It doesn't get much better than this!

After two days of questionable golf at George Golf Club and Mossel Bay Golf Club, it was time to get out on the bike again.  It was another beautiful morning (misty clouds hanging in the valleys, a brilliant sunrise and fantastic blue skies).  

Fortunately, my cycling ability is a little bit better than my golf (I don't unintentionally veer off to the right!). This morning we did the reverse of the usual route.  Though it's a tough call because I am a fan of the downhill section, I think this is my favourite direction, as I prefer attacking the uphill gravel road behind the Spar (Charles Street).  I added on the ride up "Heartbreak Hill" (Morrison Road up to Hersham) at the end for a bit of extra "fun".

Click on the image below for the full work-out details on Sports-Tracker.com

The usual Monday morning cycle with the guys - a bit later than usual.  Click on the image for the full workout details on Sports-Tracker.com._

A beautiful day to be out paddling the Great Brak River...

We started off dry, but then it got a bit wet by the time we got to the gravel road (Charles Street) in the farmlands off the R102 and ate quite a bit of grit on the way down the hill.  But no mess, no fun, right?

Turns out we timed it well, as it's coming down in buckets now with limited visibility out there.

Click on the image below for the full workout details on Sports-Tracker.com

Fortunately, the forecast strong winds (with gusts to 13-18 knots or about 25-33 kms/hr) never materialized while we were out - in fact, it was a pretty easy paddle with nice placid water, and well-timed to coincide with the change in tide for the paddle back towards the mouth (a handy tip to keep in mind if you're concerned about battling the normally strong prevailing wind on the return leg - you might as well use that tide to your advantage if you can!

Click on the image below for the full workout details on SportsTracker.com

If you haven't heard of it already, there's a great site for nature-lovers (or just people who are curious) called iSpot.

They describe themselves as a "Facebook for Nature" - it's basically a place where you can post photos of any living organism, plot it on a google map, and if you happen to know what it is, identify it.  If you don't know what it is, you can ask the community for their input - apparently over 90% of new contributions are identified within the first 24 hours!  They've just passed the 100,000 observations mark a few days ago.

So, if that weird slimy thing in the tide pool has got you stumped, or perhaps you've spotted a plant in a neighbour's garden or on a footpath that you'd like to identify, or maybe you're unsure just what bird that is that's sitting on the feeder, or if you don't know your grunter from your harder (or your elbow), it's the perfect place to find out.  It's also a great way to get the kids involved in discovering and engaging in the natural world around them (what kid wouldn't like to combine creepy-crawlies with playing detective?).

Or maybe, get together with some friends and do your own "bioblitz" and catalogue an entire area (big or small).

And if you're a nature fundi, you can help others identify their mystery observations or simply contribute to plotting the biodiversity that exists within our very own backyard here in the Garden Route.

Click on the image above to check out their neat website!

Another great local tourism initiative from the people at the Great Brak River Museum:  interms will lead a walking tour of Greenhaven which was previously declared a coloured area under the Apartheid government’s Group Areas Act in 1969.  The free guided tour (largely, but not exclusively, in Afrikaans) will start at the Museum at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 22nd.  Please advise the organisers if you’d like to take part: call 044 620 3338.

Click on the image below for more information in today's edition of the Mossel Bay Advertiser for more information or click here.

According to the following info posted on the Great Brak Post's Facebook page, there will be a short talk on the history of Greenhaven in English from 9:00 - 9:15 a.m.

The day started out with moderate temperatures (already about 22° C at 5:00 a.m.) and magnificently clear skies - the Outeniqua Mountains were as clear as they'd ever been on this morning's cycle - one of those days where you could almost make out each individual tree and the further those fantastic hills were in the distance, the more they had that unreal purple hue to them.  The weather forecast called for a high of about 29° C, clouds by mid-day and even the possibility of showers in the afternoon, but n-o-o-o-o-o-o.

It was a scorcher my friends!  The mercury hit 45° C in George today (if my dashboard is to be believed - and it felt like it, believe me), and a mere 37° in good old Great Brak - and not a cloud in the sky until late, late in the afternoon when the clouds built up (there was steam - okay, fog - coming up off the river) and we were treated to a tiny crack or two of distant thunder and a mere handful of raindrops, before it passed overhead.  No wonder there were dozens of people swimming at The Island's beach, enjoying the almost-tumultuous high tide, trying to cool off.

And then there was the sunset.... ah...

From first thing in the morning until after dark, it really doesn't get any better than this...

We took a new route (at least new to me) this morning while Morrison Road is under repair.  Pretty easy going as the R102 is a very gentle climb - might have to head out again this afternoon to get some more serious hills in.  Click on the image below for the workout details on SportsTracker.

A weak attempt to capture the fantastic Outeniqua Mountains beyond the farmland after the climb up from the sea (it's a bit fuzzy because it was taken one-handed while on the washboard gravel, not that I'm much of a photographer to begin with...).  Unfortunately, my photo of The Island while the sun was rising along the coast didn't take...