Thursday, October 30, 2008

35) The Border Ranges


Another jaunt out to a World Heritage site, this time on the far west part of the Tweed Caldera - the Border Ranges National Park. The drive took us farther west than we have been- the country over there seems really dry, although the ponds are full and there is new growth springing up in the fields.

As we crossed from Queensland to New South Wales (hence "border" ranges) we crossed from logged and developed land to a full blown temperate rain forest. The line of demarcation was so sudden and straight - like a knife cut - it was rather shocking. Fields one minute, top a rise and - bang - you on a winding road through rain forest! We first went to see the "giant Red Cedar," of note because this was the type of tree that started the logging craze in the area. This particular tree is said to be about 1000 years old, and about 48 m in height.
















We started on the Helmholstia Trail. This is famous for it's Helmholstia lillies - a "rare stream lily found only in northeast NSW and south east QLD."















In places it was hard to see the narrow trail as it was slightly overgrown; it was much less used than other park trails we have been on. I was watching out for roots as I jogged along around a corner and saw - quite unnervingly - my first wild AU snake. Dark brown/black, 1.5 m long, scales - that narrows it down to 1/2 dozen or so highly venomous snakes in the bush. I stopped - it cruised into the ferns - I am quite sure it waited there, just off the trail, as I went by. Given the poor lighting and numerous roots and sticks on the trail, my pace slowed considerably after that!


Hmmm - one of those phrases where some slight bit fell out as it crossed the Pacific (much like the common "thinking outside the square...").












Rain forest light on Brindle Creek
















The really pretty cool Versa Falls. Great spot, big lilies, boulders, giant fern trees and a great falls!






















Mt. Warning from the "English Black Butt" overlook (I kid you not! It's a type a of tree, not a disease!)

















Our Friend Wally at Wallabee Run (a horse farm)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

34) Bungle in the Jungle

King Parrot on the edge of the park.


Lack of wind and a desire for cooler temps saw us heading into the hills, back up to the rain forest in Springbrook to run. But spring is here and along the way there are a multitude of little stands (or vans!) with folks selling a bit of this, a bit of that - whatever they grow in their yards.

Mango season is almost on us!













We have been getting a fair bit of rain and some real downpours on the GC. The creeks are still pretty full in the park (nowhere the levels we saw during the big floods in June!) It has been a strange season - we have fair rain here but if you go N or west - (just 40 km or do), they have severe water shortages.
















That is the ocean back there (the horizon). This was only a short loop (5 km) - we couldn't do the 17 km loop.. well... it was closed (due to flood damage). Really! (and we probably didn't want to just jump in and run 17 km anyway...)











At least this part of the cliff was safe from falling stuff! Elsewhere the trail runs at the base and you just hop no nitwit drops rock off the trail above!

We did hear a peregrine near here - the jungle can be irritating - we both heard it and tracked it as it screeched through the trees - but we never spotted it!

















My favorite bit of this trail - a long stretch behind the water curtain - this is a place I will be heading for once the big summer monsoon rains hit!












As we finished the loop and Nancy turned around to do it again, she passed a family (who we had just passed as they headed down) the little girl said "Hi again!. Oh look - she's going around again!")

A verdant jungle - moss everywhere.

































A rare and illegal view peering over the top of Purling Brook Falls - I didn't notice the "no admittance" sign until I headed back to the trail. The sign was really quite small and the rocks leading to the edge just beckoned! Would be a bad place to pitch from....














We stopped at our favorite store on the way out - this is a fairly habituated Scarlet Rosella - The King Parrot at the top of the page was also here - quite the nice little birding spot!











But - the REAL reason to go the Springbrook to run - you get to stop at the fudge store on the way back! - Double chocolate and Ginger Fudge pictured!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

33) Art on the Beach


Down Currumbin way, just south of us, there is an annual sculpture show along the Esplanade. These are pretty major pieces, along the grassy park, some out on the dunes that make for an amazing 10 day display. (Above the juxtaposition of a 16th century gold frame composing the ultra modern soaring verticality of Surfers Paradise (and Nancy!) Art as participatory action - you chose the angle, what is framed, what is *in* the frame! Enjoy the pictures and quotes from the artists describing their work.



Strange beastliness live in these parts! "A personified tree image as a reminder to all of the living earth...associating animated conscious beings with the seemingly inanimate and unnoticed life of trees...[as an] image that will envoke new perspective, understanding and respect for our sacred living earth."



















All recycled materials!!































Be sure to click on this picture - I couldn't process it to make it less fuzzy - the big version is much clearer!)











Monte Lupo Soldier Crabs have evolved to fit their surroundings. Their Shells exhibit the cityscapes that are moving into the crabs environment - be afraid, be very afraid! (see closeup below)










Nancy and the running chicks!

"We take this time of life for granted, a young supple body, boundless energy, enjoyment from just being alive, not a care in the world."













"The struggle to have the right look, the perfect body and all the accessories required to complete the look."



















Dirk in the grips of "Scooter - the Surfer Dog" "From Universal spirtual planes primordial beings have been visitors... some of these I have befriended... they fight battles on my behalf ever present and watching over me. Scooter is the manifestation of one such visitation when I was deeply slotted in a tube at Lennox point a few years ago"

I think Scooter needs to visit Boulder... he only costs $5K























A hood ornament on an old rusty truck - lots of cool metal birds and odd bits and pieces













































"Greed and fear feed our unhappiness! Constant craving biggest car, biggest television, biggest house, biggest egos. Creating: endless wars, pollution, water shortage, climate change, environmental destruction, overpopulation...."















Creature from the deepest dark of the Coral Sea!








"Waiting and watching the unfolding of life, hordes of beings have been here before, before even the invention of our 'time'. And will be after we are gone..."


Tuesday, October 7, 2008

32) The E-ticket ride


OK - this is the ticket - the WILD ticket of beach life on the Gold Coast. The raw, naked exuberance of screaming along under a 12 m canopy of wind-driven acceleration....(picture is "mai kaite". You have to say it that way "mai kaite")

It was telling at my first lesson (and boy you NEED lessons for this!) that the second sentence out of my instructor's (a tattooed Maui Thai kick boxing practitioner) mouth was "you know, as you get older, your reflexes are not quite as fast..."

Yeah, yeah - buddy, you have no clue who you are dealing with. ("cry in the dojo, laugh on the battle field"). Bring it on! It was a 18-20 knot wind day at Currumbin Beach and I was glad to be just flying a kite -- as the rocks of the jetty looked like a bad place to end up if you lost control.

So I was just flying a kite - right. It lifted me off my feet a few time and at one point bounced me about 25 feet across the beach (due to "poor reflexes" no doubt). It was only an 8 meter toy too! I could finally bring it down to just touch, hover it 2 m off the sand, walk up and down wind without getting dragged around. He was satisfied that I was still breathing and not prone to serious "senior moment lapses.." so he said it was time to try "body dragging". Yummy - sounds like fun. Into the water to get dragged around by powering the kite through figure eights on the edge of the "power zone". As I did this my body planed up on the water, got dunked, pulled up again, dunked again - I now know exactly what it is like to be "teabagged". So I kept at it until I crashed the kite nose down and wind and current dragged me to shore - end of the day.

Lesson 2 - that first company (Gold Coast KiteSurf -- which still has my money for prepaid lessons!) suddenly quit answering email or returning calls. Their shop is closed. Hmmm - maybe they moved to Bali? Anyway, I found another group of great folks at Surf FX and headed out into the Broadwater to a sand bar - great place - (photo of "Guy" explaining the "wind window" . Great instructor BTW) nothing but the odd houseboat to collide with, long shallows, steady wind and no stray children under foot. So when I asked THIS instructor (Jamie) if he was a wave rider, a jumper or a trick thrower he said "I am just a cruiser - I am almost 36!" Jeesh! Why don't you just hand me a walker hey!
Another big wind day right at the top end of safe beginner conditions, more tips on kite control, more body dragging. I still could not get a constant pull from the kite - but the kite was getting under control. I was using a 7 m kite - pretty twitchy.



Lesson 3. No fooling around here - wind is coming up and I am flying my own gear- a 12 m Cabrinha Switchblade 3. 12 m kite in 20 knots - OMG - that thing is really "muscley". I watched Guy cruise it upwind to the end of the sand bar (I walked) and pop some big air jumps - lot of "grunt" in the kite! He declared it a "sweet" kite.

But he wasn't willing to baby an old timer ("you're doing better that some of the young guys") Great - I thought I WAS one of the young guys. I think Boulder warps your perception of what you should be doing at certain times of your life. (Here athletic activities are for people under 35 - then you take up gardening, or lawn bowling or something. Maybe buy a recliner and watch footy). These guys - all three instructors, seemed to have a bit of amazement and skepticism about old dude trying an "extreme sport". No strength, no endurance, no reflexes you know? (In snowboarding I am a "grey on a tray". I wonder what the kitesurf equivalent is!)

At any rate you sit in the water, board goes on your feet, try and keep the board in front of you as you sweep the kite overhead from 10pm-2am (WAIT - didn't you JUST tell me not to do that? That's where people get lofted and slammed? You think *I* have memory problems? Oh never mind...) - hey this is just like pointing down the fall line. The kite is pulling that way, the board is trying to go this other way. I am the weak link between them. No problem. Sweep down from 12 and turn back up to 2 - zip - I am up an a plane and suddenly whizzing along the surface .... WAY too fast. Spectacular wipe out - that has got to hurt. Do it again and I am up and running! Who-eee! this is a rush!! Oops, just a bit fast and skipping like a thrown rock so I drop the bar and crash. Sitting in 2 ' of water, laughing like a maniac, pumping fists in the air - THIS is doable!

I kept getting longer runs, kept crashing (some perverse part of me just wanted to prove that "the old dude" could beat the crap out of himself and keep coming back for more...) Running along with your kite 2 meters off the water, blue skies, little cirrus clouds. Sweet!

So I am hooked - at least until the inevitable "lessoning". Nancy has given windsurfing a go and is deciding which to pursue. She might have been a bit put off after my first lesson when I told her it was "way scary" - I mean you are tied to something that will blithely and thoughtlessly drag you into immobile objects! In windsurfing you can bailout because you are not directly connected. But water sports are a must here - other than the sheer fun of it, the Big Hot is coming and spending time on the water will be a must... She realizes that I will be out trying to get good enough to start doing ocean "downwinders" (Start up N and visit all the beaches as you cruise S as far as you care to (and can get someone to come get you!) So unless she wants to run shuttle she must join in the mayhem! (anyway - we have been told that windsurfing is the sport "with the most excitement for the least risk of getting splatted")

Drat - 3 more days till the weekend..... "going so fast it is like the water is standing still..."

PS. Guy thought I might be sore. Hasn't the kid heard of "Vitamin I". Jeesh....



Kites off Main Beach - I'll be out in the ocean soon - just have to learn to jump waves!












Throwing air on the Shearwater Park on the Broadwater - this? this may take a while!




























Miami Beach Kites - Towers of Surfers Paradise in the background