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With only one day free this weekend Kerrie came up with a great idea of a bike ride around the Boonah area, which all started on a foggy morning at Dugandan Hotel.  We were feeling great and ready for the 30km ride.  After all how hard can it be?

Start at Dugandan Hotel (before it opened)
We started heading off along the Boonah to Rathdowney Road, which has a path alongside the road, which can be pretty busy, but not at 9am on a Sunday morning.

Passing under the Boonah Rathdowney Road
After 6km easy going along a flat bitumen road, we turned onto Geiger Road, which is gravel and where our adventure began.
Geiger Road turn off
Hitting the first hill, I was determined to make it to the top without stopping, but for some reason, the top just didn't want to arrive.  After every bend in the road, it just kept on going up and up. We finally caved in and this signalled our start of hike-a-bike leg.
A short stint on Geiger Road and we are rewarded with some magnificent views.

When the going gets tough, we start sweating.

And more pushing.
Yes, we finally made it up to the top and were treated with a great downhill run, only to find out that Kerrie's brake pads were worn to metal.  Who needs brakes anyway?  The downhill only lasted for a short stint, it seemed that the builders of this road decided to go over every hill.  Why would you follow contours anyway, that way you would miss climbing all the hills.
Downhill at last.  Look at me, no brakes.

Ready for takeoff.
12km done and dusted, time for morning tea - a hit of chocolate scones.
Morning Tea spot with views.
The next stretch was downhill, great for me, not so great for Kerrie with no rear brakes.  The road was a bit rough with large rocks but ridable. We finally got to the bottom of things and found out why the road was closed, the bridge is pretty much unpassable and not only because of the barriers across it.
Detour around the now-defunct bridge.

The bridge is a cool relic from the past.

Stating the obvious.
A final climb up Geiger Road we merged onto Green Hills Road, where we were met with the most magnificent views and decided to enjoy them over lunch.
Perfect lunch with a view.

On the road again.
From here on, the going was a lot easier with freshly graded roads.  The views just kept on going and we could only imagine waking up to these.
How good are these views?
The last 8km consisted of mainly downhill runs which were more than welcome after 16km of thigh and calf busting hills.
On top of the world, ready for a downhill finale.

Ok, maybe one more uphill.

Nice looking letterbox as we get into Boonah.
The ride may have been hard at times (especially if you haven't sat on a bike for months) but it was extremely rewarding and well worth the effort.  I may even be able to survive another week in suburbia until the next adventure.

Length of ride
    30 km circuit approx.
Time
    4 hours, including breaks
Best Time to do
    Cooler months, or anytime if you are fitter.
Difficulty
    Medium (especially with brakes on your bike)



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