1st January 2022 (stinking hot) 78 km

After being kept awake until the early hours by the people about twenty metres from us, I actually felt pretty good.  The tent had been tested in the very strong winds, which had changed direction in the night, but had held together well. 

It was a beautiful morning but quite cold and we got everything packed and were on the way by 7am.                  

Rode a short sharp hill to get back on the trail to get us started and soon we were riding on light gravel toward Alexandra. Rock formations and bridges were the highlight of the first part of todays ride. We'd bought a couple of sandwiches to have for breakfast and a short way in, I spied a shed, in the sunshine, but we decided to see if something better appeared.... which it didn't....for ages, by which time we had been riding downhill and cooling off. 

Our next option came 10km later in the form of a beautiful bridge with stunning rocks, looking straight out of a movie set. Here, we sat warming ourselves in the sunshine, drinking tea and eating our sandwiches.                     

Enjoyed a lovely stop and were soon joined by a lady heading in the opposite direction, out for a New Year's day ride. What an interesting person Adrienne Shaw, turned out to be. She was descended from Chinese background and she had been working to ensure that the Chinese who had died working in the area  in goldmining, farming, labouring etc were remembered, not just an unnamed person, without any trace. Hell of a project to undertake, but she has followed it through and  uncovered more people that no one knew about, who have descendants.      

After we left, the riding was pleasant all the way to Alexandra, where the temperature was climbing the scale. Rode on to Clyde, the finish of the Otago Rail Trail. 

Clyde has boomed since the day's of the dam building and now with the cycle trail and thousands more visitors pouring in every year, new housing is going up everywhere. 

Stopped for something to eat and drink at The Olde Post Office cafe. Then it was the final push for the day, the cycle around Lake Dunstan. This was a ride we'd heard a lot about and everybody seemed to really enjoy it so we were imagining a nice cruise around the lake with plenty of opportunities to jump in and cool off.

A short sharp climb to the top of the dam, set the scene for the afternoons riding. 

Before we began, a swim in the lake to cool off. It was very warm by now, so just what we needed. I called cousin Eileen, who was picking us up in Bannockburn, later on and taking us to her place in the Gibston Valley, to give her a rough time estimate.                                         

     

Our expectations of this ride were completely wrong. A ride around a beautiful lakeshore went out the window virtually straight away. A big clue should have been that nobody finishing the ride in this sweltering heat was actually smiling, even the ebikers, and our happy hellos were largely ignored.

The climbs were frequent and testing and we were beginning to feel it after nearly 40kms in the morning already.    The scenery was magnificent, the day stunning, the riding challenging, but the temperature draining. 

We passed a number of very unhappy riders, probably having thought, like us, that it was a cruisey ride. One guy was pushing both his and his girlfriends e-bikes along these narrow tracks, miles from his finish point, whilst she stormed off in a huff. In her defence, if she didn't ride on a regular basis, or didn't feel particularly comfortable on a bike, this definitely was not the trail for her. At points, it is dangerous, narrow and add in the idiots, who speed along toward blind bends, at some stage, someone will pay a high price. 

The temperature was stifling. The rocky mountainside retaining the heat. The climbing was tough and we were starting to feel the effects of the mornings ride. Photo opportunities at every bend. Reached the highest point after 3pm, whereupon a local, out riding with his buddies took pleasure in telling us that it was thirty six degrees. Not that he needed to tell us that, as it felt at least that temperature. Stopped for an ice block at the twin boats on the lake. They were selling burgers and bacon butties, which normally would be a definite for me, but boy, it was far too hot. Two fru jus were just the job, before the final push. 

Rode toward Cromwell and rounded the headland with the town on the opposite side of the water. Thought there would be a bridge, but you had to cycle to Bannockburn for that. Had our final swim in weed infested waters just around the corner from the bridge, which was great. The locals all had wet suits on, but we were in heaven, just not for long enough. Our ride to the bridge was uneventful and we found a car park for Eileen to pull into to load the bikes.                                                       

A short time later Eileen arrived, we put the bikes on the trailer and headed for Gibston. They have had the house for fifteen years now, but had a stint living in Melbourne. Its a lovely spot, surrounded by huge mountains, with vines growing all around and the Mt. Rosa vineyard, a neighbour.                     

Five acres of  "idyllicness" with two horses, Buddy And Tui, four chickens and dog Alphie. Enjoyed a lovely homemade meal and some great chat before bringing to an end a tiring day a deserved sleep, in a bed, around 11pm.