Maybe in Oz

Last weekend we had Friday and Monday off for Easter so we decided to take advantage of the long weekend and head to the mountains.  We stayed in Omeo, a little country town about a 5 hour drive from Melbourne.  It served as a good base for Phil to ride up Dinner Plain and Mt Hotham, his last two of the 7 Peaks Rides.  This is the first year he's been able to complete them all, we usually run out of weekends and can't fit in the long drives.  Luckily Easter was early this year so he had time to squeeze the last couple in before the end of March deadline. View point just outside of Omeo The cute little cabin we stayed at in Omeo Saturday morning Phil set out on the 40 km ride to Dinner Plain.  Maybe  and I went for a walk in Omeo and hung around the cabin for a bit before driving out to meet him.  I stopped at the Mt Kosciuszko look out, and though I could see hills in the distance, had to rely on the sign to pin point the tallest mountain in ...

Over the Australia Day long weekend we went to Bright, a cute little town about a four hour drive from Melbourne.  Our friends have a holiday home there and invited us to join them.  Phil, along with our friend Glenda, signed up for the Alpine Classic bike ride, with Phil set to do 200 km and Glenda 250 km.   We arrived after dark Friday night so didn't get a chance to see the town then. but Saturday morning we had a look around to familiarize ourselves.  The town centre was a hub of activity, with a river running through it and lots of families taking advantage of the water park next to the river.  There was a French festival sharing space with the bike festival booths, which made for interesting people watching.  We had lunch at the Bright Brewery and then relaxed with some books and the tennis match in the afternoon.  A trip to the local Feathertop winery completed the day.   Feathertop Winery with Mt Buffalo in the background Sunday morn...

Last weekend Phil and his buddy went for another 7 Peaks ride, this time up Mt Buller.   Phil and Les I wasn't too impressed with Mt Buller and the nearby town when we explored it last year, but they convinced me to go back with them and I'm glad I did.  They started off on their ride, and I drove to the base of the mountain to wait for them.  I grabbed my book and found a nice quiet spot on the rocks facing the river. My view while reading The boys stopped for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and then they were off for the top of the mountain.  I headed up to explore a bit and wait for them at the top.   The last time we went there was a mountain bike race up at the top so I couldn't really explore the summit.  Instead I was stuck in the little ski village with not much to see or do.  This time, without the bike race I was able to drive to the base of the summit and from there hiked the rest of the way to the top.  It was a bit biz...

Over the Melbourne Cup long weekend we went to Noosa to participate in the Noosa Triathlon, the largest of its kind in Australia. We flew to Brisbane with a friend and then drove 90 minutes North to Sunshine Beach, our hideout for the weekend.  The first trick was fitting two bikes, two bike cases, and three people into the SUV we had rented.  It took a few tries, but finally we were all in and on the road. After checking in on Saturday we drove the bike course so the boys could check it out.  Then it was back to the house for nap time.  We stayed in a rented house with a pool and wonderful outdoor area where we spent most of our time relaxing. Sunday was the big race, and there were so many people participating that Phil's start time was a full two hours after the first racers began.  The boys swam, biked, and ran the Olympic distance course and then we celebrated their hard work with a relaxing dinner along the water front. The boys getting ready ...