I started at Long Jetty and cycled west following the bike path to Chittaway Bay.
There were a number of spots to stop and admire the different views of the lake.
There were also a number of birds wading in the shallows and roosting on the piers - pelicans, sea gulls, ibis, cormorants, ducks and plovers.
A pleasant 13.54 km ride.
Next, I drove to Terrigal Haven for a refreshing swim. I got to talking with a lady while floating in the water. She started by telling me that she likes to look at life positively. After that, she told me the problems with the world and her family.
Time to try the bike outdoors rather than the exercise bike.
A bit cautious to start but it was fun cycling along the flat bike path and saying hello to passers by.
I was feeling a little bit more confident so I veered off the path and rode along one of the jetties. it was nice hearing the clickety clack of the of the wooden slats as my bike drove over them.
At the end of the jetty was a group of young guys fishing. They drove up from Sydney in the early hours of the morning and had been fishing since 3am. no fish but a friendly bunch of guys.
Back on the path and I tackled a few of the small but steeper inclines along the path. once again no problems and I felt like I had made another achievement.
At the end of the ride, I was still feeling good so I had a few rounds of the short bike dirt track. No problems.
I had a great 8.85 km cycle with sore legs but feeling so good.
next stop was Toowoon Bay for a swim, short soft sand walk and a coffee.
A beautiful sunny morning with the temperature going up.
I launched near the fishing area just over The Entrance bridge at North Entrance.
There was little wind and it was a fun paddle. The kayak cut cleanly over the water causing small ripples, the sun reflected off the water in a twinkling effect, fish occasionally breeched the water, swirls of sand in the water indicated escaping fish or stingrays, the birds were slowly fossicking amongst the reeds in the shallows with black swans in the distance, the distant mountains were fog shrouded, everyone I passed was friendly and commented on what a great morning it was...
Back on shore, I drove to Toowoon Bay for a refreshing swim in the ocean and a cup of coffee.
A golden sunrise at Pearl Beach this morning with a fog shrouded background of Box Head.
I started the morning in awe of the sunrise, then I walked the short track at Crommelin Native Arboretum.
I heard lots of birds calling in the trees but I didn't see any. I must have been the first on the track today as I walked into ten or so spider webs that had grown across the path. At the right angle and height the webs are virtually invisible. It was a pleasant short walk. Just as I was nearing the exit of the reserve a wallaby darted across and back in front of the van. Nice!
Down the beach for a coffee and swim and sit around. The golden sunrise was finished but it still was very pretty with warm water and the sunlight twinkling across the surface of the ocean.
I ride around Kincumba Mountain a lot but when I originally started visiting the area I was mainly hiking. I'm not quite ready for a bike ride yet but I was very keen for a bush hike.
I chose the Kanning Track as it easy and has a lot to offer in a short hike.
Firstly, it was nice to meander along a track with natural bushland all around me. secondly, my walking speed was a bit slow and careful so I spent a lot of time looking at the smaller things - the texture of a tree's bark, the fronds of the ferns and rock shapes.
A few features of the walk was a large fallen tree at the beginning of the track. The root system of the base of the tree lined the edge of the path in a vertical direction. Another large fallen tree on a sandstone rock platform looked like the base was sliced smoothly off the rock. Further along the track was a cave. Not very deep but deep enough to give easy protection from the elements.
A beautiful sunny morning. I missed the sunrise but still it was shaping up for a glorious day.
I drove to The Entrance and had a walk along the beach to the estuary of Tuggerah Lakes.
The tide was very low and going lower so there was a lot of exposed sand and rocks. It was nice observing the shape of the sand along the estuary banks, the light glinting off the exposed rocks as small waves crashed over them and the fishermen casting their lines as a silhouette to the morning's light.
While, looking at the watery scene before me a lady with her husband started talking to me. they asked me about taking photos and then switched topic to her brother who had died many years ago and loved walking along the shore of this beach. Maybe, I reminded her of her brother.
Life has been about recovery and doing things one step at a time. On this note, I'll just update the last three weeks in a timeline.
1. managing the pain - done
2. dreaming of a good night's sleep - done
3. wondering if i'll ever be able to sit on a toilet seat again - done
4. trying to walk normally - done
5. able to sit - done
6. driving - done
7. swimming - done
8. short hikes - done
All thanks to my great physio and following the exercises.
Still, a long way to go. My adventures have toned down a lot but hey I'm out and about so life is good.
A few snippets while I was in early recovery...
A day or two after the hamstring disaster, I was feeling a little bit down but was cheered up by Ava the lorikeet. She sat there for ages guarding me and now and then turning her head in my direction to give me a tweet.
I woke early this morning and drove down to the Terrigal Haven for a walk on the rocks. I took a few photos - kayakers with a peeking of sunrise, shells on the rocks and crabs on the move. All was looking good. I was carefully walking with no problems then ... this is a story with an obvious and probably inevitable change of course... stepping on a black slippery patch of moss, then no traction, then no feet on the ground, then my ass planted firmly and painfully on the rock, then a full body wallop of pain. I sat there for awhile and waited for the pain to subside before starting any movement. Slowly, I rose and tenderly checked that I was okay. How good was that, I was okay, a little shocked but hey a boring walk turned into a fair story.
Cloudy morning with a solid swell and high tide. The shore break was difficult to paddle out through as it was breaking big and hard.
I got out through a lull in the sets and had a fun surf in solid waves.
When I was just about out of the water having finished my surf, I was caught by a large shore dumping wave as I was running up the sand. My leg gave way from underneath me and I collapsed in a lot of pain as the wave dumped on top of me washing me up the beach.
I couldn't stand so I was washed up and down the beach until a group of friends who were watching came down to rescue me. I was in extreme pain. Thanks guys!
They carried me up the beach and to the street while another friend called an ambulance.
The ambulance took me to Gosford Hospital where I seen by a doctor, had an x-ray, was given painkillers and eventually, a physiotherapist who gave me crutches. Thanks Gosford Hospital staff!
Well, now I'm back home in off and on pain but I'm able to walk in an awkward way.
More medical treatment to organize.
First major injury of 2016. I'll be out of action for awhile until I'm more mobile. So far, the injury looks like a torn tendon in the upper leg close to the buttocks. What a bummer! :)
Jacinta and I were up early to get a ferry from Ettalong to Palm Beach.
We missed the 7am ferry by 2 minutes. The next ferry was at 8am. We drove and had a short wander around Pearl Beach.
We were back with time to spare for the ferry. It is such a great ferry ride especially at $22.50 return. The seats were comfortable and on boarding we made our way to the top open deck.
We cruised along the shores of Ettalong and out through the narrow channel from Brisbane Water to Broken Bay. It is amazing how close to the barnacled rocks and the shallow sand banks the large ferry maneuvers.
Out on the open water of Broken Bay and top speed to Palm Beach passing by Lion Island and into Freshwater.
We disembarked at the wharf on the Freshwater side of Palm Beach and walked up the hill and amazingly, there was no footpath so the traffic was very close as we trudged between the guard rails and the cars.
We followed the beach till we reached the path leading up to Barrenjoey Lighthouse.
It was a steep hike and the day was already very hot so we were drenched in sweat by the time we reached the summit.
The lighthouse was impressive and there was a track leading out along and down the ridge towards the point of Barrenjoey. It was very dry and the vegetation still showed the effects of the last bush fire in this area - few large trees, burnt trunks with blackened skeleton branches and metre high regrowth. Walking along the track was fun with rocks to drop across and down. The views were superb both north and south.
We quickly reached the bottom by retracing our steps and stopped at the Boat Shed for breakfast. This restaurant was such a nice setup - cool, breezy, great views, good service and good food.
We continued walking to Palm Beach. The water looked inviting but there was no shade and we were overdosed already from the sun and heat. So we walked back to the ferry, cooled off on the seabreeze once underway, bounced a little with the swells of Broken Bay and landed back at Ettalong.
We decided it was too early to head home so we drove to Pearl beach for a cooling swim in the ocean.
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