bike ride to parramatta park

videos & gps tracks from the bike ride today to & around parramatta park. it was a rainy day. I was testing the video whilst riding - I don't like the fixed angle. this is basket-cam - I think helmet cam would be much better. but I modified the basket to mount the n95 phone camera - basically I cut a hole and braided some cotton yarn and tied the camera to the basket. it worked ok, the camera stayed in place, though I think I'll try find some cable-ties and velcro for future trips. I mustn't have been pressing record properly on the camera as it didn't record a lot of the trip - there's a lot missing! and it has recorded sections that I thought I'd switched off the camera. due to the rain I'd covered up most of the camera / viewfinder so it was hard to tell when I was recording or not. oh well - it's ok for an initial test. the clips below are each around 2mins duration. I recorded gps track too but the battery ran out on the way home. I wasn't having much luck with technology today!

gps .gpx file attached

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videos whilst riding the bike

raw video #1

bike riding in parramatta park #01 from kath on Vimeo.

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raw video #2

bike riding in parramatta park #02 from kath on Vimeo.

this is a very slow sloped hill - which nearly killed me!! well not really but it did hurt me a little. it was at the start of the park lap. I'm so unfit. and I was trying to work out the gears on the bike. by the second lap of the park I'd managed to find the gear better.

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raw video #3

bike riding in parramatta park #03 from kath on Vimeo.

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raw video #4

bike riding in parramatta park #04 from kath on Vimeo.

on the second lap there was a family of geese crossing the road just after the small white gatehouse (on left) - I thought the camera was recording but it wasn't! doh. was very cute. for a minute I thought the car driving towards me wasn't going to stop but I stopped and then it slowed down - so they all made it across the road OK. there was a mother and two smaller goslings (though they were smaller geese not chicks so maybe they're not called goslings any more at that stage)

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raw video #5

bike riding in parramatta park #05 from kath on Vimeo.

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raw video #6 - stop for coffee

bike riding in parramatta park #06 - stop for coffee from kath on Vimeo.

I stopped for a coffee and didn't realise the camera was still rolling. so the framing is out for this one

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raw video #7 - reading the tourist sign

bike riding in parramatta park #07 from kath on Vimeo.

in this one I'm holding up the basket hoping that I was filming the sign. I couldn't see the viewfinder! I think I'll have to take another camera - one for basket-cam and another to take photos/videos of the scenery (rather than the road). it's actually a very pretty park

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raw video #8

bike riding in parramatta park #08 from kath on Vimeo.

just around the corner after this video finishes there was a man sitting on the bank of the river fishing. with an open umbrella behind him. he was smoking a pipe & sitting, leaning towards the picturesque river. it would have made a great photo but my video camera wouldn't have picked him up (via zoom). maybe he'll be there again another day when it's sunny and I can take another camera with a better zoom.

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raw video #9 - leaving the park

bike riding in parramatta park #09 from kath on Vimeo.

I walked the bike some of the way through the city as I don't like the cars & traffic yet. I tried to go along the walkway / bikepath along the river but the section past the ferry & cafe doesn't open until july, so only another couple of weeks to wait. it looks quite pretty down there.

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gps elevation
(not sure how accurate this is..)