The Daily Grind (Ride)

This is where it all starts sometimes as early as 4:30 in the
morning. Queensland doesnt observe daylight savings so the sun (and birds) are up early. I dont have AC in the room (the only one in the house) so my windows have to be open. It usually drops down to 72-74 degrees at night so its a little adjustment from the temperatures im used to. Of course now I start thinking its cold when it gets down to 75. I have been riding into work which is an 18 km (11 mile) ride that takes me though the west side of Brisbane and suburbs then along the river to downtown. The following are a few pictures from along the way.

This is the city with one of the city cats which is a ferry to move people around the city. Its much like Portland with the river flowing right down the middle of the city. This is me on my way home. I stopped to snap a picture with one of the many bridges in the background. The picture is taken from a floating 'sidewalk' much like the one in Portland. Brisbane at night is beautiful. Several of the bridges are lit up and the waterfront is alive with music and people having a good time. This picture was taken from the Story Bridge Hotel where I had my company Christmas party. I snaped this from street level standing in front of the Hotel.

This is a picture of the city from Mt. Coot-tha a hill west of the city. It offers a great view of the city and the area beyond. its hard to see in this pictures but right at the horizon is Morton Bay, some barrier islands and then the Ocean. As a crow flies Brisbane is about 7-8 miles from the ocean.

My day ends with the same ride on the way home. Usually a bit slower (about an hour) and often wetter. The afternoon storms that are so characteristic of the tropics have been chasing me home on many nights. Getting rained on when its 80 plus and 80% humidity doesnt really bother me to much, however.