Innehållsförteckning för Winter 2011 från Overland Journal

In 1970, having lunch in the British Ministry of Defence was not a gastronomic delight. But when I received an invitation to dine with some gentlemen of the Anglo-Hispanic Society, I accepted gladly. A retired Colonel, wearing a purple bowler hat and sporting a monocle, greeted me and came straight to the point. “What do you know of the Darien Gap?” he asked as he filled my wine glass. “Nothing,” said I. He immediately proceeded to describe the dense jungle, hills and swamps in Panama and Colombia that had blocked the completion of the 29,000-mile Pan American Highway, which connects the Americas from Alaska in the north to Tierra del Fuego on the tip of South America. I learned it was in the Darien where Spanish Conquistador Vasco Nunez de…

In the first half of this project, I addressed what I felt were the minimum modifications an 800GS would need to serve as a durable, mid-sized, adventure bike. I addressed crash protection with some robust and surprisingly inexpensive parts from Adventure-Spec. A set of Jesse Luggage Systems aluminum panniers provide convenient and secure storage for all manner of gear. The G2 Ergonomics throttle cam, combined with bar risers from Rox Speed FX, an inexpensive and simple foot peg modification, and a few other minor ergonomic tweaks make for a more comfortable ride and reduce fatigue. When you get right down to it, those basic modifications are really all the bike needed to be a competent adventure bike. The GS now has about 15,000 miles of sun, rain, and sleet under…

The best off-road drivers, when pressed for advice suitable to the impressionable beginner, often reference the importance of developing good hand-eye coordination to keep the vehicle, its occupants, and the environment in good working order. It’s without question then, that ranking in importance with good auxiliary lighting and appropriately timed gearshifts, would be proper care and maintenance of the aforementioned anatomical pair, the hands and the eyes. This article, as the first in a two-part series, will specifically address backcountry care of common ocular injuries, while a subsequent article will deal with first aid for the hands. Each day in the United States, 2,000 workers suffer job-related ocular injuries requiring medical attention. The most commonly afflicted professions are ones with which we can all likely relate: metal and construction workers,…

It’s clear the Powell expedition could handle all manner of adversity, but they were not going to flirt with total disaster and risk running out of coffee. How far would you go for a good bottle of Scotch whisky? Would you embark on an expedition to the bottom of the earth to get your hands on it? Al Fastier would... In February of 2010, Fastier and a team from New Zealand’s Antarctic Heritage Trust embarked on an expedition in search of a tiny wooden shack on a small island on the edge of Antarctica. Why? To recover priceless artifacts rumored to be buried beneath—which had not seen the light of day in more than a century. This was not just any treasure; this was Scotch whisky—Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Scotch whisky.…

John Blashford-Snell As one of the most seasoned and respected explorers, the former Royal Engineer Colonel John Blashford-Snell has organized over 100 expeditions. He led the first descent of the Blue Nile and the navigation of virtually all the 2,700 miles of the Congo, as well as the first complete crossing of the Darien Gap by vehicle. Under the patronage of Prince Charles, he led the global expedition Operations Drake and Raleigh for young people of 30 nations named. He is closely involved in helping the disadvantaged young, holds many of the top awards for exploration, and has twice been decorated for his work. He is President of the Scientific Exploration Society, the Just a Drop water charity, and a pioneer of innovative means of transport. Jon Solberg Dr. Solberg…

Sportsmobile is a classic success story, made even more enjoyable to hear when told by Alan Feld of Sportsmobile West. As Sportsmobile celebrates 50 years of making conversion vans for adventure travel, Overland Journal wanted to honor their achievement with a view of their vans from 1961 to 2011. In 1961 the company was little more than a small shop in El Paso, Texas. Sportsmobile is often credited with being the worlds oldest van conversion company. After their first creation, a VW bus, they began supplying kits to Volkswagen of America. In 1962, Ford Motor Company contracted Sportsmobile for the installation of camper kits in their Lorain, Michigan plant. In 1967, rising tariffs ended their contract with VW of America. However, they started shipping kits directly to Germany for fitment.…

Forward by Scott Brady I hate roof loads. There, I said (wrote) it. So as to not conceal any personal bias, avoiding roof loads has been a mantra of mine for nearly a decade. Despite this, and having avoided almost anything on the roof of my vehicles, I have learned to appreciate a bare roof rack. Let me explain. Every modification we do to our vehicle comes at a cost. We add larger tires to gain ground clearance, yet we compromise fuel economy, acceleration and braking performance to achieve it. We add a bumper and winch to provide protection and recovery options, yet we accept reduced payload and (often) performance advantages to gain that security. Our goal must be to employ the minimal effective change to achieve the desired result.…

It was dark, but I could still see the sheen of the soldier’s gun. He was yelling at me in Russian and pulling my camera from inside the tent. Just moments earlier a van had rammed the border fence, several drunk travelers spilling from its confines, laughing at first and then coming to terms with the scene; soldiers with guns and a commander yelling at the top of his lungs. We were between Mongolia and Russia, inside one of the longest no-man’s lands in the world; our hosts were far from pleased. The hour was 1 a.m., it was freezing cold, and condensation from each breath, now elevated to an excited rate, rose into the Mongolian night. Vodka, the regional drink of choice, had been flowing on both sides of…

His penetrating eyes hid in the shadow of a full-brim hat, the sun glistened off his ebony black skin, wet with sweat from the mid-day heat. “Your visa is expired.” A patch on his sand-khaki uniform read Department of Immigration, Zambia. Having been in the country for just seven days, and always on the lookout for a scam, I said with a lighthearted and audible laugh, “Pardon me sir, this can’t be correct. This is a three-year visa.” “Yes, a three-year visa” he responded in heavily accented English while pointing at the Zambia stamp on my passport, “but you are permitted only five days in Zambia for this visit. It has expired.” A sustained pause… “The fine for this is one million, eight-hundred thousand Kwacha. Please come with me.” His…

Polar challenge pushes the boundaries In December, the three-man team of Jason de Carteret, Keiron Bradley and Jason Thomas will set out for the South Pole in a revolutionary green vehicle. Their aim is to beat the current overland record of two days, 21 hours, 21 minutes (Guinness World Records, 2005). The event will mark the 100-year anniversary of the first successful attempt to reach the Pole, by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Although setting a new record is certainly a motivation for the team, the company backing the expedition, Thomson Reuters Eikon, says it is also about testing and proving greener technologies for polar exploration. Purpose-built for polar travel, the vehicle runs on bio-fuel and achieves twice the fuel economy of similar vehicles. “We’re using solar panels to reduce carbon…

Chili peppers are an essential part of south-of-the-border cuisine. Whether it’s diced serranos in freshly made pico de gallo, roasted jalapeños nestled alongside grilled seafood for a subtle kick, or the famous stuffed poblanos found in chile rellenos—you can’t deny the significant role that chilies play in food as you travel south. In this recipe, we thought we’d focus on the wonderful flavor of the poblano. Poblanos, which are often considered mild in flavor, originate in the state of Puebla, Mexico. While typically harvested in the late summer, they can be found year round just about anywhere in either canned or dried form (known as chile ancho). Mild on heat, yet wonderful when paired with other regional ingredients, we’ve created a recipe that is extremely overland friendly and definitively delicious,…