Call that a bar?

That's not a bar - this is a bar

The Yard House in Long Beach, California (as recently visited by a friend of mine). 250 beers on tap!

Pony Express-a-Cross

I headed north of the river again yesterday, this time to a small town nestled in the hills called Samford. The whole area is prime horse-breeding territory and so the town is ringed by horse tracks - perfect for a cruise on cyclocross bikes.

After a brief stretch on the road we peeled off onto the trails

and were soon winding away along picturesque tracks through the woods - a little bit loose and a little bit rutted, but only enough to require mild concentration whilst you admired the views

There were some more technical sections that were tackled by the more confident riders  - there was a steep sandy bank after this that beat everyone, despite Jaman's race face

 But generally it was up hill

and down dale

through some beautiful Australian bushland

It was my first time back on 'dirt' for almost 6 months and I've got the taste of it again - when can I go again?

 

Smokeapolooza

I had a smoking extravaganza this weekend. When you smoke food it needs a fair bit of preparation so for a few days before the fridge was full of interesting looking containers 

If it doesn't work out I can always try to be the next Damien Hirst

After a few days of bring & curing a rub is applied for a few hours - I also found some lamb shanks going cheap so thought I'd chuck them on as well. I use this site as an inspiration and source of recipes for rubs & marinades

On the kettle ready to go

After a couple of hours I added a couple of chicken breasts - I'm experimenting with trying to make a 'chicken bacon'

and after a couple more hours it was dark but all was good to go!

The 'chicken bacon' is very tasty, but the lamb shanks were a little tough - I think I need to start using temperature probes to keep things a bit more accurate, but it's still fun to chuck it on and see what happens...

The perfect bike for a microadventure?

Microadventures

One of the current trends in the outdoor world is a microadventure, aka a '5 to 9' or a S24O (Sub-24 hour Overnight). The idea is that it's easier to have a single night out under the stars than it is to sort out an epic adventure, although a few of us have been trying to pull one together for about 6 months now without success!

The cynic in me suggests that this is just a reinvention of 'having a night out' with expensive gear, good PR and a Go-Pro, but I can appreciate the point of what they're trying to do. Here's a microadventure from the UK which sums up the idea perfectly, along with a lovely song by Jose Gonzalez ('Heartbeats'). I can't embed the video, but it's worth following the link...

http://vimeo.com/69209435

Luggage Scooter

Marin posted up something in the comments section of my Ti post which I think needs to be highlighted - the next big development in luggage design, a suitcase with a built in scooter which according to the advertising blurb lets you 'glide through the airport like a rockstar' (sic)

I'm fully aware of how ridiculous it is and how idiotic and un-rockstarlike I'd look gliding through the airport, and that's assuming I wasn't immediately crash-tackled to the ground for causing a safety hazard, but I still want one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XExrOK6gipA

Cooking in the gardens

We packed our passports and headed north of the river on Sunday to check out the Redcliffe food festival. Australia is big on its food festivals and they vary from small intimate gatherings to large corporate events. The atmosphere tends to vary inversely to the size - at the Southbank festival we've even been scolded by a stallholder for daring to taste a wine at a wine tasting and not immediately buying a bottle.*

The Redcliffe festival was a little different as it was held in the botanical gardens, with a twisty turn maze of pathways threading through beautiful woodland

Along with the food, wine, gardening talks and general knick-knack stalls were some historical recreation societies including a gypsy group 

and a medieval recreation society, one of whom gave a great talk on making mead

Hanging over everything and constantly chattering to themselves were the fruit bats that have made their home in the gardens 

I thought that bats slept during the day but these guys were early risers

 After a few hours we sought refuge from the crowds and went to the beach - it was beautiful Qld winter weather and I didn't see a single cloud in the sky all day. This is an aerial shot from the drone, although I'm not game enough to fly it over water quite yet.

 When I get the hang of flying it then I can try for some bat close-ups...

*The two of us shared very small tastings of a mediocre Shiraz and an overly sweet & fake tasting 'ginger zinger' wine put out by '2nd 2 None' wines. After politely refusing the suggestion to buy something at $17 / bottle that was outclassed by Dan Murphy cleanskins we were snappily asked 'why are you tasting them if you're not going to buy one?', which is kind of missing the point I think. We spent a few dollars more on a lovely Pinot Noir from a very friendly neighbouring stall instead. '2nd 2 None' are regulars on the foodie circuit - if you see their stall, just keep walking.