Day 6: Cedar Creek to Holland Lake - 40 miles
Eventually Sean emerged from the tent and after breakfast we started on our way again. It was quite cool and very humid so I was wearing my cycling jacket while Sean was bedecked in his usual shorts and T shirt.
My bike was not riding very well and to add insult to injury my odometer was also not working! Since accurate mileages are vital on this trip we had to rely on Sean's, although it started later once it warmed up a bit. Probably moisture in the system from last night's storm so in the future I'll have to take in inside at night.
In George Orwell's book Animal Farm there is the saying that 'all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others'. I commented to Sean that we could put the statement into the context of this trip: all days are difficult, it is just that some are more difficult than others.
The guide book said that today was one of "rolling" terrain. To most cyclists rolling means a sequence of ups and downs. While it would be that way for part of the day, we started off with a gruelling 4 mile uphill ride. Not the thing to do first thing in the morning!
In spite of the gradient, the scenary was spectacular. We passed through dense forest with all sorts of different trees. Although this is commercial forest, they have allowed some natural regeneration so that you don't get the monotinous single species that one finds in NZ. There were brooks running next to the road and the photo below is of one emerging from a stand of moss. Spectacular.
The road was good and the only disconcerting part of it was the never ending gradient. Unlikey previous days, there was only a limited chance of getting lost as there were few side roads.
Eventually we crested and were rewarded with a great downhill run. Unfortunately, with my gears acting up I couldn't change to the lowest gear which made it impossible for me to achieve my usual speeds. Pity. I was also unable to get the optimum gear combination going uphill so my knees were hurting for the first time on the trip. Quite ironic since we had worse grades yesterday.
We eventually turned onto route 888 which is where the photo below was taken. We were joined by Dustin and Wayne, the two cyclists from the previous night's campground, and we leap-frogged one another throughout the day.
Our lunch was by the side of the road on a rock and consisted of a tin of food, some dry muesli and other nibbles. Such is the fare of the cycle tourist. As you can see from the photo below, the setting was great with the mountains in the background.
A number of the forest roads were closed to vehicular traffic and we needed to ford our way around the barriers (see below). This is done to provide protection to the animals--and it was shortly after this that Sean saw a deer.
By this point we were seriously off road, travelling on single and dual tracks. The tracks themselves were well compacted, and relatively well travelled, but the adjacent grasses were quite overgrown in places. It is amazing how much discomfort they can cause when you hit them with your hands and legs at 20 mph.
Because of last night's storm there were quite a few large puddles at the low points on the track. My first time through I was worried about getting stuck in mud, but it transpired that they had a firm surface so I just got wet. By the end of the day my bike and bags (as well as myself) were caked in dirt. Ahhh but it was fun!
We passed a fellow cutting wood and piling it in the back of his pickup truck. He was quite strong the way he was lugging the wood, which was surprising givne the size of his beer belly. His wife was sitting inside the vehicle reading. I asked him if he had a splitter at home. He pointed to one on the ground and said yes, a 'strong arm' splitter. Ha ha. He was gloating that in a few months time many people would be getting in propane while he would be enjoying the fruits of his labour--and $10 cutting permit.
Dustin and Wayne passed us again, having taken a wrong turn, and the road opened out as we approached the valley. There was more open meadows than before, the result of clear cutting of the forest. However, we were still rewarded with tree lined avenues like that below.
We were both a bit tired but soldiered on and eventually made it to the campground at Holland Lake. The route in was unsealed with lots of loose gravel which made for hard going. The unpleasantness was compounded by insensitive motorists driving by in the opposite direction at speed leaving dust clouds in their wake for us to inhale. There were at least a couple of cyclists among them for they slowed down, but most were in their own world.
The campground was on the shore of Holland Lake and the view below was from our camp site. As you can see, it was stunningly beautiful, particularly as the sun set and the mountains were reflected in the lake.
It was definitely time for some bicycle maintenance with the picnic table making a suitable platform. I removed the chain link pin by a few mm and then reinserted it and that, coupled with a good lube, cured the problem. I also was able to adjust the gears so that they changed properly which was great. This meant that I had a 100% working bicycle for tomorrows long climb.
After pitching our tents we planned on going over to 'Holland Lodge' which is a 'Dude Ranch' further along the lake. However, about 17:00 there was a storm blowing in and I saw a lightening strike across the lake towards the lodge so I told Sean that I wasn't about to risk being caught out. Two years ago I was in a storm outside of Steamboat Springs Co and after that frightening experience I never want to be outside cycling when there is any chance of lightening.
This meant another meal of rice and pasta from our trusty stove. It really is an excellent unit as not only does it boil the water in about 2 minutes, but it is very frugal with fuel. After a week we've used less than half a litre.
I had to eat humble pie when the storm never eventuated so Sean and I decided to head over to the lodge and check it out. On the ride over Sean commented that it was a bit harder than he would have expected. Later, when we had an easier than expected return, we realised that this was because it was uphill.
The lodge was not a disappointment. We passed the stables as we drove in where the 'dudes' would go riding. The lodge itself was a large wooden structure (see below) with a lawn running down to the lake.
There were million dollar views of the mountains and lake. It's a good thing as the lodge costs $USD 125 per person per day so one needs to be well heeled to stay here. Sean decided to relax on the front yard since that was all we could afford.
We went inside and ordered hot chocolate. While Sean laughed his way through a Far Side book, I took advantage of having a power point and worked on the journal. They had quite a few interesting books spread about and I would have enjoyed having time to stay there and read some of them. There was a particularly attractive history of the Lewis and Clarke expedition by Stephen Ambrose that I must try and get. We are cycling along part of their route in a few weeks and it would have been good to know a bit more of their history.
About 20:30 we headed back to the campsite. The going was so much easier than expected and we actually missed the turn of to the campsite. Fortunately, Sean recognised where we were and we found our way back. It was then time to settle in for the night.