New Zealand 7 (or ... Bike Ride!)

8-April-2011

Lynne and I got out on a bike ride during the weekend before the buoy deployment. (Yes, we're not entirely chronological here...). We both borrowed bikes from Cawthron employees. Thank goodness there's some serious cyclists around Cawthron, because they were great bikes.

Here's the Google Earth map of where we rode:

We started up in the top left where it says Nelson South, and then we rode in the counter-clockwise direction to finish back at the same spot. The high (elevation-wise) point of the ride was down in the bottom right. Where it's a bit brown in the image. It was odd, because we came out of a very forested area into a very desert-like area. They say that it is a lack of minerals that prevents the lush forest from growing there. After we got to the top, we dropped (very quickly, steeply, and rockily!!) into the Maitai river basin. Which was gorgeous. And then we pedaled back into town five hours later, and showered just in time to meet everyone to go to dinner. Phew! Just barely made it.

Here's part of the lush forest that we were in for much of our climb up. Love the ferns!

Here's the top where hardly anything grows on this mountain. The elevation really wasn't that high (around 3000 ft), so it's not like we were above the tree-line for that reason. You can see Lynne there just rounding the bend to come down that little bit of singletrack.

Here we are at the top of the climb. That sign we're leaning on actually says Copper Mine Saddle, but you had to work to read it when you were even right up close.

Here's part of the downhill after it really mellowed out.
I don't have any pictures of the really steep rocky stuff because,
well, I was concentrating pretty hard on going down really steep rocky stuff.

Here's Lynne rounding the bend down in the Maitai basin.
Back to soft swoopy fun singletrack again. Wheee!

More beautiful singletrack. Ahhhh.

Creek crossing. We actually had to cross just out of this picture to the left. Only slightly wet feet. Sidi bike shoes are really not the best thing to wear when trying to stand on wet slippery rocks in the middle of a creek.



And just to prove that it really was a bike ride....




... that it is official and can be recorded as such into the history books....




... and no one can question whether or not it was legitimate....




... yes....




... of course ....

... Lynne was bleeding at the end of it.

Muddy Sidis.
Great legs.
A little blood.

Oh yeah. :)