Woods Reserve to Gurrandah TSR

Monday 23 April

Woods Reserve to Mt Stromolo Forest... uh, no... Canberra at night.

78km, 5h 20min, max 68km/hr.

Follow your instincts.

Met a ranger with an accent just before I left this morning. He came to do the early check on campers. He asked about the other tent and I mentioned that they were Alaskan since he had a northern tinge as well. They ended up talking for about 20 minutes or so and were still going when I rolled out of my home for the night.

The Tidbinbilla Deep Space Centre. And a beautiful day for it as well. Strolled on into the visitors centre after arranging some clothes to dry on my bike. Absolutely fascinating. A great range of exhibits and history relating to Australia's contribution to space exploration and communication. Well worth a look, so see Trail History (NSW). Checked out what I would weigh on the moon - 10.7kg... an I'm now 65kg... which means I've lost 3 or 4 kg since Healesville. Well, there's not much I can say about that. Out of interest I'd also weigh about 127kg on Jupiter which made me glad I wasn't cycling there.

The sort of touring I'm doing at the moment includes pine forests which is very different. The green is quite bright after riding through the Australian native tree hues. The arrangement of trees is also more defined and consistent, so when riding the changes in light intensity are more distinct. A major factor in this is that pines are 'A' shaped while most Oz trees are 'V' shaped. This changing light is really noticeable as you ride along in the pines, as is the strict colour consistency and lack of undergrowth variety. Funnily enough the only two animals I saw while riding in the forest area were a rabbit and a fox. Give me the native bush any day.

I had been told of the favourable downhill into the Cotter area. I was happy about this and cruised through without stopping. Very prominent camping/fine warnings in this area. Rode the 9km into the Mt Stromolo state forest and set camp amongst the pines beside an unusually huge BBQ apparatus. Locked up tent and gear and rode the steep but only 1km uphill to visit to Stromolo Observatory. They charge a nice sum of money to get in (which I didn't have) and I'd missed the last tour anyway. Had a browse around in the shop and then went outside and took a few snapshots.

Dinner was a sort of bean based spaghetti with an assortment of dried flavourings. While preparing and eating I heard an "arrrrgh" shout then a while later a loud "- - - - you" followed later by some running footsteps. The cockatoos and crows in the area were behaving erratically and were getting very loud. I packed up and left in the dimming light. Instinct told me to clear out and head into Canberra. This meant packing up the tent twice in one day and riding on major roads in the dark. It was my best option. 'Spooked' I call it.

Parliament House, at the centre of the nation's capital was where I rode to. It was cool but not cold riding through the outskirts of town. I rode right up to the entrance of PH and was told I couldn't do so by a rugged up security guy. He wasn't really mobile and looked like he could use a doona. We talked for a while about mail, the city, roads and caravan parks. I rolled down and out after taking a photo or two of night time PH.

The city centre of Canberra is a little odd. No mall as such when considering Brisbane and Sydney benchmarks. I was looking for an ATM and a grocery-type store but they were exceptionally difficult to locate. Finally found the ATM and then went to Subway for some cookies and a chocolate milk. Decided to go to stay at the motor village over Belconnen way. It was very dark and getting very cold when I rolled in there at about 8:40pm.

Set up tent in the dark - something I'd vowed not to do on this trip - and made quite a successful job of it. Bed almost immediately.

Tuesday 24 April : Canberra / Belconnen

22km, 1hr 18min, max 44.5km/hr.

Too many options.

Up and at it early amongst the relative quiet of a pretty full caravan park. Heaps of cabins at this one as it's a 'motor village'. A move for two nights at a powered site and then on the road to the Big B Bike Shop at Belconnen. Can't service bike until Thursday... because it's ANZAC Day tomorrow! I realised this only this morning while looking through the April Events booklet. Crazy - a Canberra dawn service by bicycle. Last year I rode in to the Brisbane dawn service on my bike and never thought I'd do it again!

Went and got a $26 papmer/hair and beard cut at the Belconnen Westfield shopping complex. Strolled around there looking at what Canberra sought in a shopping centre. Even Franklins sells grog down here. Stocked up on food and sugary stuff and ate lunch (Chinese buffet) in the food court - the sweet and sour pork part was unbelievably good.

Got lost on the way home. Thought I'd return on a less highway-type road. Did a complete 360 on a ring road in Kaleen without realising it... I think. Had to stop in at an LJHooker to ask directions. Far too many options to choose from. Only realised the stupidity of the situation in comparison to my 3000km ride as I was riding down the street. So a 9km round trip turned into a 22km day.

Tired and hungry again when I finally got home at 2:30 and considered a visit into the city but realised it was pointless. Will have to cram it in tomorrow and then do some north side stuff bikeless on Thursday. Want to get a little bit up the road by that evening.

Wrote some postcards while dining on garlic bread, tomato soup and a dry house red in the motor village's restaurant. Very relaxing. The waitress was originally from Brisbane and we had a chat about how it is so much nicer than Canberra. She moved south with her siblings and public servant parents a few years ago. Her siblings have all moved back but her parents will stay here until retirement. She's studying but wants to return to the land of sunshine, beaches, minimal clothing and bearable temperatures. I agreed entirely with her plans.

Returned to the little nylon house and typed up journal and edited pictures until the wee hour of the morning. Realised I'd have to get up in four hours to get to the dawn service, so went to bed. I really have to get my 'powered site' money to stretch as far as I can as I don't get a lot done on the road with the laptop - mostly just photo transfer and some low battery consuming application (Simple Text) journal typing.

Wednesday 25 April : ANZAC Day : Canberra Sightseeing by Bicycle

Yosemite Sam must have whispered in the ears of about 7 000 people this morning, but we weren't "huntin' wabbits". I was astounded by the nearly complete silence well before the service started. It was as if when you came within 100m of the amphitheater you lost your vocal capacity. Riding and finding the place in the dark was easy - just follow the stream of traffic. There were a few jealous motorists as I whizzed past on my bike as they were in a bit of a jam and trying to find a parking spot. All us clever cyclists merely nodded in knowing silence to ourselves and each other. It was warmer than it was in Brisbane this time last year when I rode in to the city centre there. This was surprising considering the recent temperatures. The service was a good one which flowed well. Of note was the New Zealand Navy Head Chaplains speech. She did a really good job in getting us to think about the community cost of these people.

Returned to the camp and got ready to go sightseeing. Took my jacket with fully stuffed pockets - lunch, phone, camera and other bits and pieces. First stop was the National Science Centre (Questacon). Like when leaving the Sciencentre in Brisbane, I ended up walking out from Questacon with a sore brain form the overwhelming information, things to look at and think about, and concepts to try and understand. Loved it, but the concentration it takes to soak it all in is intense and draining. Spent about two hours in total inside working up the spiral construction to the top exhibit area. Of note was the lower gallery exhibit of photography winners from an international competition. Some stunning nature shots of animals and plants by 15 year olds and younger. Impressive. Also there was a special 'Side Show' exhibit in Gallery One which looked at the science behind side show games and attractions. The photo below shows one item in the exhibit which drew a lot of attention and which I had to have a go of. It was just a guillotine that of course didn't separate your head from it's other bit, but made you think that would be the case. It highlighted the changes in your body as you waited (and waited...) as the blade was cranked up to the top (little mirror provided to watch it) and then fell. Most of the kids I watched pulled their heads out as it fell - a greater life preservation instinct than the adults who tried it! As the blade reached it's lowest point in the 'chop' a blast of air was shot at the back of your neck to make you think for just a fraction of a second that you may be bleeding profusely. Very effective if you had a great trust in the designers and makers of the exhibit

I had a bite from my pockets to eat in the area in front of Old Parliament House, then went to The Art Gallery just around the corner was nice. A 'Monet and Japan' special exhibit was on but it cost $20 and that was not in my budget today. I walked around the gallery interrupted by text messages and then a phone call from Shauno and Co. who were dining (at QLD type altitude) at Mt Tambourine. At this stage I had only found one item that had impressed me - a pair of enormous white marble vases at the entrance to a gallery. Not much else really grabbed me in the gallery except one thing, which made me a little disappointed. I do have a prerequisite for art - that it makes me think or is very conceptual - so that may be the reason. The one piece that took me was the one in the photo below. Water fills the bottles so the water line is level. Way, way, way cool.

Dropped in at Old Parliament House and looked through the variety of things they had there. They've done a great job in the preservation of the House. The toilets were classic sort of 60's style tile and wood, and I took a photo because it was just yearning for one. Many paintings and a selection of portrait photographs of famous Australians. An exhibit titled "Dismissed' highlighted the events surrounding the dismissal of Gough Whitlam's government by Governer General Kerr. Very well put together - informative and entertaining, but really - what a bunch of funny characters.

It was getting a little late so thought I'd give Parliament House a miss for today. Returned home via the city where I got some snacks and dinner for tonight. Had a large hot chips from 'Dallas Chicken' which I was craving. Chunky crispy crinkle cut chips (alliteration gone crazy) which was a nice surprise and something I had not had for ages and ages. Sorted out the tent upon my return to it which had grown quite messy and full. Booked and paid to stay another night here as won't get away tomorrow until late and still have a few places to visit.

Thursday 26 April : Canberra City Sightseeing.

Roughly 10km. Anatoz Summary.

Arose to get myself organised for a big day of bikeless sightseeing.

Bike in to the Big B Bicycle Shop at Belconnen.

City via 'Action' bus which has a system similar to Brisbane's.

Disembarked at the new Australia Museum (not planned but I was there, so why not!)

Everyone should check out the 'Circa' audio-visual exhibit in the revolving theatre.

Four minutes early I was for the bus to Parliament House.

Got led on a tour around Parliament House which was unreal and impressive.

Headed up to the roof for a look around and photos.

I was hungry for a pizza and because of the odd city layout it would be a while.

Jumped on a but heading to the city after visiting USA Embassy.

Kept an eye on the time while at the info centre so I could jump on a bus to Belconnen.

Long bus journey (1hr+ via northernmost suburbs) to Belconnen - big mistake.

Managed to get away with bike repairs (including a new wheel) relatively cheaply.

Not far to the camping store for fuel and a compression sack.

Over to the Belconnen library who wouldn't let me upload (they had the facility to)

Pleaded my case at the youth centre around the corner - "Yes" for an upload here.

Queer how hard it is to upload in the nation's capital compared to a country town.

Received emails but couldn't send 'Update # 6' for some reason.

Six o'clock the centre shut - paid for call and donated $5 to the centre.

To Pizza Hut where everyone got poor service due to under staffing.

U should have seen the 5 youths doing balancing tricks on their MTB outside.

Very full but just kept eating as I was hungry for pizza.

Waddled the bike for about 2km home and then rode I was so full.

X-amined emails and laughed at the unique people I know and what they wrote.

Yawning and falling asleep before too long.

ZZzzzzz...

Friday 27 April : Canberra to Gundaroo

56.7km, 3h 18min, max 49.0km/hr.

Oh, being free again!

Three days without packing up and it really showed. Another full load. Did a serious load of washing which included most of my clothes - had to walk around in my 'dregs' clothes. Got my $10 key deposit back and then rode my unusually heavy but stable bike with spare wheel occied on (there's always room for more) into the city.

GPO was the first stop. Posted home maps, info sheets from the places I'd visited and axle bits from the wheel. Asked if I could post the wheel home but they insisted that it had to be wrapped to prevent damage. I explained that it couldn't get much more broken but was shown 'the hand that talks'. While there I rang Parliament House P.O. and asked if my letter from home had arrived. Lee was most helpful and said she'd track it down and then call back. How nice. To my complete and utter elation I received a call from her 5 minutes later and she said I could pick it up whenever I arrived at the house in the hill. This was my ticket out of Canberra and I was now extremely happy. I told her so.

Ahh - but what to do with the wheel? Bus freight was an option but it was going to cost well over $20 and require someone at the other end to collect. I objectively stared at the 'wobbly one' and figured that I wasn't going to ride it a few hundred km to my rendezvous with Steven. The only things of real use/value were the spokes. OK - I'll keep the spokes and trash the rest. I'd do this after getting the letter and while having some lunch.

At the 'house which is 95% Australian materials' I had a chance to examine the black marble on the foyer floor which I'd been told by the guide yesterday was from the sea bed off the coast of Italy. It apparently contained fossil traces which would interest the geology buffs. I didn't consider myself one of those, but I had a squizz anyhow... and could only see scuff marks. Maybe I needed to get down on my hands and knees. After collecting the precious letter and enquiring about Mal the security guard (Kosciuszko climb) and getting blank looks, I went outside and took some photos. Got some of the vintage cars that had been tooting around town (yes, this is a town I have concluded) for the time I have been here, and of a group of touch football players tossing the pill around on the lawn between the two parliament houses.

Subway for lunch (that's a foot long with extra olives and pickles for those interested) while I sat on a quiet garden bench unscrewing spokes. When the last useful spoke was removed I walked solemnly to the nearest wheelie bin and slid it under the lid. Some smoking bystanders were as amused by my actions as I was of theirs.

On my way at 2:38pm. Rode through the north east suburbs. Watson looks to be a normal type of suburb. This was a relief to see although it was very 'east Toowoomba' in feel but without the same severity of hills. Onto the Federal Highway which has a ripper of a bike shoulder and bitumen almost as smooth as smoother bitumen. Within 40 minutes I had left the national capital and the territory which contains it and it's red tape. Made very good time along here with the long gentle up hills and even longer down hills. Gundaroo was 20km from the turn to the north. (The Federal Highway continues towards Goulburn from here and I would see it the next day from the top of a ridge if all went to plan.) Rolling country hills for most of this bitumen road.

I stopped when I saw an unusual cemetery by the side of the road to get a photo and was pleasantly greeted by a trio of cyclists heading to Gundaroo also for the night... same camping spot as well. (This cemetery was after a deer farm with a huge dam and a truck wedged/parked sideways on the driveway...?) Doug, Zilca and Wendy invited me to come with them to a fella's place in Gundaroo who they knew who made bike frames. (They were starting a loop around the west of Canberra via Yass and arriving back at the capital as a part of a Federation ride. Unfortunately it didn't quite fit in with my plans and it would have meant re riding Shannons Flat and the Mt Clear area again.) We stopped at Wayne's, but he was a tad busy with a customer, so we went to the sports ground and pitched our tents then returned for a Friday night pizza-fest.

A delightful evening, with the main conversational components generally being :bikes, frames, touring, lycra, pit toilets, house designs, Canberra's layout and business centre's health, travel, trekking, camels, the desert, wheels, pizza, the idiosyncrasies of Melbourne/Sydney/Canberra cyclists, potato wedges, males in teaching and a host of other bits and pieces. All of these people had great and similar senses of humour and positive attitudes to life. Very refreshing and invigorating to be around. I drank some red wine and had a goats cheese, tuna, olive and tomato pizza. Mmmmm. Swapped a piece of pizza with Wendy who had ordered a supreme and was very happy with that choice also. The red was a Notting Hill...?

Saturday 28 April : Gundaroo to Lerida TSR

34.3km, 2h 30min, max 47km/hr.

An experience not to be forgotten.

i) As I sat cooking my dinner I considered my 'kitchen tools'. Not a heap really - 11 items to be exact including stove parts and cutlery. I can make most camp meals with this setup quite successfully. At every shop I have been in I have stopped when I've spied a can opener. I don't need a can opener (because most cans now have a ring pull) but I would use one about once a week when opening cans of beans. ( I struggle with my bike multi tool knife instead.) A convenience more than a necessity.

ii) The next time I do buy something like this I'll buy two. One for me and the other for the Lifeline or Endeavour bin. I can make do, but there are people for whom this convenience would make life less of a struggle. Walking away after depositing something in one of those big colourful bins provides one of the most satisfying, inexpensive and human feelings of 'good' that I know.

iii) The next time you're in a bookshop track down the book called 'The Ripple Effect'. It's written by Tony Ryan who's a model of thinking humanity. Read the cover blurb and then scan through the book. It's only small, is easy to read, and offers much. Then buy it - for yourself, or even better - a friend or a family. And of course, be one that takes action.

d) Previously in today I had stopped to look over Lake George (NE of Canberra in NSW) at the end of a long climb out of Gundaroo. It is quite a shallow lake. So shallow in fact that at present the only things flowing over the expanse that is Lake George were air, clouds and the cloud's shadows. It's an odd lake - "just a big puddle" as Guidebook 10 says. As you can see in the photo it's currently 'very empty' (which is an oxymoron of sorts), but when it fills it abounds with water foul and is super for sailing on. (Rollover is of a Gundaroo sunset the previous evening - the best I've seen to date.)

A really good TSR. My first now I really think about it and a real goer except for the moisture hungry little black ants.

c) I'd left Gundaroo at about 12:40. Yesterday evening I'd asked Wayne if I could stop by today and take some photos of his 'creations' and work before I pedalled away the rest of the day. Wayne had actually left to pursue an interest in another 'off-the-cuff' sort of hobby/project, but his wife Helen showed me through his workshop. I had arrived at 11am for what turned out to be a very rewarding experience.

The previous evening I'd sensed that Wayne was not so much a bike mechanic or designer/builder of bike frames as he was an artist who used the medium of bicycle parts and concepts. Passion is easy to detect. Looking around his workshop and talking to Helen confirmed this. Prototypes, tandems, recalcatrents, Huski bike sleds, hand drivens, scooters and 'other' frames and machines are what Wayne specialises in. In fact he specialises in not really specialising, if it is possible to say that. My appreciation of his quirky and unusual collection was ignited (like my red dog and a match) the moment I'd laid eyes on it the previous evening, and seeing more of it just added more fuel.

Helen offered to let me ride a recalcatrent, to which there was only one answer - yes. For the next ten minutes I was the absolute gumby of the world being humbled by a simple two wheeled human powered vehicle. Wasn't I riding a similar device thousands of kilometres? What could be so hard? Learn fast or get painted in betadine was the general idea on this gravel road. My body had no idea (and neither did my brain obviously) on how to balance, power and steer these bikes. It was absolutely refreshing! After a change in direction to uphill attempts I had success. Five minutes later I was converted and sold. (I was also astounded by Helen's photograph with the church also perfectly in the background!)

Riding these bikes is unusual to say the least after you've spent a month on a regular, albeit loaded, two wheeled bike. You are 30cm from the gravel, you lean back and push into the seat, you steer near and below your waist, you balance from the shoulders and not the waist and you bear no weight on your hands. Helen had said one of the best aspects was that you looked up the road and not down at it. Too right! This makes a real difference to the cycling experience. Cyclists who have shoulder or wrist problems purchase and ride these due to the fact your arms are not weight bearing - a very noticeable feature and a great relief when compared to a regular bike.

This place is a must see for BNT cyclists on the road through Gundaroo. My visit concluded with a cup of tea and a home made ANZAC cookie with Helen and Colin - the maker of the very fine pizzas we'd devoured the evening before. It's always a pleasure to meet the chef. Colin had done a few years teaching in QLD but has sort of weaned himself out of it into a job much more aromatic. While sitting there I spied a guitar in the corner of the room - 40 days without playing - but I held my composure and welcome limits in check.

b) Before dropping over to Wayne and Helen's I'd fidgeted around the shop ringing RLP boards (you know what that stands for) regarding TRS (and that too) usage and calling a few friends and family so they would know/really have no idea where I was. These calls end up being the "Oh, you're alive... OK then, wherever that is..." sort which is very amusing from my end of the line. I spoke to Steven about our rendezvous in a week or so and left a message on Trisha's phone regarding a Sydney rendezvous. The acronyms conversation I had at the store was kind of weird.

It's an unusual situation when you haven't seen anyone you know well for ages, just a sea of new faces day in day out. You get really excited at the prospect of seeing a familiar face - even if only for a day or a few hours.

I sorted out my travel plans (what else would I do with my day... except carry them out?) for the next week which was kind of interesting. I'll endeavour to detour to the Wombeyan Caves for a lookie ,which is NE of Taralga, in about 5 days time. Ang's 4WD book had a section on them which was motivating enough for me to remember them and their general location.

a) The morning had been chilly, as was becoming the norm, but Doug informed me how warm it was for Canberrians at present for this time of year. We then discussed acclimatisation and how North Queensland people think that it gets too cold in Brisbane. I raised the observation that his troop was the first group I'd come across going in the same direction, and how I'd passed a hand full of cyclists going the opposite way. Doug pointed out the blatant logic behind my observation without making me feel too much like the idiot I was. My packing was slow but better than yesterday.

We discussed panniers, gear arrangement and other touring 'important stuff' before leaving. Doug and Zilca work as designers and manufacturers of specialist bags, kits, clothing and other stuff with heaps of yellow reflective tape. They were using their own designed panniers (of course) and make them for other local cyclists I believe. The looked really superb on their bikes and I wish I'd gotten a closer look before we spun our alternate ways. Doug also told me (30yrs cycling guru) insider info about the Australian Cyclist magazine, which is basically run and written by Canberra people. A very interesting conversation.

While on the topic of gear we also spoke of tents. Wendy had a Macpac Microlite just like mine, but four years older, and so we compared the models and their cons in general. Doug and Zilca had been through a variety of tent styles and had a roast chicken shaped model with them. This just made my taste bud water as I looked at it.

Sunday 29 April : Lerida TSR to Gurrandah TSR

46.7km, 2h 54min, max 49.5km/hr.

Flat? I'll give you flat!

Today was a very easy cycling day. Flat as the ocean compared to where I was a month ago. Rolling hills through sheep stations of questionable expanse. Lerida had a QLD size shearing shed which was a relief for I'd become accustomed to seeing miniature versions. Did two maps in the guidebook today because of their combined shortness(23km day + 16km day). The hardest part was the 7km gentle climb in the last 16km. The real hardest part was coping with the growing boredom of cycling through hardly changing terrain with goals that were not notably challenging.

Stopped for lunch at a church (1865) which is still in use but was very silent on this particular Sunday. It was a Bicentennial heritage listed building so it was nice that it was actually on the trail. (That makes two Bicentennial things at once... does that make it a quadrennial lunch?) Two massive, and massive is the right word here, trees stood beside this church. Big pine-sort-of-fir-type-trees. I've yet to find out their name but they're everywhere. A graveyard completed the 'triology/trinity' on this site with the oldest dating to 1865. (This poor soul didn't see much use of the church in it's opening year.) The elders in stone of this yard included a number of young people - a legacy of the isolation from medical help in that era. A rabbit warren had taken under the graves so you really had to watch your step in two ways. A variety of headstones but few with any verses. A verse is a revealing touch over a century later. One headstone of plain cement the size of a square fruitcake with a name scratched on it contrasted with an elaborate towering Virgin Mary a few metres away. Neither had been tended to for some time. Odd. Another church 14km further down the road wasn't half as interesting.

The TSR I'd left in the morning was a flat lightly grassed and forested expanse on the corner of two roads. Plenty of life, space and choices of places to pitch a tent. Little black ant colonies were everywhere however, and were intent on recovering every drop of moisture from my tent. This evening's TSR was another stark contrast. A heavily grassed, unsheltered and sloped paddock of about an acre with three trees. The closest trees which were next to a most undelightful sign had a campfire ring and the grass was slightly greener and shorter. There was no bare ground anywhere on this TSR so it was a horse's heaven really. My tent went up under these trees right next to the fire ring on an angle which I thought would be sloped for sleeping success but wasn't really. No ants, but then again, no wildlife in general.

As I'd arrived at about 2:50 I spent the rest of the afternoon lazing in the intermittent sun's rays listening to Roy and H.G. - a privilege and miracle. A privilege in that my little radio was able to pick up the signal and a miracle in that I'd remembered it was Sunday, that I was near a city, that I knew what program was on, and that I felt inclined to listen to some voices. Some light entertainment about horse crossings and lollipop men, tweed coated mountain limbers and lost cameras, the up coming State of Origin series, and politician and football parades.

It rained through most of the night with an accompanying wind.

Notes:

Shauno - Nice one. You'll be watching over your shoulder now boy... I could write anything on this web site in subtle reference to many things. "Chris who and why?" WHY = Weird home yobbos. It gave me an initial shock at first, but I'd researched early on in the conversation so knew it was fishy. Terrible French though.

Greg - Have you been in/can you go through The Pentagon? What's the story?

7C - Did you get the postcard? Did your teacher deliver it or take it hostage?

Steven - Wayne's workshop was mindblowing. Go have a look one day, and get on a recalcatrent tredly.

Dad - There's not many cathedrals, but I'm doing my best to see every stained glass window in NSW ...with visions of England 1983.

Visitors to Canberra - It's like Toowoomba but a bit flatter and some more significant/important landmarks/buildings. It's kinda dead in the city area (Rockhamptonish) with a heap of unlet office space. Most of the human action appears to be in the peripheral areas like Woden and Belconnen etc. For some reason the main info centre is a km or two north of the city centre rather than in the city centre. People are nice but the drivers are a bit impatient at times. Plenty of space around the streets and on the arterial roads. Signage is primitive (wood with paint that needs attention) and there's not enough of it at intersections. I'll be back to see the things I didn't have time for but I'd hope that in the meantime there were a few improvements!