Not that long ago it seemed like ages till we headed off on our big adventure, but it’s only about three weeks now and we’ll be gone.
So preparations are now in full swing. Besides packing the camping gear and stuff that we need (and we have made quite a few changes to our previous set-up as this trip is going to be considerably longer) we have also had to prepare the van for the above reason.
Yesterday I drove up to Sydney to get a full service done on it and to get a whole lot of niggling things fixed. Even though I could get the work done locally, the shop at Campbelltown specialises in all things VW and have done some good work for us in the past so it’s worth the travelling. I figured that they were going to need it for a couple of days to get everything done so I packed the VFR in the back and put my riding gear on when I got there and rode home. This is another example of why it has been such a good move not to put fixed furniture and fittings in the van; it truly is a multi-purpose vehicle.
In recent times we have fitted two small electric fans in the ceiling at the back so that will keep the air circulating at night time if (when) the nights get warm in the tropics.
We are not taking the pit tent as it is fairly heavy and takes up quite a bit of space. Instead we are installing a pull-out awning on the side of the van to give us more storage space and reduce weight. The awning is also larger in area and easier to deploy when we stop each night so it’s a win-win.
At the end of the month we are taking the van to Cessnock where an old school mate of mine who is a real solar energy guru will be installing a solar panel on the roof and batteries and inverters, etc. It’s all very high tech and I am sure it will make sense when it’s all done but all this talk of volts, watts and so forth is a bit confusing for a non-scientist like me. Suffice it to say that Lenny reckons we will be driving around in a portable power station so much electricity will we be generating.
Then it will be time to pack everything away and see if it all fits. I’m confident that our two years or so of doing short trips will mean that we have our sums pretty right.
The proposed trip (and it’s all subject to change) is to head to Mount Isa up the inland way and stay for a little while with friends who stay on West Leichardt Station just out of town every year in the Winter. From there we plan to head to Darwin, check out the Litchfield National Park which we have been told is great, and then double back right out to the Queensland Coast and head home down the coast exploring all the way and taking our time to check out the beaches and the tourist attractions.
We’ve joined a 22000 member strong Free Camping group on Facebook so I’m sure we won’t be stuck for ideas for free places to camp and we also have a copy of the Free Camps atlas and the WikiCamps app on our phones. We’re looking forward to the challenge of having an economical and fun holiday.
We’ve got three months so there’s no hurry. My family will enjoy not having us around in our house for a while and they can take their turn looking after the cats and the goldfish!
I will miss my bike but, by the time we get back, the weather will be warming up again so the riding conditions will be excellent.
Speaking of bikes, Yamaha’s decision to replace JL99 with Maverick Vinales when Jorge goes to Ducati is a very sensible one. He won’t allow himself to be bullied by Rossi and will be in the perfect position to assume the #1 position at Yamaha when Rossi finally retires. His riding so far this season indicates that he has the maturity to handle the step up and become a new “alien.” Unsurprisingly, Honda has retained Dani Pedrosa, signing him to a new contract last night. There isn’t anybody in the available rider pool who can do the job half as well as Dani does and he should see out his career at Honda having ridden for them from start to finish.
Which rider gets shown the door at Ducati is exercising many minds at the moment. Dovi is experienced and a noted “finisher” (when he doesn’t get torpedoed by his team-mate that is) but it seems he doesn’t have the pace to be a winner. Crazy Joe has the pace but not the discipline; it’s a tough decision for Ducati management.
OK, better go do some chores, this retirement caper is hard work.