Extremes Below

Observers of this blog will note that I have included "Blind Descent" in my list of favorite books. I have always followed the extreme tales of the great mountain achievements, but I never realised that adventures below the surface are equally if not more extreme and dangerous

This is a fascinating description of the efforts by a number of teams to find the deepest cave on Earth. It explains the traumas of exploring in absolute total darkness, where the possibility of an accident or fatal tragedy is ever present, and the near impossibility of a rescue or a recovery. from such remote confined locations, thousands of meters underground.

Its on Again soon

Yes its that time to start thinking about the Tour de France.
This year it covers some of the country that we are familiar with - especially stage-18 which goes through a section of the French Alps that we visited in 2015.

For that previous tour we saw stage-17 at Pra Loup near Barcelonnette (near the bottom of this map). The following day we drove north to Briancon, on the same roads that the tour will follow this year in the opposite direction.  The roads around the Lac de Serre-Poncon and over the Cote des Demoiselles Coiffees were quite spectacular.  I just hope that the SBS live telecast will start in time to show the riders traversing those areas.

A Dismal Day

What is on the program today?

Not much as far as I can see.
My bike will stay in the shed today, and I may be forced to get comfortable in my little office with my computer as a friend. It is amazing that I am prepared to make such sacrifices.

A Night at the Opera

Well not quite - but a pleasant afternoon with the Australian Army Band in our magnificent Empire theatre.  This band was a bit different, because they not only played the traditional military marches, but they also performed a bracket of "big-band" favorites, and also some music and vocals from popular musicals.

Another Milestone

In the recent past I seem to have added a disproportionate number of blogs about bikes and related activities. and unfortunately here is another one, but this time it is a bit special.
Since I bought my current bike a few years ago, I have faithfully recorded every one of the training rides that I have done. This week my trusty cyclometer recorded my 300th training ride which brought the total distance up to 10,149 km.
My rides are now not quite as long or as fast as they have been but a brisk 30km in the clear air of my home town does wonders to my health. Of course the BMC drink bottle handed to me at stage-17 of the 2015 Tour de France by Rohan Dennis, definitely inspires me to carry on.
How long will it continue? Who knows - at an age approaching 81 years, every ride is a bonus.