Fixed to Lake George.

In what has become a regular Saturday morning thing, we rode out to Lake George via the Old Federal Highway this morning. Fixies only, and at a surprisingly fast pace, we cover around 65-70km before breaky at Spill the Beans. For those bike nerds out there, we roll on around 73 gear inches.

Today me and Steve took the journey in what started off as a 2 degree, frosty and foggy morning. My house is situated on a 'fogless' hill, so as I left it didn't dawn that I'd need flashers to warn cars of my presence. Within a couple of hundred metres I hit it and my distrust of cage drivers became apparent as I stuck to the bikepaths for safety.

The fog rolled over the hills until we reached clear skies. Steve decided to disrobe as he was getting a bit toasty, but as Murphie's Law would have it, the fog came in again until we reached Lake George.


Steve's bike, looking ever so colour coordinated with his apparel.


A bit of a moonscape, with windmills in the distance catching the wind from the open plains. Well worth the ride for the view, but breakfast was calling.



Steve took a moment to contemplate........the journey home.....after all, he is old (his words not mine).


And this is the last thing his breakfast saw once we reached Spill the Beans.

The night of the good samaritan.

Something slightly unusual occurred on Friday night.

It certainly wasn't unusual that I decided to head to the Wig & Pen for eleventy thousand after work Kolsch's. Starting at 3pm probably wasn't a great idea but my plan was to have a few followed by dinner then off home on the trusty fixie. But we had the much sought after corner table, which couldn't be given up lightly.




What comes next may surprise a few of you who know that I really don't like the Moose as an establishment for enjoying a few quiet ones. Luckily the 'ones' I had there weren't that quiet.




Everything soon after I reached the Moose began to blur, at one stage I remember chatting to a barman about my fixie, he'd seen it locked up outside. He asked if he could contact me by email; however, in my state I couldn't even write or remember it (even though it is MY NAME).


The night progressed somewhat ordinarily for a blinder of a night.....until I decided to leave.

The bouncers firstly noticed that I was having issues unlocking my bike. They came over and offered a helping hand. Little did they know that the key we were trying to unlock my Kryptonite lock with was in actual fact my house key (little did I know that it was my house key). They retrieved a small ladder to try and lift my bike over the sign it was locked to, to no avail.

Next was the biggest surprise. The police arrived and also tried to unlock my lock. Using their own tools to try and pry the lock open. I was very noticeably intoxicated and everybody was trying to help me ride home.

The next thing I saw was quiet amusing. A bouncer running from the Moose grasping a spinning angle grinder - probably not the thing the local punter trying to enter the pub wanted to see. Within a couple of seconds sparks were flying and my bike was free.

The next thing I remember is waking up lying on the bike path somewhere near Lyneham (about six km from town). Two men were running toward me asking if I was okay. I assured them that I was fine, was just on my way home and that I'd be on my way in no time. The two guys, speaking in strong South African accents, told me that they would drive me home. I said I'd be fine but they started to pick my bike up and ask how they could remover the front wheel so that it fitted in the car. Clearing the garden debris from my body I grudgingly agreed.

Once I was crammed into the back of the hatch-back with my disassembled bike, I abruptly fell asleep again before being awoken as we arrived in my suburb. I directed the guys to my place where they unpacked my bike and were on their way, like masked heroes of the night.


I now believe in Karma.....because I didn't even wake with a hangover.

Mike and Maciej's 30th.

It was Mike and Maciej's 30th on the weekend so I headed to Sydney to celebrate with them.


They had generously booked a room on a cruise boat for the evening complete with enough food to keep even Tim happy.


The Birthday Boys.



The cake was great and the service was second to none!


No expense was spared as the fireworks flew on on journey back to Darling Harbour.....or maybe it was just coincidence......


Then it was off to our favourite establishment, The Loft, for some fresh fruit......mixed with selected alcoholic beverages of course.





The drinks just kept on coming, in all shapes and sizes.



Not surprisingly the night soon turned to a blur......thanks and congratulations go to the boys for organising such an awesome and memorable night. May the next thirty be just as good. Cheers.

Skiing Thredbo and Perisher.

Tim, Mike, Langers and I headed up to the snowies for a quick skiing weekend. Although the 'two bedroom villa' I booked turned out to be a bit less than was to be expected for $215 a night, we weren't too fussed as we were just keen to get out on the slopes the next day.


They say your skiis say something about you, guess which ones are Tim's.


So we packed ourselves into Langers' car for the short trip from Jindabyne to Thredbo.


The first glimpse of the snow wasn't far away.



Literally a couple of hundred metre walk from the car and we were on the slopes.


I spent a good portion of the morning falling over and accidentally attempting Blue runs, having not skied for eight years this left me a little sore......no, VERY sore and a little bit disgruntled.


So we breaked for a short mornos before Langers took me under his wing for a some pointers on how to actually ski.


Before I knew it I was having a ball and it was time for some Lowenbrau.


After the days skiing we stopped over at Wild-brumby Schnapps distillery for some beer, coffee and schnapps tasting. I ended up with a bottle of my favourite sour apple variety and also a chilli flavour called Devils-tongue. Can't wait to get into them.



On arrival back in Jindabyne we quickly headed into town for dinner and some beers at Clancy's. Dave and Mattis rocked up and the night went a bit longer than planned for me and Mike until we called Langers to come pick us up, there was a distinct lack of taxis. The next morning was a bit rough for me at least.



The weather for Sunday was predicted to be a bit less pleasant than the blue skies of Saturday so we headed to Perisher to try our luck on their slopes.


Mike, Tim, Me and Dave's chosen forms of transport on the slopes.


It was a great mountain, with a bit more traversing for us to endure but well worth the work.


Snowboarders are funny, they can't stand still and are often found clinging to trees on the top of mountains.


It ended up being a great weekend and I'll definitely be back before the season is out.



A massive thanks to Tim for the photos.

New Zealand - Sweet as! (Part II)

Day 6 - Taupo/Lake Taupo/Mt Tongariro

After an afternoon in Taupo we decided that we liked the place enough to take a well earned rest and spend two nights in the town. So the next morning we allowed ourselves a short sleep in before boarding the Ernest Kemp, a small replica vintage boat that would take us for a cruise on the huge Lake Taupo.


The weather was a little miserable as we breakfasted and got moving but by the time we had had a coffee by the lake and arrived at the harbour it had already begun to clear up. By the time we were on the lake patches of blue sky were reflecting off the classy water. The captain remarked that it was a relatively rare occurrence that the weather was so still.



We were lucky enough to view these carvings, although only constructed recently they were pretty cool.





After the cruise we decided we'd head out into the country side and find one of the popular road side cafes for lunch. New Zealand is great for its quality roadside cafes, no franchises or road houses, just plain old home cooked meals in the most unexpected places. The captain of the boat had recommended the cafe his son worked at, about 30km South on the shores of Lake Taupo. We weren't disappointed.

We then took a gamble and headed toward the snow on Mt Tongariro. I wasn't sure how close we'd be able to get without chains and in the beast, so we just drove until we hit the snow. It was great to discover that you could actually drive all the way to the snow fields without chains and, if you wanted to, practically step out of your car in your skis and head of into the white yonder.





The snow fields were so easily accessible and by the looks of it not over crowded.




We eventually headed back North to Taupo for dinner and drinks before retiring to bed..



Day 7 - Taupo to Auckland

What was supposed to be a relatively short drive to Auckland, of a few hundred kilometres, turned into five ours of frustration. Highway 1 was abysmal in its 'highwayness', with the last hundred or so kilometres zig-zaging through outskirts of major towns and barely reaching 80km/h. We then hit the expressway which should have shot us through Auckland to the other side of town where out accommodation was; this didn't occur as we spent almost ninety minutes stuck in traffic caused by a disintegrating truck.

All was good once we'd parked the van and caught a bus to the CBD. A healthy Japanese lunch was on the cards before we went on a bit of a shopping spree in the hilly city. We were both pretty knackered after walking up and down hills for a few hours and retired to Vulcan Lane to enjoy the awesome little pubs and restaurants.


I've never been huge on mussels, but this trip to NZ has really given me a hunger for these huge and tasty shells of delight.


At Cassette#9 we divilged in some of their Long Island Iced Tea, served in tea pots......logical I suppose.


Day 8 - Auckland to Canberra

Our flight wasn't scheduled till four in the afternoon so we dropped into the Auckland Museum, reputed to be well worth the visit. The museum covered everything and even included a war memorial and museum on the top floor.




Once we were done there we headed for the airport, returning the van and spending our last few hours roaming the airport and devouring the remaining smoked fish we had brought from Coromandel.

Once in Sydney we caught a bus for Canberra. I was more than comfortable and about to nod off when we were advised that we'd be swapping buses. Our worst fears were confirmed when we boarded a dilapidated, smelly and overheating bus that delivered us to Canberra over an hour late, just after midnight.

All in all we had a fantastic holiday and honestly can't wait to go back some time. The people were extra-ordinarily friendly, the beer was tasty, food was quality and sights were unforgettable. Now for the South Island, and this time with my own bike!!!