Until yesterday I hadn't seen any cyclists headed in my direction (south) along the coast (which, in addition to the headwinds, made me think I was definitely headed the wrong way), but when it rains, it pours... first I passed a young man on the road (cute, but moving so slowly it never would have worked out), and near Lake Moerakai, when I stopped to get some water, I met two women from Ohio, also headed south.
They started back on the road before me, but we agreed that we should try to meet up in Haast that evening. I wanted to hear all the details of their trip, etc.
Things got a bit more interesting when I talked to the man at the lodge there and he called to make a reservation for me at the same backpackers lodge that the Ohio women were staying at. "The guy down there says that there's a cold stubby waiting for you if you get down there before those women."
It was with some vim and vigor that I set off down the road. A race for beer! I hardly ever drink beer, but when it's a prize on a hot day...
It didn't take too long before I passed them - on one of the three large hills between the lake and Haast. So I enjoyed a bit of my beer when I reached Haast wolfed down some fish and chips, and ran into the women when I returned to the hostel to shower (food before hygiene!).
I asked the first woman how their ride was and got news that the other had had a crash. She had moved left on a downhill to let a car pass, and hit a hole in the edge of the road, and had gone down into the ditch. The road rash was baaaad. Her left eye was swollen. Her jaw was swollen. And her bike was in even worse shape. The fork was bent back.
Ugh.
The worst part is that I know it could have been me pretty easily. The drivers here are usually very good about giving me plenty of room, and I stay well away from the edge of the road on the steep, windy descents... but who says there won't be a hole in the road I can't dodge for some reason? Or an aggressive oncoming driver passing on his uphill?
Be careful out there, biker friends! I know I'll be more cautious from now on...
They started back on the road before me, but we agreed that we should try to meet up in Haast that evening. I wanted to hear all the details of their trip, etc.
Things got a bit more interesting when I talked to the man at the lodge there and he called to make a reservation for me at the same backpackers lodge that the Ohio women were staying at. "The guy down there says that there's a cold stubby waiting for you if you get down there before those women."
It was with some vim and vigor that I set off down the road. A race for beer! I hardly ever drink beer, but when it's a prize on a hot day...
It didn't take too long before I passed them - on one of the three large hills between the lake and Haast. So I enjoyed a bit of my beer when I reached Haast wolfed down some fish and chips, and ran into the women when I returned to the hostel to shower (food before hygiene!).
I asked the first woman how their ride was and got news that the other had had a crash. She had moved left on a downhill to let a car pass, and hit a hole in the edge of the road, and had gone down into the ditch. The road rash was baaaad. Her left eye was swollen. Her jaw was swollen. And her bike was in even worse shape. The fork was bent back.
Ugh.
The worst part is that I know it could have been me pretty easily. The drivers here are usually very good about giving me plenty of room, and I stay well away from the edge of the road on the steep, windy descents... but who says there won't be a hole in the road I can't dodge for some reason? Or an aggressive oncoming driver passing on his uphill?
Be careful out there, biker friends! I know I'll be more cautious from now on...
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