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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