What happened to my horizon?

It's funny, really. Despite having done panels and articles about steampunk for a good five years now, I never really sat down and thought about exactly what attracted me to the genre.

Was it the aesthetic?  No, not really, although I do enjoy dressing up in a suit on occasion.

Was it the period?  Again, no.  While I'm a fan of many of the writers of the Victorian era, there's little about the time that makes it stand out from any other.

I never really worked it out, until just recently:

It's the adventure.