Going The Distance

• After all the excitement of the crash, and a distinctly dodgy motel in Madras, we set off south to see the Alvord Desert
• Of course, a day of long driving doesn’t get us there and we are forced to camp in the charming hamlet of Frenchglen
• The hilarious thing about Team GTD is that, in American terms, we are absolutely tiny. Whenever we pull up to camp, the bike is titchy in comparison with the vehicles we pull up alongside, and then we get out our two man tiny tent, pitch it and hop in – alongside tents with vestibules, firesides with chairs to seat an auditorium-load of people, etc.
• And so it was in Frenchglen. But we were far away from our neighbours for it to feel like a wilderness, and the surrounding wilderness stretched for as far as we could see.
• Darkness descended, the sky got inky black, and Mike and I got out the granny rug which lives in the sidecar, lay down on the grass and settled in to watch the meteor showers which everyone had promised.
• The night sky itself was magical, with perfect clarity of the milky way, and thousands upon thousands of stars. Not long after we lay down to watch the show, the showers began – they happen every year around this time, and we had caught the night. Streaks of light glided across the Oregon sky. I think one of the most magical experiences of my life.

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