| THE TRIP
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The Route
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Upon arrival I will spend a few days preparing the motorcycle
and acclimating myself to the area. My journey begins with travel along
the east coast. By August I expect to be in the northeast part of Queensland
and will head west across the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
My journey south along the west coast will be done during September and
October. I plan to depart Perth in Western Australia in October and travel
across the southern part of the continent including Tasmania during November
and December. The end of December should find me in Sydney at the end of
my journey.
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Why Bike?
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I love touring on motorcycles because they offer my senses a broader
spectrum of sight, sound and feeling. I've toured a lot in America
and I look forward to touring in Australia. It's easier for me to capture
the essence of a place by being more exposed to it. It helps me be a part
of the elements instead of only an observer. I've found that motorcycles
open doors and lower barriers. They go beyond age, gender and social status.
It's a perfect, economical way to travel in a country as vast and open
as Australia. It costs less than any other means of transportation and
offers more benefits to a photographer. I get to meet a more diverse group
of people and awaken a feeling of freedom in them. For a brief moment,
they are able to share in my adventure and as I ride away, a part of them
goes with me. That is the spirit I want to bring to this trip.
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The Plan
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I intend to enlist the aid of several groups to provide contacts
for lodging in homes. With their help, I will have a planned itinerary
of home visits set up well in advance of the trip. Those individuals will
be invaluable in setting up further contacts as well as providing information
about landmarks. I will spend most of the tour taking pictures and talking
to Australians. During breaks in my travel, I will dictate my thoughts
and impressions of the landscape I am traveling through to be added to
the Two Down website or book.
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My Day
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I imagine that a typical day will start with time shared with Australian
families. We will talk, get to know one another, and perhaps have opportunity
to answer questions that students in America may have posed. During
the evening, I will update the travelogue on the Internet, adding pictures
and excerpts gathered during the day. In each new area, there will be interviews
with radio and television stations as well as local newspapers. Sponsor
schools have requested I meet their students and speak to the student body
about my trip and experiences.
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The Anchor
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An associate in America, Mary Saxton, a doctoral student in the
College of Education at New Mexico State University, will handle the daily
compilation of web inquiries as well as logistics of shipping film and
other supplies as needed. During the first five months of travel, she will
be busy coordinating communication and cataloguing data. I will be joined
by Mary for the last few weeks of the trip to help wrap up the project.
We will depart Australia at the end of December and begin the process of
producing the book.
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