Chewed up.... spat out!
Well... how the hell do I describe today. Not sure of a title for this blog yet but it may become clear as I lay out e v e r y painful step of Day 3.
Firstly and without further ado... I wish to reintroduce myself to you.. for today at least... as dumb f#@$€r and while I struggled to find a word that wasnt a swear word... I gave up as nothing else seemed appropriate. Rest of that story later.
You may remember from yesterdays blog that the voices of reason ( mark and sue hobbs) had persuaded me that it was a good plan to stay the night in a comfy motel and they werent wrong. A reasonable nights kip... waking a few times... before an early start in order to get up to the Cape.
Before I knew it we were there. Wierdly we were there. And as we walked down to the lighthouse it all seemed a bit too real. We took photos and as I stared out to the two oceans meeting (not the only place you can see this!) I realised that once again I myself would be subject to the whim and force of nature. Rarely benevelent... occasionally uninterested.. but always around you. I feel that when Im on my bike... the sheer insignificance.
This feeling was compounded somewhat when I got on my bike.. made to cycle off for a photo shot and... crash! Brakes had jammed the wheel causing me to go flying and scrape a bit of skin off my knee. Great start!
There was little time for pontificating though... I had to leave... and I had to go soon. I had been faffing to delay the inevitable cutting the cord moment between myself, mark and Sue. Clinging on to what you know.. even if not for very long. Hugs all around... a promise to stay safe (note no promise not to be a dumb f#$@*r) .. music in the ears and off I went (again).
The first small section was downhill and after that the first 20 miles are a bit of a blur. Firstly.. breathing is an issue today. Im pretty short of breath and I take a deep breath I cough my guts up and thats almost no exaggeration. So there I was literally wheezing past the most beautiful scenery and I could not quite show the appreciation it deserved. Snot (apologies for those sensitive of stomach... im afraid it gets worse..) was literally pouring out of me and my hacking cough had me doubled up.. trying to quell both the cough and the feeling of being about to throw up. A portable suction catheter wouldnt have gone amiss.
That aside.. it was pretty hot.. and I was getting through water like there was no tomorrow. Which was another concern. Anyhow .. I plodded on...
At some point amongst the plodding I started to take note of my surrounding. Reminiscent of Cornwall... wales... and states such as missouri (the hills.. oh the hills) and oaklahoma (the sidewind .. oh the sidewind). Even on the downhill I was battling... not to go forward .. but at the very least not to go sideways. The sand dunes gave way to chalk and dense bush was something to behold in places. At one point.. I stopped.. took out the earphones and listened to cacophany of sound emanating from it. Crickets and birds whistling their own tune of life.
By now I was becoming mildly concerned about several things. Firstly.. the time... it was a ticking and I was not going very fast. Second water running out... and third .. my right shoe was not unclipping... a problem I had had in America. I had spare cleats so just needed to stop somewhere and fix it. The problem I had was I stopped on a hill.. with one foot permanently clicked in. There was nothing for it but to remove foot from said shoe.. walk up the hill with one shoe.. coast down the other side and find a place in shade where I could sort stuff.
A solution came in the form of a motel/ b and b where the owner kindly let me fill my water bottles and fix my shoe..
Easier said than done of course as I couldnt get the bloody thing off the pedal. Almost at the point of despair 15 mins later... I tugged really hard... caught my fingers on the chain ring.. gouging out skin.. but victoriously holding the shoe. Once free it was quickly fixed. Smiling at what today was throwing at me I pedalled onwards.. coughing fits puntuating the air as I wound up and down.
The terrain was still pretty unforgiving but in the back of my head I knew it flattened out a bit before Kaitaia... where exactly I wasnt sure but the thought kept me grinding up the mountains.
The scenery when I noticed it had changed into pasture filled with horses and cattle. Surprisingly I didnt see many sheep.
I had also determined that to get to Kaitaia would be probably a stretch too far and alternative plans had run round my head... stop short and make it up another day being the foremost one at this point. Having relaxed a bit about my destination I decided to sit down by the roadside and eat a few of the provisions I had obtained. Some goddam awful salami thing, nuts and a banana and chocolate flapjack (One of your five a day). I sat there opposite this very picturesque gate which appealed to my picture taking side of me. I then sat there in peace and tranquility watching some bird of prey wheel over the hill, and then Breathe came on my Ipod(a Mike Peters song for those of you who dont know) and the scene was complete. It was a perfect moment in an otherwise difficult day.
Half an hour gone, I got up, hopped back on the bike and freewheeled down the road, the much anticipated flat part coming up. Even getting down onto the aero bars for a bit, my brain started thinking about the possibility of getting to Kaitaia as planned. I was still having difficulty breathing however and the next stop brought on a coughing spasm which saw the aforementioned salami end up on the road. Nice!
I passed some nice flowers that I almost took a picture of but decided to plod on, and didnt stop again till I screeched to a halt at a sign for Salvation Road (dead end lol) and reached into my pocket to get my phone. Now you remember I introduced myself as dumb f$#@*r, well here's why. I scrabbled around in one pocket, then the other as it it slowly dawned on me that my phone was most definately not there. Call it the final straw for today but I was not smiling any more. In fact I was very angry with myself. In my desperation, I rang Mark, (on the other NZ phone he had given me) in the hope he would be in the area. To his great credit, he didnt blink a eyelid - least not that I could tell over the phone. He was over two hours away and was considering driving back to take me back up the road to go find it. At which point my stubborn, angry, stupid self finally came to my senses and told him not to worry, Id just turn round and go back. I was pretty certain it was by the gate, where Id eaten cos I hadnt stopped since then. He said to hang on and he would call back in a few minutes. When he rang back he had an idea of phoning around his police buddies to see if there was a patrol car that could take me back to where I dropped it. Those few minutes sitting by the roadside however had hardened my resolve. My mistake, therefore my punishment.
I thanked him and turned my bike round to start the pedal back towards the gate. It couldnt have been that far right? Frankly it felt like ten miles but was probably only 5 max and as the gate drew into view, my fingers were firmly crossed that It would be there. I crossed the road, leaned the bike against the embankment and began a systematic sweep of the area I thought it would be in. Not there! Just as I was beginning to despair, I walked a little further, certain in my mind that I wasnt sitting this far up, when suddenly I noticed my phone, lying nonchalantly on the ground. I could hardly believe my luck. I texted Mark to let him know the good news before, once again, turning my bike around and heading in the direction I was supposed to be going.
I was dead on my feet and frankly had decided pretty much to stop at the first motel available. Back to where I realised my phone was missing, I took a photo of the Salvation road sign, aware that if it hadnt stopped me I wouldnt have known the phone was gone. Salvation indeed!!. A few more mins down the road an advert for food and accomodation jumped out and I wheeled down the gravel track. It all looked a bit shut but as I turned round to head back to the road, a voice asked if she could help.
Now whether it was my general broken state, or the fact that whenever I tried to talk, with my now defunct voice, I collapsed in spasms of coughing, Im not sure, but something brought out a motherly instinct in this lady Id just met and within minutes, Id been shown to a lovely wooden cabin, ushered onto a sofa, given hot honey and lemon, and some for an overnight flask, as well as a very nice meal of 'snapper' fish with salad, some fruit for tomorrow and an offer of a herbal remedy to open the lungs as I was still short of breath. I was then charged for the room only, free meal and sundaries, so very kind! So a massive thank you to Helen and Russel of the Houhora taven for being my saviours today.
I collapsed in my cabin and assessed the damage of the day.
I felt like I had been chewed up and spat out on the road today and my headspace is not good. A short hop into kaitaia with a rest day was one idea but my phoenix is telling me to shut up and get on with it tomorrow, so will do my utmost. I hope I have the strength to continue forward motion come what may.
So that was Day 3. What an introduction!
Perhaps its too early for this song quote but it feels apt...
It's alright, It's ok.....
LHS
P.s - apologies of lack of replies to messages and comments. I will try to answer all in the morning, but thank you everyone for the support x
Firstly and without further ado... I wish to reintroduce myself to you.. for today at least... as dumb f#@$€r and while I struggled to find a word that wasnt a swear word... I gave up as nothing else seemed appropriate. Rest of that story later.
You may remember from yesterdays blog that the voices of reason ( mark and sue hobbs) had persuaded me that it was a good plan to stay the night in a comfy motel and they werent wrong. A reasonable nights kip... waking a few times... before an early start in order to get up to the Cape.
Before I knew it we were there. Wierdly we were there. And as we walked down to the lighthouse it all seemed a bit too real. We took photos and as I stared out to the two oceans meeting (not the only place you can see this!) I realised that once again I myself would be subject to the whim and force of nature. Rarely benevelent... occasionally uninterested.. but always around you. I feel that when Im on my bike... the sheer insignificance.
This feeling was compounded somewhat when I got on my bike.. made to cycle off for a photo shot and... crash! Brakes had jammed the wheel causing me to go flying and scrape a bit of skin off my knee. Great start!
There was little time for pontificating though... I had to leave... and I had to go soon. I had been faffing to delay the inevitable cutting the cord moment between myself, mark and Sue. Clinging on to what you know.. even if not for very long. Hugs all around... a promise to stay safe (note no promise not to be a dumb f#$@*r) .. music in the ears and off I went (again).
The first small section was downhill and after that the first 20 miles are a bit of a blur. Firstly.. breathing is an issue today. Im pretty short of breath and I take a deep breath I cough my guts up and thats almost no exaggeration. So there I was literally wheezing past the most beautiful scenery and I could not quite show the appreciation it deserved. Snot (apologies for those sensitive of stomach... im afraid it gets worse..) was literally pouring out of me and my hacking cough had me doubled up.. trying to quell both the cough and the feeling of being about to throw up. A portable suction catheter wouldnt have gone amiss.
That aside.. it was pretty hot.. and I was getting through water like there was no tomorrow. Which was another concern. Anyhow .. I plodded on...
At some point amongst the plodding I started to take note of my surrounding. Reminiscent of Cornwall... wales... and states such as missouri (the hills.. oh the hills) and oaklahoma (the sidewind .. oh the sidewind). Even on the downhill I was battling... not to go forward .. but at the very least not to go sideways. The sand dunes gave way to chalk and dense bush was something to behold in places. At one point.. I stopped.. took out the earphones and listened to cacophany of sound emanating from it. Crickets and birds whistling their own tune of life.
By now I was becoming mildly concerned about several things. Firstly.. the time... it was a ticking and I was not going very fast. Second water running out... and third .. my right shoe was not unclipping... a problem I had had in America. I had spare cleats so just needed to stop somewhere and fix it. The problem I had was I stopped on a hill.. with one foot permanently clicked in. There was nothing for it but to remove foot from said shoe.. walk up the hill with one shoe.. coast down the other side and find a place in shade where I could sort stuff.
A solution came in the form of a motel/ b and b where the owner kindly let me fill my water bottles and fix my shoe..
Easier said than done of course as I couldnt get the bloody thing off the pedal. Almost at the point of despair 15 mins later... I tugged really hard... caught my fingers on the chain ring.. gouging out skin.. but victoriously holding the shoe. Once free it was quickly fixed. Smiling at what today was throwing at me I pedalled onwards.. coughing fits puntuating the air as I wound up and down.
The terrain was still pretty unforgiving but in the back of my head I knew it flattened out a bit before Kaitaia... where exactly I wasnt sure but the thought kept me grinding up the mountains.
The scenery when I noticed it had changed into pasture filled with horses and cattle. Surprisingly I didnt see many sheep.
I had also determined that to get to Kaitaia would be probably a stretch too far and alternative plans had run round my head... stop short and make it up another day being the foremost one at this point. Having relaxed a bit about my destination I decided to sit down by the roadside and eat a few of the provisions I had obtained. Some goddam awful salami thing, nuts and a banana and chocolate flapjack (One of your five a day). I sat there opposite this very picturesque gate which appealed to my picture taking side of me. I then sat there in peace and tranquility watching some bird of prey wheel over the hill, and then Breathe came on my Ipod(a Mike Peters song for those of you who dont know) and the scene was complete. It was a perfect moment in an otherwise difficult day.
Half an hour gone, I got up, hopped back on the bike and freewheeled down the road, the much anticipated flat part coming up. Even getting down onto the aero bars for a bit, my brain started thinking about the possibility of getting to Kaitaia as planned. I was still having difficulty breathing however and the next stop brought on a coughing spasm which saw the aforementioned salami end up on the road. Nice!
I passed some nice flowers that I almost took a picture of but decided to plod on, and didnt stop again till I screeched to a halt at a sign for Salvation Road (dead end lol) and reached into my pocket to get my phone. Now you remember I introduced myself as dumb f$#@*r, well here's why. I scrabbled around in one pocket, then the other as it it slowly dawned on me that my phone was most definately not there. Call it the final straw for today but I was not smiling any more. In fact I was very angry with myself. In my desperation, I rang Mark, (on the other NZ phone he had given me) in the hope he would be in the area. To his great credit, he didnt blink a eyelid - least not that I could tell over the phone. He was over two hours away and was considering driving back to take me back up the road to go find it. At which point my stubborn, angry, stupid self finally came to my senses and told him not to worry, Id just turn round and go back. I was pretty certain it was by the gate, where Id eaten cos I hadnt stopped since then. He said to hang on and he would call back in a few minutes. When he rang back he had an idea of phoning around his police buddies to see if there was a patrol car that could take me back to where I dropped it. Those few minutes sitting by the roadside however had hardened my resolve. My mistake, therefore my punishment.
I thanked him and turned my bike round to start the pedal back towards the gate. It couldnt have been that far right? Frankly it felt like ten miles but was probably only 5 max and as the gate drew into view, my fingers were firmly crossed that It would be there. I crossed the road, leaned the bike against the embankment and began a systematic sweep of the area I thought it would be in. Not there! Just as I was beginning to despair, I walked a little further, certain in my mind that I wasnt sitting this far up, when suddenly I noticed my phone, lying nonchalantly on the ground. I could hardly believe my luck. I texted Mark to let him know the good news before, once again, turning my bike around and heading in the direction I was supposed to be going.
I was dead on my feet and frankly had decided pretty much to stop at the first motel available. Back to where I realised my phone was missing, I took a photo of the Salvation road sign, aware that if it hadnt stopped me I wouldnt have known the phone was gone. Salvation indeed!!. A few more mins down the road an advert for food and accomodation jumped out and I wheeled down the gravel track. It all looked a bit shut but as I turned round to head back to the road, a voice asked if she could help.
Now whether it was my general broken state, or the fact that whenever I tried to talk, with my now defunct voice, I collapsed in spasms of coughing, Im not sure, but something brought out a motherly instinct in this lady Id just met and within minutes, Id been shown to a lovely wooden cabin, ushered onto a sofa, given hot honey and lemon, and some for an overnight flask, as well as a very nice meal of 'snapper' fish with salad, some fruit for tomorrow and an offer of a herbal remedy to open the lungs as I was still short of breath. I was then charged for the room only, free meal and sundaries, so very kind! So a massive thank you to Helen and Russel of the Houhora taven for being my saviours today.
I collapsed in my cabin and assessed the damage of the day.
I felt like I had been chewed up and spat out on the road today and my headspace is not good. A short hop into kaitaia with a rest day was one idea but my phoenix is telling me to shut up and get on with it tomorrow, so will do my utmost. I hope I have the strength to continue forward motion come what may.
So that was Day 3. What an introduction!
Perhaps its too early for this song quote but it feels apt...
It's alright, It's ok.....
LHS
P.s - apologies of lack of replies to messages and comments. I will try to answer all in the morning, but thank you everyone for the support x
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