Sleeping trees

June challenge! What? Is it really June already?!?! Where do the months go…
We’ve had some sketchy weather in Hobart of late as we slide into winter. A couple of weeks ago the city experienced the most rainfall in a 24 hour period in something like 60 years. Many homes and businesses were flooded and/or lost power, cars were swept down the main streets of the CBD, it was all a bit of a disaster. It’s what happens when you build along the rivulets in a flood zone at the bottom of a big mountain.
A week after that, the winds picked up! The water logged ground combined with record-breaking wind speeds saw numerous big trees get uprooted and thrown across roads on one particular evening. I was out for my pre-work cycle the morning after and on my climb up to the Domain Lookout, the road was completely blocked off in five or six places by fallen trees.
I’m not sure how long I’ll keep up my pre-work morning rides here in Hobart. We’ve already had a couple of frosty mornings and snowfall atop the mountain. I’ve got plenty of quality winter cycling kit, I’m just getting a bit softer as I age!
The mornings are getting fresh, but the sunrises are worth it!
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9 response to "Sleeping trees"
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Great post! Nice that the storm positioned a tree so well for a challenge photo. What are your winters like down there? Will you get snowed out soon?
It gets cold, maybe -5 deg C minimum. We don’t get snow down to sea level (besides the odd flutter) just a good covering down to about 400m on the mountain. I’ve got to be mindful of black ice some mornings too. The winters still tend to be crisp and clear with blue skies, rather than the wet and grey English winters I had before.
Back in 1986 Hobart received a large snow dump during the evening. We were stuck in town as all roads south were closed. The next morning people were walking to work from all over – and people skied across the Tasman Bridge. Local law had it that such dumps occurred every 25 years but there has been nothing like it since.
Wow I never knew that! Would be quite the sight seeing snow covered Hobart! 🙂
Stay safe and warm over winter! BOM is predicting a warmer and drier than average winter here with the highs blocking some of the fronts from getting up this far – which means they’ll get shoved down your way. BOM says you will have a wetter than average winter 🙁 I hope you can get out for many rides, even if not before work. We’ve been having lots of -2 degree nights and warm, sunny days here. I’m trying to make the most of them!
Fine tree and fine photo. Love the red taillight reflected in the bark. Great addition to the Challenge for June.
Being retired I can wait before heading out – although this reduces the cycling hours. We in the north are having a longish run of pretty cool mornings and even waiting until 10.00am doesn’t mean the frost has gone from places the sun doesn’t shine on.
I used to live by New Town Rivulet and remember how noisy and active it got after a good rain. I wonder how it went during the storm you talk of. I will have to take a drive up there next time I am in the south.
A cool picture! The case of being at the right place at the right time – that is AFTER the storm to be able to take a great picture.
It was actually still pretty windy that morning! I really shouldn’t have been out on my bike, but I’m a sucker. Did cut the ride short and head in early. Almost blown off the bike a few times!