10 July 2017
Master Map
Monday promised rain later, so I decided to go for a ride and see whether I could make it home without getting wet. Ever optimistic, I packed my wet weather gear in the top box.
The map shows a bit of backtracking including an accidental reverse circle — the motorcyclist’s equivalent of the double somersault with pike. If you follow the link to the map, you’ll see it. The route is reasonably clear: A to B to C etc. The second A to B is the final leg.
I fought the usual minor battle with traffic to escape the city.
There were soon signs of the country life.
I stopped to take a photo of the bike with the city in the distance, but, like Jake and Elwood, received a visitation.
Then it was back to the sweeping corners along the ridge of Mt Mee.
It was Monday so the Brazen Hussey Café in Woodford, where I usually stop for a fortifying coffee, was closed. I pressed on and soon found myself on a delightful back route to Maleny.
I’m not sure whether it’s clear from the photo above, but the road climbs steeply. To the right of the photo, but hidden by the trees, there’s a very tight left-hand corner. Half way around it I was suddenly confronted by the lycra-clad posterior of a bloke riding his bicycle up the hill — these guys are such masochists, I reckon. I missed him, but it made me realise that the corner was not just sharp, but also pretty steep.
Towards the end of Mears Lane there are great views over the Glasshouse Mountains to the sea.
I stopped in Maleny for brunch: a delicious brekky wrap — scrambled egg, bacon, some green leaves and an excellent tomato salsa wrapped in a tortilla — and a coffee. Then it was down the hill to Bald Knob Road which is less travelled and very pretty in parts.
I thought to check out Ocean View Road on the way back. It turns off the Mt Mee Road and it looked to me like I’d find my way down from the hills. I didn’t and ended up back on the Mt Mee Road somewhere behind where I’d turned off and so disoriented that I started heading back to Woodford. It’s a good road, so it was no great hardship to retrace my steps.
A detour over Clear Mountain on the way back saw another milestone.
The bike looked pretty good after I filled it at Samford before climbing the wonderful hill to Mt Glorious and the Mt Nebo Road home.
It’s a hard life.
