Beautiful winter

The view up Gold Creek this afternoon around 3pm from the Hyak cross country ski lodge.
Buried under all that snow is the PCT. Perhaps 2016 will be my year to hike beyond Gravel and Joe Lakes, the furthest I've ever been.

Thoughts at year end

I climbed this beautiful hand hewn staircase, chipped from a limestone boulder by some long dead pioneer in the 1930s or 1940s in the Binna Burra rainforest section of Lamington National Park earlier this month.

May 2016 bring joy, not pain. To me, to you, to everyone who lost something important in 2015.

To the past, I say "Thank you." To the future, I say "Yes."

Sunday Brunch in Northern New South Wales

A water dragon decided to join me for lunch yesterday in Tyalgum. Not something you see every day. I've been visiting sub tropical rain forest areas close to the Gold Coast, where my elderly mother lives.
Wish I had a bike with me. There's nice riding here in the Mt Warning caldera. Roller coaster narrow forested lanes with little to no traffic.
Maybe next time.

Rudolph in Seattle

It was bucketing with rain yesterday so I went for a walk instead. My destination was Swanson's Garden Center. To find it all I had to do was follow the line of cars carrying fresh Xmas trees. It was mobbed on account of these visitors.

Silver Star in British Columbia

I've joined some friends for Thanksgiving in Canada with 2 days, I hope, of x-c skiing. I've not been on skis for 2 years, so I took it easy and did some easy trails. Couldn't have been lovelier. Few people and I stayed out for 3 hours without mishaps. I know that biking is the perfect cross training sport for skiing, so maybe that's the reason. Tomorrow I will try my skate skis and see if my courage has finally returned.

Upgrade at the Harbor Island 5-Way

It's an exceptional late November weekend with sun. I decided to do the 30 mile out and back to Alki from home in NW Seattle.
Looks like this truly horrible rubbish strewn torn up intersection is finally having a bike lane installed. It's a curious counter intuitive, ride on the left route.
Lucky for me, I learned to drive on the left. Still, this will be a new danger spot until West Seattle drivers get used to bicycles taking these lanes.
There will be a few sore "bikers don't pay road taxes" complaints, but they'll be ignored. I don't mind more bike infrastructure at all, and, as it happens, do pay road taxes. As a Seattle homeowner I pay lots of taxes. Some of them are dubious. However, in return I get to live in a nice place. Go figure.

November 15!

We've had sideways rain for the last couple of days, but at about 11am today it turned brilliant, do I came downtown to enjoy an exquisite sunset in Seattle's icon.