A Canadian guide to the Mid-Atlantic Overland Festival

Morticon

Adventurer
Well where do I start? Ahh yes 5:30am..

I get up rubbing my eyes, as I had fallen asleep only a short 4 hours ago, did I really sleep or just blink?

My ever suspicious dog Buddy lifts his head and looks at me like "Really? we just layed down for bed" even still he eagerly follows me out of my bedroom and down the stairs where I get out some food for him.

I crawl back up the stairs and have a quick cold shower to get me going. Bad idea, turns out it was a cold night and only 9 degrees (~48) outside this morning.

As I have already packed the Jeep the previous night all I have to do is say goodbye to the pup and hit the road.

He is not impressed he's being left behind!
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I hit the last gas station before the highway, and the sun has risen rather quickly. An hour after falling out of bed, I'm all gassed up and on the run.
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As you will note the windows are out, and are tucked under all of my gear, cooler and camp chair. The plan was to drop the top and cruise the whole way in to the Mid Atlantic Overland Festival, but with the unseasonal cool overnight temperatures, a rather long stretch of interstate to blast through and the recent disappearance of my beard leaving my face colder than normal, I decided to leave the top and windows up until I hi the PA/New York border.

An hour later and I was at the Peace Bridge getting ready to cross into the land of cheap gas, cheap food and certain adventure... 'Murica!
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I had thought that arriving at the border at an early hour would void me of having to deal with border traffic... not so, seems like there are quite a few morning commuters crossing the border, for work, travel, adventure like myself? who knows. Ah well 45 minutes later and I was hammer down on the fastest route to 6th gear and 219 south.
 
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Morticon

Adventurer
I finally hit the state border, and decide I am so close to Bradford I might as well just keep on trucking.

I stop in Bradford for 2 things. The first and most important is to pick up a knife at the Zippo/Case Museum. A little back story, last September my Brother and I came down this way on our way to the Allegheny National Forest, and then onto Bald Eagle State Forrest (See story here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...s-Allegheny-NF-Bald-Eagle-SF-Pine-Creek-Gorge). I had been longing to get a new knife of grandfather quality. You know the type of knife that you still have when you become a grandfather and you can give it to your grand kid when they are old enough to not cut themselves?

Anyway I found the perfect knife and bought it, stainless steel, stacked leather handle with a nice custom leather sheath. About 7 months later I notice the stacked leather has shrunken and some of the metal rings are loosely moving around... long story short, we had already planned a trip to BESF again because we had enjoyed it so much (see thread here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...le-State-Forest-Victoria-Day-Weekend-May-2014) so on the way back during our second trip we dropped the knife off.

The great thing about Case is there is a lifetime warranty on it! and it carry overs from person to person. I walked right in showed them what was wrong, they even offered for me to drive around meet the guy who was going to fix it and wait while he fixed it (a few hours) but as we were on our way home on a tight deadline and I knew Id be coming back down for the MAOF I told them I would pick it up in July.

So I pulled into the Museum parking lot ran in, gave them my name and my knife was back in my hands!
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Here is the handle perfectly restored, not sure if they replaced all of the stacked leather or what they did but they did a magnificent job!
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I can tell this is my knife and not just a new one for several reasons. A few scratches on the blade from being used:
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And the nick I got on the sheath during our first trip to BESF:
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So now I've dropped the top but before I leave I decide to take a few pictures of this beast, as I am rather ashamed I didn't have time to go through the museum. Although I've been there twice already, it is definitely one of those places every time you go you notice or read something new!

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Looks like its a West Coast Customs Job! I wonder if they did a tv show on this?
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It is too bad that the lighter was hollow! but I guess a big flaming lighter filled with fluid on the back isn't exactly the safest thing to drive around in. (for some reason no matter what I do this photo will not rotate properly)
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Back on the road headed for Huntingdon PA! 219 south the I 80 west, hopping of somewhere before State College to hopefully enjoy a little more back roads on my down! Thank god the sun is out!

Side note, someone later on in the weekend informed me that Huntingdon is the hometown of Robert Downey Jr. I'm to lazy to fact check this but kind of cool, as there isn't much to this little town.
 
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geckoTy

Adventurer
Great read! It was nice to meet you "Canadian" at the festival!

Tyler with the dune jku(I was with my buddy nick(white jku) and dave(red jku)
 
Great story. When I signed up for the MAOF I never thought there would be people from far away and it never crossed my mind there would be anyone from Canada. Glad you made the trip down!
 

Morticon

Adventurer
Great story. When I signed up for the MAOF I never thought there would be people from far away and it never crossed my mind there would be anyone from Canada. Glad you made the trip down!

Haha well us Canadians are a little crazy, plus distance wise its shorter for me to drive to BESF then it is to the Capital of our country which is in my own province!
 

Morticon

Adventurer
This is about the time where I forget to take pictures. Im anxious, rushing just want to be there already!

As I edge closer and closer to the I 80, winding my way down the 219 south the jeep makes a memorable sound. The "find a gas station ASAP Im out of gas" chime. Because my jeep is sitting on 35x12.5" tires, with 3.5" of lift, 4.56 gears, weighed down with armour and literally looks like a big red brick driving down the road, my mileage isnt exactly what it use to be. Not that what it use to be was anything to braig about anyway.

I pull into a Sheetz and try to pay at the pump, its weird how some places ask for your zipcode at the pump. Wait a minute whats a zip code? Isn't it a postal code!? Anyway I try the old 12345 with no luck "Go see cashier" or something along those lines appears on the digital screen. I drag my feet into the store and am greeted with a smile. I state that I dont have a zip code but a postal code and she asks how much I want to prepay for, and so I ask for 100 dollars. She repeats "A HUNDRED DOLLARS!?" to which Im sure I gave a weird look. She oblgies anyway laughing as she types in the number.

I hurry back to the jeep anxious to leave the awkward situation and start gassing up. Sure enough her surprise was well founded. $50 and change. Doing some quick math in my head I realize I am paying at roughly 99 cents a litre(3.75/gal) where as back home we are currently paying 1.37/litre (5.20/gal) Big Difference! An extra 25 dollars to fill up back home. If only you guys had healthcare! haha.

Onward I press and end up in Huntingdon. I come across a walmart and decide to find a grocery store I havent heard of before. I find Giant Grocers or something of the sort and stop in. MASSIVE store for such a small town! Great selection. Anyway I get what I need, top up for gas again at another Sheetz which doesnt ask for my "ZIP code" this time, and I'm on the road again, another 30 minutes and I should be there!

PS Huntingdon has some really cool old buildings, drive slowly when passing through and appreciate them!

Finally I hang a sharp right after a bridge and low and behold... dirt! Ahh this is what I've been looking forward to. I drop down to first and my exhaust burbles with back pressure as I slow down and pull up to the registration desk. Im greeted with a big smile and hello as I hop down from the jeep stretching as I had now been officially on the road for 8 hours. Well that took about 2 hours longer then planned! Ohh well, I get right down to filling out the forms, and we chat as I sign my name, the lady is surprised to hear that I am all the way from Canada! In a topless Jeep with no A/C or cruise control to boot!

Another vehicle pulls in behind me and hurry up and get on my way to the camp site. Crawling down the road slowly I notice a trail cuttin up and off into the bush on the right hand side and think to myself, hmm that looks interesting, I wonder if thats part of the weekend? I putt further on down the road and hang a left at an old delapidated house on one corner and a big open barn on the other, now this is cool! Starting to climb up at a slow grade and I can see the roof of a big log house out the roof of my jeep, and all the sudden the road turns right and Im greeted with a big wide open field and whack load of cool rigs and tents!. I follow the signs for camping and end up parking beside a whole whack load of other Jeep Jk's.

This is the view I'm greeted with:
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And this!
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Finally... we've arrived at MAOF..
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Morticon

Adventurer
I gaze around and the view is amazing. Talk to some neighbors close by, I guy on a motorcylce setting up his tent next to me, Tyler with his gf and his little dog, His buddy Nick, Brad and Big Al accross from me, and I hear theres gunna be a quick trail run at 330! alright sweet lets get set up!

Quickly I set up my tent and unload everything I dont need. In stark contrast to this morning the heat is now pouring down and I cant wait to hop back in the Jeep and get some wind in my lack of hair. I head back on over to the vendor area and take a quick walk around as I wait for the group to head out. There is a cool Royal Engield at the Mainline Overland booth, along with their JK and FJ. To their right was the great guys from DirtRoad Trip, who were an absolute blast to talk to and hangout with. And then again to their right was Don from OEX in one of their Toyota Hilux's with Deisel. What a cool rig!

Don rumlbes the Hilux to a start and pulls out, I run my back to my jeep as giddy as school boy and drop in near the end of the line with SamM behind and Brad and Big All infront. We were all just expecting a quick tour around the farm but ended up coming up on some deliberatly fallen logs which normall would cause no issue. But without the tires airred down and the steepness of the trail there was some slipping and sliding all over. Brad in his TJ even hit a tree! Its okay, only cosmetic damage, and Im sure Brad would prefer to call it a beauty mark. We get to the top and the more mild built(and hungrier people as we are now pushing 6pm) rigs take the quick route back down the same hill we came up. The group of rigs that remain are fairly well built, The Hilux, Jim in his Tacomma on 33's, Don in his big Ford Bronco, a feller whose name I cant remember in a niceley equip Tacomma, then Tyler in his brand new 4dr JK, Brad in his TJ, Big Al in his YJ, Myself in the JK and Nick in a 4dr JK. We head down the hill the same way as the previous group except we take a sharp right followed by a ditch and then a slightly off camber S turn up hill that could give some longer vehicles some trouble. On the top side we pop through the brush and are greeted by some tall grass and a trail reading right.
Were told up ahead is the best view on the property... Well lets get going!

We follow the trail a bit and I snap a few shots.
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We stop 3/4 up the hill and are presented with this eye catching view.. but alas it gets even better! ( it would be neat to stitch these 3 together)
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More:
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A close up:
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And the view from the top(and another few pictures I should stitch together)
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The rigs:
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The Jeeps
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A few Candid Photos:
Tyler and the pup:
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Don from OEX, Back of Jims head and half of Alex's Head from DirtRoad Trip
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More of the Jeeps
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By the time we got back it was 730 and time for the film festival!
 

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