About me and Off Road Magic
Where it all started
Hello there, I’m Bobby, a grumpy ol’ bloke living in the Pacific North West of the USA. I am the author and owner of the Off Road Magic site. Being a transplant to this corner of the globe, here are a few words about before . . .
I was born in Zimbabwe, a country in southern Africa, at that time still known as Southern Rhodesia. Life for me started in the southeast of the country on my grandfather’s 75,000 acre cattle ranch. A kid could not wish for a more wonderful place to grow up. My dilemma as a youngster was not so much what I wanted to be when I grew up, but rather which path would keep me in the bush. And so I became a farmer. For 20 years after school my life was managing farms. This included a wide variety of crops as well as cattle – beef and dairy – and in later years wildlife management and safari hunting. So you could say that my life has involved a fair bit of Off Road Magic over the years.
In mid 2002, that chapter of my life closed. My family and I became another casualty of the political unrest galloping across the country, and we decided to leave Zimbabwe.
Sandwiched between my exodus from Zimbabwe and settling in the US, was a rather turbulent yet interesting decade. During this time, I did the alphabet tour in reverse, making my way from Zimbabwe all the way to Afghanistan. There were some fun times and some not so fun times but always interesting and mostly hugely educational. Okay, enough about me . . .
So why the Off Road Magic Blog?
Settling in the US opened a new chapter. And, while I learn how to be a city boy for the first time in my life, my love of the outdoors keeps things real for me. For all the bad stuff out there (and there’s a bunch!) there is still so much beauty and wonder to enjoy. I do not believe there is a better antidote for the stress of 21st century life than a good dose of the outdoors.
There are three main objectives for this site: First, I was keen to dip my toe in the rapidly expanding ocean that is the internet. Second, I see it as a way to educate myself on what’s available to the outdoor/off road enthusiast here in the US. It is also a learning exercise in how to adapt my past experience to a new environment. Third, simple, I love to share this stuff and learn new stuff. There is immense satisfaction and enjoyment in sharing things that are important to me. I am also a firm believer in the concept of “giving back”. My hope is to add value and give back by building a resource on this passion that will add value and enjoyment to peoples lives. Besides, it’s fun to make new friends with common interests!
And so it is my mission with Off Road Magic to create a forum and build a community online (and who knows, perhaps off line too) to promote and encourage the enjoyment of outdoor and off road pursuits. You will find more details about the various resources and what to expect back at the Home page
Here’s to many Off Road Magic outdoor adventures!