The Summer 2009 issue of Overland Journal will include a recovery kit test. Several equipment manufacturers sent in their kits for trial purposes. Here are a few preview images of Scott and Graham going through the kits:
Scott Brady is going to be featured in Alexandra Levit’s new career book New Job, New You which will be hitting shelves in January 2010. The forward will be written by Stephen Covey - the highly successful author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Alexandra Levit’s homepage can be viewed here: http://www.alexandralevit.com
Overland Training is officially over. Final exams took place on last Saturday and everyone passed. Overland Training’s objective is this: “Overland Training was created to prepare vehicle-dependent expedition travelers for the challenges and opportunities associated with exploring the globe.”
I completed the driving section in early February before traveling to Central America. Last week I was finally able to complete the classroom section and take the final exam.
Overland Training begins with a hands-on driving section. Different types of terrain are discussed and students learn the skills necessary to handle each one. Recovery equipment, airing down, and vehicle inspection are some of the topics discussed. Come prepared - when I completed the driving section in February it was cold and rainy. We even had hail, which took all of us by surprise. The group crowded into the available vehicles (Dave Nordstrom had his XV-LT and several Sportsmobiles were present) to escape the inclement weather and prepare meals. It was quite a test for the XV-JP, which had been hastily waterproofed the day before. The driving section ends with the completion of a trail drive, and is a perfect way to test what you have learned so far.
The classroom section covers a variety of hard and soft skills - everything from border crossings to tire repair is discussed. Everything is seen through the lens of Graham jackson’s London to Cape Town expedition. None of the discussion is theoretical - Graham has seen just about everything. Loading and lashing was one of my favorite lessons - everyone gets to show off their own personal method of storage. Tire repair is also a great hard skill to know. There’s a ton of creativity and ingenuity out there. Not to mention the fact that the Expeditions West shop is a hotbed of fully-kitted expedition vehicles.
Personally, I felt very comfortable with many of the soft skills but I sorely lack a lot of hard skills. It was really great to become more proficient in a lot of these areas.
Completing Overland Training is valuable in it’s own right, but it is also a major component of Overland Certification. Overland Certification consist of three major elements: completion of Overland Training, obtaining a HAM license, and completing WFA certification. Becoming Overland Certified comes with a wealth of benefits - t-shirts, discounts, hats, and a nifty laptop case.
I plan on getting my amateur radio license in the next couple weeks - then I can join the ranks of the elite.
There’s no denying that the world has become a smaller place. Modern communications technology allows us to interact with people and places across the globe on a regular basis. This has been largely a good thing for most of the world’s population. Even so, it’s good to know there are still remote places in the world - even in the US - where one can get away from the masses of humanity.
It turns out the most remote place in the US is right in our (figurative) backyard: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5813252
I just returned from my first expedition into the Arizona high desert. Scott Brady invited me to join the EarthRoamer expedition he was leading and I readily accepted. Our group rendezvoused and purchased groceries in Northern Phoenix and then we were off.
After a short drive, we headed off the highway and began to drive to our first stop - the old mining town of Crown King. Crown King is located about 28 miles off I-17 and is considered a “living ghost town”. The old mining town has become the center of a small local community.
The drive to Crown King was a diverse mixture of ecosystems. As we gained elevation, the vegetation began to shift from away from shrubs and cacti. Conifers gradually began to dominate the scenery. The road was dusty, winding, and a lot of fun to drive.
After a couple of hours, we arrived at Crown King. The local landscape is dominated by the Crown King Saloon, which was where we planned to enjoy lunch. A couple of cool beers and a tasty burger was just what the doctor ordered.
From Crown King it was a 30 minute drive to our campsite, which was located near Horsethief Basin in Prescott National Forest. It was one of the nicer campgrounds I’ve spent the night at recently - each site had a picnic table and a small shelter (which I’m sure was a haven for mice, but the idea was sound). Everyone was quite tired and the night ended early.
The sun was shining the next morning and it was apparent it would be another beautiful day. Our route for the day was the old Senator Highway, which would take us to our campsite just a few miles outside of Prescott.
The first part of the day was spent descending back down into the scrub brush. The rolling hills were very picturesque and this scenery was completely new to me. We encountered several water crossings, which are always a pleasure to drive through.
We found a shady spot to enjoy lunch in and encountered some fellow travelers. They were traveling on quads, but were quite familiar with the EarthRoamers. It was fun to talk to someone who was just as enthusiastic, if not more so, then we were when it came to overland traveling.
The rest of the day was spent covering the mileage to our campsite. Our planned campsite had been closed due to some tree clearing work that was occurring, but we had scouted a very nice dispersed campsite right up the road. There were some beautiful spots and I wished I had a ground tent for a split second. We spent quite a lot of time on the road and the driving was very enjoyable.
We spent Friday morning driving into Prescott to visit the Sharlot Hall Museum. The Sharlot Hall Museum is dedicated to Arizona’s territorial history. It consists of several authentic territorial buildings as well as a multitude of artifacts from Arizona’s history. It’s an inexpensive way to learn more about Prescott’s past.
Due to some delays, we didn’t get to take the overland route to our next destination, Rarric Canyon. It turn out the the on-road route is extremely cool and takes you through several interesting towns. My favorite was Jerome - an old mining town perched on the side of a hill.
Our campsite was outside of Sedona in a beautiful desert location, near the Mogillon Rim. We spent the remainder of the afternoon hiking down to a small canyon near our campsite. The wildlife was abundant - we had an encounter with a rattlesnake, a grasshopper as big as my thumb, a Wolf spider, and the bats were visible in the dusky sky.
Dinner was a jovial affair as we were in our most beautiful campsite yet. We built a small campfire and spent much of the night around it, telling all sorts of stories. In the morning, we went our separate ways.
It was my first opportunity to explore the Arizona high desert and I enjoyed it. I look forward to spending a lot more time out and about.
As always, here are some photos to enjoy:
