Summer’s here, and it’s time to hit the road.

Summer’s here, and it’s time to hit the road^★.
I first read Jack Kerouac’s^★ On the Road in my first year at university. I’d just moved from the wide brown landscapes of my hometown in western New South Wales to the wet, green suburbs of Melbourne, and Kerouac’s novel awoke in me a desire to travel to some of the more isolated areas of the country. That summer vacation, along with two friends from the university rugby club, I took a road trip from Melbourne, though the bush and desert, all the way the Darwin in the far north of Australia and back again – around 8,000 km!

Since that time, I’ve always associated^★ summer with^★ travel: not a few days at a beach resort in Thailand, but long-distance road trips through the countryside, getting a firsthand^★ look at rural life and roughing it a bit.

Real road trips, however, take time and these days work seems to take up^★ so much of our lives, that for most of us it’s not that easy to get away for 2 or 3 weeks or more. Still, I’ve found that rural Hokkaido provides a great opportunity to hit the road, even for those with limited time. Last year, I was able to travel from Sapporo to Obihiro, and from there up to Mombetsu, Wakkanai and back down to Sapporo. The whole trip only took 5 days, but the varied scenery and multitude of small country roads to travel made it a real adventure.

This summer I hope to get time for a similar trip, maybe to the Shiretoko area. It’s great to get out of the city and the crowds, and follow a road you’ve never been on before to a destination you have never visited. I guess it’s even more exciting doing it in another country . . . so if you have time this summer, why not make the most of your chance and get on the road?

Garry

～～～これ知ってた？～～～
★hit the road
出かける、旅にでるという意味。札幌にも夏が来ましたね！旅に出る時期ですね^^

★Jack Kerouac
ジャック・ケルアック。アメリカの小説家、詩人。

★associate with
=～を連想する。ここでは、夏といえば旅を思い出す・連想する、という意味です。
例えば、 "I associate reindeer with Christmas."で、「トナカイと言えばクリスマスを思い出す」となります。

★firsthand
直接の、じかに、という意味があります。
リゾート旅行ではなく、地方へ旅に出て田舎の生活を自分の目で実際に見て旅をする、ということです！

★take up
Takeには様々な意味がありますが、ここでの”take up”は時間や場所を取るという意味で使われています。
なので、「仕事で時間を取られてしまうので、数週間以上のお休みを取るのは難しい。」というふうに訳せます。