Riding Down Under - Tropical Cairns Australia

[MacDoc]

Nippy this morning tho good sleep and hopefully long riding day.
Have to wait for temps to get out of teens. Tricky Wordle this am
Lost my cupholder on an inaccessible bit of highway tho the cup itself was recoverable the RAM mount ended in the median of a very busy intersection.
Ordered a new one.
Enjoying seeing Iceland again. Would be a good solution for GTA riders. but $300 a day for a bike seems a lot and it is over touristed.

Maybe I'll try a sheepskin for riding. Hers looks comfortable and warm.
She's heading into Westfjord region where we stayed for 10 days tho in January. Some good adventures

She's following the coastline as we did but in near blizzard conditions to get to a volcano sight seeing plane ride on the other side of the island. 600 km drive that used all my Canadian winter skills.
One of the plows sent off the road.

worthwhile

The sulphurous smells were very strong even from a couple thousand feet.
She camped at Isafjordur . We drove that coastline to get to the plane !!!!

which is where we stayed in a very nice AIrBnB for a week. Saw some decent northern lights and not a hint of sun the whole time as it is down in a fjord and no sunlight that time of year. Lots of snow and ice.


It was colder in Toronto tho at -17. Iceland does not get very cold in winter ...-5 to+5 and a ton of ice results.
Very slippery to walk and snow very heavy. Good memories tho.

 

[MacDoc]

Gorgeous day. Nice ride up to Port Douglas - might go to Daintree Village but hungry now and it's still an hour away. Had too little for brekkie.....downsized Snickers to the rescue. Soooo healthy ....diet Pepsi and a Snickers...
My riding playground - just enough to keep me interested tho it would be better if off pavement was in he cards.

152 Motorcycle Roads Queensland Australia

Overview Map of Great Motorcycle Roads Queensland, Australia for Motorcycle Touring and Motorcycle Travel

www.bestbikingroads.com

The climb up the range from the coast road is up to 850m so makes the rides interesting.

This beautiful town is gateway to the southern Atherton Tablelands. Images of its multiple picturesque waterfalls have graced thousands of travel pages. At 850 metres above sea level, the town is nestled among emerald hills surrounded by lush dairy pastures, majestic

 

[MacDoc]

Was wondering why he was on the wrong side of the road...that's a good sign.

Loving the spring/early summer foliage, rarely get that colour green here in the tropics.
My old stomping ground for kayaking Madawaska Vallley. I was never a good paddler but could roll well so got taken along with the hotshots including my then wife....Canadian downriver champ.

Nice day but I'm a bit sore. Will see how the drugs do...have some padded shorts to test.

Norway is soooo gorgeous for riding

Girl after my own heart, chocalte bars and burgers for riding fuel. I remember the rainbows from Norway.
I'm sure it's cool being the Norden ambassador but the 901 seems too big for her. The Tenere 700 a much better choice even tho the weights are identical.
Good on her with limited experience to tackle that course. A few falls but she was not alone.

Our Aussie clowns are out of their element culturally....after an invite to India.
Australia really doesn't have mountains after 200 million years of erosion.
They end up like this which were originally 30,000 ft high according to the geological record.
Now

 

[MacDoc]

Boys are back in Aus. No riding today but tomorrow heading up the Gillies for tea and scones.

The whoops in that video are anti-erosion ....used to be fun on the KLR. Good lesson in wearing boots

Nice look at New Zealand over several episodes. Sent it along to my dottor.

 

[MacDoc]

Waiting for the big fusion reactor to clear the horizon and warm the place up....12c this morning with no heat in the house.
Being impressed with the Norden 901

with a familiar accent aboard....very skilled rider.

Will wait til midday for a ride especially as it's only 7 just now in Atherton if I decide to go up the Gillies. A cold ride does not appeal even tho I have the Scott jacket to keep me warm...7 is marginal for me even for Canada.
Back to bed to warm up under the electric blanket.

 

[MacDoc]

Not sure why they were swimming in midwinter but I've gone swimming there and I recall it was not more than shoulder deep if that.

Two swimmers drown at Far North Queensland waterfall

Police say one man went to help another after he got into difficulty in the water, and their companion witnessed their deaths. The incident happened at a popular swimming spot where there have been no deaths for many years.

www.abc.net.au

•••
Been very chilly here ...down to 12 at night and high of 23. Even the dog gets a cover at night. There is no heat in the house but electric blanket and new electric hot water heater helps. Dog is out like a shot when the sun hits the driveway.
No use riding up the Gillies as it's even colder up on the range. Will wait a bit till this record cold snap passes.
Snow in Queensland ( not here ) .....say it ain't so.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/parts-queenslands-scenic-rim-dusted-with-snow-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-a-decade/news-story/79ccf1dca9b57a7d32ae9045d779ad32

 

[MacDoc]

Chilly shower and shave despite the nice hot water. Mapes took a second round in the sun - so did I.

Will walk up to the Bowls Club tonight....it's 22 feels like 19 going to 12 feels like who knows
Will dress accordingly. sometimes no heat in the tropics bites.
Took me to midday to get warmed up completely.
Busting some records
12 now feels like 11 and it does...all hail electric blanket.

How cold is it in Queensland? Enough to wear socks under the sandals

It has done everything but snow in Queensland as a 100-year-old record tumbles in the state's far north.

www.abc.net.au

 

[MacDoc]

Nice late day ride up the Gillies and back down at a very leisurely pace. Was 25 and sunny the whole way tho felt a bit cooler in the rain forest.
Well layered,
Closed out the Barrine Teahouse got there just before closing so they were out of jam for Devonshire tea.
Instead had a Lamington cake which was much better than expected. Full of nuts and raisins and went well with the ice cream,

Skipped lunch expecting something at Barrine but that was fine. Pigged on a frozen bolognese from Coles...not as good as the $28 version at the Bowls club but hellish cheaper at $3.30
Came down the Gillies on one bar which switched to flashing soon enough,,...was a tad concerned as hit 350km on the clock but it only took 10.4 Ltr on a 13 ltr tank so had lots left. Bit concerned that it had that much in reserve.

 

[MacDoc]

12c on the deck feels like 10. Well layered and waiting on the sun to go riding. Dog is on a playdate, fuel tank filled - hopefully a longer wander. Using a padded short I bought a while back and they fit better on the AirGlide 3s which have some extra room now with my weight loss. They were a bit snug on the Rev'it pants which are in for warranty.

All of $13 delivered on Temu. I'm a Michelin man on my ass and hips as a result but with the weight loss some of my au natural padding has gone....this replaces it.
So tried them yesterday and they fit okay over the ColdPruf long johns I'm wearing to keep warm. I think they will get softer as I wear them....they were fine yesterday for the ride up and back on the Gillies.
Wind is weird today tho not much of it. ...if I get out at 10 am will be warm enough. Daintree Village I hope with the extra padding.

Been listening to music when riding but today hopefully an audio book to get into.

 

[MacDoc]

Lovely day but Cook was crazy busy so skipped going further north and diverted up the Rex climb and glad I did. The Julatten Hotel is newly opened after a couple of years and snagged a sunday lamb roast. I was hungry as had zilch for brekkie....glad I was.

Nice sit in the sun read and nosh. They have free wifi too so will be a regular weekly ride for me.
I'll go back via Mareeba as the Cook was stupid busy.

Good ride, little traffic by comparison - snagged my frozen meals at Coles
Hmmmm...just realized the microwave stopped working ....

 

[MacDoc]

Not sure about today for riding. Pooch back home, only 23 high and windy plus up too late bingeing Vikings. Only 10C so a few hours with the electric blanket and layers in order. Actually making progress on Fatal Shore too.

Now to figure cooking a frozen dinner without a microwave.
Apparently a common question.
200 km loop yesterday and not too sore....some progress.
Today is last day of long weekend so traffic will be a zoom. Staycation I think

 

[MacDoc]

Partner coming home midday. Got my no microwave frozen meals sorted nicely.
We'll shop for another microwave tomorrow. Myabe not an LG as this one did not last long.
Breville I hope, tho Panasonic fine too.

Inspiring rider ....great locations in New Zealand

Because New Zealand is so narrow yet with massive mountains riders are never far from rugged terrain. Some very good riders on this rally. Saw one with the same Scott jacket that my son and I bought for cross Canada in 2015. I'm wearing one of them now riding in the chillier weather....nice connection to him but max temp is about 27 but it does let me get out earlier in the high teens.

This was good too...spectacular Italian off road trails on the TET

Amazing how good the drones are these days tracking a rider.

Our round the world noobs Lavi and Ollie are more experienced now and heading out on a UK ride on their twin Suzuki VanVan 125s.

 

[MacDoc]

Very nice here 26..happy to wander the deck in tshirt and shorts cept for the fookin mozzies at night.

Paris Olympics tonight at 3 am my time ....looks like they will be rained on.

Paris - BBC Weather

14-day weather forecast for Paris.

www.bbc.com

for a couple of days then clear.
The ceremonies are based on the athletes in 90 boats proceeding up the river

what could go wrong ...in the rain... .

 

[MacDoc]

Put in a claim on the Hawk riding pants I bought a while back. My jacket has held up well but the riding pants did not.
They supposedly have a life time warranty and are 600 denier but they let go at seams around hips and one of the waist adjusters.
Waiting on an additional response as the first was not satisfactory ....wanting them shipped back to NH at my expense and they say they don't offer replacement shipping to Australia despite selling here.
I sent the photos and suggested they just ship a replacement via Amazon or however they want to get them to me since they are on the Amazon.com.au site
Good features and design but durable ? ....appears not.


In process tho I found some D30 knee armour which was a welcome addition to my AirGlide 3 pants.

D3O® Impact Protection | Nothing protects better than D3O®

D3O® are experts in impact protection and shock absorption. We make trusted, high performance, shock absorbing solutions for global brands.

www.d3o.com

I also swapped the plain foam armor in the hips with the CE1 hip armour from the Hawk pants into the AirGlides.
The Rev'it warranty replacement pants are on their way back .....no cost to me both directions.
The Airglide 3 are heavier due to the 1000 denier mesh. I've put thousands of km on the AirGlides and they show almost no wear.


but that's okay since it's cool enough here for a few more months. Come warmer weather the lighter Rev'its will be more comfortable.

Pants Airwave 3

Keep cool and protected during rides in higher temperatures with the REV’IT! Airwave 3 trousers. These stylish and affordable trousers...

www.revitsport.com

I am way too rusty and need to put some time on the bike.

 

[MacDoc]

Two gorgeous riding days coming up ...need to catch up on my sleep. Today was marginal so did not miss anything.

Pseudoephridine in my near future. Have to avoid getting sucked into Olympics stuff. From the feel of it just now at 7pm will be an early night to bed.

 

[MacDoc]

Well that did not work out as intended. Turned cool and rain showers and seductive Olympics.
Australia is rocking the medals and more to come

Pleasant email came in....HAWK with honour the lifetime warranty on the riding pants and issue a Paypal refund.
Just have to sort my Paypal account......been a long while.

Even cooler this am 19.5 feels like 17.5 ....what kinda tropics is this. High is only 20 and cloudy...couple of doctors appointments and still bingeing Olympics. I will continue to wear the heavier mesh until it warms up tho the nice squeaky clean Re'it pants are tempting....maybe keep my tights on.

Not having a lot of luck with getting Paypal established for the HAWK refund. Not my house so don't have utility bills in my name to show address. Too many hoops ...hoping Hawk can just refund through the credit card.

 

[MacDoc]

Hmmm didn't know about this. A tad heavier, but 33% more HP and 4 years newer.

Yamaha MT-03 Review - Small capacity LAMS fun

The MT-03 has proven a strong seller and popular smaller capacity LAMS option, across a broad variety of riders and demographics, thanks to offering a great package, that can pack the thrills despite being a viable beginners option.

www.mcnews.com.au

I'd get push back as money is tight and just spent a chunk on the Honda.
Do like the red.
IF I get $3k for the Honda then this would be a target replacement if I can find one used.
65k km on the Honda is a downside for buyers even tho the motor uses zero oil and just had some nice updates, tire, steering bearing
Really nopt riding enough to justify anything tho

 

[xrljoel]

Hmmm didn't know about this. A tad heavier, but 33% more HP and 4 years newer.
View attachment 69042

Yamaha MT-03 Review - Small capacity LAMS fun

The MT-03 has proven a strong seller and popular smaller capacity LAMS option, across a broad variety of riders and demographics, thanks to offering a great package, that can pack the thrills despite being a viable beginners option.

www.mcnews.com.au

I'd get push back as money is tight and just spent a chunk on the Honda.
Do like the red.
IF I get $3k for the Honda then this would be a target replacement if I can find one used.
65k km on the Honda is a downside for buyers even tho the motor uses zero oil and just had some nice updates, tire, steering bearing
Really nopt riding enough to justify anything tho

Nice bike! Very nice bike!! I'd buy that.

I get it. It gets harder to justify spending as we age. It seems the questions, "But do I NEED it? Will it really enhance my enjoyment/experience that much more?" get louder and the answer clearer. I find that incremental improvement, regardless the subject just isn't worth it to me anymore.

I'm sure you'd enjoy it if you figure the finances work out.

 

[MacDoc]

At least a year out and if I don't ride more then there is no point anyways.
Right now we are getting weird weather for the time of year here.
It is supposed to be clear and mid 20s.
Instead its rainy and mid 20s ....
oh well....Australia doing very well at the Olympics currently in third place behind US and China.
All the gear sorted, bike spruced up and rain ....sigh.

 

[MacDoc]

Wordle in 4 , Wordiply in ONE!!!! √
Lazy warm day ...27 on the deck, mild wind. Should be riding, being a lazy sod and bingeing Last Kingdom.
Not a lot of interest in current remaining Olympics.
Aus got a silver in surfing, Aus overcelebrating the Fox sisters

Tomorrow another good day. Have dentist in the early morning and will ride to that then a Chinese food lunch for $10 tho I am doubtful of that current price. Even $18 with all the extras is pretty decent.

15. Lunch special at Jade Chinese Restaurant = $10​

One of the best value lunches in Cairns. Includes a meat seafood or vegetable dish with steamed or egg fried rice plus salad or soup of the day.

Cairns Chinese Restaurant | Jade Chinese Restaurant |