5th March 2017
I sleep well - this was a good choice of motel and I'll stay here again if I'm up this way before I go...
I shower and get dressed, pack the bike and I'm on the road at about 0910...
Bettie immediately starts steering me down some small back roads - presumably the most direct route towards Arthur's Pass, which I will be revisiting today...
It's beautiful, cloudless morning, 60°F and with a dry wind from the right...
I join the Inland Scenic Route - I notice some wag has amended the sign at the town of Cust...
This monster was parked on the right - anyone care to guess make/model/year?
The wind has picked up and is becoming gusty. The hills ahead are beautiful in the crystal clear air...
This old girl was advertising something or other in the town of Oxford.
I noticed the owner has remained brand loyal with her choice of new car...
I stop just outside town at the bridge over the Waimakariri River...
...to take a couple of snaps, then saddle up and move on...
It's a sunny Sunday - there are lots of bikes about...
I've had nothing to eat since my vast steak brunch yesterday, so feel it might be time for a spot of breakfast...
This place in Springfield looked about right. The middle-aged woman behind the counter was clearly not having a good day. She was abrupt to the point of incivility, so I ordered my meal and a coffee and sat down to wait...
When it arrives, it is hot and well cooked - and the chef who delivers it to the table is very pleasant. I'm guessing that the middle-aged woman has difficulty dealing with stress. She should maybe look for another line of work...
This ageing gent was sheltering in the lea of the house next door - any guesses?
On the subject of ageing gents...
...Trevor turns up on his venerable Ariel Square 4...
He's had it "forever" and rides it every week. It's a working bike that bears witness to every mile it has travelled. THIS is how classic bikes should look, in my opinion - not better than when they rolled off the production line...
I ask how it is to ride.
"Like a fucking brick - there's no comfort or finesse to it"
Onward!
I start to climb into the hills - last time I did this it was drizzling and traffic was relatively heavy...
Not today.
Today visibility is unlimited and the sky is cloudless...
I keep up a comfortable 100-105kph...
...being mindful that I will be an easy target for any motivated Highway Patrol officer...
...but I don't encounter one the whole day...
I seem to remember posting something about the grey weather adding something to the landscape, making it moody or something...
Forget that - I was writing complete bollocks - this is much better weather to ride this road in...
I mean, what was I thinking?
The temperature has dropped a little - not on the thermometer, but the wind chill has become a factor - I zip my vents up...
There's virtually no traffic...
...the Adv is bumbling along quite happily...
...and life feels pretty damn good...
I stop and take some pictures for the desktop at work (because knowing my colleagues are reading this now is really satisfying, but I must have some means of being able to rub it in when I get back
)
Right - onward!
I've not got far to go today. I have decided to have a day off the bike tomorrow and have booked a couple of nights at a place in Moana. I was going to stay there for my birthday and the day after, but a Hotels.com booking error meant I had to book somewhere else at the last minute - which meant I spent a couple of miserable days at the ghastly Breeze Motel in Greymouth instead (involuntary shudder passes down spine)...
The trouble with polishing the visor is that the reflection of the camera shows up in it too clearly, dammit...
Hmm - how about taking one from the side...
That's the ticket!
In the far distance, I can see that the mountaintops are wreathed in cloud...
...and some of them have snowy peaks - which I am pretty sure they didn't the other day...
...so I suppose the change of seasons is just around the corner...
...though thankfully not this corner - it's still late summer...
This heavy truck passes me - the blast of heat from it as it lumbered up the hill was really noticeable - I wonder how long it takes to go across the island in one of these...
Yes, I know - who cares?
It looks like I'm going to be under some cloud cover as I clear the mountains to the west...
...as I can see them peeking at me through the gap I'm aiming for...
Yep - there they are...
I pull into an overlook, but am a little less than whelmed by the view...
The camera actually tries to use flash on this picture...
I continue the long, slow descent alongside the Taramakau River...
Didn't think you were going to avoid getting a bridge pic, did you?
This team of sports-bikes came howling up the valley - they're going to have fun all the way...
Ultimately, I am turned right onto the Brunner Lake Tourist Road, which starts as a completely over-gravelled sealed road...
...which was not in any way pleasant to ride...
It has clouded over as expected, and the temperature is back down to 62°F, but there's no feel of rain in the air...
I take a very slow mooch along here - not far to go now...
I arrive at the hotel at about 1245 (which is a bit early), but am made immediately welcome by Stacey and Craig. I'm shown to my compact, but beautifully appointed room...
...with a view over their nine-hole golf course, which I can play for free if I want to.
They'll even...
...loan me some bats.
I decline - and unload my stuff from the bike (which gets to stay in Stacey and Craig's garage tonight and tomorrow
), and then start uploading today's 200 pics on their (acceptably fast) Wi-Fi.
I am having a day off the bike tomorrow - doing some planning on where I want to be and when for the rest of this week.
But what a great day...
I sleep well - this was a good choice of motel and I'll stay here again if I'm up this way before I go...
I shower and get dressed, pack the bike and I'm on the road at about 0910...
Bettie immediately starts steering me down some small back roads - presumably the most direct route towards Arthur's Pass, which I will be revisiting today...
It's beautiful, cloudless morning, 60°F and with a dry wind from the right...
I join the Inland Scenic Route - I notice some wag has amended the sign at the town of Cust...
This monster was parked on the right - anyone care to guess make/model/year?
The wind has picked up and is becoming gusty. The hills ahead are beautiful in the crystal clear air...
This old girl was advertising something or other in the town of Oxford.
I noticed the owner has remained brand loyal with her choice of new car...
I stop just outside town at the bridge over the Waimakariri River...
...to take a couple of snaps, then saddle up and move on...
It's a sunny Sunday - there are lots of bikes about...
I've had nothing to eat since my vast steak brunch yesterday, so feel it might be time for a spot of breakfast...
This place in Springfield looked about right. The middle-aged woman behind the counter was clearly not having a good day. She was abrupt to the point of incivility, so I ordered my meal and a coffee and sat down to wait...
When it arrives, it is hot and well cooked - and the chef who delivers it to the table is very pleasant. I'm guessing that the middle-aged woman has difficulty dealing with stress. She should maybe look for another line of work...
This ageing gent was sheltering in the lea of the house next door - any guesses?
On the subject of ageing gents...
...Trevor turns up on his venerable Ariel Square 4...
He's had it "forever" and rides it every week. It's a working bike that bears witness to every mile it has travelled. THIS is how classic bikes should look, in my opinion - not better than when they rolled off the production line...
I ask how it is to ride.
"Like a fucking brick - there's no comfort or finesse to it"
Onward!
I start to climb into the hills - last time I did this it was drizzling and traffic was relatively heavy...
Not today.
Today visibility is unlimited and the sky is cloudless...
I keep up a comfortable 100-105kph...
...being mindful that I will be an easy target for any motivated Highway Patrol officer...
...but I don't encounter one the whole day...
I seem to remember posting something about the grey weather adding something to the landscape, making it moody or something...
Forget that - I was writing complete bollocks - this is much better weather to ride this road in...
I mean, what was I thinking?
The temperature has dropped a little - not on the thermometer, but the wind chill has become a factor - I zip my vents up...
There's virtually no traffic...
...the Adv is bumbling along quite happily...
...and life feels pretty damn good...
I stop and take some pictures for the desktop at work (because knowing my colleagues are reading this now is really satisfying, but I must have some means of being able to rub it in when I get back
Right - onward!
I've not got far to go today. I have decided to have a day off the bike tomorrow and have booked a couple of nights at a place in Moana. I was going to stay there for my birthday and the day after, but a Hotels.com booking error meant I had to book somewhere else at the last minute - which meant I spent a couple of miserable days at the ghastly Breeze Motel in Greymouth instead (involuntary shudder passes down spine)...
The trouble with polishing the visor is that the reflection of the camera shows up in it too clearly, dammit...
Hmm - how about taking one from the side...
That's the ticket!
In the far distance, I can see that the mountaintops are wreathed in cloud...
...and some of them have snowy peaks - which I am pretty sure they didn't the other day...
...so I suppose the change of seasons is just around the corner...
...though thankfully not this corner - it's still late summer...
This heavy truck passes me - the blast of heat from it as it lumbered up the hill was really noticeable - I wonder how long it takes to go across the island in one of these...
Yes, I know - who cares?
It looks like I'm going to be under some cloud cover as I clear the mountains to the west...
...as I can see them peeking at me through the gap I'm aiming for...
Yep - there they are...
I pull into an overlook, but am a little less than whelmed by the view...
The camera actually tries to use flash on this picture...
I continue the long, slow descent alongside the Taramakau River...
Didn't think you were going to avoid getting a bridge pic, did you?
This team of sports-bikes came howling up the valley - they're going to have fun all the way...
Ultimately, I am turned right onto the Brunner Lake Tourist Road, which starts as a completely over-gravelled sealed road...
...which was not in any way pleasant to ride...
It has clouded over as expected, and the temperature is back down to 62°F, but there's no feel of rain in the air...
I take a very slow mooch along here - not far to go now...
I arrive at the hotel at about 1245 (which is a bit early), but am made immediately welcome by Stacey and Craig. I'm shown to my compact, but beautifully appointed room...
...with a view over their nine-hole golf course, which I can play for free if I want to.
They'll even...
...loan me some bats.
I decline - and unload my stuff from the bike (which gets to stay in Stacey and Craig's garage tonight and tomorrow
I am having a day off the bike tomorrow - doing some planning on where I want to be and when for the rest of this week.
But what a great day...