We left Fox with blue skies and the reassurance of the motel owner that his barometer was unchanged, no rain.
View last night:
The first 40miles to the salmon farm cafe stop was flat and smooth jungle-lined tarmac, much like some of yesterday.
It should have felt easy, but I had a nasty headache. Last night I had a telephone interview with an nhs manager in the UK at 21.45. Not the usual unwind routine before bed that my holiday brain's grown accustomed to. So it was a long time before I dropped off. Then out on the road the holiday bubble was under attack from work brain, suddenly engaged with alarming speed, calculating logistics and practicalities. The ache must have been the sudden change in tempo and content of thought. Come back coffee stop/ pedalling/ sore bum thoughts!
Jan then gave me a few choice words, alongside the salmon. Within a few minutes of additional enthusiastic cycle chat, with the new irish members of our group, aspirin were no longer required.
Steve then fixed my gears, so I can now get in my smallest gear (I was mostly thinking ahead, to tomorrow's beasty climb). Thank you Steve😄
The early morning damp mist had been burned off by the sun and what followed was then some lovely riding towards some coastal hills. Not as bad as we'd thought, but then the legs are without doubt stronger on the uphills now.
After whizzing up and down a few times we had a fast flat stretch to Haast, traversing the longest bridge yet on the trip. I managed to get a peace sign as I waved thanks for giving me right of way, or it could have been two fingers! Haha, oh well, no worries!
Sand flies are a pest here. Steve has complained of them prior to now but it seems they don't like or can't catch our usually moving targets. At our motel they are very much out in force so we've invested in some pungent insect armour.
It's been great to arrive with a dry bum today, let's hope the rain that's beating down on the roof now toddles off before tomorrow!
P.s glad this isn't my new job:
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