LOL!

March 7, 2013
Another night on the Taihape Napier Rd.,
Hawkes Bay District, NZ

Whew! Lots of up ups and down downs downs through the Keweka Forest. Spectacular!

Met Adam



a Canadian from Nova Scotia here for 4 months riding his aunt's bike that he's rebuilding piece by piece.

And Norm


a hunting and fishing guide who stopped me to take my picture because "cyclists never do this road!"

I like taking people's pictures but I do it too fast and with the iPhone I can't adjust the exposure. Now I have to take good pictures of people:). Yes he was standing up on a bank.

My first LOL (literally) was when I had told myself at lunch I needed water before I stopped for the night...but I wasn't sure where I would find it in this forest. Could be a problem, I think. Pedal on, pedal on. Up and down. And what pops up right in front of my eyes?!


Really Universe??? Just like that you give me what I need? Is it that easy? I was rolling on the road over the hilarity of it. Hehehe!!!

Ok, 2nd LOL. I'm flying down one of the many downhills I had. This one was not tight and windy but open so I could let her rip a bit more...and what was that??? Did I just take out a bird???? I think it went under the bike, not flying and not on the road. Too fast to look back. I was laughing so hard I almost wet my pants:))). That was a first!!!

And tonight I'm camped in a Y in the road. Couple of houses and a daycare center here. And a lovely wide patch of "no man's land" where I like to camp.

Giggly BagLady had a fun day:)


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Farm Pics 3

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Farm Pics 2

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Farm Pics 1

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The Day Just Goy Better and Better

March 5, 2013
Taihape, NZ

Day started with chatting up a truckie named Phil who drove a tanker of flammable solvent. Learned lots about trucking in NZ. They must take a 30 minute break after 5.5 hours on the road. Forgot to do my photo of him. Oops.

Leisurely cycle into Taihape where I needed to desperately charge everything. No sun for one day and all my devices were depleted. So why not find a good breakfast while I charge. While sitting there, a woman comes onto the cafe and asks if she can talk about my bike. Love that Blaze! Such a conversation piece. Turns out Clare


is going to be up in Auckland for a bit so I have her number and we're going to try and connect when I get there. She leaves. Andy asks if he can sit at the end of this big table I've sequestered. Sure.



He is from Australia, works for a machinery company, traveled from Singapore to London by bus and met his Kiwi wife there.

Then after Skyping a friend and getting groceries, I met Winsom and Taz.



I have a great video of Taz describing her job in a wool shed sorting out the dirty wool. Winsom decided that the local paper needed to write an article about me so she called up Jocelyn.



Jocelyn was filling in as the reporter because the regular guy broke a couple of ribs in a motor accident. So Jocelyn did an interview for the Central Dustricts Times. (I'm hoping to get a copy of the article).

Now it's 5 pm and I'm just getting out of town. Decided to cycle this wonderfully scenic back road from Taihape to Napier on the east coast, then back to Taupo at the suggestion of a friend. Checking with locals, they agreed.

And as I pedaled out of town Jean passed me on the back road.



She asked me which road I was taking: gravel or sealed? After telling her sealed and she telling me about the serious hills before the next town, I changed to gravel and am I glad I did.

Off the gravel road when I found a wide side to the road, I set up my tent. A short bit later, John comes up in his 4 wheeler raising dust behind.



"Can I camp here?"

"Well, I gotta muster a couple of mobs of sheep up the road and some cattle back down. I think it'll be all right. I don't think they'll run over your tent. Wanna come along?"

"Do I!!!!"

So I got ride shotgun for an hour or so, up and down the road as he and his 2 dogs moved the sheep and cows. I was in my element! A grin from ear to ear! Filthy from holding sheep in the ATV that couldn't walk and muddy dogs jumping on me for their ride back to the barn! Oh ya! Gotta live NZ!!!

(Photos wouldn't post. Will try posting them separately )



Yee haw!!! Life on the farm!

Farmer BagLady:)


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The Time Had Come, So Marvin Went.

March 3, 2013
Hunterville



A nice rest on Manaia. Town chores done. Hectic schedule for Bruce right now and he's done a marvelous job of hosting this crazy American woman...and it's time to move on. After a 2 hour lift by Bruce back up to Bulls, I was back on the road.

Hadn't gone 2 feet down the road and I was approached by a truckee that wanted to take my picture. He wanted to send it to Mike Avery. Now this is not the first time I've heard of this guy. If you'll recall when I was cycling over near New Plymouth some people stopped me on the road thinking I was he (or is that him? Being a grammar buff I hate not to know.). This truckee, Stan, gave me Mike's wife's cell number so I should call him up. He's a kiwi who cycled in 2010 from Bluff in the south to Cape Reinga in the north on a recumbent trike. Stan said he's planning to cycle across Australia this summer starting in August. Through the outback.

Pedal, pedal, pedal. Wonder where I am. Pull off the road into a V intersection to check my map. Oh no! Police car! No helmet on! Nailed! It's stopping here! They're getting out! One has equipment. Is that a speed gun? But we're not moving. What's he doing? Hi. What's up? We're filming a TV show for NZ about cops and strange characters. Can we interview you? I'm on my bike with my umbrella up trying to keep my head covered. After asking me a ton of questions about my gear and my trip, the filmer asks the cop "Are you going to say something about the helmet?" The cop shakes his head and then asks, "What's the helmet protecting?" I wished I'd thought to say, my wallet! But I explained my rationale that I can't fall on my head from a trike and that if a truck hits me, it'll be all over anyways...no helmet will save me. Nothing more was said. Whew!! Then they filmed me cycling away. A bit down the road I stopped to check a campsite and post about the cops on Facebook. While there, the cop car comes back. "You all right?" Ya, why? "He's hot his camera all set up ahead to film you coming down the road." Oops!





So I'm still trying to find out the TV show. It's on channel 1. That's all I know. And I won't air until the end of the year.

So I pedal on looking for a campsite and nothing a ways off the road is appearing. I do not want to listen to trucks all night. Please. Maybe I'll find something in the next town. Yup. Plenty of different spots. As I'm scoping out one a car pulls up and the lady says you can camp on the lawn behind the hotel. Flush toilet and shower. I'm there! It's the lawn the dog pees on by all the brown spots but I can't say anything it will do. And a bit later the delightful Irish woman I met at the grocery store shows up out the back of the bar where she's having a smoke. Anastasia. Been in NZ 4 years. And her inquisitive son, Darrough (but I may not have that right...please let me know) who asked me for my autograph. That's a first. So flattered me. I gave him my last biker card. (I do need to get more made up soon.)

We chatted quite a bit. It's been hard for him to be away from his Nana for the last 5 yrs...half of his life. He asked some great questions about my traveling and what it's like. Kudos to you, Darrough for such a wondering mind. Keep wonder and asking! It was dark and I didn't get a picture of this delightful mum and son, but I will remember them.

Bashful BagLady.

(Need to feel less shy about taking pictures of people...good thing to work on these next few days. )


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Another Lesson of the Road

March 2, 2013
Mana Marina, NZ

This is Sunday. Time flies when you're having fun. Or chillaxing:)

I took the bus back here. "I can't fit that bike on here. I already have a bike on here. That bike's larger than normal. I still have more passengers to pick up. I'm not restacking that luggage."

"I will," as I wait patiently to see what's going to happen. Driver was not a happy camper. Deep breaths. It will all work out. Don't panic. Whatever is meant to be, will be.

"Ok, bring your bike over to this other side and you put it in there."

Will do. Guy I just friended helped with hauling all my pieces over.

"You're a good packer," says driver:). "Thanks for finding a space," says I.

Unloading in Porirua was another challenge as this was into traffic on a busy road. "Ok, let's go see how this works," says the driver with a smile as we both disembark. It went fine and his mood was so much better.

"Thanks muchly!"

"No worries!"

I want to write about something but I don't want folks to get upset and worry about me. I've tried several times over the last 10 days to write about this. Not easy. Now I have it in perspective so I hope this is a lesson in the law of attraction.

A friend posted on my Facebook timeline an article about 2 British world touring cyclists that were killed when hit by a truck outside of Bangkok, Thailand. She told me to take care and I said there was no care they could have taken to prevent the accident and that it's a constant danger to cyclists. But the thoughts of Peter and Mary weighed heavy on my mind. Such a tragedy. Such a loss. And I pedaled on.

But something had changed in me. I now was more aware of the traffic. And it seemed vans were coming closer to me. More close calls. More anger in me towards drivers. I once told a driver to F*#k off. I also added a branch that hung an orange bandanna off out to the right to keep drivers further over. Stay away from me!

What was happening? Before this I had told all who asked, the drivers are great...so courteous. And now all things had changed. What was going on? What had changed? Me. My thoughts. That's really the only change and now I was attracting all this negative energy and fear.

Enough. Stop this. You created this negative place and you need to go back to the way you were. No more side flag. No more fear. Just common sense and share the road.

We must be careful of our thoughts. They put ripples into the Universe. I need to change those ripples:). Another lesson of the road learned.

I'm enjoying my down time back on Manaia. Bruce is working crazy hours, getting up at 4 am. When uz the boss, that's what ya gotta do! And I'm getting "town chores" done like laundry, gear repairs, redo toe nail polish, downloading photos to iPad and organizing and thinning them,and designing new biker card. It's always nice to have no place to go. I like down time.

Oh and I listened to Wayne Dyer's PBS special from last year on Tao Te Ching and its 81 verses about living life. I was pleased to realize I've integrated many of them already, but there's always opportunities for improvement. I'm going to study this a bit further while traveling on.



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Hiking Around the Volcano

Feb 26
Day 4



5 hour hike out. A bit of "going for the barn" but trying to hold back and enjoy the scenery. Got hotspots in the tops of my toes today. Hiking in mountain bike sandals is not recommended. Screw just collected in them because they had closed toes, unlike my Chaco hiking sandals where the sand, etc just flows through. And now my bike sandals are so dusty I don't know if I can ever get them clean-er again.



We had weather to die for on this hike. Sun. Sun. Sun. And full moon. Spectacular! So glad I did it, but must say that 4 months on a bike beforehand did not prepare me. Different muscles. Shin splints totally! Hiker limp at day's end. Left knee sharp twinge on one step down right at end. It puffed up. Biking a short but yesterday and Vitamin I last night made it good to go today. My body likes biking:)

And got an approved campsite in National Park Village last night. After scoping the town and seeing many potential places, I stopped by the Outdoor Store. It was closed thus particular afternoon so I just hung out on the steps making phone calls to reserve a bus for today. And in pulls the owner. They'd seen me on the steps and thought I was waiting for it to open. "Do you think it would be okay for me to camp down by the railway station tonight?" "Why not camp right here?" SCORE!!!

Now I could set up before meeting the gang for dinner at a nearby restaurant. And get spruced up...as spruced as a cycle tourist can get: slightly dirty capris and lightly worn T shirt. Brush the hair. Looking good! Did score a shower at the campground that stored Blaze for me. So only 6 miles of biking sweat on the body in the blazing afternoon heat...insignificant.

Tonight's full moon rising from behind Mt. Ngauruhie (Mt Doom, Lord of the Rings movie) . Photo does not do it justice. Couldn't tamper down the exposure on the phone.


Blistered BagLady

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Hiking the Volcanoes...Day 3

Feb 25
Day 3




Please note the very small pack:). Looking out at Mt Ruapehu.




View from our hut tonight.




The gang eating.


-And view inside. This is the nicest. Like a ski chalet!

And for evening fun we played Pictionary...ugh. My words: game of Two Halves (what's that?) and Prawn Cracker (and what's that??). But I was good at guessing!

The night before we played "500", I think it was called. I'm writing down the rules so I won't forget them. I know I've played this before. Deal out as many cards as go around fully. Number of players can vary. Then turn up top card of remaining. That's trump. Each player bids how many tricks they will take, starting to dealer's left. Dealer bids last and cannot make bids equal tricks. Dealer leads first trick. Score is tricks plus 10 if you got your bid and 0 if you didn't. Next hand is one less trick going all the way down to one and back up to number of tricks you started with. Fun way they play the 1 trick is you can't look at it. You put it to your forehead and everyone else can see it:). Fun game!

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Hiking the Volcanoes. Day 2

Feb 24,2014
Day 2
Pretty warm in the huts. Freezing was not the issue. Not bringing sleeping shorts and cami was. Couldn't sleep in long johns. Had to sleep in hiking shorts and top. Wore those suckers 4 days straight...24/7!



Up and across and over and down.



Hiking a crater.


My Ngaruhu


Mt Tongariro in background. Gang taking a break.

(Deleted panoramic. Wouldn't load)

The pic above is from my 360* app and I'm testing using it in my blog. Hard to know from my iPhone what it really looks like, so please give me feedback.



Red Crater.


Emerald Lakes

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