Back at it
Monday, September 26, 2011
I have been quiet for a while on the blog – but this was for very good reason in that I was taking the holiday of a lifetime.
With 11 of my good friends we rode 400cc Suzuki DR dirt bikes over 1500km’s from Cairns to Cape York. If you do not know where those locations are here is the Google Map view What that google link shows is that there are no available directions for those two locations which indicates the type of terrain we encountered.
For 8 days we had NO email access and No phone access. Life was so good in the olden days!! Amazingly all of us survived with absolutely no withdrawal symptoms. Next time you take a holiday make sure there is no way you can be contacted – it is liberating.
There is nothing like riding a powerful machine down a single lane track at 80km/hr with trees slapping the side of your helmet, then have a Kangaroo bounce across your path and then the track turn instantly to foot deep sand – to keep you mentally focused. For 6-7 hours a day we focused our minds 100% on riding hard and survival. There was no time to think about anything else. No time to think about work or family or any other thought. Riding that bike required 100% concentration like I have never given any task before. Strangely it turns out there is nothing more relaxing for mind and body than putting that much effort into a single task. I ended each day being totally physically and mentally exhausted.
A few beers and a camp fire dinner later there was nothing better than curling up for the deepest of sleeps directly under the stars – only to be woken by the birds and morning rays through gum trees. We then did it all again for 8 days straight. Gone are my dreams on a resort holiday by a pool. There is something amazingly calming about clearing the brain to focus on something completely out of the ordinary.
Despite many a lay down, collision with a tree, missed corner and cartwheel over the handlebars we all arrived at our destination without major injury. So here is the challenge – on your next break – truly take a break. Take a holiday where everything is different. No Email. No Phone. Even no Family. No Work. Learn Something. Focus on Something. Get better at Something. Risk you Life. As long as you make it home you will never regret it.
With 11 of my good friends we rode 400cc Suzuki DR dirt bikes over 1500km’s from Cairns to Cape York. If you do not know where those locations are here is the Google Map view What that google link shows is that there are no available directions for those two locations which indicates the type of terrain we encountered.
For 8 days we had NO email access and No phone access. Life was so good in the olden days!! Amazingly all of us survived with absolutely no withdrawal symptoms. Next time you take a holiday make sure there is no way you can be contacted – it is liberating.
There is nothing like riding a powerful machine down a single lane track at 80km/hr with trees slapping the side of your helmet, then have a Kangaroo bounce across your path and then the track turn instantly to foot deep sand – to keep you mentally focused. For 6-7 hours a day we focused our minds 100% on riding hard and survival. There was no time to think about anything else. No time to think about work or family or any other thought. Riding that bike required 100% concentration like I have never given any task before. Strangely it turns out there is nothing more relaxing for mind and body than putting that much effort into a single task. I ended each day being totally physically and mentally exhausted.
A few beers and a camp fire dinner later there was nothing better than curling up for the deepest of sleeps directly under the stars – only to be woken by the birds and morning rays through gum trees. We then did it all again for 8 days straight. Gone are my dreams on a resort holiday by a pool. There is something amazingly calming about clearing the brain to focus on something completely out of the ordinary.
Despite many a lay down, collision with a tree, missed corner and cartwheel over the handlebars we all arrived at our destination without major injury. So here is the challenge – on your next break – truly take a break. Take a holiday where everything is different. No Email. No Phone. Even no Family. No Work. Learn Something. Focus on Something. Get better at Something. Risk you Life. As long as you make it home you will never regret it.
I went on a 4 week trip this Summer, with no communication with my office. I hardly missed a thing: http://chapperology.blogspot.com/