Day 16 - Rain in the Summertime
Day 16
Rest day... what the hell do I do with myself? My 'lie in' this morning saw me awake at 0700 and already at a bit of a loss. My usual morning routine of fb... then packing up ready for the day wasnt necessary this morning and it felt a bit wierd.
Outside was cold (by my recent standards) and drizzly. It was a very grey morning but I was a bit igity so after an hour or so of catching up with messages I decided to wander by foot into Spring Creek town. From the campsite it is a nice stroll with the river on my left and the road to my right. Past a little nature reserve bit and in a short distance I reached the junction. One small supermarket and a hotel stood here but I wanted breakfast so thought Id go further into Spring Creek.
The backpackers place was on the left and then it was a single street down... houses to my left and right... past a school and a kindergarten, but no sign of any shops/cafes etc that I have so far found in little towns. Even the ubiquitous Dairy (New Zealand version of a corner shop) wasnt to be found.
Half an hour later ... I ran out of civilisation. The bridge over the river signified the end of Spring Creek. The river looked peaceful and a heron like bird swam across as I stared down.
A couple of photos later and it seemed like there wasnt anything for it but to turn around and find something worthy of breakfast at the shop ( 4 square). A bit wet now I arrived at the shop again and proceeded to pick out supplies for breakfast and tomorrow. I ended up with rolls and brie for breakfast (mmmmm) and a selection of cereal bars and flapjack type things for tomorrow (more about tomorrow in a bit). I even bought a paper determined to relax into the day. Given the rain I couldnt see myself spending much time outside.... there were plenty more cycling days for me to get wet in!
The brie and rolls went down nicely and I spent a good hour reading the paper. Scientists have worked out how to print larger organs and keep them alive up to and after implantation in animals, George w Bush has been rolled out on the campaign trail to help his brother Jeb and the public buildings were all back open after post earthquake inspections in Christchurch!!
Then I had to do some work!! No rest for the wicked! My poor bike had been crashed into... dealt with rain and gear crunching uphills and now needed a bit of tlc.
But how could I clean the chain properly? I hadnt bought any degreaser with me as the can I had at home was too large. Hindsight a wonderful thing... I should have brought a little in a small container... but thats hindsight for you. Could I just use water ... I didnt think that would work... so I fb messaged a friend... another biking nut... Chris Summerill. (Well done on the bunny hops Chris). A reply quickly came back... WD40... white spirit... or petrol. Could I obtain any of those? I wanded over to the camp reception and asked the random question... ' we have some petrol' came the reply... not a raised eyebrow in sight.... 'bring your bike round the back! So I duly did that and he poured some petrol on a cloth (which I did bring) leaving me to scrub my chain and cogs till they were nice and clean. The oil had now transferred itself to my fingers leaving my hands with oily petrol stains all over... but my chain was clean!!
A further scrubbing got me a bit cleaner and I wheeled my bike back into my room having also rubbed off some of the road grime of the past 15 days.. not quite new again... my bike looked better and I was satisfied that we were prepared for the coming days.
I sat in my room eating chocolate... crisps and sweets... no need for calorie worries as my belt needs to be pulled a little tighter every day. I was just chilling out when there was a knock at my door.....
I opened the door expecting the management or the cleaner outside but there stood this gentleman who quickly introduced himself as Nick... said he'd been following my bike ride, knew The Alarm and Mike and Jules .. saw I was staying here... and came to see if I was alright or needed anything! What a wonderful surprise!! We chatted for a while and then arranged to have dinner later. So nice to meet someone from home, familiar with the Alarm world and what a lovely gesture to track me down!
When Nick left I spent the afternoon dozing or reading. I also had a mooch at tomorrows 'stage'. I had been made aware of the weather forecast by Andy from Auden guitars who made me aware of some landslips and possible road closures... none of which should affect my route tomorrow. The forecast is for rain and more rain and tomorrow is a long one with very little in between beginning and end points. Running down on SH63 from Spring Creek to Murchison, the road is a long drag up to a point.. then a bit of a climb before the 40 mile gradual descent into Murchison. A total of just over 100 miles.. the first point where there looks like there is anything is St Arnaud at around 60 miles. Which will be fine even in rain as long as there isnt a bad headwind. A bad headwind could destroy my day and make my destination of Murchison a step too far... we will see. I have an option to stop in st Arnaud and make the next day a 100 mile day so will see how it goes... but it could be a late arrival day. And that is tomorrow!
Nick came to pick me up for dinner and I had the luxury of being driven to a nice pub in Blenheim... where to my delight they had pizza!! We spent a nice couple of hours chatting about New Zealand... bike rides... the weather(in true brit style) The Alarm and LHS and all manner of things. It was nice not to be talking out loud to myself for a change... poor Nick had to endure a very chatty Lid. Thank you Nick for tracking me down. It was lovely to meet you.
One of the questions Nick asked me is why I do these rides and it is a good question because often when Im in the middle of them.. I question it myself... what the hell am I doing?? Ive thought about this a lot... what drives me to do this to myself and I have come to these conclusions... some of them may sound cliched but it is what it is....
I find it fascinating to see how much pain and suffering the body can endure when the mind has chosen to do something and asks the body to respond. Both the human body and mind are amazing tools for us to utilise.
And the thing is... im no athlete... I dont spend hours every day training... I often dont ride properly more than once a week... I struggle like everyone else to motivate myself when its cold.. wet.. and miserable. But despite all that... put me on a bike with a goal to achieve and I will break myself trying to achieve it. And so far I have not broken completely.. partly on occasion... days where the mind is almost ready to give up but something continues to drive me onwards... what is that? Pride possibly.. dont want to be seen as someone who gives up easily... certainly a fear of letting everyone down.. all those people who have invested time in reading the blogs and cheering me on... and then there is the thought that everyday people face much harder challenges than this with quiet endurance and if I can do some good by highlighting that and the cause of LHS then thats a good thing to do.
Then there is the feeling that being on a bike in a strange country with no one to rely on except yourself. It is the best way to see the world.
Lots of people will hire a campervan and drive it from one tourist spot to another... get out... take a photo... and so on. Buy a t shirt at the airport with New Zealand on it and go home happy... and great if that satisfies their needs. But for me... I like to immerse myself in a country. I may not see all the tourist 'hot spots'... I may miss the flat rock or the maori village... but what I get it this:
I have felt every inch of the country that I have peddled through... I have breathed every breath of air and sweated up every inch of the hills... I have absorbed the sounds and the smells of the road and the bush next to it. I have truly lived and absorbed the country in its rawness ( and harshness at times) and however far I get I know that I will have truly 'seen' far more of this country than I would have done in a campervan. I meet and can talk to people easier as they are more receptive to someone solo on a bike and I know that in time... the painful and hard bits will become just part of the great story that i get to live and I will be left with a greater sense of achievement than if Id driven from one end to the other...
Does any of that make sense??
I do believe that anyone is capable of doing something like this... it just requires a small leap of faith beyond the fear and the doubt and the excuses... and then go do it. Its not what everyone would choose to do but it doesnt have to be this... in life... doing something that you fear every once in a while is good for the soul. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone... in that I have every faith!
Few more bits and pieces to do then good kip hopefully and up at 0500 for the routine to begin again. Today I have rested... tomorrow I am on the road.. pushing myself to my limits again.
A massive Thank you to everyone for their support and messages of encouragement. Please keep sharing the blogs and the just giving page (www.justgiving.com/GoWithTheCrazy) so that we can all be part of this journey and raise as much money as possible for LHS.
Fight Back... Be Free .... Stay Alive!
Rest day... what the hell do I do with myself? My 'lie in' this morning saw me awake at 0700 and already at a bit of a loss. My usual morning routine of fb... then packing up ready for the day wasnt necessary this morning and it felt a bit wierd.
Outside was cold (by my recent standards) and drizzly. It was a very grey morning but I was a bit igity so after an hour or so of catching up with messages I decided to wander by foot into Spring Creek town. From the campsite it is a nice stroll with the river on my left and the road to my right. Past a little nature reserve bit and in a short distance I reached the junction. One small supermarket and a hotel stood here but I wanted breakfast so thought Id go further into Spring Creek.
The backpackers place was on the left and then it was a single street down... houses to my left and right... past a school and a kindergarten, but no sign of any shops/cafes etc that I have so far found in little towns. Even the ubiquitous Dairy (New Zealand version of a corner shop) wasnt to be found.
Half an hour later ... I ran out of civilisation. The bridge over the river signified the end of Spring Creek. The river looked peaceful and a heron like bird swam across as I stared down.
A couple of photos later and it seemed like there wasnt anything for it but to turn around and find something worthy of breakfast at the shop ( 4 square). A bit wet now I arrived at the shop again and proceeded to pick out supplies for breakfast and tomorrow. I ended up with rolls and brie for breakfast (mmmmm) and a selection of cereal bars and flapjack type things for tomorrow (more about tomorrow in a bit). I even bought a paper determined to relax into the day. Given the rain I couldnt see myself spending much time outside.... there were plenty more cycling days for me to get wet in!
The brie and rolls went down nicely and I spent a good hour reading the paper. Scientists have worked out how to print larger organs and keep them alive up to and after implantation in animals, George w Bush has been rolled out on the campaign trail to help his brother Jeb and the public buildings were all back open after post earthquake inspections in Christchurch!!
Then I had to do some work!! No rest for the wicked! My poor bike had been crashed into... dealt with rain and gear crunching uphills and now needed a bit of tlc.
But how could I clean the chain properly? I hadnt bought any degreaser with me as the can I had at home was too large. Hindsight a wonderful thing... I should have brought a little in a small container... but thats hindsight for you. Could I just use water ... I didnt think that would work... so I fb messaged a friend... another biking nut... Chris Summerill. (Well done on the bunny hops Chris). A reply quickly came back... WD40... white spirit... or petrol. Could I obtain any of those? I wanded over to the camp reception and asked the random question... ' we have some petrol' came the reply... not a raised eyebrow in sight.... 'bring your bike round the back! So I duly did that and he poured some petrol on a cloth (which I did bring) leaving me to scrub my chain and cogs till they were nice and clean. The oil had now transferred itself to my fingers leaving my hands with oily petrol stains all over... but my chain was clean!!
A further scrubbing got me a bit cleaner and I wheeled my bike back into my room having also rubbed off some of the road grime of the past 15 days.. not quite new again... my bike looked better and I was satisfied that we were prepared for the coming days.
I sat in my room eating chocolate... crisps and sweets... no need for calorie worries as my belt needs to be pulled a little tighter every day. I was just chilling out when there was a knock at my door.....
I opened the door expecting the management or the cleaner outside but there stood this gentleman who quickly introduced himself as Nick... said he'd been following my bike ride, knew The Alarm and Mike and Jules .. saw I was staying here... and came to see if I was alright or needed anything! What a wonderful surprise!! We chatted for a while and then arranged to have dinner later. So nice to meet someone from home, familiar with the Alarm world and what a lovely gesture to track me down!
When Nick left I spent the afternoon dozing or reading. I also had a mooch at tomorrows 'stage'. I had been made aware of the weather forecast by Andy from Auden guitars who made me aware of some landslips and possible road closures... none of which should affect my route tomorrow. The forecast is for rain and more rain and tomorrow is a long one with very little in between beginning and end points. Running down on SH63 from Spring Creek to Murchison, the road is a long drag up to a point.. then a bit of a climb before the 40 mile gradual descent into Murchison. A total of just over 100 miles.. the first point where there looks like there is anything is St Arnaud at around 60 miles. Which will be fine even in rain as long as there isnt a bad headwind. A bad headwind could destroy my day and make my destination of Murchison a step too far... we will see. I have an option to stop in st Arnaud and make the next day a 100 mile day so will see how it goes... but it could be a late arrival day. And that is tomorrow!
Nick came to pick me up for dinner and I had the luxury of being driven to a nice pub in Blenheim... where to my delight they had pizza!! We spent a nice couple of hours chatting about New Zealand... bike rides... the weather(in true brit style) The Alarm and LHS and all manner of things. It was nice not to be talking out loud to myself for a change... poor Nick had to endure a very chatty Lid. Thank you Nick for tracking me down. It was lovely to meet you.
One of the questions Nick asked me is why I do these rides and it is a good question because often when Im in the middle of them.. I question it myself... what the hell am I doing?? Ive thought about this a lot... what drives me to do this to myself and I have come to these conclusions... some of them may sound cliched but it is what it is....
I find it fascinating to see how much pain and suffering the body can endure when the mind has chosen to do something and asks the body to respond. Both the human body and mind are amazing tools for us to utilise.
And the thing is... im no athlete... I dont spend hours every day training... I often dont ride properly more than once a week... I struggle like everyone else to motivate myself when its cold.. wet.. and miserable. But despite all that... put me on a bike with a goal to achieve and I will break myself trying to achieve it. And so far I have not broken completely.. partly on occasion... days where the mind is almost ready to give up but something continues to drive me onwards... what is that? Pride possibly.. dont want to be seen as someone who gives up easily... certainly a fear of letting everyone down.. all those people who have invested time in reading the blogs and cheering me on... and then there is the thought that everyday people face much harder challenges than this with quiet endurance and if I can do some good by highlighting that and the cause of LHS then thats a good thing to do.
Then there is the feeling that being on a bike in a strange country with no one to rely on except yourself. It is the best way to see the world.
Lots of people will hire a campervan and drive it from one tourist spot to another... get out... take a photo... and so on. Buy a t shirt at the airport with New Zealand on it and go home happy... and great if that satisfies their needs. But for me... I like to immerse myself in a country. I may not see all the tourist 'hot spots'... I may miss the flat rock or the maori village... but what I get it this:
I have felt every inch of the country that I have peddled through... I have breathed every breath of air and sweated up every inch of the hills... I have absorbed the sounds and the smells of the road and the bush next to it. I have truly lived and absorbed the country in its rawness ( and harshness at times) and however far I get I know that I will have truly 'seen' far more of this country than I would have done in a campervan. I meet and can talk to people easier as they are more receptive to someone solo on a bike and I know that in time... the painful and hard bits will become just part of the great story that i get to live and I will be left with a greater sense of achievement than if Id driven from one end to the other...
Does any of that make sense??
I do believe that anyone is capable of doing something like this... it just requires a small leap of faith beyond the fear and the doubt and the excuses... and then go do it. Its not what everyone would choose to do but it doesnt have to be this... in life... doing something that you fear every once in a while is good for the soul. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone... in that I have every faith!
Few more bits and pieces to do then good kip hopefully and up at 0500 for the routine to begin again. Today I have rested... tomorrow I am on the road.. pushing myself to my limits again.
A massive Thank you to everyone for their support and messages of encouragement. Please keep sharing the blogs and the just giving page (www.justgiving.com/GoWithTheCrazy) so that we can all be part of this journey and raise as much money as possible for LHS.
Fight Back... Be Free .... Stay Alive!
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