The Great Ocean Road

There is a stretch of road on the south end of Australia. It is called the Great Ocean Road. It begins near Melbourne, and stretches across the coast for nearly 250 kilometers. It's length is perched precariously on a cliffside, following the natural features closely. The limit is 80 kph, and with hairpin turns, blind corners, and sheer drops, it is a terrifying drive. Since the road follows the cliffs so closely, and the entire coastline bends away from the ocean, it is difficult to know what is coming up. At best, you can see a mile ahead at some cliff heads that jut out from the shore.

Some of the views you'll encounter here are breathtaking. Beaches dot the coast, interrupted by long bouts of jagged rocks. Coastal villages appear every stretch of road, offering gas and local color. I tried thinking about what it must be like to grow up in a village like this. On the ass end of the world, knowing that if you look south, the next time you'll see land, it'd be the south pole. That no one would ever pass through here, and the only ways into and out of your quaint town is a dangerous piece of road.

We drove a bit of the road. I don't think I appreciated then the magnitude of that journey, and the effect it would have on me. To this day, I think back to that stop on the road. Where we said "No more driving, this is the farthest we will go. We will turn back here." Never have I felt my limits embodied more specifically. I won't ever forget that spot on the road. That mile marker. The grass as it swayed in the breeze, or the setting sun. In my mind, I left a flag planted there. A flag planted just short of the peak I had set out for myself.

I sometimes think that I will return there someday. Find that spot where we had stopped so many years ago, and blow past it. Drive on further, and find a new spot to plant my flag. But I realize that won't be sufficient. The peak is not the end of the Great Ocean Road. It isn't the other end of Australia, and nor is it the South Pole. There are places all over this planet that I want to go and see, but none of them are the peak I want to reach.

I want to go into orbit. I want to land on the moon to play a round of golf. I want to go to Mars, and plant an evergreen tree there, try to celebrate Christmas. I want to swim in the oceans of Europa (if they even exist). I want to witness an ocean of diamonds, hiding under the fog of Neptune. Drop by Pluto, just to see for myself if it is worthy of being a planet or not. I want to brave the vacuum of space, and reach Alpha Centauri. I want to see foreign planets, and meet strange creatures.

I want to live forever, and find the edge of the universe. And then take a step past to see what's behind the curtain.

But for now, my flag lays planted on the Great Ocean Road. Waiting for me to pick up the adventure once again.