This Wednesday turned out to be a thoroughly wet and windy day, just as the forecast predicted.
Nevertheless, after a filling and healthy breakie we donned all our rain gear and faced the trail weather.
The stage today was only a modest 34 kms along the east side of Clutha River so that shouldn't be too bad.
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| Eva almost at the start of today's stage. |
However, after a short while the driving rain had entered our garments here and there and the bike tyres sprayed us from below with yellow trail mud.
We decided to cut out of the agenda a visit to Roxburgh town and headed for our final destination: Lake Roxburgh Village a further 12 kms along and on the west side of the river.
We found the bridge across Clutha River impassable !
However, it was the wrong bridge, – but two specimen of the uncommon dark morph of New Zealand Fantail, sometimes called "Black Fantail", made themselves visible at the bridge spot, – so that saved the day.
Drenched and muddy, we arrived at Lake Roxburgh Lodge around midday.
We borrowed a garden hose and hosed each other clean and then the bikes. That done, we got our room and began the lengthy and damp process of drying up while it continued to pour down outside.
. . .
Tomorrow will be our last biking day on the Otago trails, – and it should be a dry one.
