Down Under

One thing I learned from the climbing community was to respect differing risk/reward ratios. Most people scoff at climbing without any gear, others retreat from trad climbing (placing your own protection), and while there are those that have difficulty leaving the security of a climbing gym there are some that can’t think to approach a climbing wall – even in the most protected environment.

I think as a general rule the more you learn about the challenge that’s facing you and the more frequently you push the envelope, the easier it is to blaze new personal trails.

Perhaps what I respect most about Sander is his evolved comfort zone. He’s okay with giving things a go while the rest of us might feel more comfortable taking a back seat to the action. His reward is a life filled with the unexpected.

And thusly I announce Sander’s amazing Australia adventure.

Sander took a month off from work (May 1-27), flew down to Australia, and has been making a solo motorcylce trip across the country from Perth to Sydney. A 2700 mile journey – much of it through Australian back country.

Australia

Sander’s been sending me frequent updates of his adventure. I’ll post the especially noteworthy ones here.

So far, he’s reached Ceduna. 8 days in and he is far ahead of schedule. Apparently he’s giving himself some wiggle room just in case it starts to rain. I asked him how he has avoided Australia’s surplus of dangerous everything. So far, no snakes.

Here is Sander’s list:

Snakes: nothing yet, but I remain suspicious.
Camels: After dark they sleepwalk, kinda, and are bad news.
Eagles: They feast on the dead kangaroos on the side of the road. Then when I come along, they take off…slowly…sometimes in my direction. They are gorgeous, but HUGE. Imagine getting hit by a 45lb dodgeball at 70mph.
Kangaroos: Out West the gray roos roamed. Up to 100kg-ish. Out here? Red roos, which get up to 10 foot tall. Spotted a mob yesterday near the road, my heart just recently started beating normally again.

Epic.
Fun fact: Acceptable collective nouns for kangaroos include: Mob, Herd, and Troop

A random spot of Sander's trip via Google Streetview
A random spot of Sander’s trip via Google Streetview

Sander, I am exceedingly jealous of your trip. Good luck out there.

One thought on “Down Under

  • 5/13/2013 at 3:12 pm
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    This really IS an amazing adventure! The kangaroo sightings alone would make the trip more than astounding!

    Safe travels, Sander!

    Reply

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