News Update

Well, at this very moment, Kerry is probably about 40 miles south of Coos
Bay in Brandon.  I heard from him last night, Friday, Sept. 20, and he was
Cape Arago State Park just a bit south of Coos Bay.  He was planning to
spend the night there and get up early.  He's spent the previous night
there also and did some sightseeing minus panniers.   He sounded in good
spirits when I talked to him.    Today would be a day of up mountain, down,
up mountain down, up down, up and down, end of ride, arrive at Brandon.

So prior to that, I'd spoken to him when he was at Jessie M. Honeyman State
Park south of Florence on Thursday night and he spend last Wednesday at
Devil's Lake State Park near Lincoln.     The sights are beautiful and the
campgrounds for biker/hiker are many times extremely private.  They are
often quite a ways from the regular car camping crowd.  He's made a few
friends going in the same direction and says we can expect some company in
the next couple months.  He assured me he'd be home to help receive
them.  I think Sven will be the first.

Kerry's spirits seem to be back up after a day of potential rest.   On the
previous call, Kerry sounded tired, very tired.  He said he knee really
hurt.  He insists its not getting worse as long as he can keep the
orthopedic brace in place.   He off now headed toward the border which he
should reach in a couple days.

For the first time Kerry mentions the exact point where the road and the
train tracks meet and run parallel.   I'm sure he's thinking that
convenient for the possibility of giving up the ride for the knee.   Right
now, he thinks he should be lucky if he gets to San Francisco before time
runs out and he takes the train back.  But, he has to keep his fingers
crossed and hope the knee keeps pumping.  That's it for a while.

Peggy K.

ps.  Kerry,  The mural is virtually finished.  I've learn to use the air
gun for paint.  I think the little pink polka dots it spits out are normal,
aren't they?   I also found a whole cupboard of spray paint and am
experimenting with the aluminum metallic one.

The objects I've painted are hanging in the mulberry tree.  I've discovered
the location of some of your tools also.  The neighbor loaned me the
cordless drill and I'm having fun with that.  I've taken the kitchen screen
door off the hinges.  Part of it is hanging in the tree.

I miss you.

pss.  Do we have any 2 x 2s?

G'day All--

Well, I'm a day late getting out of Cairns because I over did it in the prior
four days - Snorkelling out of Port Douglas on the Great Barrier Reef, then a
20 mile bike ride that took me to Mossman Gorge for a 3 mile hike and rode 37
more miles on to Cairns in heat that reached 91F on the road and I got a flat
tire in the heat.  Next day I went scuba diving on two other sections of the
Reef - scuba diving for the first time.  And my recent meditation practice
really helped when I looked up from the ocean floor and saw the surface about
40 feet above -- I didn't realize we had gone that deep since we just cruised
over the reef and slowly descended with near perfect visibility.  Took a
helicopter flight over the reef and back to Cairns so I could get my bike
boxed.  The next day was the capper -- I went white water rafting on the Tully
river for about 5 hours, with a bus ride start at 6:30 AM and returning about
6:30 PM.  I didn't realize it, but I had slowly become dehydrated over the 4
days and wound up with a splitting headache.  I also got too much sun on the
river, and a lungfull of the Tully.

That Cera-lyte 70 is a real godsend; I was shaky and cramping yesterday
morning and then remembered that I had packed three of the packets and made
one of them up in my camelback. In just a few hours I was almost back to
normal - whew! I was getting worried that my trip might come to an abrupt end
if I got too ill. As it is, the single day delay is costing me nearly $200 to
change flights (it's now the school holidays so flights are full), but I just
couldn't bring myself to travel in the condition I was in yesterday. Oh, well,
it's all part of the whole deal.

I spent a total of a little over 2 weeks in the Cairns area, saw and did a
wide varity of things, and still didn't do half of what you can here.  It
really is worthy of a trip by itself for anyone interested.

***************************************************

Well, it's now 4 days later, and I've been getting better and worse, depending
on the day.  I flew back to Brisbane feeling better, and the next day took a
commuter train out to Nerang, then cycled to Surfer's Paradise about 10 miles
away (yes, there really is a large town full of 20 story hotels called
Surfer's Paradise, right next to Miami Beach and Palm Beach along the Gold
Coast).

The next day I felt really well, but didn't want to overdo it again, so I
planned to do just 30 miles of flat riding.  Unfortunately, the map I'm using
only shows the relative size of a town and not the amenities there, so I ended
up going 50 miles with 2300 feet of climb to get to somewhere I could stay,
and of course ended up sick again.

The motel was 2 miles outside of town, so this morning I cycled another 12
miles into Byron Bay and saw a doctor.  He says I have a viral infection and
the only thing I can do is rest, so I'm resting here for at least 3 days.  At
least it's a nice tourist town, with beaches and a lighthouse and a variety of
amenities including a bookstore, so I can enjoy the reprieve.  There's also a
train line going to Sydney that runs once a day, so I can get to a large city
if this virus doesn't clear up soon.

The temperature was 75 degrees at 9:30 AM when I started out this morning, a
local heat wave that should drop over the next few days.  So far I've had only
tailwinds and very little rain, but the weather around Melbourne hasn't been
so gentile; Ron said that he cycled the Great Ocean Road last week amid cold,
sleet and rain -- the only saving grace being tailwinds back to Melbourne.
Well, I've got some time before I get there.

Hope everyone is faring well - I get regular reports from Sarah whenever I
call in.  I also enjoy hearing about Kerry's adventure; there's a lot I can
relate to in those reports!

Fair weather and tailwinds,
Tony

-----

>    With any luck, this Sunday's Route Sheet will be attached to this
email.
>Hope to see you all Sunday!
>
>                              Trudie and Kirk
>

-----Original Message-----
From: Kirk's Bike Shop, Inc. <kirksbik@...>
To: Sarah <sarah@...>
Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 11:59 AM
Hi Tandem Club,
>
>    Join Trudie and Kirk this Sunday for a ride to some of the "far flung"
>edges of the Ramona valley. The weather has started to cool off in Ramona
>and the riding is great! Our new "3 Hills Route" covers 80% new territory
>and follows mostly rural and semi-rural country roads. We'll start the ride
>out, after some flat warm up miles on Dye Rd., by learning first hand how
>the famous San Diego boxer Archie Moore kept fit! We'll climb Archie Moore
>road (the road he used to train on) out of beautiful Highland Valley. After
>a quick descent on Hwy 67, you'll swear you hear the "twang" of "Duelin'
>Banjos" as we drop into Ramona's own "Ozarks", the heavily wooded, remote,
>Mussey Grade. At the bottom of Mussey Grade, you'll be treated to a great
>view of San Vicente Reservoir. A final climb up Hanson Lane at the other
end
>of the valley will give you a commanding view of the "ranchettes" below
>before bombing back down to our start at Kirk's Bike Shop. Mileage total is
>only 33 miles, but the 3 hills should assure you get your Sunday workout.
>There is also the option of adding 5 or 10 scenic miles at the end if you
>just havn't had enough. After the ride, join us for an un-hosted lunch at
>the Cotton Candy Diner, a new '50's style diner that offers a large
>selection of deli sandwiches, along with the traditional burger and fries.
>    We'll meet at Kirk's Bike Shop at 619 Main St., Ramona, in time to roll
>off by 9 AM. To get to the shop from I-15 in Poway, take the Scripps Poway
>Parkway exit east to Hwy 67. A left on Hwy 67 takes you to Ramona. The
>highway becomes Main St. Ramona. Kirk's is located on the left side of Main
>St. between 7th and 6th streets. Park in the lot on the corner of Main and
>6th, just past the shop. From El Cajon, pick up Hwy 67 east off of I-8 and
>follow the highway to Ramona. From North County, take Hwy 78 east out of
>Escondido to the light at Main St. in Ramona. Turn left and follow the
above
>directions. If you're running late, my cell phone # is 760-390-1555. I'll
>send out downloadable route sheets in the next day or so and will have them
>available to hand out at the start of the ride. Trudie and I hope to see
you
>Sunday!
>
>                                                                    Kirk
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>

Here is the note I got from Kerry last night.  After the letter, I'll  add
a couple details he told me on the phone.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~  ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

>Hi
>
>I'm in Lincoln City, OR, about 120 miles south of the border.  Had more
>rain today, but it cleared up around noon.  I climbed the highest hill
>(850 ft) on the Oregon coast this morning, and a slightly lesser one (750
>ft) this afternoon.  I now have climbed 3 of the four hills higher than
>750 feet in Oregon.  I still have a 800 ft. one to go when I get to Gold
>Beach.
>Generally the trip is going great.  There are times when I don't think so,
>but they pass and are replaced with happy thoughts.  The knee still hurts,
>but it is hanging in there.  It doesn't like those climbs though.
>I sent a CARE package home yesterday (Monday).  You should get it
>Wednesday.  Nine pounds of unneeded junk off the bike.  There are 5 rolls
>of film included.  Free free to go ahead and develop them if you like.
>I'm at a cyber cafe, and it's kind of expensive, so I'll sign off now.
>
>Kerry

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~  ~~ ~~  ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~


When we left Kerry last Friday night at the ice cream parlor near Ft. Canby
on the north side of the Columbia he was anticipating a slow day and a
brisk ride across the Columbia River bridge at the end of the day to stay
at Ft. Stevens.   He had a great day checking out stuff on the north side,
putting on about 10-12 miles visiting historical sites.   Fortunately, he
didn't know what he was in for on the bridge so he didn't worry about
it.  For anyone who's been on the bridge, it's long, it's scary, it's not
always 4 lanes, there is a significant UPHILL part just before getting to
the south end.  That's over where the ships pass continuing into
inter-coastal waters up the Columbia.

Kerry doesn't dwell on the unpleasantries, but he did say, he dodged dead
birds, struggled to keep his wobbly bike going more than 4 MPH or is that 6
knots, bucked head winds and was very glad to cruise down the other side of
the long steep bridge.

As he approached his campground at Ft. Steven's  he became a little nervous
as the sign said the campground was full and it was the end of the
day.  Apparently the whole area is a popular touristy place even in
September.  But he found there were two biker/hiker spots and he got
one.  He's found this to be the pattern; even when the main campground is
full, there are usually biker/hikers spots.

Sunday morning Kerry leaves Ft. Stevens and rides  to Oswald Beach(per Dr.
Dossett's suggestion, and yes it was beautiful,) then on to Cape
Lookout.   Prior to getting to Cape Lookout, he thought he'd have to spend
the night in Tillamook, but found a cut-off (the good kind) to Cape
Lookout, cutting his mileage from 20 miles to more like 12.   And that's a
good thing.  (Martha wouldn't know that, however)

Tuesday, Kerry rides from Cape Lookout  to Pacific City for lunch, then on
to  Lincoln City where he spent Tuesday night at a campground slightly in
town, convenient to laundry.  Kerry sounds happy, is looking forward to
less rain.  He's hoping for less wind in the face, he's had it day after
day.  We'll hear from him in a couple days.  The road seems to straighten
out now, and he reports of leaving 3 of the 4 hills in Oregon in the dust,
including the very tallest one.

Stay tuned.   I know I will, but that B string keeps sharping on me.

Peggy K.

p.s. Kerry, the Fresco is almost complete, i painted everything including
the gas pipe; it's purdy.  I'm liking this painting and am trying to decide
on a color for the gates and trim  now.  Thought I'd use the same
palette.    ...... mauve, ..... Bermuda sunset.......puce......chartreuse
so many colors

j

Dear Friends Who haven't deleted this yet,

Last speak with Kerry was Friday night.  He was at a pay phone at a
campground on the north side of the Columbia River.   He was happy and full
of ice cream.    He'd advised that he awaked the previous day in the
Hogan-covered campground  to wind, rain,and cold.   He decided it was time
to stay under in the big cover, cook some ramen noodles, eat some radiated
tuna fish, make some coffee, sit by the fire and rest his knee.  That was
Thursday. I'd reported earlier he was in Raymond, but it was actually
Bruceport area.    He'd  done some visiting and nosing around in Raymond.

When Friday arrived, things looked better so he packed up and rode off
south toward the coast and what-da-ya-know, he finally got sight of the
Pacific Ocean again. Yea !!   His ride was over-all pretty good, he found
that official knee brace at some pharmacy, and decided that felt better
than the cinch strap he'd been using which seemed to be rubbing him the
wrong way.   He reports his knee is no worse.    He was calling from Ft.
Canby campground and was planning to stay there for the night, and most of
the next day.   It's located on the north side of the Columbia.    He was
excited about all the history there.  Apparently it's where Lewis and Clark
ended their trek in 1805.  There's two lighthouses, a Museum, and tourist
shops.   He'd already found ice cream.  Eureka !

The plan for Saturday was to enjoy the day leisurely, eat more ice cream,
then ride ten more miles (4 of that is bridge) to the south side of the
river to Fort Stevens on the coast still,  and check that out.   He didn't
have plans further than that.

I'm trying to not think of the weather that's slated for the coast of
Oregon.  I understand the front coming through is cold enough that its
effects it are actually going to take San Diego temperatures down 3-4
degrees.   I'm thinking of Kerry, with a smile on his face, upright, dry,
warm, fed, and having the time of his life.   Not those other thoughts.

Tune in again for the next installment.

Kerry,     Tony says hi, and so does your other buds.

later,

Peggy K.

ps.  Kerry, I painted the inside of the garage with a Greek theme.

>X-Sender: peggyk@...
>X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1
>Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2003 11:40:33 -0700
>To: peggyk@...
>From: Peggy Kunsman <peggyk@...>
>Subject: Kerry's Bike Trip Days 3-4 and photo
>X-Milter: Spamilter
>
>
>Hi there:
>
>Tuesday night, Sept. 9, Kerry got as far as Montesano and stayed at Lake
>Sylvia State Park.  He said he thought he could have made it a little
>further, but his "trick" knee started acting up.  A pharmacists told him
>just the thing he needed was a knee strap brace just below the kneecap
>however,  Kerry hasn't been able to find one.   He did, however, look
>through his things and find a cinch strap he uses for various purposes and
>put that on his knee.  What a boy scout !  He says its not better, but it
>hasn't gotten any worse.
>
>Wednesday he left for the  Raymond, "the cut - off," and did arrive at his
>campground  in Raymond last night.  There are no hostels till he gets
>further south.   When asked about the big hill I saw on the map he said it
>wasn't so big, but he said he noticed the bike riding seemed so hard for
>most of the day, and even going down hill seemed hard.   At one point his
>bicycle came to a complete stop down hill.  He found that one of the
>paniers in the back had pushed the brake "on."   [ I'm tearing up now.
>]    So he fixed that  and  suddenly the bike was a lot easier to
>ride.   He'd apparently ridden up hill that way 1/2 the day too.   sniffle
>sniffle.   Sigh.
>
>There is that saying that riding up hill was so hard and slow, we had to
>keep the disc brake on just to keep from rolling backward.      ha ha
>ha   but,  not so funny when it actually happens accidently.    been there.
>
>So Wednesday for Kerry could be summed up in another way, even if the
>reverse gravity thing wasn't mentioned.  Four words,  rain rain rain
>wet.  And a realization,  new superior REI tent performed superbly, but
>one must shut the flap to stay dry.
>
>Kerry pulled into Raymond in enough time to see a few sights by the light
>of day before finding his campground.  Apparently  metal sculpture artists
>lives there and there are various interesting sculptures around
>town.     He could have ridden to a seemingly more superior campground,
>but he just couldn't seem to force himself to ride another 8 miles in the
>pouring rain.   When it wasn't pouring, the fog was actually a light mist
>and wet.
>
>The camp host led Kerry to a big covered area, a hogan type deal, and told
>him he could pitch the tent under that.   The host proceeded to bring
>Kerry wood and build him a fire.  What a relief.  After a while the host
>came back and brought him something to drink and took his wet
>clothes  back and dried them in an actual clothes dryer.     Later the son
>of the camp host came back and checked on him.    I asked Kerry to thank
>the camp host for all his kindness from me personally.  I'm glad someone
>is taking care of this orphaned boy scout.  geesh.  He let him use his
>phone too.
>
>Kerry says he'll stay at the campground in Raymond for another day if the
>rain doesn't quit.  A good rest for his knee also.    If the weather
>channel is any indication, it looks like Kerry is definitely spending a
>little time there.   He  says he's prepared to stay and enjoy the weather,
>under the "dome."
>
>Here is the photo of Kerry starting out.    Just click on the icon below.
>
>Later,
>
>Peggy Kunsman
>
>

X-Sender: peggyk@...
X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.1
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 00:23:35 -0700
To: peggyk@...
From: Peggy Kunsman <peggyk@...>
Subject: Kerry's Bike Trip Day 1
X-Milter: Spamilter


Hiya,

Here is the first news from Kerry's big bicycle trip: 

I'm waiting for a photo of Kerry from his friend in Seattle.  Its a picture of Kerry starting out. 

        Kerry left from Seattle to San Diego Monday, September 8.  Word from him wasn't expected for a couple days, but he did call Monday night.    When asked how he was, he said, "Tired."    He'd left his friends home in Seattle about 11:00 am Monday morning.    His friends rode with him to Bremerton and watched him ride away from there.       

Kerry rode in a southwest direction on Hwy 106 (?) toward Potlach State Park where that days leg ended.    He rode only about 46 miles and made it before dark.     He said the wind was on his nose, the traffic was a little heavy, the road shoulders were a little narrow, and he encountered rain 3 times.  And there were hills.      Knowing Kerry, he might not have gotten a full 8 hours of sleep prior, but I bet he slept the next night. (last night)        He's doing fine and expect to make it to Aberdeen or another state park near there tonight.   If he sends any mail, I'll forward it on.   That photo hasn't come in as of this writing.

I'll keep you all posted and let me know if I should take your name off this little newsletter.  We all are so busy.

Peggy

Hi everyone.

Here's the follow-up to  Performance's offer of a discount day. It's this coming Wednesday, and I think the e-mail has everything you need to know.

Happy shopping!

Sarah

-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	RE: Discount?
Date:	Mon, 8 Sep 2003 18:46:47 -0400
From:	"Peele, Bo" <bopeele@...>
To:	"'Sarah'" <sarah@...>

Performance Bicycle Club Day will take place on Wednesday, September 10th
from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM (hours for web and phone). Your coupon code for
this event is 6000606. You can use this code to shop on our website
(www.PerformanceBike.com), over the phone (1-800-727-2453) or in our retail
stores (check our website for the location and operating hours of the store
nearest you).
If you shop on the web, enter the coupon code at the bottom of the checkout
page. If you shop over the phone, give the sales representative the coupon
code. If you shop in our stores, print out this document and present it when
you make your purchase. We will credit $2.50 in the form of a Performance Gift Certificate to your
club for each member of your club that makes a purchase on Club Day. For
instance, if 50 members of your club make a purchase on Club Day, we will
donate a Gift Certificate worth $125 to your club. Please feel free to pass
along this code to your fellow club members or any of your cycling friends
by copying and pasting the link below into your browser:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/email_friend_full.cfm
This coupon code will entitle you to a 20% discount off your total purchase
of $75 or more, or a 10% discount off the purchase of any bicycle (bicycles
in our retail stores only). This coupon code can only be used on Wednesday,
September 10th. The discount can be used on our entire inventory of great
cycling products. The discount cannot be used for gift certificates or Team
Performance memberships and cannot be combined with other coupons or offers.
Team Performance members can use Team points and also receive the 20%
discount.

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
SanDiegoTandem-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

This is not a sag suppported ride. It was so good to talk to you. I look 
forward to sharing information with you again, soon.

Donald Toomim
Marketing, BART
415-892-7999

How ya goin'?

At least that's the greeting I get in far north Queensland -- not the G'day,
mate from further south.  In typical Aussie fashion, they also have nicknames
for residents of each of the states, not very flattering though.

I've been up in the Atherton hinterlands (mountains) for the past several
days, averaging about 3500' of climb a day through rolling hills and up over
the Herberton Range.  It was amazing to go from the very warm, tropical cane
and banana area of Mission Beach and reach the cool dairyland around Millaa
Millaa (I misspelled it last time) in a single day!  I ran out of water about
5 miles from my destination, a caravan park, but fortunately by then I didn't
have much climbing left (I went through 2 water bottles and my 100 oz.
Camelback, mostly in the heat of the lower climb) after 5700' of climb in 70
miles.  The hinterlands are just that, very much out of the way with few
tourist facilities and each small town having its 'attraction' much like
touring the small town country areas of the U.S.  It was beautiful cycling
though, mostly wide shoulders and very little traffic, even on the main
route.

I saw a herd of about 6 Cassowarys near 'The Crater' in the midst of a dense
rainforest, and got a few pictures at a distance.  The variety of birdlife
here is incredible, and there have been no few sounds in the night that could
keep anyone awake.  Kind of like the Tasmanian Devil was for that island.
Cycling through the rainforest here with the ancient fern trees mixed with all
the other vegetation, it was not difficult to believe that a dinosaur would
come bounding out of the bush ala Jurassic Park!  And then you come out of it
into almost classic English rolling countryside with cattle, grass and
fences.

I'm down and into the city of Cairns now, back into the heat and going to
visit the rainforest village of Kuranda today by skycar and return by steam
train.  I hope to do some trekking and shopping there, a little variety to mix
with cycling.  Tomorrow I'm cycling off to Mossman in the Daintree World
Heritage area, and will be doing a bus/trekking tour of that area before
returning to Cairns.  My last two days in Cairns I hope to visit the Great
Barrier Reef for snorkeling, and a day trip to the Tully river for some 44
falls worth of white water rafting, while my bike is being boxed for the
flight to Brisbane.  This really is a holiday area, and as one cyclist I met
on the road said, 'there isn't much to Cairns except an international airport
and a wide variety of ways to get out of there' with every other building here
offering some collection of excursions to the surrounding area.

Fair weather and tailwinds,
Tony

Performance Bicycle Club Day will take place on Wednesday, September 10th
from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM (hours for web and phone). Your coupon code for
this event is 6000606. You can use this code to shop on our website
(www.PerformanceBike.com), over the phone (1-800-727-2453) or in our retail
stores (check our website for the location and operating hours of the store
nearest you).

If you shop on the web, enter the coupon code at the bottom of the checkout
page. If you shop over the phone, give the sales representative the coupon
code. If you shop in our stores, print out this document and present it when
you make your purchase. 

We will credit $2.50 in the form of a Performance Gift Certificate to your
club for each member of your club that makes a purchase on Club Day. For
instance, if 50 members of your club make a purchase on Club Day, we will
donate a Gift Certificate worth $125 to your club. Please feel free to pass
along this code to your fellow club members or any of your cycling friends
by copying and pasting the link below into your browser:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/email_friend_full.cfm

This coupon code will entitle you to a 20% discount off your total purchase
of $75 or more, or a 10% discount off the purchase of any bicycle (bicycles
in our retail stores only). This coupon code can only be used on Wednesday,
September 10th. The discount can be used on our entire inventory of great
cycling products. The discount cannot be used for gift certificates or Team
Performance memberships and cannot be combined with other coupons or offers.
Team Performance members can use Team points and also receive the 20%
discount.

G'day all!

The day trip to Magnetic Island was pleasant, but I found that all the
accommodations there were backpacker hostels, so I returned after cycling the
whole of the island and doing a little trekking.  I saw some rock wallabies
(smaller versions of a kangaroo that live amongst the granite rocks on the
island) and a number of new birds.

My second day (70+ miles) out of Townsville, "The Hill" that three other
cyclists I've met on the road described turned out to be 500', not 3000 --
those who told me did the climb at the end of their day, not fresh like I was,
and didn't have an altimeter. I was all psyched to do the full climb, and was
surprised to find the "crest" sign so quickly. Did a short hike to the lookout
and then went on to finish 78 miles -- and got some knee twinges.  I stayed
two days to rest and do some laundry, and a good thing too since it was
raining this morning.

Right now, I'm scheduled to return to Brisbane on the 17th of Sept., and it
looks like I'll make it on or before then. I've cycled 150 pleasant if dry and
warm miles in the prior two days, and am now in Mission Beach taking a day off
(it was raining hard this morning, but cleared up this afternoon). Tomorrow
I'll try for Milea Milea if the weather holds. Several cyclists I've met on
the road commented on the rain in and near Cairns, even though it shows none
on the weather reports. Oh, well, no worries!

For any that are interested, I think that a great 2-3 week trip could be made
just in the Cairns area, particularly if you want to mix cycling, snorkeling,
trekking, and general sight seeing -- there's a lot to do and see here,
provided you miss the monsoon season (I am).

Tailwinds,
Tony

G'day Ron; G'day all!

Well I just spent a lovely day catching my breath in Townesville, Queensland
at the Aquarium and Omnimax theater showing "Shark Island".  This after a two
day drive (about 600 miles) up from Bundaberg, the first day involving a mad
ride of about 30 miles of rolling hills from Childers to get to the car rental
station before it closed at noon.

I'm very glad I decided not to cycle that mileage, as it went from boring
rolling sub-tropical bush, to boring dry flat sparse bush, and then became
somewhat boring tropical bush (the tree types changed subtly as I went).  I'm
now in a very warm area with highs in the mid-80's, but at the "best of" the
Great Barrier Reef visiting region.  I've used the Lonely Planet guide, a tour
from the Pedaltours website, some info gleaned from 2 other cyclo-tourists
I've met on the road, and a couple from Ipswich, England I met on Fraser
Island to figure out how to spend the next two weeks.  I'll be visiting
Magnetic Island (tomorrow), the Atherton Highlands, Cairns, back to the
highlands to reach Daintree National Park via Mossman, and return to Cairns
for some snorkeling and a flight back to Brisbane (whew!).  This promises to
be a great tour for about the next 2 weeks, but will involve climbing to about
3500 feet twice from sea level, not to mention the abundant rolling hills.  No
chain, no gain!

The drive up here convinced me I didn't want to drive back through it again
(been there, done that) and the flight is much cheaper - I just need to pack
up the bike again!

Fair weather and tailwinds,
Tony

Fellow Tandemists,

How would you like to have a say in how San Diego County plans for bicycle
traffic on the county's roads?  Well now is the time to speak up.  The
County of San Diego is in the process of developing a Bicycle
Transportation Plan for the unincorporated areas of the County.  The
County's goal is to create a plan that will serve recreational and
commuting cyclists, identify existing and needed facilities, describe
bicycle policies and programs, and provide a strategy for
implementation.  The first round of meetings was held in July of this year
(you're a little late for those).  However, the San Diego Association of
Governments (SANDAG) is hosting a second round of Regional Comprehensive
Plan Workshops this September.   This second round of meetings will present
the ideas drafted from the July meetings and seek input for further
refinement.  Attend one of the meetings listed below and make yourself heard!

Kerry


>SANDAG Invites residents to plan for the region’s future At September
>Workshops
>
>The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) will host a second round
>of Regional Comprehensive Plan Workshops at locations throughout the region
>this September. Thanks to the nearly 500 participants who attended the first
>round of workshops earlier this year, SANDAG gathered public input to refine
>the regional vision and core values which serve as the foundation of the
>Regional Comprehensive Plan.
>
>The second round of workshops will focus on key planning concepts to be
>included in the Regional Comprehensive Plan, and comments will be used to
>fine tune the goals and policies of the plan. Residents are encouraged to
>share their thoughts and opinions and provide input and ideas on key
>regional issues with the region's elected officials, city managers, planning
>directors, stakeholders, and others at this dynamic and interactive set of
>workshops.
>
>“Public participation is crucial today to plan for a better region tomorrow,
>so it is critical that residents get involved in these interactive
>workshops,” said Gary Gallegos, SANDAG Executive Director.
>
>Workshops will be held:
>El Cajon Community Center
>Thursday, September 4
>6 to 9 p.m.
>
>Encinitas Community Center
>Saturday, September 6
>9 a.m. to 12 noon
>
>National City Community Building
>Thursday, September 11
>6 to 9 p.m.
>
>San Diego State University, East Commons
>Saturday, September 13
>9 a.m. to 12 noon
>Trolley tour at 8:15 a.m.
>
>San Marcos Community Center
>Thursday, September 18
>6 to 9 p.m.
>
>RSVPs are requested. For more information, or directions to a workshop,
>please visit SANDAG’s Regional Comprehensive Plan Web page at
>www.sandag.org/rcp, or call (619) 595-5637.
>
>This round of workshops is hosted by SANDAG and other partner agencies
>including All Congregations Together, American Institute of Architects ­ San
>Diego Chapter, American Planning Association ­ San Diego Section, Barrio
>Station, Cal State San Marcos, Council of Design Professionals, El Cajon
>Community Development Corporation, Endangered Habitats League, League of
>Women Voters of San Diego County, North County NAACP, San Diego Housing
>Federation, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, San Diego
>State University, the Sierra Club, and the University of California, San
>Diego.

G'day Ron--

Right on! I just got back this evening to Hervey Bay after a 2 day tour -- the
accommodations and food were mediocre, but the views and hiking were great!  I
took the flight over the island, which turned into a mail run so we got to see
more than usual. In addition to all the varied flora and several medium hikes,
we got to see a humpback whale jump about a dozen times, and a dingo along the
beach from the bus. And a shark (3-4 meters) from the air.

I found when I took off my shoes that I had brought back part of the island
with me (about an ounce of sand).  They don't call it Great Sandy Island for
nothing!

Tomorrow I'll head north again by bike for a day or two, then I hope to skip
the Rocky-north area by car.  Facilities are getting somewhat scarce and of
lower quality - no phones in the rooms for the last 4 days.

Ron, I'm copying this to the club back home as kind of a travelogue; hope you
don't mind?

Hope the weather is warming and dry for you, so you can get some training in.
Thanks for the offer to send my stuff forward -- it may come in handy if the
weather warms up.

Hope you're feeling better,
Tony

MeriRonMc@... wrote:

> G'day Tony
> Glad that things are working out, you could send some gear here if you
want.
> I have been to Fraser Island 3 times, I take groups of Bushwalkers on trips.

> It really is marvellous but not suitable for bikes, you are probably aware
it
> is all sand and the main road and airstrip is the beach, all interior roads

> require 4WD.
> Happy cycling
> Ron
>

When I first started riding in SD with Dr Graves we would have never thought
the Fledgling Flame
Wielders would still be building wonderful Art on wheels fifty years later,
check out the links below...
I am going to come out of retirement and build some Tandems with this kind
of style and grace..
And you can bet if I make it it will ride Great also!

>From: "FredParr Bicycles" <fredparrbicycles@...>
>To: framebuilders@...
>CC: classicsteel@..., classicrendezvous@...
>Subject: [Frame] More Lovely Lugs
>Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 10:48:12 -0700
>
>Enjoy these!
>http://www.bikelugs.com/pacentigallery/kchristian_gallery/index.html
>http://www.bikelugs.com
>
>Freddy Parr
>Palms
>California 90034
>310-204-5689
>www.probikeshop.com
>fredparr@...
>www.parrbikes.com
>...............................................................................\
..........................................................Freddy
>....
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>MSN 8: Get 6 months for $9.95/month http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup
>
>_______________________________________________
>Subscribe/unsubscribe on the web at:
>http://www.phred.org/mailman/listinfo/framebuilders
>Archives: http://www.phred.org/pipermail/framebuilders/
>Archive Search: http://search.bikelist.org/

_________________________________________________________________
Get MSN 8 and help protect your children with advanced parental controls.
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G'day All--

Sarah suggested that I send some news of my travels on to the club, and I'm
also sending updates to Ron McInnes from the Melbourne cycling club, so here
is a copy of my message to him--

I bought some zinc paste (nice colors you have here) and have used it on my
nose since the second day -- I also have a neck cover for when I head south.
I've told Sarah that the sun is the only part of this cycling I've had any
real problem with so far!  I have a 100 oz. Camelback and two tall water
bottles, so that hasn't been a problem -- I did about 135 km today from
Gympie.

I had a wonderful time following the Lonely Planet guide through the Glass
House mountains for a couple of days -- the views from the Malveny area were
spectacular.  I'm about to visit Frazer Island, an International Heritage site
for a few days.  I've found that there is a balance between "out in the
country" and "getting lost", so I mostly follow main roads now that I'm out of
the Brisbane area.  Even so, the shoulder sometimes disappears and makes
travel a little hairy.  I've been advised to skip the segment from Rockhampton
northwards for about 400 km because there are no services on that stretch.

I'm going to try to rent a car for that, and if that fails see if I can take
the train.  I'd like to avoid the train as my bike is so heavy it's
cumbersome.  I need to lose some of the gear I have packed but I had to
prepare for both winter and summerlike conditions -- after I leave the Cairns
area I'll probably send myself a package home.

Tony

Okay, everyone. I don't usually pass on the commercial e-mails that
slip through, but this sounds like a good deal, and I thought some of
you might be interested. Don't forget that the proprietors of Grand
Bicycles in Escondido and Kirk's Bike Shop in Ramona are active club
members and knowledgeable and dedicated tandemists, and I encourage you
to patronize their shops as well.

Sarah

-------- Original Message --------

Performance Bicycle will be holding a one-day only sale exclusively for
cycling clubs soon. We'll be offering a super discount on our entire
inventory of great cycling gear and the best part is you can shop on the
web, over the phone or in our retail stores! We are also offering a special
incentive to encourage clubs to inform members about this event (see below
for details).

If you shop on the web or over the phone, you will receive a 20% discount
off total purchases of $75 or more. If you shop in our stores, you will
receive a 20% discount off total purchases of $75 or more, excluding
bicycles, or a 10% discount off any bicycle purchase. We will send club
members a special coupon code to get these discounts.

Not only do we want to offer you and your fellow members this discount, we
want to help your cycling club as well. For each member of your club that
makes a purchase on this day, we will donate $2.50 to your club in a
Performance Gift Certificate. For instance, if 50 of your fellow members
make a purchase on this day, we will donate a Gift Certificate worth $125 to
your club.

You were listed as a contact for your cycling club. In addition to getting
this discount for yourself, we encourage you to alert the members of your
club of this event by calling and emailing them or letting them know at the
next club ride or get-together. All club members have to do is email us at
clubs@... and provide us with the name of their club (so we
can credit your club for purchases made by members) and the
president/director of the club (so we can verify that they are club
members). We will then send club members an email with a coupon code, which
will enable them to take advantage of this special sale event. Please let
know when you email us if you would like for us to send you some flyers
about this event that you can distribute to members of your club. Club
members are welcome to visit us at www.performancebike.com.



Julie Gravett
Performance Bike
One Performance Way
Chapel Hill NC 27514
919.933.9113 x2348
www.performancebike.com
JulieGravett@...





.

Hi everyone.

Here at last are the particulars about this year's SDTC rally, which is
set for Sunday, September 7. Please note that if you're a paid member
for 2003, there will be no charge for the lunch, apart from the side
dish or dessert you bring for the potluck. The club will cover
appetizers (so hungry cyclists don't decimate the desserts while the
BBQs are heating up, as they did last year), barbecue-ables and soft
drinks. There will be a $5 per person charge for nonmembers, who are
still welcome to attend.

Please note that we really need you to RSVP if you're planning to come
so we can plan the food and let Dave and Betty know how many people to
expect. Jeannie and Jerry Davis are handling the reservations and
planning, so drop them a line if you'll be there (see flyer). Please
also let them know if you can help. I'm inundated with work, and Tony
will be cycling Australia, so this is a great time for volunteers to
come forward.

This promises to be a great event, with some new twists and, as always,
good company. I hope to see lots of you there.

Sarah