Pots of gold

It is said that at the end of a rainbow is a pot of gold, so where is the gold in this shot? After having yet another memorable day at Springbrook today, perhaps the gold has simply assumed another form.

I delayed yesterday's plans to do the 17km Warrie Circuit walk at Springbrook (which would have been closer to 19 after detours) because my ankle was still giving me grief. A day later it was still doing the same thing -- albeit in a slightly less pronounced way. I decided to press ahead anyway, as I had options to back it off if I needed to. I felt strangely flat on the ride up the mountain this morning. My ankle doesn't cause any problems when riding, but there was some bushfire smoke around earlier (note: we still need a lot more rain), and perhaps that had an effect. As it was, the slow ride combined with the later than anticipated start meant that I was starting the walk 45 minutes later than I was hoping. Incidentally, the 'flat' performance continued on the descent much later.

This in itself wasn't the end of the world, but after starting the walk and treading some of the uneven ground, it soon became apparent that my ankle just wasn't up to 17km of this. Fortunately, there is a shorter, 4km option -- the Twin Falls walk. That was doable, and in truth, there were charms on that walk that I hadn't seen for a while anyway. This was the option I chose. Being a Saturday morning there were virtually no people around, and I really felt at piece in a place that I first fell in love with back in 1995.

I actually dreamed of moving here several years ago, I heard about a 10-acre property with a load of fruit trees that was for sale. I was never going to be able to afford it, but in my (then) 20-year-old mind, I had a grand dream of moving to the mountain and just living off fruit trees. That was before I had experienced the bite of the travel bug, and developed a desire to cycle tour in as many parts of the world as possible. One dream was ultimately sacrificed for another, but days like this always remind me of what I first saw in this place all those years ago. I may move on from this part of the world in the next few years, but wherever I go, Springbrook will always occupy a special place in my heart.