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Not many Hobartians like the drive up to Launceston, especially the dreaded up and back day trip for work. This is why last week when it was decided that one of us in my work team needed to head up to Launceston to attend a workshop, there was a deathly silence as everyone at the table took a mental step backwards hoping someone else would volunteer.So I put my hand up.
You see, I saw all the reasons that others didn’t want to go up as reasons why I would.
Firstly it meant I had to head into work on Sunday to get a work vehicle for early departure on Monday morning … This provided me with an excellent excuse for a 10km downhill mountain bike ride on a sunny Sunday afternoon … I had to get the car you understand as I needed to be on the road 5.45am.
Next, I got to drive home in a nice work car … Once I’d figured out how to squeeze my bike into the vehicle (I won’t show that picture for fear of getting myself into trouble).
Now whilst I dislike the daytime drive up to Launceston, I actually really enjoy the early morning drive up there … Especially watching the sunrise and mist greet each other in the changing landscape of the Midlands.
Finally, the pièce de résistance: I figured that seeing as how my bike was fortuitously already in the car after Sundays ride, and given that I had just spent eight hours in a workshop and was feeling a little drowsy, I decided I had a reasonable justification to get some exercise and wake myself up before the drive south, and well I had to practically drive right past Kate Reed Reserve on the way home anyway so it wasn’t like I was detouring …right 🙂
You can’t begin to describe my delight as I set off on the trails and discovered two huge sections of new single track that had been built here since our last visit in November. Well, maybe you can if I tell you that after cycling around the park once, I basically turned around and did it all over again a second time.
Seriously, find an excuse to get onto these tracks. I have to completely rewrite my track notes for this one (a bit frustrating seeing I only put it up last week) because these new tracks are awesome and brilliant and just fun, fun and more fun. Seriously my rating is lifting to 4.5/5 on this one.
However, having used up the daylight hours it was time to put the bike in the car and enjoy the drive back down the highway in the dark.
What was the alternative … Head to work and shuffle papers all day? Yep, sometimes it pays to volunteer to do the jobsd nobody else wants to do …