No Bull...

Travelling teaches you so much about yourself.

For instance, yesterday I learned that one thing I never want to do, ever in my whole entire life, is run with the bulls in Spain.
I think I probably knew this when I went to Spain 6 years ago, but after yesterday it's affirmative.

No running with bulls.
This is how my moment of clarity and self-discovery came to be...

Two days ago Rob and I took a steam boat from Queenstown, across a lake to Walter Light Station...a working farm of sorts, but our reason for going was the dirt road that started behind the farm and continued for the next 80+ kms down towards Te Anau. By taking this back road, we would avoid the traffic of over 70 tour buses and countless rental camper vans and cars trucking it down to Milford Sound (Fiordland).

Avoid the traffic we did!
The scenery on this back road was unbelievable.

The going was slow and teeth chatteringly jarring at times, but well worth it in my opinion (Rob's blog would offer a 'different' perspective on these two days, but Rob doesn't write a blog).
Anyways...so this road took us over mountains, alongside lakes, across rivers and through ranchlands where the sheep and cattle roamed free and wild.

You would think that the "free and wild" livestock, might pose a problem. There were numerous times when we had to wait or even 'encourage' some cows to clear the road, but they didn't really give us too much hastle.

But those weren't bulls...

So yesterday, we are riding the last part of our gravel/dirt/rock road. The going was slow and you had to be really focused on what you were doing to avoid skidding or fish tailing.
Rob is riding ahead of me and calls back "Hey, check out the size of that bull"
I look to my right and there is a MASSIVE black bull walking parallel to the road behind a fence (unlike most of the livestock we had encountered so far).
"Yep, thats a BIG bull alright" I think to myself.
As I look, I kind of loose control and skid out a bit, loosing all my momentum.
I regain control and take another peak over my shoulder...was that a big snort I just heard?

This is the point in the story where I learn that I never want to do the whole running with the bulls thing....

The bull is not only snorting, but is halfway OVER THE FREAKING FENCE!! He is pushing through the wires and wood like its string, barging out onto the road.

I wish I had an audio/video clip of my reaction.
Legs going frantically, adrenaline pumping, bike swearving all over the road, gravel flying, trying to pick up speed, but looking over my shoulder every half a second, which didn't help the going forward or speed, big black snorting bull now in the middle of the road....
But the best was probably my scream......."ROB"
What I meant to say was..."ROB, a big giant bull just broke through the fence and is chasing us, holy crap ride like you've never ridden before" as well as "Wait for me!!! Don't ride too fast, oh my God, the bull is going to get me first".
But all I said was "Rob". Not like he could do anything anyways, but it was enough to get him to turn around, evoking the first reaction....ride like hell.

As it turns out, the bull just wanted to get across the road to the lady cows. I have no idea whether we provoked this reaction or whether is was just another case of right place right time.
Regardless, it was down right scary.
And that ain't no bull...

Wish I had a photo of the bull, but I wasn't quite in the photo taking mood....here are some nice, serene sheep though...behind a fence.