group, the two of us or solo

Shared experience is what life is about.

Being in a group is fun. You can have a laugh around the fire at night about what mini disasters have happened during the day, or crap on about your close encounter with a large reptile.

Minor hardships bind people together for lifelong friendships. Shared expertise and equipment helps out in an emergency.

But man, have you ever tried to orchestrate a group?

Good luck. Adults are way worse than children. People want to go too fast, or too slow. Want to stay another night or just skip that natural feature. Etc.

Two people can be a blast. You can ride together, or not. You can just camp together or agree to meet up some place 3 days down the track if you want. Or just hang out together to share the laughs.

But often you just can’t get it to work out with someone else. They can’t take that much time off work. They just can’t fit your agenda.

You can meet up with others on your trip if you head down a popular road: Highway 1 or the Stuart Highway. Yeah, I know. You are much more likely to meet someone coming the other way.

Solo, you please yourself. Want a 5am start to avoid headwinds, no problems. Change your plan when you hear of some great campsite, no worries.

One thing for sure: you have no difficulties meeting people when you are out there on your own.

Solo women riders? Can’t be so sure. But there’s a few of them out there, sometime in obscure places. They seem to survive.

As they say: just do it.