A Foggy Morning to Gosford: Just 5 km to Go
Morning. It was foggy early on and raining pretty hard.
But according to the forecast, only the morning was going to be rough, so the rest of the day looked fine. I had a quick breakfast and headed toward Gosford. It was only about 5 km to go, so not that far. As I rode, the weather started clearing up. After getting over a big hill, I finally made it into Gosford.
An Encounter at Brisbane Water: A Sudden Invitation
Coming in from the Sydney side, you can see a big lake called Brisbane Water on your right.
I was relaxing there, taking in the view, when I started chatting with about five people nearby who were doing gardening and public maintenance work. And then, one of them invited me to stay at their place.
I'd only been riding for less than an hour, so I really hesitated. But if someone invites you, you go, right? There are moments like this where I think, "If I miss this chance, it'll never come again." I don't know when I'll be back here, so I decided—alright, let's do it.
Zeke's House: A Shared Love for DIY
The house was pretty much built through DIY.
Zeke loves DIY and has this mindset of making everything himself. I really resonated with that way of thinking. As soon as I arrived, he gave me some wine. I was tired from the trip, so I took a little nap after that.
An Unexpected Gift: A New "Have a Nice Day" Sign
Before I went to sleep, Zeke surprised me with a gift. It was this—a new "Have a Nice Day" sign.
My old one had gotten completely worn out, so he went out of his way to make me a new one. He said, "With this, your message will reach even more people." He made it himself. I'm truly grateful.
A Night of Partying: Beer, Cocktails, and Great People
That night, there happened to be a party at Zeke's place, so I joined in. I had some beer too.
We went to buy it together—got a whole case, must've been over 30 bottles. Real party vibes. The beer had a unique taste—not too strong, not too weak, but the alcohol hit pretty hard. Great for getting a good buzz.
After that, one of Zeke's friends made this really fancy cocktail.
That got me pretty tipsy too. It had a lemony feel but wasn't lemon—more of a fruity, non-citrus flavor. Super sweet.
Everyone was so nice. The guy in the back was Zeke's brother, and the one in front was the guy who invited me. He looked really cool, you know? An older guy, but aging in the coolest way. About 15 people showed up in total, and we all had a great time chatting.
