A dirty little bike touring blog. Mostly about bikepacking and rigid single speeds. By Montana Miller
Back from guiding a bike tour Wednesday night, no Colleen, no cat, no Shark. Duffle bag on my back, cross the bridge in the rain. Flatten a cardboard box to sleep on and cover up with a flannel shirt, because somebody forgot to leave me my sleeping bag before they took the van to our … Continue reading Colleen and the Big Race
“Now, we enter the Plains of Despair!” I say. We’ve left the mountains and are have to cross about a hundred miles of very flat farm country before Christchurch. “I really wish you would stop calling it the Plains of Despair,” Colleen says. “Los Llanos de Triste.” “God,” Colleen grunts. “You’re depressing me.” “But I … Continue reading To Christchurch
We ride into Dunedin on a sunny afternoon, then a cold rain moves in. We pay to camp at a hostel, which is a nice option sometimes— sleep in the yard instead of in a smelly, snore filled dorm, hang out in the house if it’s raining. And at the rate we drink coffee, it … Continue reading Dunedin to Mt. Cook
Milford, Doubtful Sound and Fiordland were out— we came to a pretty easy consensus on that. The last couple weeks in high and dry Otago had been so nice. No sandflies, fewer camper vans, almost no tour buses. And going back over to the fjords would be diving back into the wet, itchy, selfie-stick nightmare. … Continue reading Southland
We’re having some beers with a group of Kiwi guys and their Australian friend at the campground in Wanaka. “Well, I’m sorry to tell you this,” says one of the guys. People are never sorry when they say that. “But, in IQ tests of all the people in the world, Americans consistently score near the … Continue reading Otago
The cards fly past Colleen’s head, she ducks. “Ooh, sorry bru. Been trying that one seven years, still can’t get her right,” says our new friend. He’s smelly, dreads, shoeless but wearing a shirt that has a picture of a gumboot. Just came down from some music festival out in the bush in Karamea. We’re … Continue reading West Coast
The world really doesn't need another "gear in a grid" post, but here's one anyway. I think we have stuff figured out pretty well at this point. The disembodied feet pictured are not packed anywhere, as I keep them attached to my legs. Handlebar bag: -Tarptent Double Rainbow (blue bag) -Enlightened Equipment 30 degree quilt … Continue reading A Packlist
After the Rainbow Road, we ride through a real cold rainy day into Nelson to Philip's house (that Colleen found on Warmshowers). He was nice enough to let us stay for a few days, take us on a good ride around Nelson's local trails and to make us dinner. I hope he makes it to … Continue reading Old Ghost Road
Everything’s better on the South Island (maybe not the pies, that pork kumara pie I got from Owhata in Rotorua was pretty excellent). — On one of our off days in the Forest Camp campground in Hamner Springs, I did a little hub bearing re-greasing. Before we left home I'd packed everything with some nice … Continue reading Rainbow Road
We’re on the ferry, crossing the Cook Strait. The loudspeaker comes on. “Attention passengers, we’re preparing to dock. You may now proceed to the lower vehicle dick. Dick hands will alert you when it’s time to start your engines.” Colleen and I both start cracking up. I know it's 12-year-old humor, but I love it … Continue reading Tongariro to Hamner Springs
