Nice Scenery, Great Rides, Can't Upload Pics

Last time I posted I was in Murwillumbah and it was a very okay place. But I've left there and I've been toBeaudesert (Boe-desert) and the locals asked me "How did you end up in Beaudesert?" Well that's because it's on the way to Ipswich (Ips-witch), of couse and I had just been to Mt. Tamborine. Damn I wish I could post a picture or two of that lookout. Wow. Plus the ride up and down that mountain was pretty incredible. 12% to 15%!! downgrades and many signs warning trucks and buses to use lowest gear and slow vehicles ahead. Plus it was really twisty, heh heh heh.

Beaudesert is in the middle of nowhere and when I told them that I was on my way to Ipswich they would ask, "Why are you going there? There's nothing there." As if there was something, anything, in Beaudesert besides hot days, considering it's winter in Australia, of about 80 but chilly nights, the low was around 40... brrr. I hate missing out on summer at home.

From Beaudesert I skipped Ipswich, because there is nothing there *snicker*, and made my way to Cabulture (Kah-bull'-chur) via Brisbane (Briz-bin) and spent the night at the Cabulture Motel. Which reminds me of another difference between our two countries.

In Australia a Hotel is almost always the center of what's happening in a small town. It has food, rooms, and a bar or pub. The rooms are also really cheap but there is usually only a bed, and a chair, and maybe a sink and can be rather dive-ish. Whereas Motels are nice and have lots of amenities; dishes, microwave, tea, coffee, fridge, cable or sat. TV, and all the ones I've stayed in have been family owned and provide a very reasonably priced breakfast delivered to your room at your chosen time. I think that hotels and motels are different in America in that motels can be rather dive-ish and hotels are nicer (for the most part).

At my stay in Cabulture I met another biker, Dave Bassett who said when I got to Toowoomba (two-woom'-buh) that I could stay with him. He not only offered once, but a few times. So I made my way to Toowoombah via the Glass House Mountains and stayed with him. He owns his own business, and he is his sole employee, sanding houses prior to painting. He has an interesting lifestyle but we got along really well and he even wants to buy my motorcycle but he has no money. Speaking of my motorcycle...

I'm now in Brisbane trying to sell that sucker and the best offer so far is $2,500 and I bought it for $7,000. (Did I ever mention that someone back into and knocked over the motorcycle and broke the mirror casing? I didn't think so.) Anyway, that bums me out. But I know that I can still sell it back to the guys in Sydney (Sid-knee) for $3,500 but it's not in the same condition that I bought it (with the broken mirror thingy), so I'm a little down about what to do and the money being offered. Fuck... I mean, ohm... ohm... ohm... it will all work out in the end... ohm...

Thom's year without a summer continues.