Forever grateful for this new day and new beginning. His grace is new every moment. Bring it on, I’m ready.
St Arnaud bound. Looks like I have a tough, long, lonely section coming up.
“Let’s go for a ride.”
“But I don’t know how to ride a bike.”
“Perfect. Hop on! It’s easy.”
She was behind the counter making coffee, and happily hopped on. She was laughing the whole way. It was just a 200 m spin around an empty road, but we had so much fun!
“My Indian son. You can stay here, or you should come back on your way after you finish Freedom Seat.” Saying that, she fed me, gave me coffee and ice cream, made a donation, and later her son Carter joined me for a spin as well.
Kindness is everywhere! You just need to be a little curious and kind. Everyone’s got a story worth telling.
South Island terrain puts you to the absolute test, but scenery like this makes you want to pedal forever and ever.
The next morning
Not how I intended to start the day, but that’s what adventure is all about, right?
The roads were gnarly coming into St Arnaud. Oncoming traffic, especially trucks, was showering gravel all over, and some of it managed to break Kindness’s rear wheel spokes. It’s too out of balance and wobbly now.
Sure, everything happens for a reason, and I’m excited to see what this misadventure is going to bring.
Kindness and I made it OK. We got our hitch to Nelson sooner than we expected. A big thanks to The Crank House in Nelson for fixing the wheel right away! Thank you, Glen. You the man!
Our hitch back to St Arnaud took longer, but the wait was well worth it. Met some really cool humans along the way, and their stories blew my mind. Very selfless and loving people who are living life to the fullest while making the world a better place. The detour also helped get the story out to The Nelson Mail.
Made it to Lake Rotoiti just in time to witness a spectacular sunset. It all ended well. Back on the road again!