Riding the Shell Banks

My first proper ride today since getting food poisoning. I expected to have no strength in my legs after 8 days of not riding but I felt fine. I took a detour off the normal Saturday morning amble and rode to one of my old stamping grounds as a kid. We used to play for hours on the shell banks in Little Shoal Bay and it was like going back in time riding along there again. I don't know what conditions cause it, but in this inner harbour bay there is a long breakwater of shells about 100 metres offshore. There is mud, and there are shells, and there is nothing in-between. No sand to be seen. It is much firmer than sand and you can even ride off-camber on the slopes without slipping, but you don't want to come off - this stuff cuts you to shreds.

Little Shoal Bay

Between the shell banks and the shore are mangrove swamps. As children we called these "the muddies" and had a lot of fun chasing fish and torturing innocent crabs. We would come home covered from head to toe in the sticky black mud with cuts all over our legs.

A very different surface to sand

Breakfast

Today I just cruised along, happy to be out on the bike again and listened to the shells crunching below my tyres. It was magic.

Saw this on the way home - Laughed out loud