TAKING A BACK SEAT IN TAHITI

Offshore winds blow the rain into the back of the Range Rover as it passes along the shoreline. We are not close to the water, yet it feels like I am swimming, like the gravity that affects the tide is pulling me into this moment. The front tire hits a bump, and I’m tossed into the air before crashing back down onto the bench. As the car rocks back and forth with the flow of the road, the view abruptly shifts from blue waves to a towering sea of green mountains piled so high above our rig that I can’t make out where they end.

I have no idea where I am going. This is deeply unsettling. Back in the States, four-wheeling and exploring are my life—in fact, I’ve lived out of my Jeep for the last few years. I’ve