After nine days of driving, relaxing, hiking and driving some more today I reached what most certainly was the furthest point of the road trip. From Lower Beechmont I drove up the very long, extremely windy Lamington National Park Road to Green Mountains - an experience both twisty and magnificent. Then after parking and breakfast with the birdlife we walked another eighteen kilometres to Toolona Lookout which, funnily enough, I could not see my house from.

1,565km as the Crimson Rosella flies.

It has been an extreme privilege to have a car capable of taking me such a long distance across what I have been reminded constantly is a diverse, beautiful country that has roads connecting it all over the place. I mean I’ve paid a lot of tax in my life, but not enough to cover the thousands of kilometres of motorways, winding mountain passes, bridges, bypasses, retaining walls, and other infrastructure that has carried me from Adelaide to here. I also appreciate those who have mapped out and trodden all the hiking trails past waterfalls and scenic vistas up and down the eastern seaboard.

While up on that lookout and taking photos I noticed I had 4G mobile reception, and I was able to check the security camera in my living room, so I guess thanks to all this infrastructure I could see my house from there.

After finishing the hiking and getting back in the car I had a headlight out, so after we got back and before I ate 5000 calories of food to refuel I had the privilege of changing a headlight bulb. Luckily I had the foresight to pack both a spare headlight bulb, and a Pirate Life to drink afterwards.

While taking a holiday was supposed to be an escape from much of life's routines, I was not expecting to abstain from eating almonds for over a week. Finally this weekend I have resumed my almond and apple morning teas in the presences of some grand waterfalls in Springbrook and Lamington National Parks.

Guardian of the bridge, and supervisor of breakfasts. After concluding that he wasn't getting any banana, weet bix and yogurt he vomited, shat, then flew off.

At sunset I went back up the mountains a little to take photos of spectacular cows.

Honestly I have too many sunset cows for a single entry, so contact me directly if you need more.

Last decade I was invited to a wedding in Lamington National Park which revealed to me that there is an awesome national park in Australia that was named after the same guy who the Lamington was named after.

Alas, I wasn't able to make it to that wedding but 10+ years later I am finally here.

Took a long walk for this nice lookout and a couple of chicken and salad rolls.

On the way back to Blackheath we stopped at the Hydro Majestic Hotel which half lived up to its name (it was raining again).

1. Red Toadstools

2. Rescuing a frog from the shower.

3. Sitting in a cabin drinking coffee and watching the rain

4. Wifey GPS Services

5. Impressive Trees

6. Drawing at card games

7. Waking Up Together

8. Breakfasts with a view

9. Re-Ordering our Wedding Pizza

10. Straddling Mud Puddles

Bonus - Planning our twentieth wedding anniversary.

I've been working a lot of hours lately. Enough that by Thursday morning I have enough up my sleeve to go hiking before breakfast, eat some fruit, oats and yogurt on a summit, and then stop for coffee on the way back to my computer. All before the UV becomes extreme.

This entry is to remind myself in future summers that this is an excellent way of structuring a week.

Having zero social engagements is convenient for hiking.

We did not see a single person on the trail, and only 1.3% of Adelaide has Covid...

An Autumn-like beginning.

A nice trail to follow.

Morning fog over a quarry.

Colourful wildflower bells.

Some summer bark textures.

It's semi-often that I get eleven consecutive days without work. That's like an Easter, an Adelaide Cup long weekend, plus Anzac Day, and plain old regular Sunday all wrapped up.

Given this is my journal I thought it might be pertinent to repeat my previous summer break traditions of preserving an essence of those long summer days for posterity, unlike the other 354 days of the year which are abandoned in the mists of time, distance, and as usual the damaging effects of alcohol on the brain.

December 25th
Christmas morning started with a beach walk with Nash on the sands of Grange. Lunch was at Dad's with many extended family members. It was a nice time.

December 26th
First thing on Boxing Day was a hike up Mount Lofty where for the first time ever I got a car park at Waterfall Gully. After we reached the summit we sat down for some choc-raspberry-oats and yoghurt. I saw black cockatoos and sulphur crested cockatoos.

After that was a trip to the homemaker centre and big box hardware, and following a salad I set about knocking off half my break's todo list with the things I brought home. Alas, these were all the easy things like attaching sticky hooks to the shelf by the front door, and attaching a new hose head.

Finally, before the sun got too low, I rode to Alex's to meet up with Wilhem and throw a lot of tennis balls.

December 27th
The ten person household limit kicked in, and I attended a small BBQ with Josh, Claire and Timmy.

In the evening I drank a beer and started reading From Russia With Love.

December 28th
After breakfast I rode my bike to St Clair for an Albanian coffee, some more reading time next to some birds, and then I bought heavily discounted custard and rode home.

That evening I ate a sticky date pudding and played Borderlands 2 with Josh and Sam.

December 29th
It was very hot, and so we stayed inside in the dark and watched Matrix Resurrections and had a smoothie.

Later in the afternoon we drove to Aldinga for dinner and another walk on the beach. Nash tried to hunt and kill a partially submerged rock, and got bopped on her bottom by an unexpected wave. Much mirth was shared.

December 30th
Another stinking hot day where we tried to get a long walk in before breakfast, again along the Torrens.

It was around this point that another item on my todo list - Upgrade bradism.com to newer version of PHP and framework - began. I expected it to take me most of the day.

At some point I got sick of holiday software development and drank a beer while making pizzas.

December 31st
Omicron hysteria was everywhere. We went on another Torrens walk, then after breakfast to Costco to buy bulk strawberries and salad.

I did more Bradism upgrading.
In the evening I made Afghan chicken kebabs and then we rode to Semaphore, swam in the ocean, drank champagne in the dark and then rode home.

January 1st
I fixed my flat tyre. The Bradism Upgrade efforts continued. Vanessa made me a mousse cake.

January 2nd
We went walking on the beach in the morning. I forget which beach.

Later in the afternoon I strapped a Bluetooth speaker to my handlebars, told Spotify to play radio based on Don't Stop Believin' and Boston's More than a Feeling. I rode to Glenelg for another ocean beer, and watching the sunset at the Unit with Gus and Timmy.

January 3rd
Invigorated, I slow cooked a pork leg for eight hours and set about trying to finish as much of the second half of my todo list. I ate pulled pork for dinner. The Bradism upgrade continued...

It was a nice break.