RILEYS BAY HIKE - ROCKY POINT TRACKS MTB - OURIMBAH TRACKS MTB - KINCUMBA MOUNTAIN TRACKS MTB - 21 NOVEMBER 2017

 18 November 2017

Today, I had a hike at to Rileys Bay.



It was an undulating hike that pasted through areas of mangroves, pockets of narrow and slender trees and large tree growth. 

There were spider holes where the pine needles of the trees formed a spongy ground cover. My guess was funnel web spiders. The ground was also quite bouncy to walk upon.

At the northern end there was the remains of an old sandstone house. Apparently, the owners collected shells for the making of lime. It would have been a hard life, especially, the mosquitoes. The place was swarming with them

There were a number of wildflowers in bloom and the bird songs were abundant, especially the bell birds.

Later, I had coffee with Jacinta at Terrgal Haven.

In the evening we had dinner at an Indian restaurant in Wamberal.

19 November 2017

A surf  check at North Avoca Beach was a no-go.

I drove to Bouddi National Park for a mountain bike ride on the Rocky Point Tracks. The tracks were challenging and fun.

The flannel flowers were in bloom and the view from Strom Lookout was amazing as per usual.

I tried a very steep and loose track that would lead to Rileys Bay but about half way down I just went over the handlebars, walloped my knee on a rock and got all tangled up in the bike. All good but I was very sore. I decided to skip this track until next time.

Another track took me to a waterfall which was only mildly flowing. A large culvert drain lead under the road so I played in the drain for awhile. It was fun.

I chatted to a few other bikers at the end of the ride who pointed out a new track along Maitland Bay Road.

After the ride, I drove to Terrigal Haven for an ocean swim hand coffee with Jacinta. The water was  icy cold. We ran into Ken, who had heart problems but over them now.

20 November 2017

An early morning surf check at Wamberal Beach. Maybe better later.

I drove to Ourimbah for a mountain bike ride along the challenging tracks. Well, some tracks I reckoned looked potential fatal to me; some other sections I could do with difficulty; and the rest were fun and challenging. I liked the graveyard and rollercoaster tracks the most.

I met a fellow rider at the end of the ride - Ian - and we chatted about retirement and mountain bikes.

I drove back to Wamberal Beach and had a really enjoyable surf with good waves with Mark, Glenn, and Rob then coffee at Point Cafe, Wamberal.


21 November 2017

An early surf check lead to a mountain bike ride at Kincumba Mountain.

I parked at the top of the mountain and spent 15 minutes cleaning up the rubbish strewn all over the place. As I was cleaning, I met the local council ranger, who told me there was a mob of Potteroos in the reserve.

A potoroo is a kangaroo-like marsupial about the size of a rabbit. It is a macropod. All three species are threatened The main threats are predation by introduced species (especially foxes) and habitat loss.

It was a fun easy ride along a number of tracks.

I tried riding today concentrating on body positioning. I found that a bit more tiring but the flow and control of the ride was heaps better.

I had some extra fun riding down a series of steps at the start of the Glasson Trail.

Afterwards, I drove to Wamberal beach for a surf. The current as pretty strong and the waves so-so. I lasted about forty minutes.

Over to the Haven for a coffee, sit in the sun and a read.

I'm currently reading a series of books on my kindle - The Dresden Files by Jm Butcher - I'm really enjoying them. They are about a modern day wizard doing his thing to protect humans from the perils of the magical world.