My Journey

[tgil]

Fabrizio is a cute kid. I have a soft spot for kids, like dogs, problem is most get "too big for their britches"! Man, that sounded like my parents! I can only imagine the stories he will have to tell by the time he is a young man! I may have missed it, but do they return home occasionally? I mentioned before, I don't even have a passport so I'm unsure if you are required to return to your home country after a certain time, or is it just that some countries only allow you to stay so long? Doesn't matter where you go from there, just as long as you go?

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

tgil.....they never mentioned returning home so I am not certain about that. And to the best of my knowledge most foreign countries allow travelers to stay a certain allotted amount of time. Then you can only return after having been gone a certain amount of time. Every country has their own rules but I've never heard of any country requiring you to return to your home country. I never once heard Fabrizio complain or whine.....he was an awesome little guy.....





I just finished an excellent book that I happened to find at a used book store if anyone is looking for a new read. The River of Doubt combines history, science, and adventure in the Amazon jungle. I loved it.....






We spent that night together once again.....Lorena fixing a huge hot meal for her family, Fabrizio and Julian sitting in their lawn chairs, and me standing nearby asking thousands of questions about their travels to 118 countries. I was sad to hear that Americans had not been friendly to them and that travels in America were tough for them because they found it very expensive here. Late that night they returned to their tent in the mountainous desert and me to my camper in the paved parking lot.....



The following morning Tanner and I hiked to an abandoned mine.....





The mine shaft was not deep.....maybe blocked off I'm not sure.....





And then we continued down the trail to a rock arch high above the Colorado River.....



When we returned to the camper our new friends decided to do the same hike so we agreed to meet further down the road later that night. I found a spot and messaged them with my recently downloaded app WhatsApp.....



They didn't arrive until late that night and once again Lorena fixed a hot meal with her trusty headlamp affixed to her forehead.....



The following morning we had coffee together and then they drove east and north to the Grand Canyon and we drove east and south headed to Prescott, Arizona. The plan was to meet again in Phoenix, Arizona in a few days but unfortunately they decided it best to leave the U.S. and the next time we spoke they were at the border crossing entering Mexico.....

These guys were very, very special.....and I know that I'll never forget them.....they made their own rules in life and lived by them every day. They embody everything that makes a true adventurer.....

 

[tgil]

Hopefully your paths will cross again. So disappointing that our country isn't more hospitable.
Your thread has certainly opened my eyes to so many things. RVs or truck campers used to not even get my attention. As I fueled up this afternoon, a couple in a Winnebago pulled in. I really wanted to go ask them where they were headed or maybe where they had been. My personality doesn't allow that. Instead, I reached through the open window on the Jeep and talked to Scout as I patted her on the head and rubbed behind her ears.

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[Pacific Northwest yetti]

thanks for the book suggestion,

I downloaded it on Audible, and look forward to it!

 

[ITTOG]

thanks for the book suggestion,

I downloaded it on Audible, and look forward to it!

Yes thanks. I did the same as PNY. In case you are interested I will return the suggestion and give you one about an amazing true story. Endurance.

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[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Yes thanks. I did the same as PNY. In case you are interested I will return the suggestion and give you one about an amazing true story. Endurance.

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Endurance was a great one!! Listened to it, when riding through Patagonia.

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[Arjan]

Meeting people is a big thing for me on my travels. Speaking a few languages in Europe and further helps a lot and on my 30 years + of travel I have always felt welcomed by 99,9 % of the people I was privileged to meet.

Yes, that is an interesting read.

Thanks.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

PNWY & ITTOG.....let me know what you think. I found myself drifting back decades into my past when I too spent time in dug out wooden canoes on jungle rivers in the Amazon (I say this for the benefit of someone new to this thread). I thought a book that was able move me that way was indeed a good, no excellent book. Endurance.....I own a fairly large collection of adventure books (in my storage unit) and that book is a part of that collection.....

tgil & Arjan.....I personally believe that the issue for these guys was that they appear to look homeless (you may recall that I thought they were homeless) and that's not such a good thing here in the United States. My guess would be that 99.9 % of Americans typically try to ignore the homeless (I am one of them). Often the homeless can be violent or have mental issues so often it's best to keep ones distance. It was odd to hear them say that Iranians were some of the friendliest peoples that they've met in their travels and that Americans were not friendly to them.....but I have heard that very thing from other travelers in the past. What a crazy world it is....




We followed Highway 93 to Kingman, Arizona and made a quick stop for fuel, water and food. A look at my road atlas indicated a scenic road north of the interstate which pretty much paralleled the interstate so I chose it over Interstate 40. It turns out that we were now on Historic Highway 66. We drove east and indeed this was a scenic drive as the road atlas had indicated. As we continued east I noticed this touristy store along the highway and stopped for a brief visit.....





The Route 66 collection that this guy had accumulated was truly impressive.....





The interior of the store was just as impressive as the exterior.....







That night with the assistance of ioverlander we found ourselves a spot in the desert but it was odd that here where we had vast amounts of wide open real estate, and all to ourselves, that these Europeans chose to camp one hundred feet away. Fortunately they were quiet and I actually never saw them outside of their camper.....but always odd when people choose to be so close.....




We took long walks that evening with the near full moon overhead.....here coyotes were close.....howling and yelping were the last sounds of that beautiful night.....



We finally returned to the camper and fell into a deep sleep.....the desert does that to a man.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The following morning we were back on Historic Highway 66 driving east of course.....



There's really little traffic on this stretch of highway.....no doubt most people choose the interstate for the speed and convenience of the four lane divided highway.....



We stopped next in Seligman, Arizona.....



.....a town where it seemed that every business name was somehow associated with Historic Highway 66.....



The highway finally came to an end just east of Seligman, Arizona.....here it was gobbled up by the interstate and so we followed the interstate east but for just a short distance, and then we headed south on State Route 89.....eventually ending our day in the Coconino National Forest.....



This was a good place.....maybe this is called high plains desert.....I don't know for certain.....



We saw not a soul during our stay here.....



That night we had one remarkable sunset.....



Tanner loved it here even more than I. There was an inordinate amount of rabbits here.....really, really fast rabbits. In the next picture you see Tanner after having just chased a rabbit full speed for probably five minutes.....



And in the next picture you see Tanner five seconds after having taken the last picture.....he gives those rabbits all that hes got.....

 

[ITTOG]

For the second time in as many months I will be in a town right after you. I am heading to Kingman. Many on here seem to just miss crossing paths with you.

Love how exhausted Tanner was and glad he didn't get a rabbit (an assumption I know). If he got one do you think he would kill it or just play with it. If Yukon was watching I imagine she would have passed out just watching the chase.

Safe travels.

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[Ace Brown]

Yep, we cross paths again. I just made a quick trip down to Phoenix to get this RTT. Also paid a visit to some old friends who work in Grand Canyon South Rim. Did the touron thing on the way East. Had a nice sunset near Cisco.

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[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....your assumption is correct as I think that Tanner is still learning the ropes. I would imagine one day he will succeed. Montana caught squirrels, gophers, and once a pigeon. Tanner seems to be cut from the exact same mold. Yukon no longer chases but big game was where her interests lied.....deer and elk.....

Ace.....I too was just in Phoenix visiting a friend.....




At this point in our travels I was still under the impression that I would be meeting the Argentinian family in Phoenix so after just a few nights we regretfully left and made our next stop in Prescott, Arizona. I've had some interest in FWCs so we stopped for a very, very brief visit at AT Overland Equipment.....



I was really surprised at the money they are getting for these things as I compared the Northern Lite to the FWC. I left thinking that there's no way I'd pay that much for that little pop up camper. I'll admit that I'm no expert and that I'm uneducated on the product(s) but I just felt that they're capitalizing on the latest big thing (no disrespect meant to all you overlanders).....





I had recalled that Overland Journal/Expedition Portal was headquartered in Prescott, Arizona as well so I googled their address and went by for a look.....you have to love that office space.....





Here I was helped by very sweet Alex who sold me an XP tee shirt (I've always wanted at least one). She also gave me a free copy of the latest Overland Journal and a handul of stickers.....like I said.....she was as sweet as could be.....



Yet one more brief stop as we passed through downtown Prescott.....



And then it was back into the desert where we found ourselves a peaceful spot and.....





.....camped for the night.....

 

[Arjan]

Wished I could just "pop in at OJ"....

Good travels - and be careful with those rabbits.

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

Its funny, as soon as i read Prescott, i was thinking, " hope he makes it to the OJ/XP office. I have never an interaction with them that was not nice- my limited experience anyway.. I liked the pictures of the office space, thank you so much for sharing that.

Those fwc's have quite a following. Never quite been my thing, i really really like my Outfitter. My brother loves his FWC, and after taking it down the Pan Am, now lives in it full time.

But different strokes for different folks.

Happy Trails ( tails ) & Safe Travels

 

[Ace Brown]

Wished I could just "pop in at OJ"....

Good travels - and be careful with those rabbits.

I took Overland Training from Scott and Graham in the OJ office a few years ago. They just resurrected the class after going dormant for some time. It was a very worthwhile class.

It’s a fact that adding “overland” or “tactical” to any product name jacks up the price. Someday all the yuppies will move on to other pursuits and we can go back to car camping.

Ace


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