she calls Calamity, offers freedom that many others can’t
appreciate.
“(There’s) no obligation to anyone else,” she grins fond-
ly. “We’re free of commitment, just the tow of us!”
And isn’t that what adventure and travel are all about?
“The country, alone and loving every aspect of my
surrounds,” comes the reply when asked what the most
memorable experience is that Calamity has provided
Chris. It’s a theme and it runs deep.
“Cows to the left, horses to the right,” she laughs. “The
smell of methane and wildlife, dead or alive.”
The country, it’s a conflicted paradigm, providing
pleasure as well as discomfort.
We laugh together as Chris explains that “rain, gravel
and muddy roads” are all thigs she dislikes about riding
the Indian. Interestingly the bike is quite dirty the day
we got our hands on it, having just returned from a week-
long ride around Australia’s island state, Tasmania.
“Oh,” Chris interrupts. “Calamity doesn’t like doing
U-turns in tight spots.”
Understandable! This bike is big and heavy, and not
necessarily nimble. To Chris it matters little, Calamity is
her bike, her freedom … her “last hurrah”.
“She’s my retirement plan …”
TRAVERSE 55