the road surface into a sandy series
of horrendous corrugations. Bulldust
holes are common and while mostly
alright for four wheeled vehicles these
can be deadly for those on two wheels.
Just riding this section of the road
was a challenge, a drain on the riders’
senses and physical being. I’d begun
my afternoon long session of whining
about the track.
“IT’S A BLOODY DESERT”, bounced
around my head that night as I drifted
into sleep. Megan, my partner, had set
me straight. We were in the middle of
Australia’s third largest desert region.
The name Tanami is said to be a
corruption of the word “chanamee”
which to the local Walpiri people
means “never die” due to the many
waterholes in the region that suppos-
edly never dry. To us it meant a ride
that would never die, never give up
TRAVERSE 76