Last week we got a bunch of snow in the Pacific Northwest. We made the most of it by having an off-road adventure day at Baker Lake in the North Cascades. Our destination was a foot bridge suspended over a river north of the lake.
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I got stuck the other day coming out of our driveway. I got a little too close to the edge of the road and anything I did to try to correct it just slid me further down the slope into our neighbor’s front yard. Luckily I didn’t hit any trees and was able to winch myself out. Shew!
Last Sunday I took Illabot Creek Rd., in Washington’s Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, up to the Slide Lake trailhead for some winter fun and snow driving. Here are some photos and some trip notes at the end in case you go.
Chained up and ready to go.
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Through my illustration shop, Nik Schulz Illustration, I illustrated and designed this vintage Ford Bronco t-shirt. I draw them in original, factory colors, and am really happy with the way they’re turning out. This one is a 1973 in Carmel Bronze.
If you’d like to have a look, check them out here. More colors after the jump.
Colorado-based Timberleaf Trailers has come up with a beautiful, lightweight, modern version of the classic teardrop trailer.
Teardrop trailers first became popular in the 1930s, a time when hundreds of new federal and state parks were being built the Civil Conservation Corps. Magazines like Mechanix Illustrated, perhaps eager to offer their readers a DIY way to take advantage of this new, national infrastructure, published plans for the home builder. The classic layout offered sleeping quarters forward and an open-air kitchen to the rear, under a large rear hatch.
The Timberleaf Trailer utilizes this same classic layout but weighs in at a very modern, and eminently towable, 1,200 lbs. Ground clearance looks to be about 7 inches.
The birch plywood construction appears to be first-rate, and the trailer offers standard niceties such as a polycarbonate skylight, R-11 insulation, 110V and 12V power via a 125aH deep cycle marine battery, USB outlets, and 12 gallons of fresh water storage. A built-in cooler and cookstove are optional extras.
Trailers, unlike rooftop tents, offer a way get some of the camping load out of the truck. They also offer a way to leave the camp set-up at camp. No need to fold up the rooftop tent for a quick day trip.
Prices start at just a hair over $15,000. It looks like a very nice way to see the country. More pics after the jump.
Hat tip to Silodrome, where I first saw the Timberleaf.
Link:
All photos: Gregory McDonald
This is the last post about 2015’s Overland Expo, West. If you’d like to go this year, it’s taking place in Flagstaff May 20–22.
These are some shots of last year’s obstacle course. Read the rest of this entry »
All photos: Gregory McDonald
Overland Expo West, the rally, camping, and training experience, held every year in Flagstaff, Arizona, starts in a week.
Here are some more photos of our friend Greg’s trip there last year. Read the rest of this entry »
All photos: Gregory McDonald
This is our second installment on Overland Expo covering products. Besides the classes and workshops, there’s a whole section of the Expo devoted to vendors. What follows are some of the more interesting ones that Greg, our man on the scene, spotted.
The photo above shows a collection of handmade fire steels by L. T. Wright.
Next year’s Overland Expo will be held May 20–22, 2016 in Flagstaff, Arizona. The event offers a chance to work on your overland driving skills, attend workshops and classes, watch films and demos, and offers a tangible air of camaraderie. They’re already taking reservations. If you’re interested, click here. Read the rest of this entry »
All photos: Gregory McDonaldGreg on his way to Overland Expo 2015
Dear Readers!
I apologize for the radio silence the past few months. I’d like to get the WCXC ball rolling again with series of posts about last spring’s Overland Expo 2015. I had initially invited my good friend Greg from gadmachine to go with me. When a scheduling conflict came up, Greg, always up for adventure, accepted our press pass (kindly provided by Overland Expo) and headed to Arizona solo. He had a great time, met some great people, and took the fantastic photos you see here.
I’ll cover the Expo in four posts: Trucks, Products, Camp Vibes, and the Obstacle Course.
Next year’s Overland Expo will be held May 20–22, 2016 in Flagstaff, Arizona. The event offers a chance to work on your overland driving skills, attend workshops and classes, watch films and demos, and offers a tangible air of camaraderie. They’re already taking reservations. If you’re interested, click here.
On to the trucks! The Expo is a great place to see adventure vehicles. Here’s what Greg spotted. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s spring and you’re probably getting ready for a camping trip or two. In case you’re wondering what to bring, I’ll share our camp list, our checklist for everything we bring.
First though a word on how we pack. I have a drawer system in the truck and a lot of the tools and recovery gear live in there. In the flat area above the drawers we have room for three plastic bins (like the ones in the photo above) and one cooler. That makes four solid items that can easily be strapped down. Always secure your load inside the vehicle. You don’t want that stuff shifting on the trail, or worse, flying around in an accident. All of the soft stuff (blankets, sleeping bags and the like) go between the space left over along side the bins. Usually I can get us packed and still see out of the rear window.
For longer trips, I take out the back seat of the truck and bolt a couple of D-rings to the floor of the truck where the seat bolts go. In that space, low and central, I’ll strap down 21 gallons of water in 3 plastic jugs. That’s enough for a maximum of 10 days for my wife and I at a rate of 1 gallon per person per day for drinking, cooking, and dishes.
You can see one of the water containers in the picture below. Read the rest of this entry »
