The Team
Safety Kayaker Simon having some fun
The River(all photos by Sophie Kennedy-Brown)
So I’ve been home for a week, and how does it feel? I’ve joked that my office chair is a lot more comfortable then a bike seat and the need to ride for 150km of a day isn’t there, but that really isn’t the whole truth. I knew this ride, my African adventure, would be life changing – what I never expected was the post ride void that would come to greet me once I got home. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been great to be home – to see my lovely wife Sophie and to share the stories of the adventure with my friends, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I can’t help wanting to be back out there, giving it my all in the heat and the dust.
The lack, the void in my life, has been an ocean to navigate. This past week I’ve filled my days with writing work to occupy my mind, but as this week begins and the reality of, ‘having some time’ beckons the tangible sense of loss, simply not being on my bike is like a figure in the room. What to do? Well I’ve never been one for sitting around and my mind (and body) is primed for the next adventure. So what’s the point of sitting on my ass waiting for the next opportunity to come my way? Time to go out and find it!
This past weekend with that mentality in mind Sophie and I went on a bit of a Valentines trip – our sort of Valentines trip. We went heli-rafting! For those not in the know this involves flying by helicopter into a wickedly remote river here in the South Island of New Zealand (The Landsborough River) and white-water rafting out! It was great fun, for three days we battled rapids, sandflies and some surprisingly warm temperatures for this country at least. In many ways it was the antithesis to my Egypt & Sudan experience – there was water – everywhere! Good fun was had by all – there is an article in the works for this trip – so more to come on this front and for that reason I won’t spoil the good stories before you get to see them in print some time soon.
As for what’s next – well there are a few ideas in the works and I don’t want to spoil the surprise, I’ll only leave with the self-coined expedition name – Solo-Velo-Aoteroa…
Keep checking back for updates, photos from Africa and more stories, adventures and other bits of fun!
~Scott
***Update - these great photos are courtesy of Sophie Kennedy-Brown, my co-adventurer in the mountains and in life***
The lack, the void in my life, has been an ocean to navigate. This past week I’ve filled my days with writing work to occupy my mind, but as this week begins and the reality of, ‘having some time’ beckons the tangible sense of loss, simply not being on my bike is like a figure in the room. What to do? Well I’ve never been one for sitting around and my mind (and body) is primed for the next adventure. So what’s the point of sitting on my ass waiting for the next opportunity to come my way? Time to go out and find it!
This past weekend with that mentality in mind Sophie and I went on a bit of a Valentines trip – our sort of Valentines trip. We went heli-rafting! For those not in the know this involves flying by helicopter into a wickedly remote river here in the South Island of New Zealand (The Landsborough River) and white-water rafting out! It was great fun, for three days we battled rapids, sandflies and some surprisingly warm temperatures for this country at least. In many ways it was the antithesis to my Egypt & Sudan experience – there was water – everywhere! Good fun was had by all – there is an article in the works for this trip – so more to come on this front and for that reason I won’t spoil the good stories before you get to see them in print some time soon.
As for what’s next – well there are a few ideas in the works and I don’t want to spoil the surprise, I’ll only leave with the self-coined expedition name – Solo-Velo-Aoteroa…
Keep checking back for updates, photos from Africa and more stories, adventures and other bits of fun!
~Scott
***Update - these great photos are courtesy of Sophie Kennedy-Brown, my co-adventurer in the mountains and in life***
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