Innehållsförteckning för Spring 2023 från Overland Journal

MAP IT OUT I received Overland Journal as a gift subscription [from] my good friend Mike Westley. [He] has an EarthCruiser, and I have been out with him [to] Oregon and Colorado. I don’t have a four-wheeled overland vehicle, but I have a Triumph Street Scrambler (now Scrambler 900), and before that, I had a Kawasaki KLR for several years. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized there was quite a bit of motorcycle coverage in the magazine. Also, many of the [4WD] articles have tips I can use on my bike trips. Thanks for providing such a high-quality product. The only suggestion I have is that I would like to see more maps accompanying the articles. Paul Christie IʼLL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT I have been a subscriber of…

I knew I liked the Trail Fire Grill when I saw creator Mark I Ritchie demo it at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona, this past spring. He had made a bacon and eggs breakfast for me and showed me how this camping grill serves as a firepit, barbecue, wok, and oven. Trail Fire Grill was founded by Mark and his mountain biking buddy, Willy. When the pandemic hit, the Southern California friends opted to stay outside, escaping to the hills to build trails. Eventually, they got hungry and began cooking gourmet meals in an abandoned granite quarry over a modified fire pit. It wasn’t long before they refined their method and decided to share their engineering excellence with other outdoor enthusiast foodies. Fueled by propane, the heat is evenly…

We received two Halite bags in mid-2019 as we were planning a journey from Cape Town, South Africa, to Vladivostok, Russia. We were looking for waterproof bags to store on the roof of the Defender to contain soft goods: the canvas walls of the awning, winter jackets and thermal underwear, extra blankets and clothing, lightweight parts, and light, bulky goods which are necessary but not often used. Our family of four has nearly perfected the art of minimalism, but there is always the need for more storage space. The word “quality” is synonymous with northern European products. When I think of Norway, in particular, I imagine a harsh, beautiful environment that demands the most rugged, reliable gear. Founded in 2006, Halite’s company goal has always been “to build better and…

Small and isolated, South Dakota’s Black Hills seemed the ideal place for a self-imposed writing retreat. I’ve been working on a book for years and hadn’t so much as typed a single letter in the manuscript for over four months. I needed a concentrated amount of time that would make up for those lost words—somewhere quiet without distractions. I should have chosen Milwaukee or something; the Black Hills were about to blow my mind. When I arrived in Rapid City, fellow writer and friend Michelle Lamphere picked me up at the small airport. We drove 45 minutes southwest to Custer, where she lives, and the Chalet Motel she owns and runs. A small cabin at the Chalet with a kitchenette would be my cozy home for the next three weeks.…

Sam Correro says he was in his forties when he started mapping the TransAmerica Trail (TAT). He was a relatively new rider back then and wanted to view the United States on its backroads from the seat of his Honda XR600. In his Counce, Tennessee, home, he pulls a pitcher of sweet tea from the refrigerator and pours two glasses. That same pitcher comes out for other guests, sometimes multiple times a day, for the 20-30 or so riders who pass by and stop at his house on the TAT. They talk bikes and routes, tires and parts, and all things related to two wheels. At 82, after mapping America’s finest backcountry routes for 37 years, Sam’s still at it. The TAT originated with more than 4,000 miles of coastto-coast…

“I’ve searched the world without finding/land more barren/love more pure/or rage more fierce than yours.”–Ghazi Abdul Rahman Al Gosaibi, Oh Desert Few can say they’ve purchased a vehicle from the Saudi royal family; even fewer own a Land Cruiser as meticulously spotless as off-road and automotive shop owner Luai Alsheheli’s. “This 60-Series Land Cruiser was one of many that King Fahd [bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]’s palace was selling in 2016,” he tells me, voice crackling over the radio. “They brought it into the shop to have it looked over. I offered a price; they said ‘okay,’ and here we are, six years later.” Alsheheli is the co-founder and owner of 4 Wheel Station, a 4x4 shop based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and this 1985 Toyota FJ62 Land Cruiser has become…

The canyon’s red wall extends straight up. I quickly peer out my window but don’t see the rim. Well, I think to myself, we are headed up there somewhere. Just follow the road. Slow and steady. My good friend, Jim, stares out the passenger window at the scenery. I take my foot off the brake, and we begin our slow climb up. “This is amazing,” Jim says to me. I do not dare look. I need to keep my eyes on the road. I have no idea of our elevation, but one incorrect maneuver, and we spill over the edge to certain death. We are hugging the road to the left, as close as possible to the canyon wall, climbing up Shafer Trail Road on the Island in the Sky…

HEATHER LEA In the spring of 2014, Heather Lea thought her boyfriend’s suggestion to ride around the world together on motorcycles was a fantastic idea. Little did she know she was agreeing to nefarious activities such as blowing up her underwear and letting a dead toe touch her lips. Or the blood, sweat, and tears of breaking a bone, riding in sand, and mechanically trashing her G 650 GS so badly she’d need to use most of her trip money to replace it with another bike more up to the task. Heather’s goal in life has always been to travel through 50 countries by age 50. Mongolia was her 51st country, and she is nowhere near 50 years old, though closer than she’d like to admit. @writer_heather_lea BRITTANY HIGHLAND When…

I was never so excited to wear a set of tires down. My I 2020 BMW F 750 GS had come with a set of 80/20s, Michelin Anakee 3s. For that 80 percent of paved road, those Anakees clung to the tarmac, snug and tight. In the rain, they performed exceedingly well, but on dirt, they left a little to be desired. Taking street tires on gravel for the first time, my confidence eroded quickly. The bike simply felt unsteady. It wasn’t that the tires couldn’t handle the dirt road, but I didn’t like the wobble that came with each hard bump. Each dip, rut, and rock was met with apprehension, and I had to work exceedingly hard on relaxing my grip on the handlebars. I knew I was going…

Electric overlanding is here and represents an excitingnew option for vehicle-based travel. We are not suggesting that EVs will work for everyone, but they represent a compelling set of attributes that will target the needs of many adventurers. From the advanced integration of the technologies to the near-silent operation to the significant reduction in service and maintenance costs (these trucks only have two fluids to top off, the windshield washing reservoir and brake fluid), electric vehicles have distinct advantages. For Overland Journal, it was important to test and evaluate these new offerings and share the good, the bad, and the blisteringly fast about this first crop of EV trucks. For this test, we restricted entries to fully electric trucks with an open bed and all-wheel drive. The contenders are the…

“I had at least brought up Cinderella and launched her on her I career. I loved her best when she was a pathetic and dustcovered little wench, derided and abused. Always I felt that, given her chance and her attractions recognized, unlimited possibilities lay before her. Now that she had become a Great Lady it was fitting she should be provided with custodians perhaps better suited to provide her new requirements.”–JamesStevenson-Hamilton, South African Eden—The Kruger National Park The first warden of the park, James Stevenson-Hamilton, ended his book with the above poignant paragraph. Born of Scottish parentage into a family steeped in military heritage, he followed his regiment to southern Africa in 1888. By the time his unit was ready to leave in 1890, the bug had bitten, and he…

SERVES 3PREP TIME 10 minutesCOOK TIME 15 minutesEQUIPMENT large pot, pan, knife, wooden spoon 14 ounces pasta (any will do; spaghetti, penne, etc.)7-10 ounces sausage (whatever kind is left in the fridge)5 eggs Pinch of salt1 onion Oil Basil or parsley (optional, for garnish) Wurstnudeln (pasta and sausages) has always been apopular classic in our kitchen, even before we started traveling. After a long day of driving or an exhausting hike, when you are hungry as a bear and could perhaps even eat one, this pasta-heavy recipe decked out with ample protein is the dish for you. It’s my go-to solution to a hard day, comfort food in its truest form, and a surefire way to raise our spirits again and set them up properly for another day. Wurstnudeln is…

Perched on a lip of limestone, feetdangling over the edge of a 3,000-foot-deep abyss, we had plenty to occupy our minds. Like the near-vertical drop to the bottom if someone slipped. Or the 20-plus layers of rock below us, dating back to a time before there were dates or even life. We might have pondered the distance to the far rim—less than a mile for the ravens that played above us but over 400 miles by motorcycle. That thought alone would have made us wince after a long, dusty day in the saddle getting to this incredible view, but any of those subjects would have been ripe for discussion as we gazed at the slice of canyon below, perhaps sparking a full evening of conversation. Instead, they were relegated to…

With your head in a helmet, your body wrapped in protective gear, and heavy boots on your feet, staying cool on a motorcycle in triple-digit temperatures can be a challenge. Add the exertion of piloting a heavy bike over rough ground, and you could be on the road to mental or physical fatigue, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke. Every degree shed from your core temperature will help you ride more safely and comfortably. Staying hydrated and elevating electrolyte intake are keys to this process, as is cooling your skin. Fieldsheer, formerly known for its high-quality leather gear, has pivoted to keeping riders safe from overheating with their new line of Mobile Cooling gear. Their catalog includes shirts, hoodies, vests, skull caps, neck gaiters, and more for men and women. The…

As I drove down the dirt-access road in the woods of North Carolina’s Uwharrie National Forest, my anticipation was building. We were about to be the first media outlet in the Americas to drive the new Grenadier prototype and report on it. The goal was to evaluate the off-pavement performance of the vehicle and provide detailed feedback to their team and our audience. To say the Grenadier is a special vehicle would be an understatement, being the first Built on Purpose overland vehicle imported to the Americas in many decades. The function of the Grenadier is clear: to support vehicle-based professionals and adventurers around the world as they access the most inhospitable and remote corners of the planet. To evaluate such a purposeful overland vehicle, we drew on our unique…

I DISCOVERED THE CENTRAL PACIFIC COAST OF COSTA RICA by mistake many years ago. My tarpon fishing trip to the North Atlantic Coast was rained out, and I was stuck in San José for a few days. Not a city dweller, at least not in that city, I grabbed a cab in front of my hotel and, in broken Spanglish, asked the driver to take me to the nearest beach. Three hours later, I was seated on a bench overlooking a quiet strip of sand, eating the best ceviche I’ve ever had while sipping a bottle of Imperial. Life was good. It didn’t take much time to walk the unpaved streets, and an hour later, I was madly in love. Everything clicked during that brief visit: the weather, people, sounds,…

American industriousness has set the stage for modern society since the Industrial Revolution, and the country’s creativity is enjoying a rebirth as entrepreneurs and creators seek to provide local solutions to local needs. The pandemic has exposed the weaknesses of global supply chains, and buying local now makes more sense than ever. A few of the companies featured in this article have been manufacturing goods for decades, and some are new to the market. But all have two things in common: their products are proudly made in the USA and are of the highest quality. Quality is essential. This is a lesson we have learned as we’ve traveled. Yes, there are items that can be bought without much thought and eventually discarded, but others serve a specific purpose and must…

“Through rumors we had already been informed that roads to the south close to the Greek border would be better than two years ago. But what we saw did surprise us. Two years ago it was hell on earth to drive anywhere close to the border town of Gevgelija, a life-threatening undertaking that you could only do during the day and then only if it was dry. It was a cascade of holes and potholes and sinkholes and rockfalls, mud, sand, tree trunks, and huge boulders. It was a battle that was almost lost by every vehicle.”–WimDussel, De Wereld Is Nog Altijd Rond (The World is Still Around: By Scooter Across Europe, Asia, and North America) Dutch photojournalist Wim Dussel had a gift for capturing the simple moments of everyday…

Worldschooling is a style of education that recognizes the value of children traveling to international destinations where they can be immersed in other cultures, acquiring knowledge through a hands-on approach. Proponents believe engaging all five senses to study language, science, literature, history, and other subjects is more effective than reading a textbook or listening to a lecture. Moreover, learning through travel can integrate topics normally separated from each other in the classroom, allowing children to make sense of the real world. Parents from countries around the globe are joining the burgeoning worldschooling movement, leaving their homes to crisscross the planet as a family. That is the end of the characteristics worldschoolers hold in common because the ways parents achieve their educational goals vary widely. Some utilize their two weeks of…