Some of us are sitting here in the dark days of winter dreaming of sunnier riding climates. Arizona and Utah rarely see a day without sun, and this video shot at Valley of the Gods and Moki Dugway from Got2Go is just what I needed on this rainy Pacific Northwest afternoon. Not only does the…
36 Hours of Adventure :: Grand Canyon Overland Trail Ride
This 36 Hours of Adventure is Presented by: Red sand clings to the deep treads of our Defender as it slowly claws its way up a steep, rocky stretch of trail above the ghost town of Grafton. We’re just outside St. George, Utah. Originally homesteaded in 1859, Grafton’s population topped 168 individuals at its…
Driving the 2021 Copperstate Overland Rally
Photography by Tom Leigh/Tommy Gun Images On a late October afternoon in Northeast Tucson, at one of America’s old-time ranches, “old-time” vehicles made their way through dark wooden gates, past the horse barns, and toward the main house of the Tanque Verde Ranch. The participants of the 2021 Copperstate Overland have gathered for a yearly…
No Time to Burn
I’d never heard such thunder, and it was getting closer—I could feel each crash reverberate in my chest. It was like enemy mortar shells finding their range. Then there were the punches of lightning, so close they seemed only feet away from my rooftop tent. Maybe the tires on my ’99 4Runner would insulate me….
Finish and Publish Your Moto Travel Stories
Do you have an incredible tale of adventure? Have you been told you should publish your stories? Does the thought of pitching to magazines or publishers sound daunting? If so, you need to check out Carla King’s Your Moto Diaries writing workshop. I took the YMD workshop at the beginning of 2021 to help with…
Telkwa Pass—British Columbia’s “Shortcut” between Smithers and Terrace
Photos provided by ridingfullcircle.com, Uncle “M” (advrider.com), and Jillian Kofoed (Totem Auto Group) He’s about to suggest riding something I won’t like and will do everything he can to convince me. Dave’s been scouring Google Earth and paper maps for a few hours now and has found a little side tour over Telkwa Pass—a rugged 71-mile…
36 Hours of Adventure: It’s The Airstream Life For Us
This 36-Hours of Adventure is Presented by: Just Say Yes I’ve approached life a little bit differently than most. I say yes to a lot of opportunities, for instance, waking up at two in the morning to climb a 1,000-foot-tall rock spire, eating grilled sausages with complete strangers as the sun rose in the Black…
Expedition Overland Announces Launch of New Overlander Network
After 10 years of publishing episodic content through platforms including YouTube and Amazon Prime Video, Expedition Overland is reimagining their distribution strategy, finding their home on the subscription video platform special.tv, where they have launched the all-new Overlander Network. The Crofts envision expanding the Overlander Network to include other overlanding filmmakers, adventure travelers, and storytellers….
36 Hours of Adventure :: Exploring Colorado’s San Juan Range
This 36-Hours of Adventure is Presented by: Colorado’s San Juan mountain range is arguably one of the most spectacular groupings of peaks within the state. Characterized by extremely steep (and often crumbly) multi-colored slopes interspersed with vibrant green meadows and expansive stands of aspens, this region in Southwestern Colorado was formed by the collision of…
Field Tested: Micro-Start—The World’s Smallest Jump Starter
Created by Antigravity Batteries, known for high-end lithium batteries, the Micro-start is the first, original mini jump starter. These days, we rely on electronic devices more than ever—even in the middle of nowhere—which is what makes the Micro-start an essential item whenever I walk, drive, or ride two wheels off into an adventure. This pocket-sized…
Exploring the Americas in a 1999 Hyundai Starex :: Interview with Emmanuel Solórzano
Five years ago, Costa Rican overlander Emmanuel Solórzano went camping for the first time. At the site, which was located near Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica, Emmanuel met an American couple who had been traveling in their 2012 4Runner for nearly two years. Ernesto López Pérez and Taisa Welhasch of Overland the Americas shared stories…
Scottish Highlands in a House Truck
Photography by Jason Spafford I’ve always been fond of Scotland, our near-faraway neighbour, famed for its white-painted dollhouses nestled in the hillside, among red deer grazing in a lush green glen. There are likely more sheep than people, chewing the cud on the rush pasture amid bright bursts of yellow gorse bushes. There’s often a…
In Search of Solitude :: Heading into the Mountains of Uzbekistan
Photography by Coen Wubbels One Lada Niva or UAZ Hunter after another came bumping down the trail, the vehicles packed with people. What was going on? Weren’t we going to a super remote place deep in the Uzbek mountains, a place that “everybody” told us to visit? “You have to go to Urungach; it’s the…
From India to London in a Toyota Fortuner :: Interview with Amarjeet Singh, The Turban Traveller
As a teenager in New Delhi, Amarjeet Singh longed to roam free and travel the world. He dreamt of meeting people and sharing ideas, food, and culture. But when Singh told his father of his plans, his father became upset. “This is not the time for you to travel,” his father said. “This is the…
Leave No Trace—Outdoor Ethics for Riders, Overlanders, and Other Land Users
I was camping in eastern Washington a month ago. We had a gorgeous spot right on a river and plenty of space for three vehicles and six dirt bikes. On arrival, I jumped out of the truck and headed into some trees to relieve my water-filled bladder. Walking a few feet away from camp, I…
A Self-Drive Adventure Through Botswana
In January 2021, my wife, Kirsten, and I went on a self-drive safari in Botswana in a vehicle from Chobe 4X4. We are camping idiots and always depart with a slight sense of trepidation that we may not return. It is not being in the wild that worries us; it is our profound mechanical ignorance. …
Field Tested: Nomad Grill and Smoker
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Spring 2021 Issue. There is nothing better than a satisfying meal after a day of adventure in the backcountry, and it needn’t consist of hotdogs and Kraft singles on white bread. Enter the Nomad, the low-mess solution to smoking and grilling. As travelers, we…
Don’t Go There; You Will Die
Have you ever wondered why planning for and embarking on a modern, maiden, extended overland journey is so stressful? Well, prolific overland travelers (myself included) are partly to blame as we tend to focus more on the adventure than ease of travel, which creates a false impression. Let me explain. I, and many of the…
Road to Lofoten
“The Arctic Circle during wintertime…hah…you know there’s a reason why they call them a MOTfalia*. I wouldn’t drive that to the shops, let alone to Lofoten in January.” – a fellow Vanagon owner on Facebook, offering words of encouragement. *MOT in the UK stands for “Ministry of Transport” and is a compulsory annual inspection to…
Forest Road
Photography by Michelle Francine Weiss and Roy Rudnick Mirny is a city as isolated in the middle of the Russian expanse as many others in the far east of the country. But it has a strong reason to exist in that place: 25 percent of the diamonds which circulate the world come from its…