Partial Last Day Post - So much more to show (and it's coming)

As the words become less, the photos are growing...and a few technical difficulties have kept me from putting more than two photos here...after hours of working on this post. Urgh. They will be coming, I promise.

 I apologize for the week gap in posts. Internet and time both have been impossible to find in the same place for the past few days. So where'd this leave off? Only the last day of riding, and the day we spent traveling to the airport. There's still a lot to say so there may be a few more posts while I happily reminisce on what ended up being the most relaxing-yet-active vacation I've ever done. 

Concerning the last ride - Total ride time: 8+ hours, distance was ~60 miles. The trail was simply awesome. It's the course for a mountain bike race every year so the corners were banked assuming very high velocities of travel and the route covered every kind of terrain. 

I've compiled a bunch of photos of the various muddy conditions. I'll get those together in some way to describe the multitudes of terrain awaiting the dirt-loving cyclist.

 The cool NZ trees are turning for autumn. Halfway there.

Rob's bike has a personality, especially if you look at it like this. Maybe its look can be interpreted as an inquisitive-yet-confident one, "What, we have to cross the river...here? Sure, let's go!"