1/17 - Westport to Methven

Mileage: 221

Breathtaking views.

Yes, I know my previous post said that I rode through the most amazing roads and views but today took my breath away.  I started the day cooking bacon (BAAACON!!!) with an egg and potato scramble.  Toss in some fresh mangos and the day was looking pretty damn good.  My allergy/cold was starting to dissipate.  It had toned down to a dry hacking cough with occasional sinus congestion.  Ok ok, I know how much you all LOVE hearing about what's going on in my sinus cavity but I'd really get back to talking about my trip if you don't mind.

Today's ride took me along the coast, and what a coast it was.  The geography was reminiscent of Monterey with it's jagged cliffs and mountain passes.  I wanted to ride at my leisure so I can take in the scenery and snap photos.  Matt rode ahead after agreeing we would meet up somewhere down the road.  

It was still pretty cloudy and I hit occasional mist and some rain.  The ride along the ocean was Hwy 6 and went further South but we cut inland on along Hwy 7 for a bit before switching to another route toward Arthur's Pass.  That was when my breath was literally sucked from my body.  The road was soon to be a mountain pass and was just far enough away that I can see the mountains flanking on either side, with the road disappearing into the mist between them.  I literally forgot how to ride and had to concentrate hard not to run off the road as I tried to commit the view to memory.  It truly was the most incredible moment of the day.

I was only able to take a photo once I was closer but imagine having a panoramic view of the mountains and the pass.

The road took me through Arthur's Pass National Park.  The scenery turned lush and tropical, like a rainforest.  The sun was starting to peak through the clouds so sunlight streaked through the trees.  As soon as I came out of the national forest, the road opened up to dryer, flatter landscape.

I saw Matt on gravel road by a lake to the left of the highway.  I pulled onto the gravel and the back tire immediately spun out and slipped from underneath me dumping me onto the ground.  I realized there was only one thing I hate more than rain, gravel.

I couldn't have been going more than 5 mph so I pretty much jumped off the bike, but I was pissed.  The gravel wasn't hard packed.  It was like someone just dumped about 4 inches of gravel over the ground and I was slipping and sliding just walking over it.  I scowled at Matt and told him that was the last gravel road I was following him through.  He helped me upright the bike and I inspected for damage.  The right pannier had broken off.  Lovely.  How the hell was I supposed to ride now, with the pannier strapped to my back?  Luckily, the luggage still hitched to the bottom.  It was the locking mechanism on top that broke off, so I used the lock they provided to keep it in place.  Other than that, the bike was fine.  That Beemer can sure take a beating.

We crossed over Rakaia Gorge and snapped some photos.

We rolled into Methven around 3:30pm, plenty of time to check in, find a place to eat and relax.  We were the only ones staying at the hostel so I go to commandeer my own room!  Haha!!!

There were two restaurants across the street from each other, The Brown Restaurant and The Blue Restaurant.  No joke.  We went to Blue since Brown wasn't serving food yet.  I had fish n chips with a glass of cold beer.  Aaaah....you can't beat an ice cold beer after a long hot day of riding.

Next up, we're about to play a game of monopoly with the hostel owner.  :)