October time rolls around. Time for the Great Cycle Challenge for Kids Cancer. What does that mean? Simple really - I ride my bike for Kids Cancer research. Step one - get on the bike
My days of ride across the country challenges are past. What I really like to do is to ride to a point near the bush and walk to look for orchids. Picked a short route today on a safe roads to a slice of bush that might offer up orchids. The lack of safe roads around our new place bothers me. Picked this one to start
Pea flower
A flash of orange - maybe escaped from the houses above
Views across Gordon Creek
Walked a side track going out on a spit of land above the creek
Did find a bearded orchid - one seeded and on budding. Hard to ID but this is the orchid for the day. Always a win to find a new orchid on a track not walked before
The budding form
Stepped back photo
A nice tracking easily down a ridge line - peaceful albeit a bit short of orchids
As befits any Great Cycle Challenge ride in October - did get a magpie hit - in our own driveway
Got the first ride done - then time to pack and get ready for the drive down to South Coast. Gives me time to walk some more bush - my wife will catch a train this side
Drove to Heathcote - walked down to the river - view from the top - Woronora River below
Steep walk from that lookout to Pipeline Track below - have walked it before
Did find orchids alongside the trail - sun orchids - many seeded and none open
Enough detail in an out of focus photo to see no flowers open and some pollinated
The closest to opening of a sun orchid - guessing thelymitra pauciflora - I saw 100 plants like this. A bit late walk after 4 pm
Did get an orchid open - golden donkey orchid - diuris aurea
Lots of gymea lily growing along the gully - kids swimming down below
Plenty evidence of donkey orchids and sun orchids all along the side of the service road - at least yellow was openn today
Double flower for golden donkey orchid
White Sydney boronia - not seen these much
Epacris longiflora looking a bit pale - normally a deepner crimson
Walked to the top of the rise on Pipeline Trail not far from where it joins Heathcote Rd
Heading back - drumsticks flower
Tiny leptospermum at half the size of a US penny
Found an upside down flower above the track giving open access for a photo from down below
Sun orchid clinging to life right on fire trail edge - quite a few like this all along the track
Deeper pink on upside down flower
A few donkey orchids under the pipeline on the way back. Chose to walk past rhe access track to check if there were sun orchids higher up in the sunny sections. There were donkey orchids
There was a reward for going higher - next orchid for the day - onion orchid - going to guess microtis parviflora - few flowers spread a bit wide
Close up of the ant - a known pollinator for this orchid
A few plants in frame
A new white flower for me
Location shot photo. Have walked this before now
Drank a beer in Engadine Tavern waiting for my wife catching a train from the city. My wife drove from the pick up to our house. Doubt I would have stayed awake - been a big steps day
Did cook dinner - homemade pizza with cycle art
Riding for Kids Cancer this month - donate here https://mclnks.com/kidscancerride
You can send HIVE - I will get the cash across - memo GCC2025 so I can pick it up
This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io
Height183.0 cm |  | Weight90.0 kg |  | Body Fat% |  |
Waistcm |  | Thighscm |  | Chestcm |  |
