It’s true that I quite often plod my bicycles down many of the same cow tracks. Remaining local and thus inevitably repeating the same courses and routines is inescapable to at least some degree in 2021. Though for me it’s also a great excuse to hide the fact that at heart I’m a little circumspect – something of a homebody who only occasionally likes to let out a burst of adventure but quickly recoils back to the familiar.
Even so, Brisbane is a large place, the cow tracks are many and we Brisbaneites have so far been very lucky to escape the full force of the pandemic with what are relatively just a few scratches. In fact, Brisbane is large enough that in a single ride, I can experience a showcase of landscapes from seaside to city to lonely dirt road and still be home in time for dinner.
Maybe that’s a little too romanticised but maybe the lens I look through is a little tainted by nostalgia. I suppose growing up then riding around here for two decades and a bit might do that to someone. In any case, I’ve got nothing to complain about – the place has changed over the years but some things remain. The crisp, clear, vividly coloured days of winter and the hazy, pastel, sun bleached greens and yellows of summer are still the same and I still find it a treat.
Oh, but there’s bikeways now. Have I ever mentioned that? There’s quite a few of them and many are really bloody good. I really like the way your perspective changes when meandering through them – it’s like traversing a hidden alter-city but without the stress and mania. Sort of like dark matter existing amongst the regular stuff you can see.
Anyway, that bit of madness is part of the movie reel that played in my head as I spun along through the Boondall Wetlands, Nudgee Beach then down the Shultz Canal bikeway, on to Teneriffe and the city a short while ago. It was enjoyable as always.
Hope you like the pics. I’m going to find a t-shirt and shorts to wear, grab a bike and see where the day takes me. I might even find a pub for lunch.
Until next time, ride safe and see you out there sometime.