I picked up this book 8 years ago. The topic fascinated me. The book has been staring me down for almost a decade. I decided it was finally time to read it.
Roff Smith decided to chuck his job at Time magazine and ride his bike around the continent of Australia. The journey took 9 months and he rode 10,000 miles. Smith writes with ease. This is armchair travel at its best. The most enjoyable parts of this book are reading about some of the people Smith meets along the way. A group of men offer Smith a beer. This leads to a week long fishing expedition into terrain that sounds like paradise.
Smith conquers miles of desert and Australian outback. Riding this terrain is brutal. Outposts are often 100 miles apart and Smith has to ration his water to make it to the next stop.
Toward the end of the journey Smith rolls through Australian wine country. This part of the journey sounds amazing. Every cyclists dream, rolling hills, beautiful terrain and wineries along the way.
Cold Beer and Crocodiles is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in some time. Nothing heavy, certainly inspiring, and an adventure I’ll probably never conquer myself.
December 30, 2008 at 2:23 pm |
So the Monkey man likes a book with the words “Cold Beer” in the title. What will he endorse next — hot pizza?