Finally...a destination. It has been a long 3+ days on the road driving through rain and muck. The turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo instantly revived our spirits. That and the throught of exploring the Mt. Cook area tomorrow without much more road time.
I got a bit of a geology lesson tonight from the guy manning the desk at the holday park here. He asked me "Do you know why the water is so blue?" "Because of the glacier..." I said in a questioning tone. "It's the glacial flour" he said (mind the fact that it took me three tries to understand he said neigther 'flare' nor 'flower'). He went on to explain that the weight from the top of the glacier forces the glassier down ever so slowly. Water acts somewhat as a lubricant and as the ice moves, it is the grinding between the rock and ice which produce the 'glacial flour.' The particles are so fine that they actually become suspended in the water. When we see the water, what we're seeing is the sky reflecting off those particles! Of course, none of this occurred to me as we arrived in the twilight, after the sun had set and I first laid eyes on the beautiful turquoise water. The man at the desk explained "The color varies depending on the weather. Clear skies result in a more vivid blue, clouds like tonight you see more of a softer turquoise. Sometimes, when the light is just right, it's green!"
Okay, I must admit...the celebratory beer - the Moa Trippel (9.5% ABV) has me a little tipsy at the moment. Man, 1 beer and I'm out :). I'd probably be better off recalling the events of today, tomorrow, when I am more sober and less sleepy.
I'll end by saying that talking to Linda, my parents, and my Grandma this morning really kicked things off in a good way. I miss Easter with all of them. Secondly, the climber's oasis at the 'Limestone Tors' was epic. That place was just plain magical, even in the crappy weather. Finally, getting to wherever you're going can be a real pain in the ass sometimes...so when you get there...enjoy it. Don't let anything distract you from getting the most out of the place you longed to be.
Living my dream here in New Zealand...
Cheers,
Ryanhttp://www.ThePhotoBus.com/p560286331/e3fd139a5
