There are road trips, and then there are road trips. The road trips where there are no actual roads, and they are not so much as a trip as an adventure, a journey, an expedition. The ones few can manage to endeavor, and even fewer manage to return from.
The infamous Terra Nova Expedition is one of them. Even though it was a failure, resulting in not only the team led by Robert Falcon Scott coming in second to reach the South Pole, and everyone died on the way back, it still captures the hearts of anyone who reads about it. It's a tale of courage, resilience, and despair.
And crappy motorized sleds that kept breaking down.
Okay, sure, there were a huge amount of fatal mistakes that were made along the way, but that doesn't really diminish from its greatness. Its a story that seems made for novels and film, yet stories of self-sacrifice, like that of Captain Lawrence Oates with his infected foot, really happened:
But, on March 17, 1912 — his 32nd birthday — amid circumstances so excruciating that we can hardly comprehend them, Captain Lawrence 'Titus' Oates of the 6th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards walked out of his tent and into the history books with the words: 'I am just going outside and may be some time.'
And with that, Captain Oates was gone.
But the Terra Nova expedition was a failure, so maybe it doesn't qualify as great. What do you think was the greatest road trip of all time?
Let us know in the comments below.