OMG!

Jan 27th

Sometimes I just have to be thankful I'm still alive. Today's one of those days.

A guy pulled out to pass within 50 meters of me ... literally pulled out at me...right in my face...OMG!
Nearly took me out!! It's the first time a driver has made me scream, panic, and steer to the left as sharp as I could to avoid becoming a hood ornament. That big a hurry, huh??? Thank you, guardian angel...job well done:)

I was also glad to be alive today because it was another gorgeous day.



What can I say? I grin from ear to ear every day. My cheeks are hurting. Even that crazy driver can't take the smile off my face. Everything and everyone are all so beautiful here. Paradise!




Beach Bum BagLady

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Blaze's Attempted Runaway!

Jan 26th
Road north to Picton.

Three exciting, momentous things today: headwinds, hanging with some "characters" at their caravans on the coast, and Blaze's attempted runaway:)

Lets talk about winds so strong I'm pedaling downhill. All day. So strong I couldn't hear my iPod. Unrelenting. Couldn't find shelter from them. Beautiful day. Sunny. Up the coast. Azure blue waters with white waves crashing. And WIND!!! Think I only made 20 miles going from 9:30 this morning until 5:30 tonight.

Cycling along the east coast, battling the winds, I see a couple of caravans parked in a V with 4 people sitting in chairs just hanging out. One guy waves and then welcomes me over. Never one to miss an opportunity to chat (who me?) and to take a break from the winds, I go over. Using Blaze as my chair I join these two couples and answer all their questions. After telling them my age, upon request, they marvel at my bravery and strength. I wish I'd written down right away the description they had because for the life of me I can't remember the words. It was priceless. Then the same guy who said those pricelss but forgotten words, invited me to rub thumbs, a Maori custom he says. Maybe now I'm engaged! Who knows!! What a treat it was to connect with these folks and pass a bit of afternoon with them. I was even offered paui (I think that's how it's spelled) a type of albatross but I told them I wouldn't know how to cook it :). Hope I see them pass me on their way home tomorrow. That's what this travel is all about for me!!!



Ok now Blaze's excitement. I stopped and got off to take a picture.


Swan made from old tire.

And I turned around and ....

no bike. Really does things to your head. I'm sure I just got off it but she's nowhere to be seen. And then I see a truck pulling up and just past it, this!



Blaze! What are you doing way back down the road? and on your side? and why are the panniers off? Are you ok?

The young guys in the truck so the last part where she flipped in the ditch. They offered to help but I figured she was all right. I was wrong.

Got her upright and in the road, but the derailleur wouldn't shift. It looked bent but I didn't know what to do to it. A local farmer stopped and said he wasn't much help because he didn't know bikes, but he did offer a cottage nearby if I didn't get a lift by nighttime. He also said it might be better to put her on her side so she looked broken and it wasn't that I was tired of biking into the winds. Damsel in distress. While on her side I tinkered. Then tried shifting again and it worked! I fixed it! We're back on the road!

Windswept BagLady


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Devastated Christchurch

Jan 25th

This is one of those nights when I wrote a lot of stuff and somehow lost it and just don't want to write it all again. The day was significant and I don't want to not do it justice.

First thing was getting Blaze on the bus. First words from driver who makes decision was "Not going to fit." But I waited and it did. Learning patience...finally.

Next was a 2 hour layover in Christchurch. I texted the Smiths, the family I met at campground in Wanaka and told them I wouldn't be able to stay over but I had this layover.


Dad and 5 kids showed up at bus stop to pick me up and give me a whirlwind tour of the earthquake damage to and resurrection of Christchurch, one of the oldest cities in NZ.

These pictures are in a city's downtown district!





Shipping containers being used to keep a damaged building from falling into the street.

The 2nd quake did more damage and several hundred people died in that one. As a memorial, across from the building where most were killed is a collection of white chairs, one for each person that died. Each one significant of that person: wheelchair, tiny chair for infant, rockers etc. all painted white.



But also amazing is the creativity being used to put up business stalls and carry on. Shipping containers make banks and shops at Box Mall.









And there's plans to build a cardboard church to use until the permanent one can be built.



So sad and yet, so hopeful and innovative. Kiwi resiliency.

BagLady

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Omarau and the Penguins

Jan 24th
East coast heading north.

Nothing happened. He was just enamoured by my beauty:). It was a quiet night.


Moeraki Boulders.
Look at these round rocks on the beach.



But even more amazing was this Maori sand drawing on the beach that I could see no footprints or machine tracks leading up to it. How was it done us a great mystery!



Omarau is the land of penguins. Yup, penguins! Little blue penguins. And Yellow Eyed Penguins (very rare). The hostel owner took all the newcomers around to show us where to go to see the penguins...and not to pay a tour co for something that's free. Tension in the community over these penguins and those that want to make $$$ off of them.

The Yellow Eyed Penguin is normal size and comes up onto a particular beach about 2 hours before sundown to feed its young in nest in the bushes. There's a viewing area about 1/2 mile outside of town and with our patience and a local farmer's help, we got to see several up pretty close and more way down on the beach.

The Little Blue Penguins are actually inhabitants of the town, many of them living in holes in the old stone buildings. We were told they'd be all over the streets but when we went down into town around 10:30 pm, I could only find a couple. These guys were about 1/2 the size of a normal penguin. So cute as the waddled up the street. Since it was dark, I have no pics.

BagLady

WATCH DATES -Posts out of order!!!!!!!

When uploading, somehow the date order got screwed up. Beware!


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Otago Rail Trail

Jan 19th and 20th
Cromwell.

Gary and me eating fish and chips:



Gary and I took a lazy morning getting started because it was raining quite heavily. Since I had decided against doing the cycle trail to Queenstown, Gary agreed to give me a lift to Cromwell. From there I would cycle further east to Clyde to pick up the Otago Rail Trail.

Getting started around noon, we passed a cyclist I knew from Switzerland on a recumbent. I knew he had cycled the trail I was skipping so I stopped him to find out how it was. Tough! Ok. Glad I didn't do it:)

Made a side trip, at my request, to Arrowtown, a quaint village near Queenstown. Very small. Historic western type buildings. Bicycle shindig for the kids with all kinds of bikes: big wheel old fashion bike, trike, lawn mower bike, and more.


And they had a western band and can can dancers.



Also, I tried whitebait patties, a local delicacy. Tiny slivers of fish in an egg like patty on white bread. Didn't do much for me, but I tried it.

On to Cromwell. The drive was another glorious route through picturesque valleys. Mostly downhill. Oh, I wished I'd ridden from Arrowstown. Would have been fun.

Three days riding in the car was exhausting. I'm feeling jet lag or something. My head is buzzing. I feel motion sickness and just overall worn out. Too fast. Too hard to see everything. But I was thankful for Gary taking me out there and back. And I've been laughing at his British humor for 3 days. That's probably part of the exhaustion. He's a rip of a guy. The British Archie Bunker!

So today I packed up Blaze, said goodbye to Gary and pedaled off to find this rail trail. I've had some concern about biking on this gravel surface. It's hard with a trike. But we'll give it a try.



Would someone please tell me what these dead dangling things are in the fences and why they're here? I see them all over. Look line rabbit carcasses. But why?

25 kms into the 150 km trail and I'm beat from the bouncing around and the crunching sound of gravel. I do like the lack of cars and the views! Don't know if its enough. I can only travel at 4-5 mph, half of my pedal speed. And the sun is brutal. Even with sunscreen from first thing this morning, I'm crisp. May need a different brand. The skin on the tops of my thighs and my forearms is like leather. Crazy. How much can it take? And I use an umbrella almost all day.


This is a shed for the gangers that worked on the railroad. They could store gear in here or take a smoke break.

The other day this article about this rail trail caught my eye




Yup, 80 yr old guy did this 150 km trail in a day. About 10 hours. I'm impressed!!


Oh and I have to post a picture of Gary's tent. He was so proud of this tent that he bought his daughter for Christmas. $750 and he got it for $180. Suppose to be a 2 person and you could sleep at least 8 people easily.


Goodnight,
BagLady

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Southern Hospitality

Jan 23rd
Heading to East Coast on 85
South Island, New Zealand

Love the Kiwis! This morning a farmer in his truck pulled up to my tent before I was up. My heart started to speed up. Memories of last summer and disgruntled gentlemen telling me to move on came back. It was morning and I was moving on soon, but the feeling of "upsetment" was there. So I stick my head of unbrushed, unwashed hair out of the tent and smile "Good Morning! I'll be packing up soon."

"No worries, just wondered if you were all right."

Really? Worried. Not mad that I'm camping next to your gate? And of course he has that wonderful NZ accent.

Later while I was packing he came back by the other way and tooted. I waved. Simple kindness. Set the tone for the day.

Now on the map there are several towns on this road to the coast. I watered up at the last one. Maybe 3 liters. Good for the night. And last night I tried to scrub the waxy film of sunscreen off and used a bit more than I usually do. So coffee was 1/2 cup this morning. And 1/2 liter for the road, until the next town.

Pedal on...pedal on. No town. Hmmm? May need to yogi some water off a motorist.

(Another truck of lambs just passed:(...hope your short life was happy. Namaste.)

Do I find a pullover and pull over. Need a place for cars to stop. And I stand there with my empty water bottle mimicking "drink" and shaking the bottle. The first car to stop had just a couple ounces, but I took it. The next car had Diet Coke. Thanks but that will make me thirstier. Several other cars just kept going. Oh well. I'll keep on. Try again later. I still have a wee bit (as they would say here:)).

Nice downhill. Whee. Slow up for a marker. Thinking of stopping to read it. Hear a beep from behind and pull up. They tell "We've got water!" They had passed me, discussed their water situation, decided they had extra, and turned around to find me. How kind is that? What a day!

I'm biking through undulating low mountains. Farms here. Lots if sheep. A road. Some cars. Nothing else. Until I get to Palmerton tonight. With enough water, I'm happy:))


This afternoon brought more good stuff. I stopped to check out an historic stone bridge and this couple there, after giving me the 3rd degree:), told me about a stop right up the road at a CREEK! Yippee. I get to wash my hair! Not going to do a full wash up because I need to keep on this wax they call sunscreen. Paraffin. That's what it is!

Then when I got to Palmerston, the last town before turning north, I wasn't sure I'd arrived. No sign. So I stopped this bloke and asked, Where's Palmerston? You're here! How do I get to the coast? Depends on where you want to go. Then he proceeded to give me directions to a beach campsite. Sweet! How about water? Got to the outdoor drinking fountain at the primary school around the corner. You were the right guy to talk to!

So here I lay, looking out my tent to the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. I'll have to get a feet in the water picture in the morning. Blaze has the best view! She deserves it!!! What a trooper she's been. Trudging up those hills in this heat...and only an occasional squeak out of her. Go Blaze!!



That's water and sand just past my bike.

Tonight I had my first "creepy guy" incident. And tonight I'm sleeping with my knife handy. He was definitely checking me out. He parked on the gravel road that leads back to these sites snd walked through my area to the beach, chatted with me a minute as he walked back to hus car then hung in his car pretending to be listening to tunes while I changed and went for a swim. Left here and parked a bit further up and then walked the beach until he could see me. Just hanging around. This is kinda like a wooded campground. Just not official. I can't see the other spots because of bushes between us. I did find some other people here. He seems to have gone. I'm not leaving. Too tired and too nice a spot. I wish I'd gotten his license plate #. He better not mess with me tonight! Thank goodness that's a rare event.

I'll be fine. It's just creepy.

Creeped Out BagLady

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Lambs to Slaughter

Jan 22nd

The Otago Rail Trail went through the cutest little towns with restored buildings like in our West. Tourism from the trail has brought them business. There was more to see but I'm trying my darnedest to get back to Wellington by the 30th for Kiwi & Alison going away party. And I'm a long ways away. Over 400 miles. Gotta get the bus!

It's a sad time to be cycling through sheep country. It's lamb slaughtering time. The other day I got to watch a farmer sort his herd through a 3 way gate as the sheep came down a narrow chute. It was fun watching the dogs working. I couldn't get over how high they can jump over fences. But then later, chatting with someone, I found out they were sorting out the lambs from their mothers. :(((. And there's been a lot of baaing going on at night. Probably moms and babies. Then I've seen the trucks filled with lambs go by and I say a special prayer for them. I connect with the livestock while I'm cycling. I talk to them. Sometimes I frighten them...not on purpose. But I look in their eyes and I connect. And I'm having a hard time with the coldness one must have to raise and slaughter these helpless beings. I couldn't do it.

While I was writing this journal just now, I looked out and this was my view of the sunset. How lucky am I? And it's quiet except for the sheep....baa!


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Milford Sound

Jan 17th and 18th
Te Anau, South Island, NZ

Cycled into Queenstown. Brisk morning with temps in the 40s. Crazy tourist town in a spectacular setting.



How'd ya like to live on that strip of land?

So the plan was for "Gary of England" to phone me after he dropped his daughter off at the airport...2ish. I found a coffee shop to charge stuff and eat, of course. And while I'm sitting there 3 guys from Europe that I met on the Crown Range the day before showed up...and then moments later Ben (of Ben and Laura, who I flew over the river with...Laura's headed onward to Asia) appears. Just got to a new town and I've had more contacts than having coffee in Fairport. What's wrong with this picture? Actually everything is right with it. I've known for a long time I didn't fit in Fairport.

So I chatted with Ben about the cycle trail to Te Anau and my concerns about the 2 track and the trike. He's gonna text me what he thinks after he does it, since I'm planning to do it in reverse. Out to Milford Sound by car with Gary from London, then bike the trail back to Queenstown. At least that was the plan that day.

Since I had some time, I ran some errands then decided to find a place to dry Rainbow, my tent. Oh there's a little park. Pull her out. Spread her out. Spread out her ground cloth. What's that pitter patter I hear. Is that rain? No! It's getting harder quickly. I can restuff her in a hurry. I have a hard enough time getting her in her bag anyways. She just hates it in there and fights me every step of the way. Oh, stuff her under Blaze...quickly. Now she's wetter than she was. It lightens up, I repack her and give up the idea if drying for now. Thank goodness that doesn't happen often. Back to the coffee shop to wait out the rain. Eventually it's really sunny, I get Rainbow dried out, meet an interesting girl from Sweden who's been living all over the world for 10 years, settling and working wherever she goes. Gary calls. We meet up. The car us a hatchback and when he opens it, it's filled to the gills. Not organized. He thinks if we unpack everything, put Blaze in, and then stuff all the rest in neatly, it will all fit. You got to be crazy!



It did!! Barely!

So off we go towards Milford Sound, a couple hundred kms away with plans to camp somewhere that night.



Driving along I felt like I was missing everything. There were many photo ops that just flew by. This is too fast! We passed Te Anau and decided to camp at a DoC site north of there. Pulled in and found all the spots quite rustic and Gary's is huge. 2 cabins. Tough to find a spot for it. We decide to set up just his and we each can use a separate area. What a monster to set up. 3 poles. 20 stakes. Palatial! What will I do with all this room?

Next morning we still had nearly 100 kms to drive. And it was a mind blowing trip through forested areas and then majorly steep high mountains. Right there. There's also this long creepy tunnel that's one lane and down hill. Sorta lit...sorta. I'm so glad I didn't have to bike that! Claustrophobic! Then one hell of a downhill to the sound. No fun to bike up. Nope. So only minor regrets I didn't bike out.

The view there is unlike anything I've ever seen. The tide was out.


Even though it was cold, I had to get my feet in the water!




BagLady

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Rest Day in Wanaka.

Jan 15th, Tuesday, I think:)

My rendition of Lake Wanaka.



I'm having such fun playing with this watercolor and ink. And when I finish and it really looks like something, I feel amazed. I've never felt I had artistic talent (could be what the art teacher said:/), but I've always felt artistic inside. It's nice when I can see it sprouting out!

Doing a zero day in a campground: playing cards with kids, cleaning up Blaze, painting, organizing, doing a bit of handwashing that dried on the line (saved me $7:)), a bit of yoga and lots of chatting. Even the kids have mentioned how social I am.

It's nice to take a day off in good weather and be outdoors too...as long as there are no sand flies biting. Tomorrow I'm going over the highest paved road on the South Island...Crown Range. I'm excited! Then I still have to figure out how to explore Fiordland. The answer will come to me, I'm sure.

Jan 16th. Wednesday.
Almost to Queenstown

I've met some wonderful people here at the campground. First there's Stephen, a guy from Cape Town South Africa (and Canada) that works for the UN on projects involving setting up elections. (Stephen, how's that for a quick summary?). He's on his first big tour in quite a while. It's been fun sharing war stories about bike travel and other stuff.



Then there's the Smiths: Mark, Maree, AJ, MacKenzie, and twins, Danya and...oh oh...I'm in trouble now. The other girl has a sweet name beginning with S and unusual and I don't think it was ever spelled for me. And now I can't remember it. Pls, S, forgive me. You can give me 40 lashes with a wet noodle when I get to your house in ChristChurch...after you write it out for me. I learned to play a form of Monopoly Deal with them. Lost though:(. And they all rode Blaze. She was gentle and didn't buck anyone off. They were at the campground because their car blew a head gasket coming down the steep hill I climbed today. Too expensive to repair. Dad had to do some shuttling by bus to meet family halfway and borrow a car to haul their trailer of kayaks and camping toys home. So I got to play with the kids! Always fun for me. Made plans to visit them in ChristChurch when I get there.



I also met Bruce and Emma, father and young daughter. He has a sheep station on the south coast. If I can get down there I can play with sheep! Haven't figured out how to make that happen. Hmm?

And last was Gary, a British guy whose daughter works in Wellington. He's bopping around the South Island by car and we may hook up in Queenstown tomorrow and travel out to Milford Sound together. All depends on if I can get Blaze into his car. So funny how these things come together. I was sitting in the campground kitchen googling about buses to Milford Sound when Gary walked in and we got to chatting. And this plan come to fruition. If Blaze doesn't fit I don't have a plan B right now.





So today was a major climb. Crown Range. Looking back, it made Haast Pass look like a bump. My legs are whupped. It took me 7.5 hours to cycle 30 miles. The climb was 10 miles. And it was steep especially the last couple of miles. Pedal, pedal, rest, rest. I only go a couple of meters sometimes before resting. Sometimes I pick a spot ahead, and tell myself you can't stop until you get there. Sometimes I don't make it. It's interesting listening to my body find its rhythm. It's so resistant in the beginning and then if the grade is good, I can find a pace that I can maintain and my body feels strong and happy. At the top I put on Shania Twain and I'm dancing in my seat with my arms flailing and I'm singing away and pumping hard!!! What a sight! I get a lot of thumbs up. And they sure do help the mood. So everybody out there, when you see cyclist, toot, wave, thumbs up...cheer them on. You may be just what they need:)

Food today:
Coffee
Fruit yogurt

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Apricot
Plum
Nectarine
Brie and bread
Another pb&j sandwich

Banana and Nutella

Pasta, pesto, and cauliflower for dinner.

And there'll be something more.

BagLady


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Two Extremes

Jan 13th
Hawea Lake



In the mountains, on a hill, in a clearing...thunder...THUNDER! Flashes of lightening! Am I exposed up here? There's other stuff higher than me. Then rain. Then heavy rain. Then drip...drip...drip. I'm getting wet. Touch the outside of my sleeping bag. Oh, not good. But it's still warm and dry inside. No sense getting up til this thing passes. If it passes. Storms seem to get hung up over the mountains here and can stay all day. Ok. Start to pack up in the tent. Be ready when there's a break to get to the picnic shelter where Blaze spent the night. At least I thought that much ahead. Ok. Now's your chance. It's stopped for a moment. Whoa! Other people in here. We moved your bike trying to keep it drier as the rain blew in. Thanks.

It was a beautiful sight out over the valley with the rain and mist and fog. But it wasn't showing signs of letting up. Have some coffee. Pack the wet tent. Get ready to go. A small town is just 6 miles down the road. If the rain keeps up I can stay there today. Time to make my getaway. Up with the umbrella. Pedal off. This is delightful. What a great day. My pants are soaked through, top to bottom, but I'm grinning from ear to ear. I want to bike further than 6 miles. But my sleeping bag is soaked and my tent is dripping wet. If I can't dry these 2 essential things, I can't camp out tonight. And after this town, there's nothing for about 40 miles. And we all know that's not going to happen. Not with a late start and needing to take time to dry out.

This town had a cafe and I was greeted by a group of cyclists on an organized tour. One woman also ride a trike although their bikes were loaded up on the van. Too wet on the road to bike they told me. It's a great day for biking, I reply grinning! Turns out I was able to help the triker with the handicap sticker idea for her trike. She actually qualified. I also helped the tour leader by sharing my design for a box for her trike to get it home. She wasn't ready to just take it to the counter inboxes. Know that feeling. Over it!

Got my bag and tent dry while having a coffee and wifi. Lots of talking story. Lots of interest in my tour. Fun sharing:)

The weather changed for the better as I continued on. Two lakes today, I was told. That's an understatement. OMG!






I couldn't wipe that grin off my face all day:). What a ride!

But then the sun got to be too much. Because I haven't bathed in 4 days I have layers of sunscreen over layers of bug dope. And the oil from the bug dope is winning...and I'm frying out here. Can't hide my whole body under that tiny umbrella.

Did figure out how to get it to work helping to push me when the wind's at my back. Faced the top into the wind and tucked part of it behind my body so it was pinned keeping it from collapsing with my head. I could feel the assist up several hills today and I could keep it open on the wind, a plus!



From heavy rains to scorching sun! A great day cycling in NZ!

Gleeful BagLady

Food today:
Coffee at camp
Flat white coffee at cafe

Leftovers of last night's pasta dish for lunch

Passion fruit and yogurt ice cream stick pre-dinner snack

Tuna, mayo, and chopped onion on 1/2 pita for dinner
Nutella on 1/2 pita for dessert

2 Digestives at bedtime.

My food bag is pretty empty. I hope I can get salad fixings in Wanaka, next town...tomorrow.



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Up and Over

Jan 12, 2012
After Haast Pass

I did it! I cycled over Haast Pass! It wasn't that high, but it was very steep. It took me nearly 2 hours to climb it and it was only a couple of kilometers up. Slow and steady...not so steady:). Lots of stopping. I kept reminding myself that I would get to the top eventually. No different than a long hike. Ya just gotta keep moving forward. Beats going to the gym!!! And my legs always feel so much stronger afterwards. Little hills always feel easier.

Tonight's view from a DoC (Dept of Conservation) campsite was so incredible that I kept thinking it was a backdrop.



The photo doesn't do it justice but I tried up capture it. It's a view back to Haast Pass.

Food today. Coffee for breakfast. Lunch was red pepper tuna with mayo and avocado in a pita and Nutella on Digestives for dessert. Orange for snack near top of pass. Tomatoes, onions, green peppers and garlic over pasta. Nutella cookies for dessert. And a couple of swigs of my Christmas wine. Amazing how well that keeps. I'm stuffed!

I talked with this couple of locals here at the campground about Fiordland and biking there. First he said the road from Te Anau out to Milford Sound is the most beautiful road in NZ and I should bike it to appreciate it. Second he said the road south from Wanaka, although a shorter route to Queenstown was more beautiful yet hillier. I think in going to take it. I'm feeling a bit cocky having just come over Haast Pass today:)

G'night,

Pumped Up BagLady


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Still Heading South

Jan 8th,9th and 10th
Fox Glacier
Hwy 6 north of Haast



When I pulled into Fox Glacier Village the morning of the ninth, a biker pulled up while I was chatting with a couple of Brits. It was Kathleen from Ft. Collins, Colorado. She had taken the bus from Franz Josef because of the 3 steep hills. She's biking with her boyfriend, Adrian, and another friend, Ron.

(I don't care what anyone says, these effing sand flies are getting into my tent even though its all zipped up!)

While having coffee and sharing stories we made plans to cycle out to the lake for dinner. Then off to find accommodations for the night. Ended up at the same hostel, which was fun. These folks are in my age group unlike the other cyclists I meet. Nice change.

After settling in we cycled out to see the famous Fox Glacier. This one we could get pretty close to and had good views.



Because the weather for the 9th was heavy rains, I decided to book in for 2 nights. The weather actually was forecasting for a couple of days of rain so they were staying 2 nights and then taking the bus south to Haast during the 2nd rainy day. I couldn't decided what to do. Sometimes I have such indecision. I frustrate myself. I really want to pedal. The bus is a hassle if it will even take my bike. And there were already their 3 bikes going. I decided to stay put and cycle out after the weather improved.

And rain it did. All day. Non stop. But what fun a hot tub is sitting in the rain!

So awoke this morning...the day they are taking the bus...the day the forecast is for more rain the yesterday...the day the forecast says 100% chance of rain starting early in the morning. Awoke to no rain. Nada. Zippo. What's up? Do I ride? Why not? So I pack up and join L, A, and R down at the bus stop to say goodbye. Probably wont see them again until I come visit in Ft Collins...and I will:)




Then, as I'm riding out of town there's an electronic sign that says the road is closed near Makarora. This can't be happening! That's about 115 miles from here 3-4 days riding...at my slow pace. There is only 1 road down this west coast. One road. And between rain storms, bridge wash outs and now a slip (landslide onto road), I'm having one hell of a time biking down it.

I stopped at the only cafe along the road today and a group of people gathered there off a bus said we know about you:). They were on the bus K, A, and R had been on to Haast and had passed me on the road. Since the bus couldn't get through past Haast, they were going back to Fox Glacier. They also told me a bit more about the road closure. That it was a slip and that they weren't allowing bikes through and that it should be open in a couple of days. Hope they let me keep biking closer since it'll be a few days before I get near there. There's a mountain pass, Haast Pass - 563 meters, to cross first.






Snuggled in my tent at a boat launch to Lake Moeraki watching the hundreds of sand flies swarm the mesh and listening to the rain patter on the tent. But today...the day of the awful forecast...was a beautiful day for biking with no rain until now. Perfect.
I'm done with forecasts and weather maps. I'm going back to using a weather tree! If it's wet, it's raining. If it's white, it's snowing. If it's leaning to one side, it's windy...and if it's all lit up, the sun is shining! Never fails me!

Friday, Jan 11th
Haast New Zealand

The weather tree this morning said RAIN. I'm always amazed how I can sleep 10+ hours and still feel like I could sleep some more. Of course, the rain pattering the tent sure helped. But when it stopped I had to force myself to take advantage of it to get going. Didn't know how long it would last. Well...it lasted ALL day! And what a stupendous, glorious, fabulous, breathtaking day it was!



The morning started with black swans with orange beaks floating on the lake. Then it continued with awesome coastal views at every curve. I even took time for some beach yoga while waves were crashing ashore. And sun. All day sun! And I'm paying for it. A wan in a store even mentioned how brown I was. A bit too much today. Sun screen tomorrow. Ok.


If you've been following my posts through the many crazy trips I've been doing, younger remember my comment regents cycling in our Pacific Northwest a couple of summers ago about the men were always driving the RVs? Well I've noticed just the opposite occurrence here. Most often women are driving. So often that it makes me wonder if there's a rental car discount if the woman drives. Nice to see though:)

I'm heading into the Southern Alps again. I was there, in a northern section, when I rode down from Arthur's Pass. Tomorrow I head over Haast Pass. It'll be slow going, I know. But I want to do it. I'm no wus. I'm just slow:).

Keeping up with food notes (I forget), today was coffee and a banana for breakfast, hummus and whole wheat pita and chocolate for lunch, and steamed cauliflower and pasta with Parmesan cheese and Nutella over Digestives (a biscuit/cookie). In between I had some candy and a packaged ice cream cone. I'll admit some days the meals are mostly snacks. Yesterday was like that. The sand flies make it hard to sit out and cook in the evening. I bug doped up tonight. But now I have to sleep in it a couple of nights before I get to shower it off. Yuck! I actually put it on at lunch today and that's probably why I burned. Just figured that out. I haven't burned in a long time. I know the Kiwis have told me the sun's different down here. But I haven't been burning...just my nose...and that I lotion up.

Tonight I'm back in the mountains near the Haast River with these peaks in every direction. Behind me are three incredible waterfalls! This sure beats a motel, hostel, or campground. Yup. Life is good! I can think of only one thing that would make this night better;)




Burnt BagLady




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Take Time to See the Beauty

Jan 6



Closest I've ever been to being taken out! Holy crap! (And I don't usually swear but...)

Heading down a wide open road. Good visibility both directions. Flat. See truck coming up on my tail. See truck ahead. Courteously, I take to the grassland stop to let them by. There is no shoulder, just white line then grass. I'm off the road maybe 10 ft. Of course, it's a law of physics, the trucks meet at ME! And my truck pulls left off the road!!!! Are you kidding me???? He missed me by a foot or two! That's all!!!!

There is a near washout where this highway parallels a river. So trucks on this side are whizzing past with rocks too trying to shore things up. And there are milk trucks hauling to Invercall on the southern tip because they can't get up to Hokitika to the milk processing plant. A lot if large farms are having to dump the milk.

But other than those trucks, the road is empty. Eerily empty. Pleasantly empty. My own road. So nice for cycling (when two trucks are passing right by my side:)).

I've been struggling with sightseeing things down here but I'm so not a tourist. I'm a traveller. I don't want to see what others are paying to see. I want to see the wonder that they are missing as they hustle from one tourist spot to another. And there is beauty everywhere if we just slow down and take the time to look. For example, right now I have a site no one else has ever seen. It's in this moment as I look back across _______ Lake to the glaciers to the south. And there are low lying clouds, an absolutely tranquil lake, birds chirping, and not a car on the road. Mine! All mine!!! And it's free!!!! Because I took the time to stop and look and listen and soak it up.


Monday, Jan 8th
Just shy of Fox Glacier Village

Yesterday I cycled into Franz Josef Village, did town chores, then ran into Ben and Laura who were taking a zero and sightseeing. The said the hike up to the glacier was amazing. I said a guide in town had told me about glow worms in a tunnel up the hill and I was going to check it out. I did. But someone on the way there said they were a long way down the tunnel and when I got up there and saw how small this tunnel was, I knew there was no way I would go in there. That's the only place I've ever had a panic attack. In a black tunnel in a science museum. What an awful feeling. Don't ever want to feel that again.

Back in town I decided to check out a backpackers that gave a 25% discount if you biked in. Great. I took the second cheapest dorm room because the cheapest was all booked. I walked into this cramped stuffy room with luggage all over the place and only a top bunk left and I knew I'd made a mistake. I'd rather be in my tent. Can I cancel? Lets see if I gave something else. For a $1.40 more I have a 5 bed dorm room with only one other in it. Great! Whew! And she never showed up so I had the room all to myself.

The shower felt fabulous...as usual. And after a wander about town and the realization that I wasn't willing to pay those restaurant prices to eat alone, I went back to the hostel and cooked up my eggs and my pasta and broccoli. And I brought cooked food with me today.

Ok. Today I made a glacier run. It was beautiful but didn't compare to those in the Canadian Rockies. Couldn't get up to it. But it was a nice hike. And the waterfalls were dramatic!






Knew I had a short hilly ride today to Fox Glacier Village and after the hike to the glacier it was early afternoon before I really left. What a grind! Where are my climbing legs? Oh I kept wanting to stop. So slow. And I had decided I'd just go to before the village to camp tonight and then plan to stay the next 2 nights in town during this next storm. So that's where I am tonight. Camped. But it feels like the storm is arriving early. The winds are picking up and gusting. I sure don't feel I'll stay dry if the skies open with these winds. Could be an interesting night. Why do I do this to myself? I think I like the challenge of seeing what I can cope with. And I'll get to town tomorrow and dry out. After the last big climb. (That's really why I quit here. And besides there's a great view of this river. Too bad it's the lumpiest camping spot I think I've ever had.)

Add to that I don't have the warmest of my gear. Just a 50* bag and it will be in the 40s tonight for sure. It's 5 pm and I'm in my wool thermals, a jacket with hood over them and wool sox. Not much more to add. Taking things to the edge it feels like. And liking what I find there:) I'll enjoy tonight more than last night in that comfy hostel even though I'll be cold, sleep on lumps, and possibly wet. But that shower now...that was nice:)

Food today: cowboy coffee at hostel, then a Danish from a bakery.

Hummus and crackers for lunch with dark chocolate for dessert. (Haven't found an organic chocolate yet. Cadbury's just doesn't cut it.)

Hard boiled egg and a banana for dinner. Maybe a precooked pasta snack later.

BagLady




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