Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, Overland Expo West
Snow, hail, rain, and mud, "Expo as F**k" was this years unofficial theme. For us it was a long awaited milestone, a definitive moment solidifying that we are actually on our trip. We've sold our home, quit our jobs, and are living in a van we built to endure the Pan-American highway... holy shitcakes batman!
Expo is a sea of vehicles, vendors, and travelers (past, present, and future). It is easily overwhelming yet easy to find a groove. We ran the gamut at Overland Expo East last year, this time around we planned absolutely nothing. We ebbed and flowed with each moment, assimilating into the minds of those whose words have fueled our desire to drive from Alaska to Argentina. Sucking up all of the information we could, sharing in serious and anecdotal tales, and rekindling friendships that must have been etched deep into our souls from lives past.
In our opinion, overlanding is cresting into a new phase. Not a downward slope, a growth spurt that is culminating old with new. A place where hardcore vehicles of the past benefit from the cutting edge technology of tomorrow. A wonderful fusion of recycling, simplification, and sophistication. Maturation of an almost bygone era that will forever be engrained into the human spirit. Ingenuity of exploration. An innocent quest of the unknown, a return to home. Maybe we're just a bit romantic and are seeing the current state of affairs a bit rose colored.
Nonetheless, the weather may have deterred some, many of us were joyfully bitching and moaning. The point of Expo is not to experience perfect conditions, the camaraderie in adversity is the truth of travel. Meals, drinks, gear... whatever each traveler needed was readily available. Open hearts and homes, the core of overlanding, shone bright to keep each of us a little warmer.
It's hard to explain the allure of such an event. We recommend attendance to any aspiring traveler. Above all, the connections made with kindred spirits is immeasurable. Noobs to the mustered, an understanding of our deepest desires threads us all together. Comparing builds and gear, proud parents we all be, segways into life lasting relationships.
Meeting those who have become so familiar from the prose they have penned was paramount. Converting cyber relationships into friendships is unbelievably fulfilling. The advice we received will help us tremendously along our journey, having new friends to lean on when times get tough is invaluable. An unspoken understanding, an immediate comfortableness, trust without regard.
While Expo has everything and anything imaginable, it is the people that define it. The convergence of travelers, the passing of batons, encouragement, sharing, and acceptance. A magical aire grounded in real life experiences. Inclement conditions be damned. It is a small village that stretches around the world.
I wish you all the best on your way to Alaska!
Where are we now
Look Rock, TN
Subscribe
Archive
Tag
Supporters
