike goes in for major service tomorrow.

We will see how the no maintence chain did. Not expecting any suprises from the service ...most items now settled tho likely up for a front tire soonish.

 

[MacDoc]

I guess with Belarus, Russia and Ukraine off the travel map planning these long round the world trips trickier - at least covid not a barrier at the moment ....for now.
Kinga ...lucky girl ...that could have been waaaay worse

and then she broke her leg in an accident later.
Not the rider Noraly is and seems more reckless. Will see how she progresses...the over loud and most often annoying music takes away from the enjoyment. Lack of info too.
She's sufficient eye candy to keep me interested and hoping her videos improve.

 

[robertv19]

Kinga is actually in Quebec right now hanging with Costa Mouzouris. Getting ready to cross Canada I believe.


Sent from my iPad using GTAMotorcycle.com

 

[MacDoc]

Oh cool ...I'm doing her channel in order so will get there but might check it out just to see if she's damped the music down.

 

[robertv19]

Oh cool ...I'm doing her channel in order so will get there but might check it out just to see if she's damped the music down.

No vids yet.
Just FB page posts.

 

[MacDoc]

Thanks - I noticed in the last Itchy Boots some age wrinkles showing up when she gets home from a long day. Waethered look suits her. Kinga still more a stylist than a hardcore rider like Noraly but hey it's early in her vids. I'm on Ep 29 in Croatia

 

[MacDoc]

Bike back after 50k service. One valve out of adjustment oil change and needs new front pads due to rust not wear ....damn climate.
Regina "Maintenance free" chain needed small adjustment mostly for alignment - 13k km not touched - pretty close to zero maintenance so happy with that purchase.
I'll lube from here on out with an Maxima chain wax lube. Pretty thorough coverage. Good explanations.

Informative

I have been using Tac2 but can't find any reviews ...bought as I was out and it was what they had. It is sticky,
I'll switch to Maxima Chain Wax which is $20 shipped.

Weather is still +40 kph day and night with mostly overcast with light showers that blow through quickly. Even the dog has a hard time finding a sunny spot out of the wind and the "hot" water from the solar heater is lukewarm.
Upside is stays above 20 at night - 24 on the deck at 2 am so light clothing and the wind keeps the mozzies down.

 

[MacDoc]

Well Episode 42 and Kanga finally gets a better Go Pro - much easier to hear her ,...music still annoying but less so. - don't think she has the stabilizarion worked out tho. Noticed thge jumps are limited since the broken leg. Wonder what neck brace she is wearing. Leatt maybe.
She's improving in sand too. √ Ep43

Think I like her top of helmet go pro view over Noraly's chin mount tho the sound suffers.
Enjoying her vids more now ...interesting areas Egypt Sudan - Ethiopia and heading south.

Just finished an excellent book called The Fossil Men set mostly in wild Ethiopia so was nice to see a bit of the country. Highly recommended if you are interested in human deep past and anthropology and it's a rollicking tale on its own let alone the science implications.

Welcome to the Ruthless, Cutthroat World of Paleoanthropology (Published 2020)

Two new books, Kermit Pattison’s “Fossil Men” and Meave Leakey’s “The Sediments of Time,” offer a glimpse into the adventurous world of the men and women searching for our origins.

www.nytimes.com

FOSSIL MEN | Kirkus Reviews

An entertaining update on a process as “red in tooth and claw” as nature itself.

www.kirkusreviews.com

New blogger to follow too ...5 years on the road and a Dakar racer ( serious one )

https://www.youtube.com/c/lyndonposkitt/playlists

 

[MacDoc]

If I don't get out today I'm stuck for another 24 hours + tomorrow so despite the wind going out somewhere.
Very grey and overcast but sun may come out

Either north up the Capt Cook or up the range to Kuranda. Getting stir crazy
Conflicting forecasts and radar shows a thin line of showers heading this way

I'll be warmer along the coast and a fine tailwind going north ....noisy coming back but happy with the helmet and earphones so ....we'll see. Do a bit of shopping and maybe a much needed haircut on the way home.
No hair cut, did not ride far ....hit the local Jacks for a big whopper and onion rings...took forever was crowded and THEN they forgot the rings and gave me fries. Repaired their error and dog was happy with the free fries ...felt good to be out at least and bike was a bit smoother with new oil, valves sorted and chain alignment. That should do me for another 12k km..
Really enjoying the cheapie BlueTooth IEMs.

1MORE Omthing AirFree Lace in Ear Headphones, Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Bluetooth Neckband Earphones,12H Playtime, IPX4, Bluetooth Earphones for Sports, Home, Black
Waterproof and USB-C
...just needed better foam tips intead of the silicon. Hard to believe $22 shipped and I'm fussy about my IEMs. Big buttons too work with gloves.