Road Trip Talks Pt. 2 🚘

Ruby Rules 🙌

Day 2

It’s currently 02:50 and so I guess it’s officially day 2 of the trip. I slept really well until I was awake and couldn’t sleep anymore. I’m debating whether I need to pee or not and how much of an effort that would be. Or if it’s just my mind tricking me into thinking it needs to pee because it knows I’ll have to unlock the car and walk to the toilets.

Anyways.

To be continued…

It’s really day 2 now. Daylight and everything.

This morning I took a wonderful shower, packed up my car, made breakfast in the campsite kitchen, and just enjoyed the simpleness of life.

I know it’s cheating a little bit to go sleeping on campsites with all the facilities, but I just like to ease into it. I’m simply not equipped enough to confidently park my car at the side of the road for the night. Thinking about it scares me and there’s no reason for me to make things even more challenging than they already are.

I am saying this for everyone who’s considering going on a trip themselves: it’s kinda like making New Year’s resolutions. Obviously, you WANT to lose weight, quit smoking, stop drinking, exercise more, eat healthy, drink plenty of water, and live a holistically ever after on the get go. But reality is that your body will be in shock with too many changes. (And just fyi: this is just a very stereotypical example which is not based on my own life, it’s just to make a point).

With this living on the road, I am allowing myself to ease into it until I feel comfortable enough to add on.

I could have gone completely rogue with a solar panel and storage space on the roof, a bike rack, a fridge running on electricity, charging stations for my phone, WIFI antennas, you know, the works.

But I don’t have the budget, and I don’t even know if I need all of that. So, why invest a bunch of time and money into something I am only just trying out.

Anyways.

That was my train of thought this morning when I decided that I’ll stick to campsites where I don’t have to worry my window blinds might come off and “expose” my skinny little body to roadside creeps while I’m sleeping in a car.

And I also travel with ALL my stuff in the car so I will always have to put my bicycle next to the car which already makes it look kinda suspicious.

My car is being serviced at the moment and I will attend my last class in Adelaide today. This afternoon I’ll drive to my friends in Modbury to say goodbye before heading to Crystal Brook, about 2 hours north of Adelaide.

It’s night 2 in the car and I am way more organized than yesterday. It’s definitely easier to get the car out than in. What a surprise, I know.

But when I got to the campsite in Crystal Brooks, about 2.5 hours north of Adelaide, it was just easy to get the car sleep ready and to gather all the stuff I needed. I am even going for a run tomorrow morning.

Anyways, that’s it for today. Time for some well-deserved sleep.

Day 3

I’m in Port Augusta now!

So, last night was a great night. I slept for 8.5 hours straight with some strange dreams but no staring at the ceiling this time.

This morning, I went for a run and figured out a better way to pack my stuff into the car. I’m really getting the hang of it. And I really like that feeling of getting the hang of things. Makes me feel capable.

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting at the tailgate of Ruby after a pasta lunch I prepped on Monday before I left. And I feel happy. Content. And a little cold so I’ll be heading off to Hawker soon where I will meet up with my friend Jack!

Lunch at the tailgate

Day 4

So, with no wifi and a campsite in the middle of Aussie outback it’s difficult to keep up with these digital things. Which is good! I’m disconnecting from the world and that can feel like such a relief.

But I also want to document about my trip so I will start with wat I did last night:

I joined my friend Jack on his gigantic camping spot on this beautiful big sheep sheering station turned into road life community. We went to pizza night at the tavern attached to the campsite and walked 45 minutes back in the dark to our spots under a beautiful sky full of stars.

Today I woke up with a little wine and gin and tonics hangover, but it felt so good to be in nature for that it really sped up the recovery process.

The place where we’re staying is called Little Station and it’s a 20-minute drive north of Hawker in the Flinders Ranges. And I am so glad I decided to join my friend for a few days because it’s a part of Australia I hadn’t seen yet. A typical outback place most only knows from movies and TV shows. It’s almost a surreal scenery. Jack compares it with what Mars must look like. I get his point.

We did some 4-wheel driving in my Ruby, and she did great! It was SO liberating to just take her over the rough dirt roads. What a feeling!

I just used my little stove for the first time, and it works so well. And my red tea kettle is awesome.

A cup of tea in the desert 🫖

And now I’m sitting on the tailgate of my car just staring at the stars with a cup of tea in my hand.

Does life get any better than this?

Day 5

It’s 07:23 in the morning and I’m sitting on my yoga mat outside the car watching the sunrise after a yoga session while sipping a cup of tea.

I will probably fall into repetition more often, but I have to say this again: does it get any better than this?

It’s a bit chilly, nut it’s not too cold. And that’s perfect because it will heat up again soon.

I love living outside all the time. I also love that it hasn’t rained on this trip yet. I guess that would put things in perspective. But you know, that’s not the case.

Morning routines in the desert 🏜️

It’s now sometime in the afternoon and we already did so much fun stuff today. We fed the farm animals living next to the owner’s house and went on a little “safari” feeding the big animals after that. Camels, goats, alpacas, donkeys, sheep... They’re all just hanging out on the property and waiting to be fed. Which we did this morning on a little mini safari in the animal paddock.

Then it was time for another beautiful sunset, hanging out on the tailgate of my car, and eating dinner in Betsy, the van.

Day 6

Another day, another beautiful morning routine.

I can get used to this.

Today I decided to go into Hawker, the little township closest to the station, to be connected to the world without having to use my friend’s antenna. Catching up on some messages, emails, blog writing, etc.

Oh, and having a chai of course. Let’s not forget about the chai.

Tonight is pizza night at the tavern, a great and very outback type of venue which reminds me of McLeod’s Daughters so much it’s insane. I’m going to have the true Aussie experience and get a kangaroo pizza.

Tomorrow I will part ways with Jack and carry on by myself.

But not before I have mapped out the route I want to take.

Speaking of routes, this is the route I have driven so far:

Road trip route from Aldinga Beach to Hawker 🚗

That's it for now.

Talk soon in the last part of this mini series!

Xoxo, Domi