Overland Journal Spring 2017

GO EAST Last summer we took the Admiral, a well-equipped 60 Series Land Cruiser, and headed out to the most eastern point that can be reached by road in the province of Québec, Canada: the very end of Route 138 in the city of Kegaska, slightly west of the 61st meridian west. We set our camp on a rocky beach, enjoying the infinity of the sky where the wind always whistles and the waves never rest. We keep an indelible souvenir well impregnated in our memory. David Drouin 1983 Toyota 60 Series Land Cruiser FELLOW UPS DRIVER I started camping and hiking in high school about the same time I started UPS in Athens, Georgia, near the Pleasantdale hub. I did not realize then that my passion for driving and camping would [take a]…

BRYON BASS For Bryon, overland travel is often vocational necessity rather than a purely adventurous pursuit. To accomplish field research for a PhD in archaeology, he frequently rode a gear-laden BMW R100GS/PD roundtrip from Scotland to Croatia. He then worked as a contract archaeologist, taught field survey and excavation, and collaborated with the Department of Pre-and Protohistory, University of Zürich, before starting a consulting company. Work has led him to the Middle East, South Pacific, Americas, Africa, and Europe. Bryon is a photographer, scuba instructor, pilot, wilderness EMT, and certified public safety off-pavement vehicle operations instructor. He also conducts specialized safety courses for workforce members deployed to adverse locations, is on a search and rescue team, and serves in a law enforcement diving unit. GARY AND MONIKA WESCOTT Gary and Monika Wescott have…

Starting any business is an adventure, complete with thrills and spills and rewards. Our team has not only survived the corporate landscape as a media company, we have endured the most extreme of travel experiences, from an attempted carjacking in Central Asia to whiteouts in Antarctica. For our 10-year anniversary we have made a few changes to the magazine, more evolutionary than revolutionary, adjusting some of the content to our readers’ interests and refining our design to include a beautiful new logo and cover layout. Our circulation has more than tripled and we have recently added a German language version, managed by Michael Brailey. Overland Journal’s original charter was to be a literary authority in the vehicle-dependent travel community by exploring the world. As competition has entered the space, I am most…

Back in 2003 I received an email complimenting me on a series of articles I wrote about Mexico’s Baja peninsula, one of my favorite places. The reader’s name was Scott Brady—yes, our very own publisher. My reply prompted future correspondence and eventually a meeting. We shared an infatuation with remote locales and he was enthusiastic about expanding his adventures. A short time later he launched what is now known as Expedition Portal, a web community dedicated to all things overland. In its early stages it was not much more than a forum, but as membership grew and advertisers realized its reach, travel, tech, and opinion features took center stage. A few years later Scott called me and said, “Hey Chris, I’m starting a magazine.”I politely advised him that the current print…

Many, many thanks to the charter subscribers and advertisers, our team past and present, Hudson Printing for their patience and kindness, and most of all to Scott. I have been blessed to share this life with you. It was August 2006. I was working in real estate and my husband, Scott, was working in higher education computer systems. Scott had started a business called Expeditions West several years prior, which he ran in his free time, that allowed him to pursue his passions of travel and writing. We had been living in Prescott, Arizona, for a year and were coming back from a 4WD day trip with friends. Scott was beginning to grow restless with his job and as we drove we talked about various options for him. We had a…

Looking back on this 4-year project I don’t think I would have changed a thing. Back in 2012 the odometer on my ’02 Tacoma was creeping up on 180,000 miles (hard miles) and things were beginning to get creaky. Because I have a tendency to keep things around rather than dump them every few years for the latest and greatest, I began a slow makeover. The base platform and drivetrain are well suited for the Tacoma’s size and weight, so I skipped any plans for an LS1 V8 and Sports-mobile-style home on wheels. But I did need to address longterm maintenance, tires, power systems, the aging suspension, and various utility options. THE ABODE I’ve never been one to own a separate vehicle for camping, another for hauling my motorcycle, and yet another for…