So a rest day today - a easy pedal to Pine Grove. I was surprised to come across little farm lands - with a few black and white cows - even a mob of sheep. there was an abandoned school at Jacobs Creek and a tiny settlement at Bruce Bay. It was just before Bruce Bay that I pulled off the road to let a bus go over a one lane bridge and when I started to ride off I could feel something clunky on Maggie's rear end... Once across the bridge, I stopped to see what was stuck in Maggie's wheel... nothing! on closer inspection I found a crack in the rim!!! only a 1cm crack on the outer rim, but it was sticking up slightly and catching on the brake pad... a passing cyclist came over for a look and reckoned I should get to the Fox Glacier on it, so I continued onwards... and soon Pine Grove Lodge appears on the horizon! an easy ride thankfully - not as pretty as farmlands means degraded country and the weeds were pretty rampart, especially the briar rose!
but weather was kind and .... were there any hills? nothing to make me complain.... but maybe the worry about the crack in the wheel out-did the hills.... maybe I need to pack lighter - or more likely loose some weight before I head off.... woe!!!
but Pine Grove was a nice little place re: rooms... my motel room was nice and clean, twin beds, little kitchen with cupboard full of stuff, very clean en suite. Mossie entered via loo window which was just ajar a little, so they had to be shut in there for the night... even tv with an unresponsive remote! I was stuck on a "hallelujah" station for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a minute :) saw no news, so all must be well in the world....
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| saying goodbye to Lake Paringa |
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1st cheese scone - not as I remembered... maybe they were a Central Otago speciality.
but still tasty and hit the spot! |
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| Farmlands |
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| always mountains |
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| black sand on the beach |
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| tree debris - from river, to sea and back to shore |
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| swamp lands |
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| home for the night |
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| Maggie resting her sore foot, but out of the light rain |
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| Ouch!! we're going to hafta do something about that! |
after dinner of lentil and tomato soup, I went for a walk back along the road to the forest, hoping to see/hear some birds before dark
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this is typical of the forests along the road, that I am riding past each day....
beeeeoooootiful!! |
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| the cutest little fantail - his tail is still a blur as he rarely sits still! |
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| Maori crocodile |
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| time to get back inside away from the mossies |
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