We had six riders for the the first day of riding in the foothills on the Sunny Coast. We met the night before for a lovely drink at Drift bar overlooking Bulcock Beach. Three non riding members and guests joined us for the evening.
The next morning we set out for our ride and were joined by Trevor Bond who had travelled up from Brisbane that morning. Our ride leader took us on some back road to avoid the main road coming into Caloundra. His navigation left a bit to be desired as we had to ride off road for a kilometre
It was a bit muddy but we survived to tell the story. By morning tea we reached the Eudlo General Store for a coffee. The owner was a keen cyclist and gave use a few tips for riding around the area. Our next section was a climb up School road into the back of Palmwoods.
The climb was relatively easy according to Trevor Bond. After all he climbs Mt Cootha on his birthday every year and is still doing great times!
The was virtually no traffic and the weather was perfect. We then headed down hill towards the coast and travelled along Tanawaha Forest Road and stopped for lunch in the picturesque Maroochy Botanical Gardens. These garden has a number of buskwalking tracks and a Sculpture Park - remind me to go back for a visit.
Our ride back to Caloundra was uneventful. When we got back a number of the riders went for a swim and we met up at Kings Beach Surf Lifesaving Club for a drink at sunset. We even spotted a few parachutists dropping by our viewing spot.
Our meal was delicious and we discussed many rides. We had a look through the club route library for new rides. Some of the riders were doing the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail a few weeks later but at slightly different times so we planned a catch up.
The next morning we were scheduled to meet at Happy Valley for a cruise up the coastal pathway to Pt Cartwright. However, the sky opened up and we all decided to cancel the riding due to significant rain. Such a pity but there is always next year.
Thanks to all the riders and their non riding partners we had a fantastic time.