23 Nov Adventure Bug Rolls Into Rancho
What a treat. The week of 11/16/2009, Chris, Elayne and Victor the ultra buggy, the world traveling trio, dropped by Rancho for quick visit. Having recently replaced a damaged transmission with a replacement unit provided by Rancho, they had traversed down through Alaska, Canada and the northern states on their way south to Mexico and beyond. We had never met the adventurous pair or seen Victor, but I’ve got to tell you it was amazing. They carry very little in the way of anything but fuel, water, clothing and a few snacks.
The car, which was pretty much hand built by Chris and friends at his home in Australia, is about as bare bones as you can get while providing minimal protection from the elements. Protection did I say. When I asked Elayne about traveling through the freezing tundra in Alaska she smiled and said it was great except for one thing. Chris had decided not to install a heater and had conveniently neglected to inform her before they left their warm homeland. Yikes. She said they sealed the tiny cabin as best they could and wrapped themselves in every piece of clothing they could find. As for protection, the canvas and plastic may work against Mother Nature but in some circumstances a tree, a really big tree, is your best bet. Apparently they had set up camp behind some trees in a quarry in Canada and were enjoying a morning tea when all hell broke loose. Looking out across the quarry at the ridgeline on the other side, they could make out several shooters who thought the area was safe for some recreational shooting. Victor was parked among a cluster of trees and pretty much blended into the foliage. The shooters didn’t see the car or Chris and Elayne who had sought out the widest tree they could find. Fortunately the enthusiastic shooters ran out of ammo before any damage was done. Time to move!
As noted we were really surprised at just how basic the car is. As Sam put it, these two are about as gutsy as they come. They and their trustee buggy Victor have been on the road for over 2 years now and during their travels have bonded with people from all walks of life while experiencing things most of us can only dream of. Oh and yes, we did ask how much longer they planned to carry on. Their response; don’t know, don’t care. Could be 6 months could be 2 more years. When we pull into our driveway in Australia we’ll let you know. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you up to date on their progress as we receive it.
