Autumn – April Fool’s Day

I thought of a great joke for April Fool’s 2024 but, on second thoughts, NO.

What’s been happening? Well, first of all I’ve been tapping out the New Years Resolution 77 kilometres per week on the trike. Most weeks a bit over and one week 100+ ks but it has all been on the trike and nothing much on the Brompton. The Resolution demanded a shared distance of 77 kilometres.

Regarding the camper trailer I haven’t had another trip. A trip to Ross was planned twice but, once again, life got in the way. The next couple of weeks are busy too so it will be late April before there is a chance. A pity really was the start of Autumn has been a real Indian Summer in Tasmania. Cool overnight and into the 20s during the day with very little wind.

Actually everyone is hanging out for some rain as the non-irrigated countryside is looking a bit parched. The hedgerow blackberries haven’t had enough water so they are looking rather shrivelled.

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Fixes to the Camper

I have found the time to do a couple of bits of work on the Beriault Camper Trailer.

As the next trip is likely to be in late April it means the nights will be rather long and cool – so it’s time to think about how to close the door!

The idea is the floor is raised to form the door at night or when leaving the camper unattended. I played around with ways to pull the door closed from the outside using a locking device but ran into issues. Wherever I tried to place a fastener it interfered with something else or the fitting fell off – so I felt inadequate and stopped trying.

The thought of the cold night air getting in encouraged me to have another look, this time focussing on how to hold the door closed from the inside. Some well placed velcro and a bit of dexterity means I can now shut the door.

A second issue was the mozzie netting. Two previous attempts to cover the doorway failed and now I have a third way.

I decided to attach the netting very much in the same way as I had the vestibule. Attach it to strips of corflute and attach the strips t0 the top of the doorway. Velcro on the sides will allow the netting to be stretched across the doorway and the whole thing rolls up like a blind. First – is there anywhere to screw the corflute without interrupting the folding? – yes there is. Second – will the rolled up netting interfere with the folding? No it doesn’t. Job done.

On my first trip away (which was in a light frost) I noticed there was a bit of a warming effect from the net over the doorway because, when it fell off, the air inside did feel colder. (Or was that only in my mind?) Now, with the net AND the door closing, maybe it will be more comfortable. There will be gaps – I will report on success / failure later.

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Another issue that has been resolved is that of the broken power button.

The “-” button that reduces the power level fell off a few weeks ago. It’s a plastic button that bent backwards years ago, creased at the joint and only lasted as long as it did because I held it in place with a rubber band. I found another, ordered it from Melbourne and, this week, it arrived.

A quick install saw it working. It was the same format as the previous one though and will catch a sleeve and bend backwards just as the first did. So I have installed it covered by the thumb of a rubber glove held on with duct tape. Hopefully it will hang around for a year or two.

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Lastly!! Colin and I rode out to Woolmers last week. Colin was testing his latest changes to his camper. As we approached the bridge he got a puncture – his 4th in 2 weeks I think it is. This time though he had to continue to ride to get off the bridge and the tyre self-destructed – snapping the steel “belts” near the rim. We organised the delivery of a spare tyre from his shed but the episode showed us the vulnerability of not carrying a spare tyre on our camping trips. My tyres are getting a bit old and so I have ordered 3 new ones – one will be carried on the next trailer camping trip. “Thinks…where will it go?”

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Autumn riding in the Norfolk Plains

The hedgerows are turning yellow and the Hawthorn berries are very bright. Already the birds are tucking in. Most Poplar trees have lost their leaves and the non-irrigated paddocks are light brown and sparse looking. The sheep are being fed hay – there is a lot of it from the Spring harvest.

A typical ride was the one I did yesterday, riding between Longford and Carrick on Easter Sunday.

As I pulled out of Longford the roads were very quiet, the air still and cool and I started off determined to take it slowly, enjoy the visuals of the ride and use limited power. IE – put more effort in myself. It’s a 50k ride and would make the week’s total up to 80+ k.

I soon stopped to pick up some wayside rubbish.

These are often tied to ute cages and escape into the wild as the ute flys along. Left by the roadside they get UV’d and slowly turn into micro plastics. Much better in landfill (I hope).

The first coffee cup was followed by another and they both held together long enough for me to get them into the bin at Bishopsbourne.

There I checked the battery. I had been riding using power level 1 unless climbing when I used level 2. Starting out with 40 volts I was please to see the level reading 39.4v at Bishopsbourne. My legs knew they were being used more than usual too!

On the next stretch to Carrick the traffic became more noticeable. There were quite a few small trucks driving past. Some empty, some filled with logs and some with farming stuff like bales of hay. The number of Utes picked up too. Some of these carried one of those round hay bales in the back and the drivers didn’t seem to be worrying too much about the changed weight distribution and higher centre of gravity as they flung the Utes around corners. Others were empty and just barrelled on as per normal.

The sheep had walked past the exit they were supposed to take and it took their handlers some time to come through and push them back.

One bonus about flying Utes towing firewood trailers is that you can find some nice lumps by the roadside where they have been jettisoned on a bend or a bump in the road. I had one pannier on for this ride and could just fit this piece in.

What do I do with firewood in an all electric home? Use it in the Ozpig backyard fireplace and cook of a Friday evening.

I continued using low power settings and stretching the legs. It was slow but very enjoyable to be taking the time and just looking at stuff. I had also collected another couple of disposable coffee cups before I rode into Carrick.

There the bin close to the picnic area was jam packed with people’s junk from the long weekend. Wrapped plastic bags of rubbish squeezed in topped by a dirty pillow stopped anymore rubbish fitting in the bin. Undeterred, others had placed rubbish around the pillow – and the late entries had fallen out around the bin!! I picked up the mess, got my disposable cups and walked 10 metres to the next bin which still had room in it.

Grrrrrr.

The Oak trees are very busy shedding acorns.

After a quick muesli bar and some water I cycled on turning left to start home. One street too early. After some exploration of the back streets of Carrick I found myself on the road I came in on, shrugged and really started back.

The day warmed up slightly as I headed to Bishopsbourne. For some distance I dialled power down to zero and tested out pedalling the trike up and down hill with no power assist. Yes it was slower and Yes all went well.

I was overtaken by two cyclists, young and fit blokes. Both dressed completely in black gear, both with no flashing lights, both with no mirrors and riding two abreast. I know motorists should look out for cyclists but perhaps those two cyclists should take some responsibility for being seen too.

After Bishopsbourne my legs were a bit tired so on some of the hills the power level crept up to 3! There was more traffic around so I didn’t stop for much – but did pick up another 2 disposable cups. There’s plenty more out there to pick up.

No matter – it was a good ride !!

BTW: The repaired power buttons worked faultlessly and the battery read 37.1v after 50 kilometres.

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’til next time …………………………………..