I pulled back the curtain. The trees were swaying backed by clumps of clouds. I checked the web and the forecast was light wind, rain and colder temperature. Still, seeing is sometimes believing.
I checked the surf at North Avoca and Wamberal beaches. It didn't look enticing though the sunrise was nice.
Plan B - I continued onwards to Kincumba Mountain for a mountain bike ride. The mountain isn't high but it is more exposed to the winds. Today it was a little windy and chilly.
I rode the summit track but my wrist was bothering me so I shortened my ride and looped back to the carpark. I fell off my bike a week ago and today I tested the wrist on the bike. Conclusion, it was okay but too distracting.
Next port of call was Terrigal Beach. I sat in front of the surf club protected from the winds and enjoyed the sun, coffee and a good read. Ring, ring ... my daughter was feeling sick so back home and up to the doctor. She seeems better now but she is also fast asleep.
I did some gardening but stopped as the clouds blew off and blue skies reined once more.
A surf check at North Avoca Beach
was a bit disappointing wave wise but the sunrise was powerful and pretty.
I drove a short distance to Avoca
Lagoon and had a short kayak.
The lagoon was reflective, serene
and bird calls filled the senses. I sighted a number of birds - ducks,
cormorants, herons, swallows, pelicans, swamp hens and plovers. The highlight
of the birds as the young swallow that was roosting on a vertical branch
surrounded by shallow water. The mother swallow would appear regularly and feed
the young one while she was in flight. So pretty.
A short paddle later, I notice a
flip type of movement in the base of the reeds on the edge of the shore. It was
a large prawn. Surprisingly, it was out of the water and trying to blend with
the reeds. If it wasn't for the movement earlier, I would never had seen it. It
gradually and cautiously returned to the water.
Another short paddle, I saw a
large eel entwined around a submerged branch. I was paddling a little fast at
the time so by the time I stopped and turned around it had moved on.
I had a large hole in my kayak
after my last paddle and at the end of this paddle there was only a small
amount of water in the kayak. My repair job was successful for the time being.
I checked the surf again but there
was little encouraging improvement.
I continued on to Terrigal Haven
and had a snorkel in front of the rocks of the rockpool. The visibility was
okay but there was a lot of sand movement so the underwater photos weren't
successful. The grains of sand in the water distract the camera from focusing
on the subject. I did manage to get a bit of videoing. The sand doesn't seem to
cause problems with videoing. :)
While I was looking around, some
guy in the water approached me. Now, when you are in the water looking at the
bottom and someone unnoticed touches you to get your attention, you tend to
nearly leap bodily out of the water. He told me there was a turtle in the water
and if I see it would I call him. Perhaps, I thought.
The water was still a little chilly
so I had a cappuccino, read a book and sat in the sun until my body warmth
returned.
The weather started off overcast and it looked like it could rain. The far south of the sky showed a patch of blue so we headed south towards Pearl Beach.
It was a good decision as the sky cleared and the sun started to power down with warmth. We sat on the beach drinking cappuccinos and eating egg and bacon rolls. We also had a couple of dips in the ocean. Jacinta had her first dip for the season.
Afterwards, We drove a short distance to the Warrah Trig Road in Brisbane Water National Park and had a short stroll through the bush to a large tessellated sandstone platform. We looked at the plants and admired the view. A year ago this area was devastated by bushfire. What a recovery!
The day started fine but looked like rain was likely.
I had an ocean swim at Terrigal Haven then I sat on the beach and out of the wind and read a book.
I hadn't been to the movies for awhile so I went to watch 'Geostorm'. It was okay but there were so many holes in the plot. The vice president wants to become the president so he plans to wipe out most of the world and have it looked like the president was accidently killed. Seems it would have been easier to assassinate the president and skip the world destruction part which could have killed him as well.
The weather fined up in the afternoon so I returned to my sitting and reading on beach at Haven.
28/10/2017
Back to Brisbane Water National Park for a hike on the Girrakool Loop track with my daughter and Mr Archibald.
The weather was cool and it did rain for a short time while we were walking.
The wildflowers were out and this time I had my best camera for some clearer photos.
Mr Archibald loved the wildflowers, especially, the purple ones.
The rainforest and waterfalls were pretty and Mr Archibald looked quite at home in the rainforest conditions.
Today, I drove early to Olney State Forest for a hike on the The Pines Track.
It was a bit of a drive - along the main highway, a series of country roads then dirt roads to The Pines Camping Area.
The camping area was huge and a possible camp site for longer hikes.
The track was suppose to be signposted but most of the signs had been removed by vandals. Still, a general map and the major feature of a creek made it relatively easy not to get lost. Well, a couple of times, the tracks ended but I knew that if I kept in my general direction I would come across an intersection of a track. One problem here was the amount of tracks in the area. As it was, I was fine and I enjoyed the bush bashing.
The track meandered through some very pretty areas. In my opinion the best was at the start. The creek lightly cascaded over a few rock drops with moist vegetation growing at the base. The creek flowed over a rock base which was relatively free of vegetation. The trees were tell and shaded most of the direct sunlight. It was very rainforest looking and generally, the fallen trees and rocks were covered in moss.
The rest of the hike varied from roads to tracks to dense vegetation to wide cleared areas.
It was an adventurous hike that took me in a number of directions. I was surprised that at the end, I had only covered 2 km.
Back home and I had an ocean swim at Terrigal Haven.
A very short hike at Rumbalara on the Ironbark track.
The track was very dry and on the northern and western sides the ground vegetation was nearly non existent. The views were great due the lack of vegetation over Gosford and Brisbane Water.
Generally, it was all very quiet until we were nearly finished. We spotted a large goanna in the undergrowth and then a short time later a wild and very loud screeching began. We bush bashed down the steep hill to the source of the noise. It was a Sulfur Crested Cockatoo trying to chase off the goanna which was homing in on the nest. The cockatoo was successful. It even landed on the rock just above the goanna and spread its wings wide and fully puffed out. It looked and sounded very intimidating. The goanna departed with a snarl and focus its attention on us. Obviously, the day was not its day.
Afterwards, we drove to Terrigal Haven for coffee and an ocean swim for myself.
.JPG)
