Riding Down Under - Tropical Cairns Australia

[MacDoc]

Went to sleep too early, up too early. FB stuffed up and refused my hiking poles as medical devices, and the Gumtree ad attracted a pretty good scam attempt which I reported. Put the poles up as Trekking Poles and FB accepted it.

Heading out shortly up the Gillies for ride with mate. Possible to get wet but better day than tomorrow.

Also decided to keep the Apple Watch 6 and sell the SE v1. Might cost me a bit more but 20% faster, better crash and fall alerting, always on feature and it's RED plus I get a years warranty.

I shall be oh so fashionable and with better health features too as it has EKG etc

• Heart Rate and Irregular Rhythm Notifications Optical heart sensor.
• AFib History Optical heart sensor.
• ECG App Electrical heart sensor.
• Low Cardio Fitness Notifications Optical heart sensor and GPS.
• Blood Oxygen Level Optical heart sensor.

 

[MacDoc]

Vaguely crossed my mind going up the Gillies that I had not kept track of mileage.
Missed my connection with buddy and came lazily down the Gillies...got within sight of the main highway to Cairns and the bike stuttered....that felt like no fuel.
Kept the bike going enough to get to the service station across the highway and coasted in. Filled it with 16.9 L which is kind of odd

Fuel tank capacity CB500F

15.5 L (3.4 imp gal; 4.1 US gal) (2013–2015)

 

[MacDoc]

About to get wet ...hope I get break later in the morning to get the Apple Watch to buddy to get sorted.

Got watch to buddy and had indulgent cake and banana smoothie. Stayed mostly dry.
Biggest surprise was fired up the bike and after all the hoop jumping the original cluster just started working again....will give it til tomorrow and if it works tomorrow will cancel the order for the new one.

 

[MacDoc]

What a sweet start to the day

Off to buy lunch for my former riding buddy who just got his drivers licence back. He had some seizures which made him stop riding and he lost his licence.
He's back on the road but will not ride again. He's done up my new watch and I owe him a steak sandwich.
Lovely day for sitting by the water and chatting feeding my carnivore.

Tried the instrument cluster on the bike and it showed up fine. Cancelling the order for the new one.
Nice lunch with riding buddy. His driving still tenative after a long layoff and his wife has purloined the Mercedes so buddy is left with manual old something his dottor used.
Interesting that he navigated with his phone giving commands to his hearing aids.

Noticed this blinking green light going up and down in the place next door
....robot table server. Clipped along nicely.

 

[MacDoc]

So much nicer riding weather.
]
Was actually chilly last night at 21c for sleeping but got a good long sleep as a result.
Thought about a long ride today but will wait until tomorrow as traffic is already on the heavy side with the 4 day weekend already on the go.
Get out early tomorrow ...mebbe
Bike felt a little mushy so will check tire pressure when I get home. My TPMS did not revive with new batteries and can't find the spare set. Was quite used to that reassurance. Cheap enough to get another. Maybe try some light lube spray on the valve and see if that gets it reading again.
Normally I just put the sender on the valve stem and it reads but not hearing any hiss as I tighten it so suspect the valve is stuck closed from sitting around in the heat.
Very short ride today and happy the instrument cluster showed up. Will try and stay dry for a while.

 

[MacDoc]

Planned ride to Palmer River Roadhouse and maybe a steak sandwich.

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g255069-d10039363-Reviews-Palmer_River_Roadhouse-Cairns_Cairns_Region_Queensland.html

but ....depends on how much sleep I get.....and it is the beginning of the dread 4 day Easter Weekend.

Solid 5+ hour sleep ....perfect weather at 6 am. Fair bit of early morning traffic but will monitor for the next 40 minutes till the sun is properly up.

 

[MacDoc]

Decided not to go for a long ride today despite the perfect weather. Have a catheter problem which cannot be resolved until next Tuesday when things re-open. Would mean very frequent stops so while I might go for a short ride but 400+ km not in my interest.
Had another 3 hours sleep tho always welcome. Partner said there was a short rain shower while I was napping tho would not likely have impacted the ride.

Enjoyed watching Noraly in Yemen.

I think the woman on the left begging and Noralys escort with the big dagger being generous.
All the men in this part of Yemen wear them....not so in the former Russian protectorate. Getting some sense of Yemen at street level and geography from her rides.
Places I'm interested in seeing from Noraly's view but would never go myself.

 

[MacDoc]

Looking okay for a ride to Julatten for a Sunday roast.

 

[MacDoc]

Nice ride to Highlander at Julatten for Easter Roast unfortunately their oven is broken so settling for a feed of linguine and prawns. Their kitchen is good and Im hungry as late for lunch so pasta will serve nicely.
Will swing back down the Rex and the Cook Highway taking it easy. Was a slow ride up to Kuranda with lots of road work.....guys earning big bucks working Easter Sunday.
Bike ran well tho it likes to track road imperfections.
There is good internet here now ...big change from previous years of very iffy connections.

3 hours riding, nice temp and wind conditions. Took an hour to get served..was very hungry as long past lunch, the Julattten Hotel was jammed. Finished listening to Seven Pillars of Wisdom ( T E Lawrence bio )
What an adventure story.
Quick nap and then a shower - see how long I last watching something.

just made it to end of State of Grace...very noir
8 minute to solve Wordle grumpily

 

[MacDoc]

Marc and cute friend into Cambodia

Noraly camping on remote island in Yemen having fun in the dirt

5 am ...need some brekkie. Fried potato and eggs. yum
Nice sleeping weather 25c and not humid. Likely day off riding but found a $5 lava lamp I might get.

 

[MacDoc]

Missed the lava lamp but did okay on Wordle
Watch band arrived.

much happier with this on my watch
both strap and bumper for like $4 tho shipping made it $11.

The strap is short but much lighter…not sure of that. It does not move around on my wrist and will likely stretch a bit being lighter weight material.
Main reason aside from vanity is being able to see the watch in low light and the red is almost day glo.
The bumper has no screen and is very light, looks decent and some better protection as I tend to hit the watch on the hard surfaces like bathroom and kitchen counter and the glass table we eat and work at,



my only slight regret is not having cellular so always tethered to phone.
I hate needing the phone for everything but at least now I just need the phone nearby to get info via the watch. Might try some tests since I live in a Faraday cage but that’s only wifi.

Refills on kangaroo kabobs.

 

[MacDoc]

Bit of a struggle that. Partner forgot to pick up my Ozempic and my appetite has suddenly returned in force.
Even the munchies .....gumming my way through cashews with 90% front teeth action. Will get the drug in a few hours. Meawhile will indulge a bit in cravings ( mashed potatoes and home fries )

Pretty fine riding weather. Maybe visit the cassowaries at Etty Bay. My double throttle lock mcguyver was useful on Sunday. Need to start a new Audible.

 

[MacDoc]

Severe case of the midnight munchies ...no Ozempic showing. Fried eggs and hashbrowns.....do like the purple baby potatoes. Very satifying meal and not too bad hypoglycemic index.

Marc struggling big time in Cambodia with flat tires. Getting practice with his repair kit. Lucky he has riding partner.

Glad I did not head out on a long ride ...coastal rain - just enough to get soaked. Did not have enough sleep anyways so went back to bed until 1 pm - clearly needed. Was trying to read but

Ozempic restored ...should kick in quickly. Was not thrilled with new bright red watch band as felt it was too short - figured I try stretching it to the second notch....worked the charm - fixed the issue with the tab and very solid on my wrist without feeling it is too tight which would have happened if I tried that on the original Apple band. It does not move at all on my wrist ( the other band did ) yet does not feel tight. I guess stretchier material and sure is lighter.

 

[MacDoc]

Late night tire repair ...very lucky

Hoping for ride tomorrow.
Carnivore treat tonight fried up a roo kebob. Hopefully kill the early morning munchies.

 

[MacDoc]

Got up way too late...likely digesting late night roo snack.

Enjoyed this. Had read about the Dragon Blood trees. Noraly showing her erudition and skill in steep downhill with one brake.

Struggled with Wordle last night and today. Partner solved it.

Off to Bowls Club tonight and overdo the carbs. They have a yummy bacon, cheese, fries melt with gravy that is very filling and very tasty. Also the least expensive complete meal for me.
People were sampling the platter and still we could not finish.
Because the fries are deep fried and then are then baked in the pizza oven with the cheese and bacon on a metal plate they come out super crisp and crunchy...a fav kind of dish for me.
Unhealthy ??? YEP

 

[MacDoc]

Now there's a deal - Chinese must be wooing me - all free
Some sort of bonus thing popped and this order free.

I noticed an Apple Series 5 watch with a red band sold for $230 yesterday so I switched my ad for my SE which is newer than the 5 to the red band. Guess I'm not the only one for red ...Apple has had their red series for years.

For 18 years, Apple and (RED) have been committed to fighting AIDS. Your support matters. Every (PRODUCT)RED purchase contributes directly to the Global Fund, helping provide millions of people with life-saving care.*

(PRODUCT)RED

Since 2006, Apple has partnered with (RED) to help the Global Fund’s fight against AIDS and to provide millions of people with lifesaving care.

www.apple.com

 

[MacDoc]

Watched Conclave.....very timely.

Picked up a few Blu Ray including some iMax on the way up to Port Douglas..
Not busy as it's Anzac day and everything closed until 1 pm.
Will stay my little sheltered area to see if the rain slides past.

Just a super spot to hang out.....better internet speeds than at home.
Download Mbps
67.49
Upload Mbps
49.77
Water, washroom and loads of birds.

Was happy to see the local osprey's have a new round of at least one chick.
Not the best day for photos but got a few.
Kookaburras kicking up a huge racket just above my shelter...they might have perched on the shelter given the volume. Lots of bird calls and not enough traffic to mask them

Likely get this on the way home but think have to wait a while tho not sure. Swap out for a coffee if they let me.

Only 26c but very muggy. Feels like 31.5

 

[MacDoc]

Damn this is good. In some cases hour by hour as the information came out.

Quammen is a superb science writer.