Not A Mid Life Crisis, Just An Extended Tour (Part XIV) - The Sydney Contingent Arrive

 

DAY 19

It was bit of a rowdy night in the pub below me. Plenty of hoo haa until the early hours. A bike left the pub before sun up and I could hear it for miles and miles in the still night air. I thought "he's brave" , what with all the wildlife active at night around here.

I got up at sun-up myself, as the lads would be getting off the boat pretty early and I had said I would meet them in Railton as they made their way to Deloraine. I didn't want to miss them so the plan was to get there early and wait.

The valley to the west of Mole Creek was full of fog - which didn't really show up in my photos....

2018 Arizona Trail Race 750 - Day 2

I awoke and it was still dark. Good, I didn't oversleep. I had set my alarm for 0430 and I tried to pry my eyes open to see what the time was now. 0420. Nice. Time to get up.

I jumped up and got into my kit as quickly and quietly as I could, mindful of the people camped just near me. I ate the second half of my Sonoita takeway buritto, washed down with a can of Starbucks esspresso, mmmmm, coffeeee, while I stuffed my gear into the bike bags. It was cold so I layered up a bit. I knew I would warm up quickly as there was a big HAB right from the get-go this morning. I had watched all the passers by last night push up to the top of the ridge.

So, I began Day 2 by walking that ridge too. Once at the top I was warm and for the next hour or two I grovelled along, riding a little, pushing a lot. The singletrack was very narrow along here and kept dropping into small drainages which climbed steeply on the other side. I felt good this morning but was getting a little frustrated at my apparent lack of progress.

New Zealand- A Quick Look At The South Island- Part 3

Days 5 and 6

Fox Glacier to Queenstown - 430km(269mi)

After a restful sleep, where my new room mate (Wayne) said there was no snoring, unlike when he shared with "Geoff the chainsaw" the previous night, we wandered down the main drag of Fox for some breakfast. There was a hustle of tourists getting onto buses for tours, being picked up for chopper flights and the odd long distance cyclist getting ready for another day of pedalling in paradise.

We were soon on the road, leaving the Fox Glacier Inn and it's great hospitality behind. While not the most aesthetically pleasing of pubs, the friendliness and service make it a "must visit". Steve produced the following  photo hoping to embarrass me, but I present it here as a testament to west coast hospitality! ;-) (even if the young lass was from Austria) You just have to get a photo with the bar staff when you ride your bike INTO the pub!