The Plan

Planning stuff is not my greatest talent so when I’m preparing a road trip it helps a lot when there is only one road.

The legendary Stuart Highway, or "The Track", stretches 2834 km right through Australia from Darwin in the north to Port Augusta in the south. It follows the same route as, and is named after, John McDouall Stuart, an awesome Scotsman who led the first expedition that crossed the continent. At least with everyone alive afterwards, which is important.

Google Maps claims it's only 2722 km, but I know from previous experience that Google usually underestimates. The question "Am I there yet?" has a completely different weight to it when you are travelling by your own power.

Especially if you aren't there yet.

A Darwin Award

There have been times when I've done remarkably stupid things, and surprisingly only a fraction of those times were during my teenage years.

Up until the age of 30 I was fairly focused with a concrete goal in mind. With the exception of a few minor bumps it was a pretty straight road to The Perfect Life (TM). I had everything I ever wanted, I had it all.

Except for happiness.

I needed a new plan.

Now and then I think about what coincidences in life that might have brought me to this point, to this challenge I am now facing. Imagine all the things that had to occur, not only in my life but in everybody else's, to arrange it so that I end up crossing Australia on a longboard.

Why am I doing this?

Well, the answer to that question is Love and Respect, Passion and a craving for Adventure, but that is beside the point.

I'm insane, that's the point.








(A beer to the first to name the X-Files episode)