ROADRANGER ESCAPADES

To provide more insight into the history of the Roadrangers, let's begin with a brief look at Roadranger1 (RR1).  Constructed on an English Commer chassis and purchased new in London,  RR1 was a very comfortable to live in camper but its suspension was better suited to good roads.  Taking it into rougher country (below) soon convinced us that this was not a suitable vehicle for world-wide touring, especially when it came to finding spare parts when you needed them.  Regardless, for 3 years it served us well in Europe & North America providing us with many an adventure.  RR1 was sold in San Francisco just before we returned to Australia, where we set out to design a camper that we had come to learn by experience, we needed for world travel. 

We'll see more of RR1 later but first, to better understand what "overlanding it" behind your own set of wheels can mean when it comes to seeing the world, let's accompany RR2 on a 5 minute, three stop journey beginning just south of the Arctic Circle and finishing up on an island a short flight from Antarctica.  And to make a game of it, look for clues that I have written into the text that is placed below most all of the pictures that will follow on this page; these hints may help you identify RR2's location or at least the country it's in.  If you get stuck, use the key words (or phrase) on an internet search and you'll come up with something.  And if all else fails, the answers can be found on the "Contact Us" page. You will also notice the term (Wild Camp) placed at the end of text at times; this refers to the fact that where you see RR2 pictured, we camped a night or two or more.  The locations will illustrate one of the great advantages of traveling in a home on wheels for YOU can choose the view from your living room window.  True, experiences encompassing the good, the bad & the ugly can evolve from this practice but overall, were we to do it all again, we wouldn't change a thing; well maybe some things! 

                          ARCTIC CIRCLE TO LATITUDE 40  

DEPARTURE:  We begin on an island sometimes referred to as "The Land of Fire & Ice" and where lava fields stretch as far as the eye can see, but be well prepared if you venture into the heartland of this rugged, starkly beautiful country shaped by both volcano & glacier.  Wheel tracks just off the road indicate a RR2 (Wild Camp). 

STOP-OFF 1:  Dropping well south then east from our mystery island, we find ourselves in a country where Europe meets Asia across the Bosphorus.  We also have an eery experience exploring this deserted mosque after sunset. (Wild Camp) 

STOP-OFF 2:  Dropping a lot further south then east to a land once famed for its rubber plantations, this country divides into West & East just north of the equator.  An ideal road for ambush!  I paused very briefly to take this picture, for at the time, this country like so many others around the world, harboured armed dissidents who didn't agree with the government or anyone else who happened to be around.  

STOP OFF 3:  No danger of guerilla ambush here in this dry land of coral reef & boomerang but there are other problems to deal with if you are not well prepared to tackle its inhospitable, central, desert terrain often referred to as the "Outback." 

JOURNEY'S END finds us in Aoterea (Long White Cloud,) a country of fiord, geyser, volcano and bubbling mud pool.  RR2 overlooks "Erehwon," (nowhere spelled backwards.) (Wild Camp)

                             SO YOU "WANNABE" AN OVERLANDER   

Have we convinced you to buy a vehicle/camper or whatever and then set off to tour the world?   That's great, but as the picture above shows, you'd better be prepared for it mechanically and don't forget physically and mentally as well.  The next nine (9) pictured "LOCATIONS" may help to illustrate what I mean.  The Randburg driveway (above) that I am working in, was in a suburban home surrounded by a 7ft high concrete wall, with broken glass imbedded in the top of it and 2 blood hungry Rottweilers roaming its perimeter.  That fact alone didn't help to put us in a good frame of mind when setting off into the heart of "Voortrekker" land.    

LOCATION 1:  The movie Lawrence of Arabia was filmed in this country also home to the "rose red city, half as old as time."  Nothing but stray camels to help you out here or maybe the odd bedouin or two but be wary of drinking their tea.

LOCATION 2:  RR2 "on the fly" across the largest desert on the planet and as you can see, it's not always covered in sand dunes, at least in this part of a country made famous by Bogart & Bergman.  The stones look harmless enough but in reality, they are very hard on tires which had better have tubes in them.  Five (5) flats in one day can get a bit tedious especially when pumping them back up by hand.

LOCATION 3: If you thought those stones in the previous pix looked harmless enough, try these for a day or two; you'll find such roadways in a tiny, mountain kingdom sitting atop the Drakensberg.   

LOCATION 4:  A volatile country at the best of times, it's never easy to navigate especially if it should rain.  Mountain gorillas live not that far from here and if you need help, you might find the odd pygmy or two willing to lend a helping hand.  Knowledge of bridge construction is also an asset in this country.

LOCATION 5:  Did I say knowledge of bridge construction was an asset? Overlanding it in some parts of the world can mean facing a variety of hazardous situations, sometimes on a daily basis.  If we cannot get RR2 across this crumbling, half rotten, timber bridge to access the "Mara," it means back-tracking over the "Geti" via miles & miles of bone jarring, dust ridden roadway.  Not to mention an undesireable border crossing south of Arusha as well.  Worst of all, if we proceed ahead & break through the bridge, we could be in a really serious "No way Out" dilemma.  Our vehicle is heavy and also, ominous storm clouds threaten on the horizon; there could even be lions around as well.  Decisions, decisions!!  (Where are we and in what country?)   

LOCATION 6:  Where oh where does the road go ponders Wendy, (bottom right.)  No sign posts here and forks in the road aplenty; if we make the right decisions, we could end reaching Sossusvlei & what may be the highest sand dunes in the world.  We pitched camp where Wendy is now standing and gave it some thought. (Wild Camp)

LOCATION 7:  It's bad enough carrying three extra tires and 50 gallons of spare fuel along with a host of other spare parts, but why bother carrying heavy wheel rims as well?  Answer: Steel or otherwise, they cannot always endure all conditions such as the so called "Desert of Death."  These days, the desert would most likely live up to its name if you ventured into this part of Taliban country.

LOCATION 8:  The sandy road to Francistown via Nata is at the moment impassable but perhaps the bottleneck can be bypassed by detouring across a vast, featureless salt pan void of landmark & where compass travel must prevail.  If you venture here, beware of soft patches that will quickly suck your vehicle down if you are unlucky enough not to have already recognised them by their subtle change in color.  Lions can wander onto this pan in search of game as well, as we were soon to discover.

LOCATION 9:  Fearing for your life is not a pleasant experience nor is it a planned one either..........it's the luck of the overland game; the game being if you let what you have been told by others control your travel plans, you may never go anywhere at all; the world was like that when we travelled and if anything, it's far worse today.  Here we hide ourselves and RR2 on a disused road hoping to avoid overnight detection by armed Zipra dissidents taking refuge from Zimbabwe's National Army.  Across the border nearby, chaos reigns in Matebeleland as hundreds are systematically sort out and massacred.  In the distance, perhaps a mile away, we hear automatic weapon fire, possibly some luckless buck being brought down for dinner.............we hoped! 

                                       OVERLAND RESPITE  

Hazardous times and overland hardships such as you have just seen, can soon become only memories when you can park your hotel in places like this and its free if you are game enough to try it.  You'll find this shangrila on an island, the largest of a group of four just off the east coast of Spain. (Wild Camp) 

Here, RR2 provides another much needed escape "far from the maddening crowd" and I mean that literally because to reach this beach, you must first negotiate a land where the population spills across the highway in front of you along with oxen, cart, elephant monkey and the ever present sacred cow; just don't hit one! (Wild Camp)

                                         WINTER COMETH! 

Sun, sand & surf give way to winter and a new set of challenges for both  RR2 and ourselves as we learn to live, throughout  two European winters, in resort carparks located within walking distance of skilifts.  Here, the snow falls heavily beneath the shadow of Mont Blanc rising above the land of haute cuisine. (Wild Camp) 

         LOCATIONS  WE ARE NOT LIKELY TO FORGET 

PIX 1:  At the tip of the "Dark Continent," the mountain (?) across the bay creates as spectacular a city (?) background as any you'll find in the world.  That is especially so when first seen on the horizon from a ship at sea.  (Wild Camp)

PIX 2:  Can't fool you with this one, the sign tells it all.  The Serengeti was something we had often talked about in "early days" Australia.  At times, we didn't think we would ever get to this fabled wild life park so often featured in documentaries & film.  Entering Tanzania, border authorities gave us a rough time because of an earlier visit we had made to South Africa which at the time, was very much reviled by black Africans because of its apartheid policies.  However, with some lying, cheating & very cautious bribery, we made it, but then as most African overlanders soon learn, such experiences "come with the territory."      

PIX 3:  One does not expect to see a glacier on top of a mountain this close to the equator, especially on this continent but once seen not forgotten.  You will likely know the mountain but what country are we in?  On a side note, Wendy's breakfast is about to be cut short as she warily monitors the slow approach of two male lions unseen by myself as yet. (Wild Camp)

PIX 4:  There are mountains & mts. & mts. but none more dramatic in beauty, color and form than the "Cuernos del Paine."  Emerging suddenly from the plains of the Patagonian steppes, (realm of the Huasos),  Paine's foothills ring to the calls of guanacos, fleet of foot and much sought after for their hide, (more's the pity.)

PIX 5:  Well north of Namaqualand by a saltpan in the land of the kokerboom, Wendy sits in the open doorway of RR2 while watching elephants arrive for their daily water intake.  Sometimes in herds  30-40 strong, our best viewing of these gentle giants was on a day when (3) herds congregated at the waterhole providing a spectacle of over 100 pachyderms.  No wildlife experience in our travels has ever matched it!  (Wild Camp)

Sadly, so many of us live out our lives with wildlife around us but typically, we give them very little thought.  For us, Africa changed all that!  Spending lots of time in wildlife reserves & camping overnight by their waterholes, we developed great respect, admiration & understanding for these, our fellow creatures, that are so superior to us in many ways.  Observing their habits, listening to their calls and best of all, watching how they interact with each other was a wonderful learning process for Wen & I.  We feel we are better people because of that experience, and our time spent with the animals of Africa, remain to this day, amongst our favourite world travel memories.

                                               MILESTONES

 (1)

   (3)(2)

The above three (3) pictures all have their associated stories but the common theme for us, is that they were goals set long beforehand and finally achieved, albeit slowly. 

TOP OF THE WORLD:  No it isn't Everest but RR1 achieved goal one (1) when it ventured as far north as most people can comfortably get a vehicle anywhere in the world.  For a week we parked virtually alone at Nordkap, watching the "Midnight Sun" appear & re-appear through mists that would suddenly roll in from across the Barent sea.  This unforgettable (Wild Camp) experience cannot be duplicated today for the area is now strictly controlled by local authorities.    

CENTER OF THE WORLD: Goal two (2) "The Amazon," topic of many legendary tales read by myself as a boy.  In the land of the "Rio Grande," 1000 miles up river from Belem, Wen & I hire a boat and venture far up a tributary of the fabled river till the jungle closed in around us.  Here we stepped ashore into rainforest where jaguars roam.  For an hour we followed leafy paths through the jungle, experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of the rainforest until we heard the distant sound of children playing.............native indians!  Cautiously we followed a small trail past giant trees where delicate orchids hung & monkeys frolicked, that is, until we encountered a large sign with "PRIVADO " written in red apon it.  Oh well, even the Amazon is changing!

BOTTOM OF THE WORLD: Despite a recent harrowing interrogation by military police, Wendy does her best to smile as we wait out the bad weather stalling our flight from Puerto Williams to where RR2 could never take us..........Cape Horn, southern tip of the world; a last milestone for us and many a doomed sailor as well.

                                                 EPILOGUE

Perhaps the question most asked of us in interviews about our travels was "what country did you like the best?" It is a question we grew to anticipate and  so avoid because ALL countries have something to offer from which you can learn and benefit.  All humanity regardless of race or creed are born with the need for family, friendship, love, respect and understanding and it is within those guidelines, particularly the latter, where many travel experiences are to be found.  For example, one has to spend time in Africa to fully understand why the fellow pictured above, carried out his entire interview not realising that his microphone wasn't plugged into his recorder.  Neither Wendy or I said a thing about it then thanked them for their time & interest & left the scene.  We spent three years in Africa.  

So, have we enthused you to travel, then get your travel legs under you by first setting your sights on Europe?  The crowds can be trying but there is no other region on earth where you can learn so much in a relatively safe, small, easily accessed area.  When you think you have seen it all, try the Orient where you will have to change your way of thinking all over again.  That done & with Africa, South & Central America under your belt, you are now ready (if you are still alive) for the most fascinating but trying country on the planet.......India; yes we do have a favourite.  After that, come home and kiss the ground you were born on for by then, you should have a far greater appreciation for what you left behind and may even find it hard to complain about anything again.  After seeing much of the world, the one thing we still complain about today, is that we live on a planet now approaching 6.5 billion in population and where great advances have been made in medicine & technology, yet the great majority of humanity still have far, far too little and the remainder have much more than they really need. 

C'est la vie!

*************************************************

Enjoy,

The Overlanders.