Today I headed over to the West Coast to the little town of Greymouth. Most of the drive was on State Highway 73 – up and over the mountains via Arthur’s Pass. It was another two lane, windy mountain road. Throw in a few large trucks, a few busses, lots of curves and some very steep grades ( my favorite was posted at 16%!), one lane bridges, and occasional road work and it was indeed Mr. Toad’s Wilder Ride. However, the scenery was spectacular!
One of the things I have found most interesting while driving here, is the prevalence of one lane bridges. They are very common. You’ll be clipping along at 60 mph (or whatever the posted speed is) and there will be a sign announcing a one lane bridge ahead The posted speed drops to about 20mph and as you approach the bridge, if you are there first, you proceed. Otherwise you wait for the opposing traffic to pass and then you proceed. If there are multiple cars on each side, people take turns! It all works very well. I can only imagine the carnage if they tried this in the States!
Once I got to Greymouth ( about a 3 1/2 hour drive) it rained a bit but then stopped. I took the opportunity to visit an historical site near here – the Brunner Coal Mine. In 1896 there was an explosion at the mine that killed all 65 men and boys in the mine at the time. The entire hike around the site is a little over a mile and they’ve done a nice job of preserving the site and paying tribute to the lost miners.
It’s supposed to rain tomorrow so we’ll see what’s on the agenda when I see what the weather is like in the morning.
Beautiful. Love the mountains and the windy roads. Wish I was there on my motorcycle to enjoy the ride (without the rain of course)!
I had the same thought. Great ride on a motorcycle.