On my annual pilgrimage to Cape Lookout, Outer Banks, in my Land Cruiser, Hannibal the Hundy, I found myself contemplating the waves, the dunes, the sunset. I was also struck by the coquina clam, a mollusk that lives in the sand. Being in nature always brings revelations and is one of the main reasons I…
Category Archives: Adventure
Moonbikes: 100 Percent Electric, 100 Percent Silent
I’m not a fan of snowmobiles. The concept is great: floating on snow, getting high up into the mountains with the help of an engine. But one significant reason why I go into the backcountry is for the peace and quiet. Sleds have their selling points, but they smell and are loud. For these two…
Overlanding Tibet to the Gyantse Horse Festival
I put my hand in the air and flagged down a taxi at the Chengdu International Airport in Sichuan, China. I lugged my large pack into the trunk and slid into the pleather seats. Thus began the same Chinese conversation I’d had hundreds of times before: Where are you from? How did you learn to…
Avoidable Missteps Teach a Serious Lesson About Carelessness
As we look back at nearly eight years of full-time, vehicle-based travel, we consider ourselves fairly experienced travelers. So it’s embarrassing to admit we make rookie mistakes from time to time. We should know better. Over the past weekend, we completed a whirlwind but magical tour of La Huasteca Potosina, a tropical region in interior…
Video of the Week :: Meet the Woman Who Drove this 1930 Hudson Great Eight Around the World
At age 77, rally car driver, automotive mechanic, and businesswoman Heidi Hetzer decided to drive around the world in a 1930 Hudson Great Eight. Over 31 months, she traveled through Eastern Europe, across China, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, Mexico, Central, and South America. She then sailed to Africa and drove north to Germany….
Destinations :: San Martín de los Andes, Argentina
In Patagonia’s northwest region, you’ll find forests, lakes, volcanoes, and best of all, the endearing town of San Martín de los Andes, Argentina. Sitting along the glacial shores of Lake Lácar and surrounded by rugged beauty, San Martín was the one place my husband and I seriously considered moving to while on our round-the-world trip….
Humanity :: A Christmas Miracle in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Photography by Richard Giordano Perhaps one of the most luxurious gifts an overlander can receive is a (fully paid for!) apartment rental for the holidays. In December 2013, we parked our little 1990 Toyota Pickup on the curb, excitedly hauling our belongings up several sets of stairs to a cute apartment in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico….
Auto Hotels: What Does Luxury “Love” Accommodation Have to Do with Overland Travel?
After a long day on our motorcycles, my riding partner, Dave, and I, were in Guanajuato, Mexico, looking for a place to stay. We found a hotel on the side of the road, just out of town. The place looked nice—possibly too expensive for our budget, but we decided to see how much a night…
Video of the Week: Lea Rieck Rides Valley of the Gods, Moki Dugway
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…
The Rugged Road :: A Sidecar Journey from London to Cape Town
Photographs courtesy of The Rugged Road by Theresa Wallach It was New Year’s Day, 1 January 1935, when Theresa Wallach and Florence Blenkiron sat in the postmaster’s house in El Goléa, Algeria, listening to Big Ben chime over the wireless radio. Rather than evoking a reassurance or wistfulness for home, the sounds and news from…
Lofty Elevations and a Higher Understanding
The excitement of what lay before me had purloined any chance of slumber on the six-hour flight from Qatar to Nepal. Despite a 1:00 a.m. departure, I kept my eyes glued to the horizon, willing the sun to climb as we raced toward it at 420 knots. My breathing quickened as the first blueish-gray hints…
Interview :: The Sidecar Guys
Matt and Reece are just a couple of young blokes from the UK who circumnavigated the globe on a scooter and sidecar, setting a Guinness world record for their feat along the way. Neither had ridden a motorcycle or knew anything about overlanding. Yet, they decided to drive one of the world’s most uncomfortable and…
Destinations :: Cumberland, British Columbia
On the east coast of central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, you’ll find Cumberland, a gateway to Comox Lake 60 miles northwest of Nanaimo. What makes Cumberland and its 3,000-plus residents unique is the welcoming community and world-class recreation possibilities. Unlike other touristy stops on Vancouver Island, like Tofino and Coombs, Cumberland has kept its quaint…
Killer Bees and Killer Cracks: Overcoming Fear at Cochise Stronghold with 57 Hours
Photography by Richard Giordano “Have you heard about the killer bees?” my climbing guide Jayci asked. We were scrambling over boulders that dotted a dry riverbed in Arizona’s Cochise Valley. “I have not,” I responded nervously, eyeing trunks of decayed oak trees and overhead branches, urgently scanning for a hive. We were hiking the approach…
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…
Escapar a la Baja Tres: A Vanlife and Overlanding Meetup, Feb 2022
Escapar a la Baja, an Overlanding and Vanlife Meetup Baja season is approaching quickly, and for those heading south of the US border this winter, you’ll definitely want to check out Escapar A La Baja Tres. This weekend-long vanlife and overlanding rendezvous at Playa El Tecolote (just 30 minutes outside La Paz) is scheduled for…
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…
Destination: Mujib Biosphere Reserve Chalets, Jordan
Photography by Richard Giordano As one drives south on Highway 65 (also known as the Dead Sea Highway) in Jordan, a teal-blue body of water appears. Located at 423 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is not only one of the saltiest lakes in the world; it is officially the lowest place on land….
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….
8 Things We Learned from 4WD Master Trainer Nena Barlow
Photography by Richard Giordano If you flip to the masthead section of Overland Journal magazine, there lies a list of folks whose names you may never see grace the bylines, but their roles are incredibly important. A small but mighty team sees to the day-to-day operation of Expedition Portal and Overland Journal; individuals come from…