Drive safe and be brave!

Nic sent us an SMS this morning - drive safe, Dad and be brave, Mom.

She and I both got out of the truck on Sani Pass and walked in January, rather than drive up the badly eroded road. She shares my fear of slippery, bumpy, windy, SCARY roads. So she knows exactly how anxious I felt, setting off on the first leg of the PASSES Roadtrip.

But today was great. As we drove along the roads between Maclear and Rhodes, I felt as close to the past as it is possible to do in a 4x4 vehicle. The road took the line of least resistance - as people who walked or rode must have done. The passes went up gradually, following the contours of the land. Sometimes they looked like a corkscrew, but I knew they were do-able. Looking back along roads we had gone along, and looking down on roads we were coming to was exhilarating, not scary. Unlike my friend Allison, I have no desire to ride along them on a bicycle! But from the comfort of the 4x4, it was a good expeience.

Tomorrow is another story - it's raining - by now it might even be snowing - and I'm not sure about a ride up the passes we had planned.

But for today, Pete drove safe and I was brave.