Hi All,

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas party as much as I did.

It was great to see how everybody participated in the activities especially the Limbo. It really shows that with age and wisdom flexiibility seems to deteriorate as shown by the way the "younguns" did it so easily.

Maryanne certainly added something special to the evening with her very professional contribution and we will arrange a letter of thanks to her.

Being a Scot of few words and Sandy, the Wordsmith, being away I will let the Photos tell the story.

If anybody who took some pics at the party could they put them on a USB stik and let me have them then we will publish more photos.

Merry Christmas,

Richard

Geocaching on the menu again

Sunday, September 22, 2013

After two successful geocaching rides Joyce organised another ride to combine with this great outdoor activity for which you can find more information on: www.geocaching.com

The days are warm and pleasant at the moment, so we opted for a ride starting at 7am, and believe it or not, I didn't get home until 12.15pm!

As I am not game to cross the bridge on my bike I opted to walk, while the others (newcomers Chris and Nancy) would go and try the Here (4) cache, which is close to the starting point (Kiosk on Benabrow Avenue).

Bob and I went ahead and waited for the others to join us at the mainland side of the bridge.  As the GPS had played up they arrived rather quickly, having skipped the search for the first cache.

We had a pleasant ride on the bike path towards Ningi and stopped along the main road to search for our second cache of the day: Kal-ma-kuta.  The cache is hidden near a memorial dedicated to Kal-ma-kuta, an aboriginal woman of the Joondoburri Tribe who lived near Pumicestone Passage and passed away in 1897.

The cache is hidden not too close to the memorial, so the place doesn't need to be trampled.  The GPS must have been working this time, because Chris discovered GZ and the cache in no time.

Kal-ma-kuta

Kal-ma-kuta

Kal-ma-kuta

Big bugs at Turner's Camp

The next cache wasn't too far off, so on we went.  Beautiful view across the water.  As our little group took a view at the GPS and then towards where GZ should be, they were heading for a walk through the muddy mangroves.  Luckily I had searched for (and found) this cache before, so I was able to point them in a different direction where the geopath lead almost straight to GZ without having to trudge through the mangroves.  That's one trick you learn after a while: don't go as the crow flies, but use some common sense when searching for a cache! :-)

The name of the cache and the camouflage are related, so this was a terrific little hide.

Big Bugs at Turner's Camp

Big Bugs at Turner's Camp

A further pleasant ride along Ningi Esplanade and across the main road to find the multi-cache The Ningi Thingy.  The maths to calculate the coordinates for GZ were quickly done. GZ was easily discovered, but not so the well-hidden cache.  Luckily no muggles around so some members of our group opted for some interesting gymnastic exercises and finally had the cache in their hands.

The Ningi Thingy

The Ningi Thingy

The Ningi Thingy

We missed the dirt track that would've lead us to the next cache, so we skipped that and went on for a ride along the main road, past the roundabout at Bestmann Road and right towards a new housing estate next to Ningi Creek.  There were two caches hidden here.  The first one was an easy find amongst the trees in a park, and was called: A Geocaching Romance.  No pictures here, as I forgot to take them.

Muddy Tides

A short ride further down towards the creek lead us to the mudflats.  As we haven't had much rain of late, we didn't need to get our feet dirty.  The only muggles around were some kangaroos lying lazily in the sun.  They weren't even interested in us!  Although Joyce had read out the hint clearly for us we did not find this cache.  After reading the logs at home I suspect that we were looking at the wrong tree, as this one must have recently fallen down near GZ.  I had been poking around at a tree nearby, but since I was told that I was 20m away from GZ I stopped.  Should've kept looking, because a spoiler photo showed that I may have been in the right spot after all.  Well, 1 DNF is not the worst thing and we can always go back for this one.  I still want my smiley!

For those that don't know much about geocaching, the cache icon turns into a smiley on your map when you have found it!

Muddy Tides

Muddy Tides

The Ningi Ghost House

Since we were going back along the same road we decided to go for the cache along the dirt track that we had missed before.  This made for an interesting ride, because the first part had us riding along the main road where the cars are supposed to slow down from 100km/h to 80km/h.  No bike track here!  And the dirt road was very sandy, but we got there eventually.  A quick find and the last one for the day.

The Ningi Ghost House

The Ningi Ghost House
(please, excuse my hand in front of the camera)

We reckoned we had done our quota for the day and headed home.  However, closer to the bridge we all felt like a break and some refreshments, so stopped off at a little (to me unknown) coffee shop: Bribie Passage Kiosk & Boat Hire where we enjoyed anything from coffee to ice cream and I my favourite Chai Latte.

This concluded a lovely ride and successful geocaching morning.  Thanks Joyce, for again arranging a geocaching ride.

Marion van der Donk

REDCLIFFE TO SANDGATE

12th August 2013

Adele organised an away ride last week at the Monthly Meeting for the following Monday, a Public Holiday - Show Day in the Moreton Shire. At short notice a pack of 14 riders mustered at a car park close to the Redcliffe Jetty.

Assembling at Redcliffe Car Park

A beautiful sunny day with an unseasonally high temperature of 29 degrees so a perfect day for a ride at the seaside. We set off and rode along the foreshore stopping here and there for the pack to catch up.

We eventually reached the Ted Smout Bridge, a great riding surface with not much traffic, walkers or cyclists, so an opportunity for those who felt like a burn out to go for it. The first three home were Richard, Kerry and Laurel. A ceremony took place for the presentation of 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd. Prizes nothing, the winners just basked in their glory.

The Medal Ceremony (with no medals)

The next appointed stop was Doug's Sea Food Cafe for Little Lunch or First Lunch. Some had fish and chips, others coffee and a snack. The place was well patronised and people were tucking into their fish and chips at around 10.30 a.m. In fact there were lots of people out enjoying the lovely day on a public holiday.

We eventually got underway again and continued on down to Sandgate riding as far as the Sandgate Boat Ramp. After a short break here, we turned around and returned from whence we came stopping for everyone to catch at Adele's suggested mustering points. This scheme worked well.

At Sandgate Boat Harbour

By the time we got back to the car park we were well and truly ready for Big Lunch or Second Lunch. We found ourselves a picnic table and enjoyed our BYO lunches.

A return trip of 40 kms, a good exercise stint and very pleasant company. Thanks to Adele and Harry for putting on this ride.

WOODFORD TO PEACHESTER RIDE

 2 AUGUST 2013

On this, the second Woodford to Peachester ride, we were blessed with a cloudless blue sky and just a gentle breeze. A perfect day for cycling. The eight riders included John and Susan, visitors from San Francisco staying at Richard and Sandra Allan’s place for a month. We were delighted to have their company. They were thrilled with the beautiful scenery and said the ride was the highlight of their visit.

Once again we followed Old Cove Road, Cove Road and Commissioners Flat Road to Peachester where we sampled delicious coffee and cakes at the Good Old Days Coffee and Tea House. As before, we hijacked a local to take photos of the group, this time in front of the coffee house. The Peachester residents are certainly very obliging in this regard!

On this trip, two ostriches were spotted in a paddock next to the road by an eagle-eyed rider (John). Somehow we missed those on the first ride. We also nearly ran over a green snake basking on the road.

Otherwise the ride itself was similar to the last one (see my blog for 28 June 2013), except that my speedo only read 38km at the end of the ride so we lost 2km somewhere along the way…

All in all, another very successful and enjoyable ride to be repeated in due course.

Isabel Cooper

Coffee Break

Another bike ride and more caches

Sunday, June 23. 2013

As the first 'Geocaching Ride' appeared to have been fun for those who took part Joyce opted for a follow-up.  This time we had more 'takers' as my son Kevin joined in, as he happened to be visiting, and also Fiona (I think) and Leonie and Ferdy.

As neither Kevin, nor Fiona, Leonie and Ferdy had come on the first ride we made for Here (4) again.  And yes, this time some action photos...  As you can see, sunny weather and almost clear skies.  Perfect weather for a ride.

Here (4)

We moved on to Pirate Park where we had a thorough search and also had to keep some little pirates at bay, in geocaching talk called 'muggles'. If my memory serves me right this time it was Leonie who eventually discovered the cache in a more or less akward spot.  Well done!

Pirate Park

Sail Away at Bob's Pond was the next one on the list, but, as sometimes is the case, not all searches are successful.  This one too had been 'muggled' or at least disappeared.  As I had logged it some time ago I remembered where it should be, but... no cache was to be found.  After a thorough search Kevin discovered the possible lid of what had supposedly been the cache container, so a 'did not find' had to be logged for this one. Upon a check-up, the cache has now temporarily been disabled.

Sail away at Bob's Pond

While on Sunderland Drive we kept going and also searched for a cache at the Arts Centre. A tricky one, this one, but I remembered a similar one from our holiday in France, so it didn't take long for me to cry: "I've got it!"

Creative Hub

Behind the Arts Centre is another hidden cache, and the search for this one led us through a beautiful native garden...

and on to a small, quiet pond with waterlilies:

Walk the Water Hole

This one I had already done with the grandchildren, so I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the surroundings, while I left the search to the others.  Kevin was the one who discovered this one, but Ferdy wasn't far off either.

Again we finished the morning with a cuppa.  This time at the Arts Centre.

Bob, Joyce, Kevin, Leonie, Ferdy

We each went our own way after this and Kevin and I, who just can't seem to get enough of this great outdoor adventure, rode past Melba Park and stopped at the train rides.

Marion waiting patiently :-)

This place we had search high and low in January with the whole family.  None of us had been able to find this cache, but Kevin wanted to have another go too after having learned that I had been able to log it.  He did find it, but again, it is a very tricky one and a micro at that.  This is not the one, but it is the size of what is called a 'micro' and it even contains a log:

Small?  Look at the size of the log...

Does this geocaching look like fun to you?  I am sure that Joyce will organise another Sunday morning ride like this, if we ask.  There are plenty more caches on Bribie Island and I know a few on the way to, and in Ningi as well.  After all, there are close to 2.2 million caches out there and 6 million geocachers worldwide...

In the meantime, enjoy all your rides.

Marion van der Donk

Geocaching for Beginners!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

No, you are not reading the wrong blog!  The BUGs are real adventurers...  Joyce came up with the novel idea to combine our bike ride with a lesson in geocaching.  Geocaching, if you haven't heard of it yet, is a kind of treasure hunt with the help of a navigator or GPS.  If you want to find out more before you read on to see what we've been up to, have a look at the following link: http://www.geocaching.com/

As my memory is like the proverbial sieve I cannot remember all who joined in the search, although I do remember Bob and Joyce of course and Sandra who came along as the real 'newbie'.  I myself came along for the fun, because with approx. 80 caches to my name I am starting to consider myself as a more 'seasoned' cacher. :-)

The first one we went in search of was Here (4).  

This was rather funny, because Joyce will now laugh when she reads that I call myself a 'seasoned' cacher, as I had the cache in my hands and thought that I had picked up something that I shouldn't have.....

Bribie Island Lifestyle was the next one we went in search of.  As I didn't have a camera I can again only show a picture of the place where the cache was supposed to be.  I am saying 'supposed to', because the cache was never found, although at the time of writing this blog I can tell you that it is back in place again.  It had disappeared and the cache was temporarily disabled.  I am happy to tell you that I have been able to log it on the 1st of this month.

The above picture is again one I pinched from Google Earth.  It was apparently taken before the big sign was placed, at the roundabout when you come off the bridge on the Bribie Island side.

The ride then took us to the Bribie Seaside Museum and the cache by the same name.  As I had found this one before I did not take part of the search, and it was not a hard one for even beginners.

An old picture this time, from approx. 2009 when the museum was built.  I do apologise for the lack of 'action photos', but I will make up for it in my next posting.

Another one on the way was Full Head of Steam, at Melba Park.  This time I was the lucky one to find it, but I have to be honest and tell you that I had asked another geocacher for a further hint.  Not that I was told exactly, but I had a better idea and it did help.  A very tricky one indeed.  In Janyary we had searched with the whole family.  Later I went twice with the grandchildren.  So, I was very happy to get this one on my list.

As Joyce and Bob had a different membership than I had, they had a cache on their list that I hadn't, so a new one for me.  This one was called: Buckley's Hole, and guess where that was..... ;-)  This was a very small one again, but not too difficult to find.

As we had been lucky so far that the rain held off we called it a day and went for a cuppa at my place to finish a perfect morning.

See you next time around.

Marion van der Donk

CABOOLTURE LAKES RIDE

Date:  22 May 2013

Riders:  Bob, Isabel, Tommy, Yoshika, Harry, Robert, Laurel, Tami, Ted, Fiona

We arrived at Caboolture Lakes at around 8.15 a.m. after having driven through light rain from Bribie.

Twelve of us showed up for the ride at around 9 a.m. We departed to do the first circuit of the bike track.

An interesting ride which runs parallel to the Caboolture River crossing it over a narrow bridge about one and a half klms into the ride.

We got to the end of the track and then with Tami's help (local knowledge) we added a couple more kilometres along a few roads on the western side of the bike track.

We rode back to the departure site (approx 5 kilometres) and picked up Ted who had been doing his normal stretching exercises prior to riding.

Unfortunately Ted had a mishap only a short distance into the second circuit and decided to return to the starting area.  Harry went back with Ted and was able to ring Bob and let him know what had happened.  We decided later at coffee this was good way to communicate on rides with the ride leader and 'Tail End Charlie' to be in touch with mobile phones (and numbers).

A few of us did the third circuit with some of the 'bigger kids' riding the BMX track as well.  After completing three circuits of the bike track we had all had enough.

A great coffee break was enjoyed by all and as we were loading the bikes back onto the cars it started drizzling again.  We were indeed lucky to get this most enjoyable ride completed without getting wet.

Lunch at Caboolture Lakes

Refreshment Time

Posted by Bob Stutter