I wrote my last blog from a communal
kitchen area of an RV park in Murchison, NZ. Within minutes of
posting there was a bit of excitement.
It was dinnertime and several people
were wandering in and out of the kitchen, doing whatever it is that
people do in such a facility. One fellow camper decided to use the
propane grill sitting outside beside the door to cook his meal. He
lit the stove and left to go back to his campsite. In a few minutes I
noticed quite a bit of smoke drifting by the window. As I was
standing up to check out where it was coming from I saw that a man
who was holding a baby was single-handedly pulling on a handle on one
side of the grill. Once he pulled it away from the building I could
see the flames pouring out the back and I ran to help. I turned the
gas off and took over dragging the grill out into the street while
the man passed the baby off to his wife and grabbed the fire
extinguisher. Once the grill was in the road the flames shot up in
all directions, but the man now sans baby blasted it with the
extinguisher he found in the kitchen.
Once the fire was out the man who had
lit the grill returned and the owner of the campground came running
over panicked and screaming. She was overly concerned with who lit it
and who was going to pay for it and did not give much thought as to
the safety of her tenants. There are two kinds of people.
The next day I met up with two more
bikers and rode with them into Springs Junction. I pulled a muscle in
my calf half way and they graciously chose to keep to my gimping pace
and let me draft the rest of the way.
Draft: v. Riding behind another
bicycler who is muscling through the headwind.
After another night of camping I rode
alone and very slowly over the Lewis Pass. In the pouring rain. I
have never before had numb feet while biking and it was strange to
not be able to use my fingers to change gears. It was a very cold,
very wet, and very long day. In the end it was worth it because I
arrived in Hanmer Hot Springs and spent most of the next day sitting
in sulfur-scented hot water. I stayed at Rosie's B&B and let my
leg recover.
As of today I am in Waiau, which I have
dubbed the creepiest town in New Zealand. Not creepy in a bad way,
but strange because despite being a gorgeous day I have not seen a
single person outside. The only four humans I have seen in the entire
town have been the women at the convenience store and the pub and the
proprietors of the campground where I am staying at tonight. The post
office has 24 boxes so I conclude there are at least 24 people who
live here. I have walked all over town-four blocks by four blocks-
and there is no traffic, no kids playing outside, no one working in
their gardens, and no laundry hanging on any of the lines. Stephen
King would be inspired.
