Another Overnight Adventure

I have a list, a list of all those little things that will make a huge difference on my bike tour. Things that will make living out of two pannier bags and and a one woman tent for 7 weeks a bit easier. The major items like a tent have already been crossed off the list, but all the smaller things were still there. So on Friday off I went to Dunedin and shopped for some of those small, but oh so important items like a good inflatable pillow, cooking pot and a Spork!

Mark has now fulfilled his quest of finding me the superior Spork. This bad boy is pure aircraft grade titanium and features 3 razor sharp prongs combined with a generously proportioned spoon feature, and the technical among you will note the space saving foldaway handle!!!!

So now I have all I need, it was time for another overnight trip. This time I decided to head up the Central Otago Rail Trail and ride to Oturehua, a 139 km (86 miles) round trip. It was a perfect day for riding.

Poolburn Tunnels. Beautiful tunnels and all dug out with pick axes!

Made it to my destination with no rain despite the dark sky...the Crows Nest Backpackers at Oturehua. This is a really funky place to stay...I loved it. Its quirky in a really good way.

So I pitched my tent in slight drizzly rain, had a shower (the showers here are REALLY good) and parked up on the verandah with a glass of  wine, yes I carried a small bottle of merlot with me, and watched the sun set over the Hawkdun Range as the rain started to come down and beat a rhythm on the tin roof.. I think bike touring is about the simple pleasures of life.

It was a very rainy night but my tent performed well and I was so cosy inside. Trying to stay dry in a downpour, with only a small one woman tent to manoeuvre around in is an art, but I didn't do too badly and nothing got wet. I also discovered the joys of packing up in the morning with a very wet tent in the drizzling rain.

 But thankfully the rain didn't hang around and it was another perfect riding day.

A slight detour to the historic Hayes Engineering Works, then back onto the trail.

Mark drove up to meet me for lunch, so we went to the only cafe in the very small town of Lauder...Stationside Cafe. This is a really good cafe, I mean REALLY good...the food was so delicious and it was such a surprise to find out it was run by Shirley Vette, who was a regular to my studio many years ago.

As tempting as it was to put Birdy in the back of Marks truck and not ride the remaining 44 kms (27 miles), I waved him goodbye and set off again in gorgeous sunshine.

After riding through Central Otago landscape of schist rock and tussock, it was nice to see some greenery again as I got closer to Clyde.

It was a great weekend away, I loved seeing the world from Birdy and she performed admirably. As for me...I'm feeling good about my overall bike fitness and stamina, and with that comes a lot more confidence about my bike tour.

Also the realization how much absolute enjoyment I get being self reliant with Birdy, and just riding!

"And as far as I can see the world is too old for us to talk about it with our new words - We will pass just as quietly through life (passing through, passing through) as the 10th century people of this valley only with a little more noise and a few bridges and dams and bombs that wont even last a million years."
                       

                                                   Jack Kerouac

                                         Big Sur

I'm not nervous....really I'm not!

I have started counting down until I go on my tour....just over 3 months until I leave. The training is going well and I am happy where my fitness is at the moment. The nerves are starting to creep in though. I'm not frightened at all, more like a scared excited feeling about what I am undertaking....7 weeks on the road, biking 2000 kms, camping and all on my own. I know I will meet other cyclists, see amazing scenery and have a wonderful adventure, but I also know there will be some hard riding days and some days when I feel lonely and all I want to see is a familiar face.

I'm not sure if reading posts from my various bike touring facebook groups is a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes after reading posts, I feel so under prepared for this but I think my mindset is more with the people who say "just get out there and do it!"
Part of the attraction of this sort of trip is not too much planning...yes I know where I am going and what I need to take and that's about it. I worked out a very rough idea of how many km's day, so I knew how long I would need to be away for, but the idea of no timetable and taking each day as it comes is part of the appeal. I'm not very good at being organized by others, I like to do my own haphazard organizing.

The other thing that is slightly freaking me out is looking at google maps streetview and thinking I am going to be cycling along this very road and camping right in this camp ground!! Not sure if looking at that is helping or making me more nervous. But plenty of people have done the ride I'm doing, camped where I am camping...it's only new and adventurous in my mind.

So the training continues...here's some photos of the last long ride I did. Four long steep climbs but nice downhills too, nearly all the way to Lake Mahinerangi then back via Waitahuna. A very challenging ride but fun.

Bungtown Woolshed

Can just see the road I came down way off in the distance.

Last big climb..hopefully!

Perfect lunchtime view

Birdy looking splendid!

Some old gold mining machinery

" There will be a few times in your life when all your instincts tell you to do something, something that defies logic, upsets your plans and may seem crazy to others. When that happens, you do it. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic, ignore the odds, ignore the complications, and just go for it."

                                                             Judith McNaught

Nice day for it.

After all the bad weather we have been having this summer, it was so nice to have a warm sunny day. What else could I do except pack up Birdy and head off for the night. This was the first chance to ride with all my gear and only a bit under the weight I will be carrying on my tour.

So this will pretty much be the set up I take away with me, just need to add in a day pack and a bigger handlebar bag with a clear cover for my map so I don't get lost! Highly likely considering I have no sense of direction.

It was a great ride and neither Birdy nor I really felt the added weight. That was very reassuring as I am so use to riding with no weight at all, and having pannier bags and a rack certainly changes the feel of Birdy.

Once I made camp, Mark arrived (in the car) and we headed off to Hobbes Family Orchard to do a spot of apricot picking. Nothing like eating really ripe, fresh fruit, warm from the sun, straight off the tree. I did pick more than I ate though!

We then went to the Millers Flat pub for something to eat. I have discovered a Citrus Beer that is low alcohol and so tasty. After a couple of those, a very tasty burger and chips I was about ready for the short walk back to camp and sleep.

Woke to an overcast day, bit of rain and headwind. By the time I got home...100km round trip, I was ready for a hot bath. It does make me wonder how I will go day after day biking on my tour, but I have given myself a good amount of time, and I'm sure there will be a lot of rests with time to go and explore something, take photos and sightsee.

Magic Energy Beans

Where's that bath?

One thing I have noticed about riding Birdy with all the gear on, is how my attitude changes. Its an odd thing.......I don't worry about how many km's I can clock up, and I ride at a much slower pace, taking in more of the scenery. I can ride the same trail with no load on Birdy and its more about speed and training.

I think I like the touring mindset a lot better!

"Interesting people do normal stuff mostly, they just go beyond that at times."

                                                                     

                                                                                                            Trevor Wetherby

No turning back now!

Plans for my big trip are certainly underway. I've bought my ticket to the USA, so no turning back now. In just over four months I will be on my way to Seattle, returning to New Zealand two and a half months later. Big thank you to Simoney at House of Travel...she got me a great price on my airfare AND sorted out Birdy's ticket too!!!

The other big news is I finally decided on the pannier bags I wanted and they were swiftly dispatched to me by Burkes Cycles. It would have been nice to spend more and get the best there is, but I am very happy with my choice of these Axiom panniers. My criteria was 100% waterproof and a bright colour for safety on the road. They came with a very detailed one paragraph instruction guide in four different languages, hence the look of confusion on my face.

Think I have got it sorted now!

Hmmm...be helpful if I could read this language.

I'm sure they will hold more than what they look, hopefully a bit like Mary Poppins bottomless carpet bag!

So Birdy and I set off for a ride, with the panniers slightly loaded...I wasn't sure how I would go my first time riding with panniers. I did a good ride with some strenuous hill climbs, carrying an extra 6kg and the panniers didn't make any difference. Next ride I will load them up a lot heavier and see how I go. Birdy seems to love a bit of weight on her, she seems to be a lot more stable on the gravel roads.

In between the rainy and windy days we have been having here lately, there has been been some perfect cycling days. One of these days we went off for a picnic on the banks of the Clutha River at Beaumont. Mark can never resist riding down cliffs, over banks and through rivers!

I tell people when Mark and I bike together it's like the tortoise and the hare. He's the hare...all speedy but halfway up a hill he will be flat on his back exhausted. Meanwhile I just wave as I slowly ride by...I'm the tortoise with stamina and I think I will need a lot of that for my solo tour!

"If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, its lethal"

                                                                                            Paulo Coelho

Friends and an Overnighter.

Usually I ride on my own at my own pace, but through the summer every few weeks, I go for a ride with my friends Margaret and Judy. These are sociable rides and always have to involve at least one cafe or pub! We have had some great days out and I love riding with my friends.

The other weekend Judy and I went for a ride ( Margaret couldn't make it) along the Clutha Gold cycle trail to Millers Flat Pub. We called into the Millers Flat Campground, and I thought this would be the perfect place to have my first overnighter trip and to work out what will make my life on the road comfy for my big tour next year.

So last weekend I loaded up Birdy with my tent, sleeping bag, food etc in a day pack and set off. I don't have my pannier bags yet, so everything was loaded onto the rack at the back. One of the things I have been nervous about is cycling with a load but I have to say...I found it really easy. It seemed to make Birdy a lot more stable. I had approx 10kgs on her and really didn't feel much difference.

And yes...I will admit I was nervous but also pretty excited about pitching my tent somewhere other than the front lawn at home! The weather was just perfect for the ride up.

The Millers Flat Camping Ground is great! If you are biking the Clutha Gold Trail I really recommend it as a place to stay. The showers are lovely and hot, the camping spots are very sheltered, and you can sit on the banks of the Clutha River, watch the sun set with a glass of wine and talk to the wild ducks. John and Marise will look after you so well and the coffee is really good!

My neighbours

I had a great time on my first "overnighter".....beer at the pub, cooking dinner out of a can and a pretty good sleep in my tent.

The most important thing about the whole experience was it gave me the confidence to look forward to my trip.... yes I'm slightly terrified about what I am planning to do. The more I get out there and push myself away from my comfort zones, the more I am looking forward to doing it, and feeling that I can do it. That is the important part...the confidence within yourself to follow a dream.

Today was a quick ride on the Gorge Trail to Shingle Creek and back. This is one of my favourite rides, its not long but has a bit of everything in it and the views are spectacular. On a hot summers day the air smells of all the wild thyme that grows throughout the gorge. 

Not a bad place to have lunch!

"No amount of security is worth the suffering of a mediocre life chained to a routine that has killed your dreams"

           

Maya Mendoza