Photo by Chad Brown When United States Navy veteran Chad Brown tried fly fishing for the first time, it changed his life. “I felt the air rushing across my cheek [and] feeling in my face,” he says of the moment his surroundings in a lush Oregon forest broke through the struggles he was facing due…
Overland News of the Week
Salewa Announces Collection for Spring/Summer 2024 This week’s overland news begins with mountain sports company Salewa’s announcement about its upcoming trekking collection, which blends technical performance with natural fabrics such as hemp and merino wool. The brand’s Puez Hemp/Durastretch 2/1 Hybrid jacket and pants are designed for strength and breathability with the ability to withstand…
Eva Rupert :: Modern Explorer
Editor’s Note: This Eva Rupert interview was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2023 Issue. “Hey, I know you. You’re famous. I’ve seen you on TV.” I stood at the entrance to a convenience store in northern Nevada, about to buy food for a week-long motorcycle adventure in the backcountry. As she spoke, the woman…
Overland Events and Rallies You Don’t Want to Miss This Fall
AMERICAN NORTHWEST Descend on Bend When: Sept 1-4, 2023 Where: Oregon Outback This family-friendly overland event near Pinnacles National Park is accessible to all vehicles, including motorcycles and rental cars. Live music, a daily maker’s market, and morning yoga are some of the highlights, while the event website sold me on its “coffee and affogato…
Overland News of the Week
Space Acacia Camping System In this week’s overland news is the Space Acacia camping system; a unique glamping tent that gives you a cozy interior while camping out in the wild. The tent is made with ultra-durable 300D Oxford cloth with a waterproof coating and can withstand wind speeds up to 45 miles per hour….
Colorado’s High Passes Remain Closed Deep Into Summer
Like many states in the American West, Colorado saw record snowpack levels in the winter of 2022-2023. Some parts of the state saw as much as 140 percent of average accumulation, and stream runoffs are still high across the Centennial State. As a result, many of Colorado’s high passes remain closed deep into the summer season….
BMW Motorrad Days Americas
BMW will host the first BMW Motorrad Days Americas during the Barber Vintage Festival in Leeds, Alabama, from October 6-8 this year. Join them to celebrate BMW’s first century of motorcycle manufacturing. BMW Centenary It’s been a 101 years since BMW chief designer Max Friz put the first full-scale BMW motorcycle on the drawing board….
Traveling the World by 1949 Double Decker Bus :: Video of the Week
Many of the wildest (and best) laid travel plans are hatched in a small country pub, and the one wagered by Richard King and a gathering of his friends at the Deers Hut pub in the Hampshire village of Liphook, England, was no different. It was the end of 1967’s Summer of Love when Bert…
From Land to Sea: Overlanders Weigh-In On the Transition to Sailing
Editor’s Note: This sailing article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2023 Issue. Lead photo by Bryan Danger. Bumfuzzle | Pat, Ali, Ouest, and Lowe Schulte Photography courtesy of Bumfuzzle “Neither of us had ever sailed or had a boat. We were just Midwestern kids from Minnesota,” Pat Schulte says of the moment he…
Two Women Road Trip Africa in this Rally-Ready 1981 Mercedes
Tanya Ritchie-Hicks and her son were casually perusing the internet when they spotted a lemon-hued 1981 W123 Mercedes-Benz car for sale. Tanya hated yellow cars, and this one was particularly hideous. But it had a diesel engine, and it was cheap, so they went for it. Later, as Tanya’s son drove the Mercedes through the…
Triumph Tiger 900 Aragón Editions
Triumph is offering two special Tiger 900 Aragón editions to commemorate Iván Cervantes’ decisive victory at the 2022 Baja Aragón race. Cervantes won the Trail category of the 280-mile contest by over an hour on a Tiger 900 Rally Pro. Proven Triumph Performance The Trail and Maxi-Trail categories at the Baja Aragón were created in…
4x4electric Is Circumnavigating Africa in a Solar-Powered EV
It’s worth remembering that most of the first motor vehicles were electric. In the late nineteenth century, electrification was the hot technology, and forward-thinking engineers (like Ferdinand Porsche) were betting on batteries to drive humanity into the future. These were not energy-dense or range-efficient machines by any measure, but it’s interesting to think about where…
On the Up and Up: Returning to the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route
Editor’s Note: This Washington Backcountry Discovery Route article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Summer 2023 Issue. Photography by Kris Newsom Perched on the edge of the Lion Rock escarpment in Washington’s central Cascades, I leaned back in my chair and watched the molten sun drip behind Mount Stuart’s jagged silhouette. Behind me, a clicking…
Riding Georgia’s Infamous Abano Pass :: Video of the Week
The Abano Pass is a stretch of unpaved track linking Omalo to Pshaveli in the northwest region of Georgia. Featuring 70 kilometers of gravel, rock, mud, and water crossings, at 2,864 meters (9,396 feet) above sea level, the road is the highest drivable pass in the Greater Caucasus mountain range. Well-known within the adventure biking…
KTM Adventure Rider Rally Arizona
KTM brings their 18th Annual Adventure Rider Rally to Page, Arizona, from October 13-15, 2023. Holding it near the Arizona Strip allows riders to choose from routes in both Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. Rally headquarters will be at the Lake Powell Resort in Page. Getting Started Pre-ride activities will start on October 12. KTM…
Threedom – Creating Cultural Connections from Ireland to India
After a long, hard day in the saddle, all we want to do is to pitch our tent within the grassy compound of a random farmyard, but our host is having none of that. “This my house!” says Krystof in broken English, pointing proudly to his nondescript house behind us with a rusted pitchfork. “You…
The 1964 Volkswagen Bug That Could :: Feature Vehicle
Studies show that the act of witnessing the journey of an underdog instills a sense of hope. Whether we’re following a protagonist’s quest in a novel or watching Rocky, the experience affects our biochemistry, altering our mindset for several days. As any vehicle aficionado knows, this phenomenon extends to our daily drivers, the Land Rovers…
Honda XR150L First Ride
The wait is over: Honda’s 2023 XR150L dual-sport motorcycle has hit American shores. Honda introduced the friendly, inexpensive dual-sport at a late-June press launch in Solvang, California. Expedition Portal was there to ride the XR and report on it. Honda Comes Through with the XR150L First announced back in March, this beginner-friendly bike is aimed…
Border Shock: An Overlanding Family’s Nightmare
Editor’s Note: This border crossing article was originally published in Overland Journal’s Spring 2023 Issue. Words by Chris Simon, in collaboration with Richie and Abigail Gubler. Overland border crossings are exciting, unpredictable, and stressful. No matter where you are in the world, things can go unexpectedly wrong at official border checkpoints. This article tells the story…
onX Maps Offroad App Adds New Features
onX Maps has boosted its Offroad app with a new proprietary Route Builder feature. In recent years, the Montana-based company has made big waves in the GPS navigation world with its suite of online and offline mapping software that caters to many stripes of outdoor enthusiasts, including those of us that are drawn to the…