THE FOUR POINT RIDE, QLD.

For an embedded Ride with GPS map please open http://ridewithgps.com/routes/10409769

This app. will not only allow you to get a greater resolution but a cue sheet as well. Unfortunately, it will not allow the printing of the map until you take out registration with Ride with GPS.

The first part of this ride starts at Cleveland Harbour adjacent to the railway station, riding both on and off road, skirting through the suburbs of Ormiston, Alexandra Hills, Birkdale and on to Wellington Point our first Point, which is surrounded on three sides by water and a great place in summer to take the family for a picnic, kayaking adventure, a swim on a hot day or wind surfing/ kiting on a windy day. When the tide is out, a walk out to King Island is enormous fun particularly for younger members of the family.

A collage of views on the first stage of the ride

For the second part of the ride we follow the coastline west for awhile before turning south and heading to Thornlands where we skirt around Crystal Waters Park which is renowned for it's diverse bird life and then head for Lakeside where there are a number of cafes to choose from to stop for a coffee or cool drink. From here you will ride on a sealed path through bush land reserve, first heading west and then south before turning east. This is the sort of ride that if you are carrying a compass, the needle will be constantly swinging around. After a convoluted ride through a series of back streets, you will find yourself at the very tip of Victoria Point (Point No. 2). Having a map in this instance would be of great assistance.

A small collage of views on the second stage of the ride

On the way to Cleveland Point (4th Point on this ride) you will mainly ride on well maintained paths through Point Halloran, (3rd Point), Pinklands and the eastern side of Thornlands. Like most of my rides, I try to keep to paths and off road trails but inevitably there will be some on road riding but mainly on safe secondary or suburban roads or failing this, wide dedicated and marked bicycle lanes. This is the nicest part of the ride where you will be mainly riding beside the water, through bush land or parks and if you don't enjoy this section then you are definitely hard to please.

The above photographs were taken on Cleveland Point.

Each one of these four Points is unique in it's own right and although you ride some 69 km I doubt whether you will become bored and not especially if you take a camera.

From Cleveland Point, you make your way back along paths through a series of parks to Cleveland Harbour where it is always nice to stop off at the Hog's Breath for a nice refreshing ale and afterwards, if not a local and not driving you can board a train for a relaxing journey back to where you live.

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee

AN EVER GROWING LIST OF CYCLING MAPS WITH JIMMY BEE CAN BE FOUND BY OPENING THE FOLLOWING LINK:  http://jimmyb9.blogspot.com.au/

CYCLING LAKESIDE, VICTORIA POINT to CLEVELAND HARBOUR via Cleveland Point, QLD.

Lakeside Restaurant & Cafe complex.

If you are the type that has to have a coffee before venturing out, or a social rider or weekend warrior of the hybrid variety that loves cycling as a form of exercise as well as recreation, then maybe this is the ride for you and more so if you live in this part of the world.

Before I continue this post, I would like to apologise to my readers for the long absence. Unfortunately I succumbed to some mysterious illness which was labelled atypical pneumonia and has laid me low for some four months. I am happy to say that I am back on deck and it is my intention to bring you some interesting posts.

Lakeside is situated in Victoria Point and consists of an array of eclectic restaurants and cafes opening up onto a small lake with a family or two of tortoises which surface  from time to time to check out the strange earthlings.

The ride is only 36 km but being on the bay it is very scenic in places. It also takes in a couple of forested areas which you should enjoy. I personally love riding through the bush areas because you seem to be so remote from suburbia. As you can see by the elevation chart there are no hills of any consequence that could make it hard for you and when you reach Cleveland, there are a number of food and drink outlets.

The views from the seafront at Victoria Point are extraordinary and more so on a beautiful sunny day. The photograph that you can see above shows Coochiemudlo Island in the background and is well worth the 10 minute ferry ride across to explore the island. There are numerous beaches fronting clear clean water for swimming. Depending on the number of passengers boarding the ferry, it is possible to take your bike with you, in fact why not make this trip on another day when you will have the time to explore the entire island and have a swim as well.

Sometimes paths fill people with some trepidation as they really don't know how their bike will handle it. Well, I can safely say that any bike will be able to handle these paths with ease. And.....I hasten to add that you will immensely enjoy rising through these areas.

Here is my trusty steed Scotty posing for the camera adjacent to a beautiful tranquil lake in Thornlands on our ride to Cleveland Harbour.

Usually the waters around Cleveland Point are quite placid but on the odd occasion when the wind is in the right direction and blowing hard and the tide is high, these placid waters can change in a flash.  I've paddled a kayak around this point in similar conditions and it is just like what I believe, paddling in a washing machine would be like.

Everyone has an icon in the city/town in which they live and the Grand View Hotel built in 1856 is one in which most 'Clevelandites' feel proud of.  It is the epitome of the colonial style Australian hotel. This hotel has a great garden at the back where you can sip an ale at your leisure whilst looking over the bay.

You're so right, that is Johnny Depp's boat from the film Pirates of the Caribbean resting in Cleveland harbour while Johnny the lad high tailed it back to his pad on the Gold Coast by helicopter. Oh! to be rich and famous.

I hope you enjoy the ride.

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee

AN EVER GROWING LIST OF CYCLING MAPS WITH JIMMY BEE CAN BE FOUND BY OPENING THE FOLLOWING LINK:  http://jimmyb9.blogspot.com.au/

CYCLING THE 3 CREEKS BIKE PATHS - Ithaca, Enoggera & Kedron Brook, QLD.

This would have to go down as one of the best rides the U3A Pedaling Pathfinders have had this year. Combining three of the best off road cycling routes north of the Brisbane river into the one continuous route really made for one enjoyable ride as was expressed by all who were. The ride started at Roma Street Station, proceeded along Enoggera Creek Bikeway, onto Ithaca Creek Bikeway  back to Enoggera Creek Bikeway before making our way via a few backstreets to Kedron Brook Bikeway. After crossing Schultz Canal we followed  a series of bicycle friendly roads to and over the Gateway Bridge to Murrarie Station where we boarded a train to Cleveland. 

Although we have passed Banneton Bakery www.banneton.com.au/ at St. John's Wood, Ashgrove, on a number of occasions, we have never stopped there for a coffee break and that has been our loss as it turned out to be an excellent stop for a small group of cyclists. They serve, not only good coffee but excellent pastries as well. 

The Brisbane City Council are doing an excellent job with supplying and maintaining these linking cycle ways, especially when you take into consideration the damage that was done due to major flooding.

Socializing

Brisbane's Gateway Bridge

Riding the dirt

Doing it hard

New Zealand's South Island

I can't emphasize the benefits of doing short tours for seniors whether they are within the city's boundaries or on coastal strips or in deed mixing it with cattle, crops and wild life in the country. By short tours, I mean up to 100 km. It is not the distance that matters but the location. By having a longer than normal pit stop or coffee break also makes it a nice social occasion and it also benefits your health and well being. If you are really interested in pumping pedals, there are many interstate and international cycling tours, either fully organised  with guides or partially organised self guided trips.

It's all fun, fun, fun. even if you have to work hard for it on occasions.

For a blow by blow description of the ride please open the following link: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/8245599

If you would like to know more about the University of the 3rd Age (U3A) please open the following link https://en.wikipedia.org/wwork for it on occasionsiki/Universyou have to if ity_of_the_Third_Age

Our Pedaling Pathfinders group is part of U3A Redlands www.u3aredlands.com.au/

AN EVER GROWING LIST OF CYCLING MAPS WITH JIMMY BEE CAN BE FOUND BY OPENING THE FOLLOWING LINK:  http://jimmyb9.blogspot.com.au/

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee

BOGGO ROAD to ALBION via The Gap

For an embedded Ride with GPS map please open  http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7967316

This app. will not only allow you to get a greater resolution but a cue sheet as well.

An artistic approach to the old Boggo Road Gaol

On this particular ride, we caught the train from Cleveland Station to Park Road Station, Dutton Park where the  infamous old prison"Boggo Road"stands .....

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boggo_Road_Gaol. At 30 km this is not a long ride but it does take in some nasty hills some long but mostly short and sharp so you need to have a reasonable amount of fitness unless you are willing to walk some of them.

Entrance ramp to the Eleanor Schonell Bridge crossing the Brisbane River.

The first part of the ride is to The Gap http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gap,_Queensland, which is the half way point of the ride and at 15 km is an excellent stop for coffee and a snack. The route takes you past the Brisbane Botanic Gardens but you need a couple of hours to do these gardens justice and although it is possible to include a walk through, I have deliberately left it out of this ride in order to keep the ride within a reasonable time frame.

A nice collage of photos depicting the area the ride passes through and the quality of the paths.

Spaghetti Junction (not the official name) at Bowen Hills

Breakfast Creek.

The second half of the ride follows the Enoggera Creek Bike path which is an absolute delight to ride passsing through a number of well maintained parks and sporting fields, eventually turning into Breakfast Creek at Bowen Hills. It is then a matter of following the paths and cycling directions to Albion Station. To be sure always carry a detailed map, just in case a cycling sign or two are not there.

AN EVER GROWING LIST OF CYCLING MAPS WITH JIMMY BEE CAN BE FOUND BY OPENING THE FOLLOWING LINK:  http://jimmyb9.blogspot.com.au/

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee

TRAVERSING 6 BRIDGES over the Brisbane River, Qld.

For an embedded Ride with GPS map please open  http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7845911  
This app. will not only allow you to get a greater resolution but a cue sheet as well.

Just to make life a little more interesting, I decided to take our group, U3A's Pedaling Pathfinders, on a meandering ride crossing the Brisbane river 6 times. When you have ridden a route a number of times, it helps to change it slightly. After all, variety is the spice of life.

A collage of some points of interest on this route

This ride started from the Norman Park Railway Station and ended at the Park Road Railway Station, a distance of 37 km. and travelling through some 15 suburbs, which means that you are able to enter or exit this route whenever you choose. It is a fun ride with varying scenery all of the way and plenty of areas to stop for coffee and snacks. A great way to gain some exercise at the same time.

AN EVER GROWING LIST OF CYCLING MAPS WITH JIMMY BEE CAN BE FOUND BY OPENING THE FOLLOWING LINK:  http://jimmyb9.blogspot.com.au/

Cheers and safe riding,

Jimmy Bee

COASTAL ESCAPE CYCLING TOUR - Day 7 - Huskisson to Berry, NSW

Huskisson to Berry via Nowra, NSW

For an embedded "Ride with GPS" map please open http://ridewithgps.com/routes/7869518

One of our group expressing her feelings on Hyam's Beach

Bye! bye! Huski, it has been a wonderful couple of days. I had really hit the peak of relaxation and could easily have stayed another couple of days. What with an excellent place to stay, a hotel with tremendous views, fine food and music, glorious beaches and good cycling.The Dolphin Wild cruise on Jervis Bay was excellent with a skipper who had superb local knowledge and knew just when to add a little zest with intermittent bursts on the throttle just to wake us out of our complacency. The scenery was a photographer's dream, the dolphins played on cue and the white sand and emerald green water almost unique....... I shall return.

Redlands U3A 'Pedal for Pleasure' group posing near Falls Creek, NSW

Falls Creek, NSW

Today we ride the countryside again as we veer inland to Nowra. Part of the ride entailed riding off road  and fording Falls Creek, a pretty area ideally suited to picknickers. As we hadn't been in the saddle for all that long, we didn't bother to stop and have a snack, just a couple of happy snaps were taken and we were on our way once more.

Our next stop was the Fleet Air Arm Museum www.navy.gov.au › History › Navy Museums approximately 6 to 7 kms south west of Nowra where we managed to spend a couple of hours looking at these magnificent old relics from a bygone era. As the museum had a cafe attached to it, we were able to have a snack and coffee before heading on  to Nowra.

On reaching Nowra, several of us elected to end our cycling tour and take the train the rest of the way to Berry. The reason for making this decision was purely a safety issue as we were now required to ride on the Princess Highway to Berry. Our ride notes fairly informed us that although the Highway had a recently upgraded shoulder to cycle on, there were many little bridges where the shoulder disappeared and as I don't like mixing motor vehicles  with cycling (personal choice) unless I have no other alternative, I made the decision to train it. As it so happened, the cycling group beat us into Berry but the ride on the two carriage diesel train was a complete novelty as I hadn't experienced this type of train travel since my early teens.

A picture of relaxation

Why do older people use fingers instead of thumbs when messaging.

So there we were on our last night, in the town of Berry. We were met at the Berry Hotel by Emma our hostess who kindly bought us all a drink as a farewell gesture which ensured that we stayed on at the hotel for our farewell dinner.

The coastal escape tour www.australiancyclingholidays.com.au/ was overall extremely good with excellent accommodation, management and choice of routes. The only drawback being that a lot of the bikes could have been serviced better. The Hexagon bike which replaced the one I originally was given was a great bike to ride. It was smooth, responsive and a joy to ride and made the rest of my tour so much more enjoyable.

Would I recommend it? Yes, it is a pleasant way of experiencing up close, the beauty of the Illawarra coastline and further along the south coast of NSW, which cannot be fully appreciated by hurtling along a highway at 100 kph.

AN EVER GROWING LIST OF CYCLING MAPS WITH JIMMY BEE CAN BE FOUND BY OPENING THE FOLLOWING LINK:  http://jimmyb9.blogspot.com.au/

Cheers and safe riding,

  Jimmy Bee