Archives for posts with tag: trip report

Port Townsend, Washington

May 6, 2013 //


We park next to a huge, mobile sling used for hauling boats out of the water.

If you’re into into historic towns and boats, and you find yourself in the Pacific Northwest, do yourself a favor and check out Port Townsend, Washington. It sits on peninsula that forms the entrance to Puget Sound and is one of those rare, old towns which is situated to engage the sea. A drive to the local boat yard confirms this. Everywhere vessels from from small sailboats to huge trawlers are on the hard, awaiting refits and repairs. Cape George boats are built there. It’s a nice place.

The area along the waterfront, is known as “downtown.” When we asked about a good local pub, the folks at the natural food store pointed us up the hill (toward “uptown”) to the Uptown Pub. This is a classic bar with good vibes, good food, and local beers. We happened to be there for open mic night and also saw some talented musicians. One guy even came up with his cello… and rocked, playing it traditionally and like a guitar. It was pretty amazing. We’re considering it as a home base for our upcoming Pacific Northwest Trip.

To get there, take Highway 20 north from 101as it runs along the Olympic National Forest. More photos below. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags boats, boatyard, on the hard, Port Townsend, port townsend washington, travel, trip report, WA, WCXC

Categories - Armchair Travel, - Historic Town, - Pictures, - United States, — Washington, FEATURES, FOOD & DRINK, MEDIA, North America, PLACES, PLACES TO SEE

Morocco to Mongolia by Land Rover

May 4, 2013 //

In 1993 three friends from New Zealand set out from Morocco on what would become an eight-year, eleven-part adventure through Africa, the Middle East, India, China, and Mongolia.

In their travels they saw the whole of human experience: war, corruption, but also great festivals, amazing desert cities, and friendly people of all creeds and colors.

These four videos detail their trip. By all evidence, it was epic. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags 4-wheel-drive, 4x4, adventure, Africa, Land Rover, Mongolia, Morocco to Mongolia, off-road, off-roading, offroad, overland, travel, trip report, video, WCXC

Categories - 4x4 / SUV, - Armchair Travel, - China, - India, - Morocco, - Nepal, - Videos, Africa, FEATURES, MEDIA, Middle East, PLACES, VEHICLES

Expo: Backcountry Trip to Utah

February 23, 2013 //

There are some great trip reports over on the Expedition Portal Forums. Here are a couple of highlight photos from a guy who posts under the name “Sabre.” He and his wife took an overland trip from their home in Washington state to the southwest. The photos and scenery are stunning. And they did the whole trip in a stock Gen 3 Montero.

Link: Backcountry Trip to Utah Sells the Wife on Overlanding Read the rest of this entry »

Tags 4-wheel-drive, 4x4, adventure, Expo, Gen 3, Montero, off-road, off-roading, offroad, overland, travel, trip, trip report, Utah, WCXC

Categories - 4x4 / SUV, - Armchair Travel, - Pictures, - United States, — Utah, — Washington, —Montero, FEATURES, MEDIA, North America, PLACES, VEHICLES

CBDT, Part 7: Obviously Not Bigfoot

February 17, 2013 //


Photo: Gregory McDonald

Read the whole post here.

Our last morning out on the CBDT found us patting ourselves on the back for finding such a great campsite. I made us a special breakfast of fresh crepes and hot Masala chai, and we soaked up the sun and the view.

While we were eating we heard some yelling from the road but thought it was hunters. Then, a few moments later, we saw a man walking through the woods towards our camp. He was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and, when he got closer, we could see he was Latino. We called out, “Hello? Hello?” and got no response. We were a little on edge when he walked out of the woods, into our small clearing and stopped. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags 4-wheel-drive, 4x4, adventure, blog post, California Back Country Discovery Trail, CBDT, fire, Horse Ridge, lookout, map, off-road, offroad, Pickett Peak, Ruth Lake, Six Rivers National Forest, travel, travel times, trip, trip report, WCXC

Categories - 4x4 / SUV, - Campgrounds, - Difficulty: 1 of 10, - Difficulty: 2 of 10, - Lake, - Mountains, - Pictures, - Trips: The Western US, - United States, — California, — Trip: CBDT, —- Six Rivers National Forest, —Montero, FEATURES, MEDIA, North America, PLACES, PLACES TO SEE, PLACES TO STAY, TRAIL RATINGS, VEHICLES

The Library: The Curve of Time

February 15, 2013 //

We finished this lovely little book a few weeks ago. It’s a collection of stories, told by Wylie Blanchet, of cruising the coast of British Columbia in the summers of the 1920s, with her five children (and sometimes a dog), in a 25-foot motorboat.

They traveled at a time when the BC is coast was changing from a traditional land to a modern one. They came across Indian villages abandoned for the summer, remote inlets with perhaps a single cabin and a sole occupant, and, at one point, a bear, which the children mistook for a man standing in the forest watching them.

These days you don’t often read about adventures as told from the perspective of a mother and her children but there they were cruising up the coast of Vancouver Island, a woman and her five children setting off every summer and coming back with adventures to tell.

Link: The Curve of Time