Friday 26 June 2015

Preparations

On Wednesday 1 July 2015, Maree and I will depart Melbourne for six months to tour Australia by bike.  This is my second big bike tour.  The record of my first For details of the first trip visit the big, unedited text file at: http://cheshire.iinet.net.au/simon/bike.html.

I intend to post here and on twitter as @FunOnTheUpfield I'll be out of mobile phone range and charging devices with solar / bike dynamo power - so I can offer no guarantees on how frequently the updates will come.  All I can promise is that I will attempt to create a bit of content every day and upload it when I am able.

This time around I'll have the ability to take attach photos to the narrative. The last time did a big ride, digital cameras weren't really a thing, now they are - so that means more pictures of "Ants ... I really like ants". 

OK, perhaps I should explain that in-joke.  Back in 2008 when I rode around Australia alone I'd watch the ants collect drops of moisture spilled from my nightly cook up.  For me, ants had become a much admired symbol of water discipline. Add a few reflections from the novel 'Dune', and this nightly ritual of watching the ants became totemic.

Eventually I arrived in Perth and met my sister a few days before her wedding.   She'd just had her hen's night where one of the games involved guessing personality traits based on the guest's favourite animal.  (dogs = loyal,  cats = independent ... that sort of thing) she asked my what my favourite animal was, and my response completely weirded her out.  

"Ants ...." is thus a short-hand for the opportunities for introspection in the desert, but also the way time in the desert turns you into some Nietzschian figure who feels they have some profound understanding that can't be explained to people going about their daily town life.


Perhaps the photos will help ... They probably won't.  You'll need to experience it yourself.  Hopefully the photos will inspire you to do so.

1 comment:

  1. Wow! !3 years and the mobile technology has changed in the most amazing ways.
    No recumbent this time?

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