Archives for category: — Arizona

cross_axle

In case you haven’t heard, Overland Expo 2013 will be taking place this weekend at Mormon Lake Lodge in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The 3-day event draws attendees from around the world who come to camp, check out exhibits from over 140 vendors, watch films, make connections, and take classes which run the gambit from driver training (4×4 and motorcycle), maintenance, planning and logistics, to safety & communication. The list is quiet comprehensive, and even includes region-specific roundtable table discussions on sub-Saharan Africa, or Mexico, for example.

Last year’s event drew over 5,000 people. Camping opens on Thursday May 16, and the event proper runs Friday to Sunday. Pack-up and head-out is on Monday.

Here are some quick links:

The event details
The schedule of classes
The FAQ

The map

Have fun!


138466_Front_3-4_Web137940_Front_3-4_Web
Update 1/20: Lot 1555, the mustard yellow FJ40, sold today for an even more staggering $88,000, including buyer’s commission. Wow.

Update 1/17: The beige FJ40, lot 751, sold today for a staggering $59,400, including buyer’s commission.

Among the many cars well-known auction house, Barrett-Jackson, will offer at its Scottsdale sale this week, two restored Toyota FJ40s stand out, a 1981 model in classic, mustard yellow, and a 1978 model in beige. Both look like they’ve come straight from the factory.

For me, the mustard yellow version pushes all the right buttons. It is described as having a factory-correct, removable hardtop, a folding windscreen, rear jump seats, and a balanced and blueprinted 4.2-liter, inline-6 engine, with an H55 5-speed, manual transmission. The suspension is from Old Man Emu. The wheels are OEM, which, to me, always look better than aftermarket. The truck is said to have been fully restored in 2007/2008.

The beige truck is also said to have been restored with less than 100 miles on the clock since then. It also features the 4.2-liter, 2F engine, this time, however, mated to a 4-speed, manual transmission. Although it’s not explicitly stated, this one also appears to have a removable hardtop, folding windscreen, and rear jump seats. In addition, it’s said to include the optional rear heater. Both trucks appear to have factory roll bars.

The mustard yellow FJ40 is lot 1555 and will be auctioned on Sunday. The beige FJ40 is lot 751 and will be offered on Thursday. No estimates are given but a look into Barrett-Jackson’s auction results (search for “FJ-40″) reveals that restored FJ40s, in original trim, have sold in the high $20,000s.

More pictures after the jump.

Note: two other FJ40s with Chevy V8s will also be offered, lots 403 and 544.

Read the rest of this entry »


As part of our Southwest Trip this summer, we drove through the Prescott National Forest. We shot video of the most remote part of that drive, Forest Road 82A through Crooks Canyon.

Here’s the blog post about this part of the trip: Southwest Trip, Part 4: Prescott, AZ.



Photo: Nik Schulz
.

After heading out of Sedona we made our way over to Prescott for some more backcountry exploration and to say hello the team at Overland Journal.

A quick note: if you find yourself on Highway 89A about 20 miles northeast of Prescott, you’ll be within spitting distance of Jerome, AZ. Do yourself a favor and stop. Jerome is an old mining town that’s half deserted, half lived-in and 100% amazing. I’d tell you more but unfortunately we didn’t have time to stop. Word had it there was a BBQ on at the Overland Journal.

Update: Here’s a quick video of the trip.
Read the rest of this entry »



I realized I hadn’t written anything about our Southwest trip for awhile and, since we’re heading out on another trip soon, I thought I’d better get cracking. So here it is: Part 3.

After Canyon de Chelly we headed to Sedona, AZ. I’ll tell you right off the bat, it’s not much to see. It is beautifully situated, I’ll give it that. Towering walls of red rock surround it in dramatic fashion, but the town itself looked upscale suburban. We couldn’t even find a historic downtown, just a retail strip.

The road getting there was pretty good though. We came in on Schnebly Hill Road off of Highway 17. (See map below). Read the rest of this entry »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 134 other followers