Family reasons have seen me return early from a trip with Mick O and company and am about half way through the cleaning and fixing of the Troopy and all of the gear we deem necessary to take on such a trip. It has got me pondering.
Why do we do it?? Travel the great Australian countryside that is.
Is it the planning and anticipation of the journey rather than the destination.
Permits, weather, fuel availability, supplies, track conditions etc etc…hmmm that plays a big part.
Travel to
places not normally seen? Yes we certainly did that, including the
Gibson Desert, areas of the
Rudall River National Park devoid of any tracks plus other less used/viewed
places.
Spend heaps of money getting prepared? Certainly did that too, perhaps a tad too much according to the minister of finance..lol.
Overcoming various obstacles? To date when I left the group the
puncture tally was 99, yep 99 and apart from one trailer running splits it was all ‘plug and go’ and that’s not counting the 5 tyres totalled by one of our group.
We had one radiator to fix when a stake speared through the front, one coil spring to weld –and weld and weld, ‘cos it broke three times.
One trailer cost us a day’s travel because it split almost in half and needed some serious repairs. Plus a variety of smaller problems such as getting bogged on the top of a dune. Yep that could be it.
Enjoying the company of your fellow traveller? Certainly high on the list. I have been on other trips where this was not the case so apart from becoming a solo traveller your chosen companions are very important. The genuine laughter that comes from compatible friends just cannot be purchased for any amount of money.
There are no long hot showers at the turn of a tap, no take-away food shops handy, no ‘Bunnings’ to nip in to for the forgotten whatever, no radio, no TV, no newspapers, no automatic washing machines. Maybe that is what makes our travels so inviting.
For me it is a combination of all the above and would go back in a heartbeat, what about you???
Regards
Michael