Trip to the North

[strannik]

Initially, the whole trip was supposed to be completed in one part. I wanted to park my car in a storage unit in Colorado, fly to California to see my relatives, and then come back after a few weeks to pick up the car and start the trip. It was truly a blessing that I had a change of heart and decided to test out the overlanding setup that I have been working on over the winter time.

The trip was eventually split into two parts, which allowed me to explore American West during the cooler months of the Spring, and American and Canadian North during the warmer months of the Summer. It so happened that events that occurred during the first part of the trip resulted in one month delay, which was perfect timing to start the second part of the trip.

Resources​

Part 1: Colorado to California​

• Map of the Trip
• Photo Album

Part 2: California to Alaska​

• Map of the Trip
• Photo Album

---

Part 1: Colorado to California​

This was my first long-term overlanding trip. The rest of the time I just did interstate travel for work using freeway system to get from point A to point B. While many may assure you that this is also overlanding, for me it became a nightmare. During this and subsequent portion of the trip, I was learning what overlanding is for me. The road became my teacher. Below are the most memorable moments that I can still recall with a smile.

Overlanding is About a New Beginning​

The route for the trip was planned in such a way that it would take me through the lower part of the Enchanted Rockies route. I completed the first part of the route during Fall of 2021, and due to time limitations had to turn around right after reaching San Luis. I promised myself that I will come back on my way to CA.

One of the main reasons for this was a strange event on my last day of the trip. The final destination for that trip was Station of the Cross Shrine. I wanted to visit the shrine before turning around and heading back to Denver, CO. The problem was that I could not just drive up the hill on top of which the shrine was located, instead I would have to use street parking and then ascend a long walkway that takes to the top.

I convinced myself that it will take me an hour to explore this place, which will delay my return to Denver. Knowing that I have work the next day, I turned around and drove back.

Funny thing happened on the way back that made me question our life choices in general. While driving through one of the roads, I came across a road block. Construction crew was working on the road, and as it always happens, the traffic was stopped. Being somewhat seasoned interstate traveler, I got used to frequent road blocks, and knew that the best thing to do is to find a way to kill time.

This road block turned out to be a true test to everyone's patience. After a great deal of "negotiations" with construction crew, and about 45 minutes of waiting, I was finally on the way. The time that I could have spent exploring old shrine, I spent dealing with mundane nonsense. This event left a deep impression in my mind.

The second time around, I spent several hours wandering around this place. All of my obligations have been fulfill, and I was a free man with nowhere to rush. Environment was just right for photography, and the solitude of the place intensified the experience.

Overlanding is About Discovery​

04.09.23
Found myself in a pickle. Maybe years ago these maps were accurate, but not today. I am blocked off from access to civilization. Where there used to be an exit before, now is a gate locked with chains. Tried to use Waze to get me out of these cow fields. Waze rerouted me to a road that long time ago passed through train tracks. I guess that road wasn't used as much, so when they laid new rails, they didn't put concrete over them. Had to establish camp right in front of locked gate. Will figure things out in the morning.

34.61557,-105.18013 camp

The major problem with the route that I have chosen was that it was created most likely several decades ago. This meant that parts of the route were either less traveled or completely forgotten. One of the most memorable moments was when I got to a rail road crossing, which at some point in time was partially filled with cement, allowing cars to pass through. After a while the cement has been destroyed, new rails put in place, and no new railroad crossing constructed.

Waze, and Google maps would take me through that one railroad crossing.

GPS map, on the other hand, would take me far into the pastures where, at one time, was another railroad crossing.

After several attempts to pass through the railroad crossing that Waze was taking me through, I gave up and decided to try railroad crossing on the original route. It was about an hour past sunset, and I was driving through the fields eager to get across and establish camp for the night. Ten minutes later, I finally got to the destination where the railroad crossing should have been located. To my amazement, it was a gated passage. The gate had a chain with a rusty lock hanging from it, preventing any passage across. I found myself trapped, unable to get to the other side. Physically fatigued, and mentally exhausted, I established my camp right in front of the gate near the railroad. Frequent noise of passing by train became my lullaby this night.

I woke up at the break of dawn and carefully reassessed the situation. There was a cow crossing next to the locked gate, but this one has been closed a long time ago as well. I moved out to look at the other crossing once again. On the way I found a dirt road that I missed in the dark. Full of hope I moved along that road, and eventually came to the same road crossing Waze led me to the previous night.

I decided to explore area to the opposite side, and finally stumbled upon a tunnel decorated in modern Indian pictograms that was small enough to fit my 4runner. Talking about the light at the end of the tunnel! I guess that is the route locals use in this area to get to the city. Things sure have changed. Once I reached the city of Vaghun, I couldn't hold the laugh when I was passing by a sign that said something like, "Thank you for visiting. Come back again."

Overlanding is About Adaptation​

The hardest thing was braking up habitual way of life. Living full-time on the road in a confined space of a 4Runner, and figuring out ways to do the same things that I would be doing if I was living in an apartment is mentally draining. Before this, the longest I spent overlanding was 4 days. After about a week since I left Airbnb, I found myself facing daily challenges of how I would do certain things. Research and new ways of doing things took away from driving time. Sometimes I found myself driving less than 100 mi a day. The rest of the time went to modifications, adjustments, and activities of daily living.

By about a month on the road, new habitual way of life set in, and all the things that were a drudgery became a new normal.

Overlanding is About Making New Friends​

It has been several days since I started my journey, and cold Colorado climate was gradually displaced by warmer climate of the New Mexico. The landscape slowly changed to flat pastures. I found a secluded place on the side of the road to setup my camp.

The place was protected by several mounds that created a shelter from the main road. As I was taking in the view of the surrounding steppes, I noticed a group of local cows slowly making their way across the pastures. Smaller dots soon turned into larger silhouettes, and gradually I found myself surrounded by a local gang of cows.

Being a city boy, I didn't know how to react to unexpected guests. My backcountry hospitality skills were, and still are, very primitive. I just stood and starred at them in surprise. They were as curious as I was about a strange creature that appeared on "their property".

After a few minutes of starring at each other, some got tired of standing around and the atmosphere got spiced up with feats of strength.

Others became extremely curious about the vehicle and all attention switched to my 4Runner. I wish I could have shared with them all the mods that I have done to the vehicle, and what it is like in my camper, but feeling that they may mean business I decided to abandon the camp.

 

[strannik]

Part 2: California to Alaska​

Demspeter Highway - Tuk Tuk​

Failing Rack and Pinion​

Most of my travel to the Canadian boarder was off-road. The route for this trip is a combination of backcountry roads and known scenic highways that took me to the most distant locations on the Northern part of the continent. I began my trip in the Valley of the Gods, and moved further up North via backcountry routes following Utah and Idaho Backcountry Discovery Routes.

The plan was to begin travel in the northern parts of the country in early June. By that time all the snow should have melted at the higher elevations, and the peaks should have been passable. This turned out to be far away from truth. Due to high snow fall that year there were a lot of road closures, and, therefore, I had to make plenty of detours along the route. I tried to stick to the planned route in the selected states as much as I could, but there were times where I had to detour more than I wanted due to impassable segments at higher elevations. Idaho and northern parts of Utah were the worst.

Before beginning this trip I had to do a major suspension overhaul, which was unplanned in every way. I changed everything, except rack and pinion. At the last segment of Idaho BDR my rack and pinion started to make clunking noise, which was the cause of great inner turmoil. Doubts and fears began to creep in. I knew that if I turned back, the trip would be over. After weighing all pros and cons, I decided to move ahead. I didn't have any symptoms of failing rack and pinion except clunking noise, so I concluded that when my steering actually begins to fail, I will stop by a local shop and have them replace it. Until then I will be driving only paved and gravel roads.

At the end of the trip, steering rack was replaced with a new one. 4Runner is a great car, but steering rack replacement on this vehicle is the worst nightmare.

Clogged Generator​

After making about 1/10 of the way to Tuk, I stopped on the side of the road to prepare something to eat. Not too long into my food prep process I realized that the unleaded generator on my Coleman Sportster 533 got clogged up. It turned out that a small wire that runs through the generator to keep it clean got separated from the cleaning needle. I have no idea when this happened, but for a good portion of the trip, the generator was not being cleaned. The cleaning wire was just sitting there while carbon deposits built up around it. Carbon deposits eventually built up and clogged up generator to an extent that I could barely take the wire out.

I found myself in a very peculiar situation. I had weeks’ worth of food, but no way to cook it. The good things was that all of this happened while I was still close to Dawson’s City. So I drove back to civilization, connected to a nearby Wi-Fi, and Googled how to clean this darn thing. Some people suggested trying carburetor cleaner, so I purchase a can at a local NAPA store and gave it a shot. The stove didn’t work. In desperation, I run into a local Trading Post store and told the owner about my predicament. He was an older guy who seemed a bit more knowledgeable about camping stoves. After several attempts to find a solution, he came to the conclusion that generator had to be soaked in carburetor cleaner overnight. Since he didn’t sell any replacement parts for this stove, he couldn’t offer me much of a solution of what to do at the moment. Overnight soaking strategy was not going to do it for me. Hungry and tired, I decided to buy a cheap Coleman Bottletop Propane Camping stove and a few 1 lbs propane cans. That day my lunch was at 7PM.

After eating, I tried another method of cleaning the generator, which seemed to work a bit better. Someone on an online forum suggested heating up the generator. That same evening, I took the stove apart. Fixed the cleaning needle, heated up the generator, and run the cleaning wire through it several times. When I fired up the stove, it worked, but the intensity of the flame was never the same. From this day on, it was my backup stove.

River Crossing​

The day I started traveling Demspeter Highway was rainy. It was the day when I was dealing with clogged stove generator, so I avoided driving in these conditions. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. When I got to the the river crossing the next day, I found out that the river was over flooded after the rain and the ferry could not land properly on the shore. Maintenance crew tried to build up the surface, but it got washed away within an hour. Everyone had to sit and wait for the water level to go down enough to let the maintenance crew build up the surface again.

Over two days the line of trucks and overlanders was getting to be about half a mile long. Overlanders who had an option to leave, left, while others decided to put their patience to the test and wait it out. Truckers had no choice but to stay and wait it out. On the opposite side of the shore the situation was a bit different. They didn't not have any choice but to stay where they were and observe as the situation unfolds.

A local native that was living on this land had a boat that he equipped for these occasions to transport overlanders on motorcycles across the river for a reasonable price of CA$ 100. I guess this was the peak of the season for his business. He was telling me that his dad had a barge that would transport trucks along the river, and one day it flipped over and sunk together with the truck. That is the last thing that your insurance company wants to hear.

After spending most of the afternoon in a long line full of trucks, I decided to relocate to a secluded camping spot that was about five minutes away from the ferry crossing. From there I was able to visit the ferry crossing from time to time and ask about any updates on the progress. The first days trucks full of rocks were running back and forth. The next day, when I inquired about the progress, people in line told me that the rocks were just dumped next to the shore. The workers were waiting for the water level to go down even further before they could start working.

I figured that the first sign of working ferry would be trucks running in the opposite direction, so I just relocated to my camp site and continued waiting. I had enough food for about 5 day, which seemed enough to drain the whole river, if necessary. The main problem was that I didn't have enough water.

Opportunity to Experience the Place​

I started this trip with a completely different mentality. The further I got into the trip, the more I developed a routine that focused on driving. The only breaks I took from driving were based on necessity rather than being planned. On these days I was either too tired to drive, or I had some problems I had to deal with like clogged stove generator. There wasn't a day when I would just sit still and experience the place I have traveled to for so long.


The real problem was that I brought with me that city life mentality of constantly rushing somewhere, and being busy all the time. My main focus up to this point was photography. This is what kept me occupied through out the trip. My mind was constantly occupied with the changing landscape, and the places I have never seen before. So when I was forced to stop in one location for several days, it was a shocking experience for me.

What was even more shocking is that I was completely disconnected from the grid. Right after crossing into Canada, my cell phone service stopped working. I had both T-Mobile and Verizon, but none of them permitted roaming. I eventually ended up getting Canadian service, but even it stopped working soon after I left British Columbia, so I mainly relied on Wi-Fi hot spots that I found via iOverlander app. The problem was that there are no WiFi hot spots along Dempster Highway.

After a few days I adapted to the surroundings. The first day I felt like a drug addict who was deprived of a drug. Eventually my mentality changed so much that I felt completely comfortable at my newly found home base. Lack of internet service narrowed down my daily activities to reading, writing, and editing photos.

Gratitude​

After some time I started to feel a great degree of gratitude after seeing road maintenance workers haul trucks of rocks for hours on end to a place that is hundreds of miles away from civilization to get these roads back to drivable condition. It was 11 PM when I went to sleep, and the trucks were still driving back and forth. Of course there is a great deal of money involved in keeping these roads in well maintained, but the fact is that this trip could have not been possible without existence of this chain and all the people that operate it. My mentality suddenly changed from "It probably sucks to live here, friend." to "Thank you for being here!"

 

[strannik]

Welcome to the North!​

In the morning of my third day at the river crossing I drove to the shore to find out about the progress. The shore was built up enough for the ferry to land safely and for the vehicles that have high clearance to pass. I was warned though that if my car is damaged in any way, they are not responsible for the damage, to which I replied that this car has seen worse roads than this, and boarded the ferry.

All the trucks were left behind. They had to wait for the road to be reinforced even more. Last time one of the trucks sunk and destroyed the road. The rest was washed off by the river. This was not good news, as I found out a short while after. On my trip to the nearest grocery store I found out that they barely have any produce left, and they are actually desperately waiting for these trucks to cross. The store clerk told me that I may have better luck in Inuvik.

In Inuvik I encountered similar problem, in addition to overly inflated prices on produce. Now, I understand why so many trucks choose to go through such trouble to get to Inuvik. Price for 7 galla apples was CA$ 20, price for yam was CA$ 10, milk was CA$ 15. My total ended up being around CA$ 100 for apples, yam, milk, cottage cheese, and a few other things. After a short conversation with the cashier, I found out that she is spending around CA$ 3,000 just on food for her family. I felt really sorry for them. "How do you survive in a place like this?" I asked. One of the workers replied, "We work!" I could relate to them. In Southern California the price for rent is as high as the price for food in Inuvik. Sadly, there, people also work to live.

Price for tires wasn't any cheaper than food. The cheapest AT tire that I could find was CA$ 400, while Toyos run for CA$ 600 per tire. I decided that Inuvik was not the best place to shop around, and moved on. With clunking rack and pinion, and no spare tire I was driving ahead on faith.

24 Hours of Daylight​

Coordinates: 69.43405, -133.00701


It is very interesting to be in the part of the country where the sun never sets. From late May to the end of July there are no night hours. The sun just keeps on going in circles above your head without ever setting. Very interesting experience, to say the least. My body was at first a bit confused, but after a few days it got used to the new rhythm. I tried to keep my regimen the same. Getting 7 hours of sleep didn't seem to be a problem at all. I just went to sleep when the sun was high in the sky, and woke up when it was still high in the sky.

It was quite shocking in the sense that I felt like I could go on forever. I don't remember that I ever went to sleep because I felt tired or sleepy. It was something that I force myself to do at a certain time of the day. Another problem was that I was traveling too fast through different latitudes and time zones. In about a month I have covered almost 8,000 miles, going from 34 deg to 69 deg of latitude. I completely lost the sense time. Night and day just blended into one.

I tried switching to local time every time I arrived to a different location, but I found that it was negatively affecting my well-being. My solution to this was to live by my own time. The clock in the car was still showing California time, so when it hit 11 PM I would go to sleep, despite all the time changes around me. I simply could not keep up with them.

Mosquitos​

The amount of mosquitoes in the Norther part of Canada and Alaska was indescribable. I have read somewhere that nothing is 100% mosquito proof. You can't fully repel them, but you can create a barrier from them. I didn't not bring any repellent with me, but I had water proof jacket and pants along with mesh mosquito suit. Mosquito jacket was the only thing I seemed to need out of everything I brought. I was regularly wearing fleece pants and fleece jacket, and on as needed basis threw mosquito jacket over it. This combination worked like a charm.

To prevent any bugs from entering the camper, I made mosquito nets for the skylight and passenger's rear window. This setup allowed enough cross ventilation, and kept interior of the car bug-free.

Weather​

The weather was a big obstacle along the way. There were plenty of sunny days, but there were times when overcast would obstruct the view of surrounding landscape, so I could hardly see into the distance. It was difficult to make any plans when it rains for 3 days straight, and the rest of the week there is heavy overcast.

Denali National Park


I really wanted to visit Denali National Park and take a peak at Mt McKinley. I spent two days camping in a forest near Anchorage in hopes that visibility would improve. Forecast for that week predicted overcast and nonstop rains for most of the week. It seemed like sunny days in Alaska were special even during the summer time. I wasn't patient enough to wait for visibility to improve, and on the third day decided to move towards Dalton Highway.

I used Ventusky app to analyze precipitation along the route. It is easy to predict in which direction the storm would be moving by looking at its current position and where it will be tomorrow. For the rest of my trip I was following it all the way to Dalton Highway, so I was continuously driving in the downpour.

 

[strannik]

Navigation​

Without any cell service, a lot of times I had to rely on locals. It was quicker to ask than look for a WiFi hot spot. To navigate I was using a tablet and OsmAnd offline maps. Whenever I needed directions, I would just hand them the tablet and ask where the place was located. They would simply point to its location, and I would place a marker there. Done. It also gave me opportunity to socialize with them a little.

This strategy turned out to be the most reliable. It turned out that not every gas station that is marked on the map is open. One of the guys whom I asked where to fill up told me that the gas station that was marked on the map has been closed for about 20 years, and showed me several other locations to get gas that were not even marked on the map.

Honor System​

I have comes across many establishments in the North where people still use honor system. Although, it was more prevalent in Canadian North rather than in American North. I took a shower at one RV park where an older lady would just ask you to put money in an envelope once you are done showering, and push the envelope under the door. Along Dempster Highway gas stations were completely run based on honor system.

Near Tuk, locals would just leave their snowmobiles and sleds along the side of the road until the next winter. There were no chains, no lock, and no "Out of sight, out of mind." principle.

Fill up first, and pay later?!​

The way they do business in Canadian North was a bit of a culture shock for me. At any gas stations along the Dempster Highway, you fill up as much as as you need first, and then you go and pay. Where I live we pay first and then fill up, or at least leave a credit card with the attendant.

When I arrived at one of the gas stations, and asked if attendant will leave the pump fully open and I will leave the card with him, he looked at me funny and said, "Just go and fill up. It is already fully open." I looked funny at him and thought, "Strange guy." He probably looked funny at me and thought the same thing, "Strange guy."

Traveling along Dalton Highway, in American North, the situation returned back to "normal". One of the attendants even said, jokingly, that he wants my credit card because I may steal their gas. I replied that I have nowhere to run away to even if I steal their gas. I am surrounded by wilderness in all the directions, and there is only one long highway. With gas stations being spread out hundreds of miles apart, this is the last place you want to make enemies.

 

[strannik]

Dalton Highway​

If along the Dempster Highway the settlements were more civilized and community oriented, the Dalton Highway was a complete opposite. I could feel the business vibe in the small towns along the way, which I could relate to. These settlements were established there to support the supply chain along the major highway, and the vibe is in line with their purpose.

As was mentioned earlier, close the end of the Dalton Highway my windshield was eventually smashed by a rock that was propelled in the direction I was going to by a wheel of an oncoming truck. Both the inner and outer layers of the windshield cracked. The rock hit the edge of the windshield, and the cracks didn't spread far enough to obstruct the view of the road. I continued driving ahead trying no to think about it.

At the end of the highway you enter into a controlled industrial zone of the oil companies. One of the travelers told me that oil companies give bus tours for the tourists that want to see the surroundings. Not knowing who to ask, I decided to ride up to the security guard and ask where I can buy the tickets. A lady in pick outfit authoritatively said that I committed 3 offenses by even attempting to get that far, and politely asked me to back out and leave. The first sign on the way to the security booth said that only authorized personnel could enter, the second sign said that I had to be driving at 10 mph, and the third sign said that I had to be driving at 5 mph. Trying my best to get away from the controlled environment of the city, I ended up in an environment that was even more strict. Having seen enough of that Place I turned around a left.

On the way back I committed another offense that angered a passing by truck driver. The way these highways were initially built, allows only two trucks to pass in opposite directions. There is no emergency stopping lane on the verge of the road. A lot of tourists are unaware of this, and habitually stop on the side of the road to take photos of the surrounding landscape. For a while I was doing the same thing until I was educated better.

I parked my car on the side of the road and was walking around taking pictures. While I was gone, two trucks were going in opposite directions. The trucker who was going in the same direction as I was barely had enough time to safely pass my parked vehicle and make way for the oncoming truck. He met me along the way when I was preparing to call it a day, and explained in "trucker's jargon" what just happened and that he wasn't happy about it. He told me that he almost ******** his pants as he was trying to maneuver around my vehicle. I listened to his angry outburst of emotions, and had little to say in my defense. He was 100% right. I managed to deescalate the situation and we parted on good terms.

This is what he told me. The truckers are there to do their job, and Dalton Highway was built especially for them. The tourists that drive these roads are guests, and, therefore, should respect the rules. When a large SUV, or even an RV obstructs the flow of traffic because the owner wants to take a picture, it become a serious safety issue for everyone. There are designated spots along the highway that are away from traffic where vehicles can stop.

In the end, I managed to make it out of there in one piece.

Highways​

Driving gravel roads that are primarily made for large trucks in a 4Runner turned out to be a risky business. Dempster and Dalton Highways are two lane highways with no emergency stopping lane on verge of the road. Huge trucks are continuously going in both directions at 65 mph, shooting rocks at your vehicle and making clouds of dust.

Dalton Highway and Dempster Highway are very different, although the traffic is somewhat similar. Dalton Highways was built as a supply road for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. There are only a few small towns along the way, and the rest is just pure Alaskan wilderness. Services are also very limited, and expensive. $7.44 was a regular price for a gallon of gas, if it was available.

Trucks that run along these highways, and the road maintenance machinery used to maintain them are enormous in size. Speed limits are posted there, but I have not seen any trucker obey speed posted speed limits, unless they were going up hill.

Although construction of Dempster Highway had a similar purpose, there are a lot more settlements along the way. This means that a lot of the trucks that drive this highway are there to deliver goods to towns such as Inuvik, and a few others. The road is also frequently traveled by the locals that live in that area, as well as tourists.

 

[strannik]

Windshield​

One thing about driving a highways that is primarily gravel, is that your windshield is right at the level of the truck tires. When a truck passes by at the speed of 65 mph, all that gravel tends to fly in the direction of your vehicle at an accelerated velocity. If you are also going at approximately the same speed, the impact of the rock against your windshield is multiplied. There is nothing that you can do about it, except to realize the risk that you are taking by driving these highways.

My windshield, the body of the car, and side windows were continuously bombarded by rocks as I was driving to the edge of the world. I tried every maneuver to avoid being hit, but the reality is that there are none. These highways are narrow, two-lane highways with no emergency stopping lane, so there is no space to move away from the trajectory of the oncoming gravel. The only thing that you could do to lessen the impact of the oncoming gravel is to stop and wait until the truck passes by.

Close the end of the Dalton Highway my windshield was eventually smashed by a rock that flew with such a velocity that it shattered both the inner and outer layers of the windshield. It was a blessing that the rock hit the edge of the windshield, and the cracks didn't spread far enough to obstruct the view of the road. When I returned to the states I replaced it for $280.

Tires​

Before starting traveling along the Dempster Highway, I stopped by a local visitors center. An older lady at the counter for some reasons decided that I came this far to collect mushrooms. After telling her that I came here to travel to Tuk via Dempster Highway, she asked if I have plenty of tires. According to her, a lot of people "loose" their tires on the way. I disregarded her comment. My 4Runner has been through rougher country roads than Dempster Highway and never had a flat. To my surprise, Dempster Highway turned out to be a bit rougher than remote country roads of the US.

I was impressed at how well maintained some portions of the highway were. As I was entering Norther Territories, the road was covered with fresh gravel. As I was driving, a sharp rock shard punctured my tire and in a matter of 5 minutes I had a flat tire without even realizing what happened. My TPMS was turned off because my tires were inflated to 25psi, so it wouldn't helped either way. The weight of the rear end of my rig is pretty heavy and riding on a completely deflated tire eventually destroyed its side wall. Even though I was able to patch the hole created by the shard, the side wall of the tire had several bulging sections. Knowing that a small nick against a rock could have caused another blowout, I decided not to take any risks and switched to a spare until I get the tire replaced at a reasonable price.

Later on I told this story to a few truckers, to which they replied that they get flats on this highway fairly often. This is mainly due to the fresh gravel that the roads are covered with every year. As with everything in life, solution of one problem creates another problem. It turned out hat the older lady was an oracle in disguise.

I have seen a few other overlanders bring 2 spares, and after traveling further up North I understood why. The cheapest AT tire that I could find in Inuvik was CA$ 400, while Toyos run for CA$ 600 per tire. I decided that Inuvik is not the best place to shop around for tires. In the US, I can buy spare tires for my rig for around $150, which is peanuts compared to what I was quoted in the North.

Solution​

Having two spares (tire and wheel) seemed like an overkill, considering the weight of the wheel. On the other hand, having one full spare and spare tire, seemed like the best option if you do a lot of off-road travel. Tires are as expensive as fuel in some parts of the country, and not always local shops will have the size that you need in AT version. In case of a blow out or puncture with sharp object you can use your full spare, and will still have a spare tire left. You can change a tire at any town for a low cost. In case of emergency, you can even do it yourself with a few tire irons and a hi-lift jack.

I have one seen one rig that used this setup. A few other rigs carried 2 full spares, and less experience people like me only had one. Live and learn.

Dust​

These highways are VERY dusty. If you are following someone, you got to stay half a mile away, otherwise your vehicle will be consumed in a cloud of dust. If it is a sunny day and there is no wind, that cloud of dust stays in one place for a while obstructing you field of view. The car can be a mile away, but the dust cloud is still there.

Every time I was passing oncoming big trucks, I would pull over and wait for the cloud to depreciate. Imagine going 55 mph into a cloud of dust on a twisty gravel road and not being able to see anything ahead. It is better be safe, than sorry.

Fuel​

"Sorry, we are out of unleaded gas. Delivery is expected Thursday or Friday. Next gas is 119 miles north in Coldfoot, or 123.5 mils south at Hilltop Truck Stop."


This is a picture of the gas station along Dalton Highway, AK. The situation was not any different in Canada. In some locations gas stations were spread about 230 miles apart, with gas prices going as high as CA$ 2.4 per Litter. I really had to plan my gas stops to avoid getting ripped off. My strategy was to get to gas stations that were closer to larger towns, and fill up there. These gas stations usually have lower prices than the ones in the middle of a long highway.

I was also carrying a 5 gallon Jerry can, which allowed me to extend my range to around 75 mi. This totaled to around 400 mi on a full tank plus the Jerry can. Having this much fuel on hand really give me negotiation power in the places where fuel is the price of gold.

 

[strannik]

Road Maintenance​

Road maintenance was an ongoing occurrence along both of these highways. The type of machinery that is used to maintain these roads is difficult to describe. I haven't seen anything like this in the city. CATs the size of a one story building and equipment alike were my constant companions along the way.

The way road closures are managed in Canada and Alaska is different from the mainland US. In the US you are asked to stop for construction crew to finish whatever they are doing. When they are done, you are allowed to pass on your own without anyone guiding you through construction zone. In Canada and Alaska they have pilot cars that would maneuver you around the working crew. The work doesn't really stop all the way through the the entire section of the road, it just stops at the location where the pilot car appears. At least that is what I have noticed.

The first time they told me that I could go ahead and move forward, I sped up in front of the pilot car and began proceeding forward. The guy in the pilot car caught up with me and yelled out, "Where are you going?!" I explained to him that they told me to go, so I went. That is what we do in the US.

Women as Construction Workers​

Road maintenance along both of these highways, and everywhere in the North, is a major business that provides job opportunities for the people that live there. When I arrived to Alaska, I was shocked to see the number of women working in this industry. It may look great in a magazine article, but in reality it just felt a bit out of place. I have seen women operate heavy machinery and do all the work men were doing. In the mainland US this job is dominated by men. I do not recall seeing anything like this in Canada as well. Alaskan women are quite something.

Looking at the map, towns, and available services in that area I came to realize that maybe this is the only job that is available to these people. Since road construction is huge in these areas of the country, they take on jobs that men usually would take in other parts of the world. They got to feed their families somehow.

Vehicle Maintenance​

All the vehicle maintenance was done on the side of the road and at the camp sites. The car was thoroughly looked over before the trip, in addition to doing complete suspension overhaul. My 5,000 miles service list included the following items:

5,000 mile service​

• Lubricate rear swaybar links
• Lubricate outer tierod ends
• Lubricate front UCA ball joints
• Lubricate propeller shaft zerks
• Change oil
• Rotate tires
• Check torques
• Check electrical system
• Inspect operation of lights and switches

---

Encounters with Law Enforcement​

The Car is on Fire!​

My first encounter with law enforcement was in Idaho. I was traveling along a long stretch of freeway in the direction of Canada and the only place where I could stop to rest was a rest stop. As I am sitting down a eating my meal, I hear a loud knock on my front door. When I looked over my shoulder in the rear window, I saw sheriff's car standing behind mine with sirens on. I was a bit confused as to what might have caused his appearance here, and decided to respond immediately to the knock of my new guest.

The sheriff approached me and asked a very strange question that puzzled me for a second. "Is your car on fire?" I looked at him and said that he can clearly see that the car is not on fire and that I am also doing well. I even offered him to come and have a look, if he wanted to make sure that I am not trying to conceal the flames. He decided that this was appropriate and would clear up all the confusion. After seeing that everything is alright, he asked me if I was doing something that may have caused fire. I told the officer that I am currently eating my lunch, as he could see, and the only event that involved fire was warming of the food.

After hearing all of this he smiled and explained why he rushed here with his sirens on. It so happened that someone called 911 and told the operator that a car that is parked on the side of the freeway is on fire, which triggered a sequence of events that lead to his appearance at the rest stop. After his explanation I immediately realized what REALLY happened.

What really happened was that I forgot to close the curtains and the drive in an oncoming car saw the flames coming out of the Coleman Sportster Stove as I was priming it. When you prime these stoves, the flames tend to rise almost to the ceiling of the vehicle and then dies out. No wounder it looked like my car was on fire.

---

Field Notes​

Problem with the Mindset​

Before beginning this trip I felt that I was slowly falling into the trap of creating artificial deadlines. This was something that I was trying to avoid at all costs for any of the future trips. Based on my previous experiences, I have concluded that overlanding travel with set deadlines is mentally draining. It limits you to know that you only have this much time to do what you want to do. You don't really have much time to experience the places you travel to. You have to drive each day a certain distance to complete the trip. You have to stick to the route that you have chosen, and cannot make any detours to explore different places. You have no time to socialize and truly experience the culture of the places that you visit. You are in a very peculiar state of mind that restricts you from actually living out your dream.

My older trips would usually happen while I was working, so all of them would end up looking something like this. If I assume that I will travel for 300 miles a day and the total distance is 2,000 miles, then it will take me around 7 days to complete the trip. Lets add a few days as a buffer, and it will give me a rough estimation of how long the whole trip will take. This means that I will come back on ____. Lets slice the route into segments, get prepared, and go.

The real problem with these sort of calculations is that traveling off-road is much different than traveling on pavement. Traveling on pavement is predictable, convenient, and easy. You don't have to deal with obstacles of off-road travel, services are easily accessible along the way, and lodging is available as well. Off-road travel presents different set of challenges that intertwine with the challenges of self-sufficient existence. There really is no way to predict how long it will actually take to complete a long-distance overlanding trip. The only estimate that can be given is that it will take as long as it takes.

Before departing for this trip, I told myself that the trip will take however long it takes. There was no definite date I was planning to return. All I knew was that I wanted the weather to dictate appropriate time to travel to these regions of the country. I wanted to enter cooler regions when it warms up, and return to the warmer regions when the weather cools down.

 

[strannik]

There is nothing like American West​

There is nothing like American West. My trip from Colorado to California was filled with a lot more joy and excitement. It truly felt like a back country overlanding trip. There were days when I had the road just to myself. There were no trucks going at 65 mph, shooting rocks at you and making clouds of dust. I was camping in the most isolated areas of the country. I could have had a camp site all to myself with minimal of intrusion from the outside world. It was primitive and had no trash can or a fancy toilet. It had just what I needed, solitude, nature, and a flat ground under the sky. I miss America. I miss American West.
This is an entry from the journal that I wrote while traveling through Canada.

I was captivated by the beauty of the North, especially along Dempster Highway, but I really began to miss BLM lands, country side, and the network of older roads that gives you ability to pass through the most remote locations in the country. For a second I felt that there is no country side in Canada. My first impression was that Canada is very wild and unsettled compared to the US. US is full of historic small towns that still exist, or existed at some point in time with older back country roads connecting them together. Some of these roads pass through BLM lands and national forests, allowing you to experience not only the country life, but also the wilderness. In the past these roads may have been a part of the main infrastructure, but with the appearance of modern freeways, they have been forgotten. If you like, you can drive for hundreds of miles without coming in contact with anyone and having all the nature to yourself.

In Canada there are just long stretches of several freeways that connect together to create the main infrastructure. Most of the country life is along these highways, which are in constant use by trucks, tourists, and locals. If in the US you have a web, in Canada you have a backbone.

This is a map of all the major overlanding routes in the Southwest of the US and Canada.


Most of these freeways are very well maintained, especially along the roads that pass through national parks. Even though I was traveling away from civilization, I still felt like my travel was way too civilized. Even gravel roads were too well maintained compared to the ones found in the back country of the US. These roads are a part of the major infrastructure, and they have to be kept in great condition. I have not seen so much road maintenance anywhere in the US.

All of these freeways are regularly used by trucks, and full of other tourists and overlanders. The traffic was pretty decent in both directions. If in the US I would mostly meet locals and maybe be a few other overlanders on some of the back country routes, in Canada it was a completely different story. I was traveling during the peak tourism season, so 100s of RVs going back and forth and huge trucks speeding by was common sight. Very overwhelming to say the least.

I am not sure if one is able to travel through Canada via a network of older backcountry roads, and primarily rely on dispersed camping, but from my own experience it seemed like this was not the case. Rest stops with restrooms and garbage cans became my usual camping spots. I found a few remote locations along the way, but they were still along the main highways.

During this trip I understood myself better and what overlanding is for me. If for some people overlanding is more about the city and freeways, for me it is about the country and back country roads. After this trip, I could no longer stand highways, rest stops, and organized, well maintained camp grounds. I was longing for primitive camping of the American West. The National Forests and BLM lands in the Western part of the US are truly a treasure of our nation. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't realize that.

Vandalism at the Camp Sites​

Vandalism at the campsites was a shocking truth that I had to face. I don't want to pollute the minds of other people with the pictures of reality, so I will just express in words what I have seen with my own eyes. Corpses of dead animals, household appliances of all kinds, huge contractor trash bags of household trash, junk mail, books, and all a multitude of other things were being dumped in the forests and at the dispersed camps sites.

There were only several camp sites where I didn't have to do initial clean up. The rest were filled with trash that reminded me more of "civilized" presence rather than of solitude of the nature. At a camp site in Washington, I found bags of household trash filled with baby dippers, baby toys, along with other junk. After thoroughly cleaning the site, I stayed there for a few days. Before leaving, I emailed Forest Services with exact location of all the trash that I could gather from there.

Most of the vandalism that I encountered was in the Pacific Northwest of the US and Canada. I haven't seen anything that even came close to this in the Southwestern part of the US. I have extensively traveled through Colorado, New Mexico, Southern California, and Utah. I have noticed much more respect to the land in that part of the country than in than further North. I am not sure what the reasoning for this is.

Change in Mentality​

While living city life, I am in a completely different dimension. When I leave the city and take off on a long overlanding trip, I bring with me all the impressions and constructions of the city life. I carefully calculate the weight of my vehicle not to exceed GWVR, but I never consider to calculate the weight of my mental baggage that is weighing me down.

The first few weeks of travel are always the hardest. The thoughts of the city life keep returning, reminding me of all the things that I left behind. These thoughts trigger emotions, which interfere with my inner peace and prevent me from looking deeper inside myself. I feel like I am trapped in a never ending stream of consciousness.

Something interesting starts to happen after a few weeks of travel. The thoughts of the world that I left begin to get further and further away. They still appear from time to time, but they no longer have the same affect on my consciousness. Eventually they dissipate. This is a very interesting experience, because at this point I begin to think differently. Thoughts that I never thought before begin to appear in my mind. These thoughts are no longer aroused by the environment of the city.

I like long distance travel not because of the destinations I am going to. I know that I may not find something out there, but I will surely find something on the way. For me it is all about the journey. This something can be within, or without. It can be answers to the questions that I never had the courage to ask myself before. It can be the thoughts I would have never thought before. It can be long forgotten memories that were aroused by something. It can be the people that I meet on the way and the stories that they share with me. It can be awe striking experiences of the nature. It can be the courage that I develop along the way. It can be discovery of what I would really do if I was placed in a particular situation. It can be anything... But the fact is that I never come back the same as I was when I left.

Never before was I interested I'm bushcraft until I arrived at a campsite in a dense Alaskan forest. The site aroused the memories of my childhood when I and my friends used to wander in dense Russian forests, start fires, build shelters, ride zip lines, build bows from branches, and collect wild nuts. This was more than 30 years ago.

Every time I would arrive to a campsite after this, I would build a fire. There was something about the simplicity of sitting by the fire and listening to the silence of the nature, and looking at the forests and the mountains. It was plenty enough to make me happy. I even questioned the need for TV, books, and all the other distractions that we are taught to fill our minds with just to avoid the state of complete void.

 

[strannik]

Fear​

In the city I am constantly surrounded by familiar people and familiar environment. When I stepped out of that comfort zone, I began to feel pressure from the whole world around me. This pressure is hard to describe. The feeling is as if I am walking through a dark alley, and I feel the tension building up inside of me as I move further ahead. It is not a feeling of complete negativity, but rather a feeling when you don't know what to expect, a feeling that anything can happen. The best way to describe it is if I am standing guard, looking for possible danger, or threat. The threat may not be there, but there is a possibility.

That possibility of a threat requires you to be ready for it. This leads to a certain way of thinking.

• What if this was to happen?
• What would I do if this happens?
• How can I avoid it?
• What tools will I need to assist me with solving this problem?
• What sort of training do I need?

I think that this sort of mentality lead me to seek ways to become stronger, bigger, tougher, and manlier. Creating an image of a tough guy so no one would dare to mess with me became the first priority.

The more I traveled, the more I realized that the true enemy is inside of me and I am constantly feeding this enemy with negative thoughts. I was afraid to travel through backcountry roads where there was little to no contact with civilization. I was afraid to sleep at dispersed camp sites. I was afraid to approach locals. I was afraid of everything that didn't fit into the reality I was used it.

What helped me to overcome this fear is real-life experience. I don't know a better cure for negativity than a real-life experience of the unknown. It destroys the strongest misconceptions. I simply kept on moving forward and doing the things that I was supposed to. I traveled alone through isolated parts of the country where there is little to no contact with civilization. I slept deep in the forests where there is no one around except wilderness. I had blow outs miles away from civilization, and had to do road side repairs. I had to use self-recovery techniques to get my car unstuck from deep snow. The list can to go, but the fact is that having the courage to go through these experiences left me with positive impressions to deal with fears and doubts.

Necessity to defend myself from an imaginary opponent that has never existed is gone as well. I no longer see this world as evil, and others as potential threats. I can smile openly and be more easy going. I feel welcome and accepted, and, therefore, I am welcomed and accepted. I also know what I need to do in a certain situation, and that I have capacity to do it if the need arises.

Learning to Slow Down​

About a month into the trip, I have discovered a major drawback. At that time, I have covered almost 8,000 miles on various types of roads, averaging 234 mi per day. Thus far, I have only taken 2 days off, and these were a necessity, rather than planned time off. I was constantly driving without stopping to do the things I like to do. My problem was in the pace.

You hear about people traveling through one part of the world for years. I met a German couple who traveled Africa for 2.5 years, and they didn't even get to finish traveling through the whole continent. I am sure if they were just driving through Africa, the trip would have taken them less than half a year. Instead, they chose to take their time to experience the place. They took the time to explore and do the things they would regularly do if they were at home.

Very interesting thing started to happen a little bit over a month into the trip. By that time I have covered close to 9,000 mi, crossed 4 borders, and visited most of the places I wanted to visit. I simply got tired of driving around, and started to spend more time at the camp site, filling my days with things I would normally fill my days with.

I had to hit the wall to find a solution to the problem. Before this, my mind was occupied with occupied with changing landscape, and the places I have never seen before. On the way back that stimulus was gone, so I had to come up with a formula that would keep me going for the rest of the trip. This formula was simple. I drive for one day, then I camp for 1-2 days. This formula has worked like a charm. I was more refreshed, and the whole trip didn't feel like a burden.

Finances​

Pacing yourself is directly related to another important topic, finances. Gas is the most expensive thing out of all the other expenses. The only way I found to reduce this expense is by prolonging the time I stay at any location I drive to. Living in a camper is cheap. Traveling is expensive.

Big Question: How many miles can I do a month to average my monthly stay in the city?

The national average gas price this week is $3.57, down from $3.58. If I pay around $1,200 to rent aibnb, how many gallons of gas can I buy for that money?

$ 1,200 ÷ $3.58 = 335 gallons/mo

How many miles can I travel per month?
335 gallons x 19 mpg = 6,365 miles/mo

How many days can I travel per month if I drive around 300 mi/day?
6,365 mi / 300 mi/day = 21 days/mo

How many days a month will I need to spend at a camp site?
31 - 21 = 10 camping days in a month

How many days a week will I need to spend at a camp site?
10 days / 4 weeks = 2.5 days/wk

What would my week look like?
Week: D C D C D C D / D C …

What is the magic formula?
Formula: Drive 1 day, camp 1 day.

Conclusion: If I camp 3 days per week, my cost of living will average COL in the city.

Emergency Fund: Money and... Time​

I never considered an emergency fund for a trip like this. Also when thinking of emergency fund I was never thinking of time being a part of it. During this trip my rack and pinion went right before entering Canada. Luckily I did not experience any serious symptoms of failed steering, so I decided to move on. Stove generator came next, followed by tire blowout. Doing my finances I tried to put these items into categories, and then realized that they all shared something in common. All of these items and repairs fell under emergency category.

While waiting for the ferry I realized that there will be days when you need to have a good share of time dedicated especially to situations like this. You can't just expect everything to go smooth and your entire trip to take exactly 2 months. I have seen plenty of overlanders turn back at the river crossing. Some of them came here from states as far as New York. Maybe others came here from countries outside of the US. Making it this far just to turn around because of imaginary deadlines and time constraints is not and easy decision to make if you have been preparing for a trip like this years in advance.

Disconnected​

I made a huge mistake that eventually turned out to be a blessing. Before entering Canada, I didn't look at details of my cell phone plan. For some reason I was convinced that the plan that I had would work in Canada as well as in the US. Right after crossing the boarder, I discovered that I have no service. The first thing that I attempted to do was sign up for GoogleFi. The problem was that this service can only be activated in the US. Crossing the boarder just after entering Canada would have looked very suspicious, so I decided to just purchase a sim card from a local provider.

To my disappointment, Fido prepaid plan only worked in the British Columbia, so I was left without any service for the entire trip. iOverlander became my go to app to look up WiFi hot spots along the way. The distance between hot spots was sometimes several days of travel, so I found myself completely disconnected from the lifestyle that I was used to.

Being away from civilization without any service, I realized that I have time to do things that I was putting away for years. I started a family album project about 5 years ago. Close to about 350 pictures were selected and scanned, but I never had the time to crop and organize them. I was putting away this tedious task until "tomorrow". Here, away from all the hustle and bustle, disconnected from everything and everyone, I had all the time in the world to do the things I would probably have never finished.

I was thinking of getting Starlink when I get back from the trip, but then I realized that I would be back in the same cycle. I really liked this break from the world. For a second it felt like I was back in the past when people still used dial up modems and pagers. I really liked the experience of deliberately being disconnected.

 

[strannik]

Thinking of a city as the whole world​

I am a traveling professional who travels for work. I jump around from place to place for work, and once my contract is over, I choose to overland. I am constantly moving around, and I have never even lived in the state of my permanent residence. This lifestyle has completely changed the way I experience the world.

When I overland, I am moving from one city to another, and rely on services that are provided at these location. I am no longer bound just to one place to fulfill my needs. One day I may be staying in Colorado, the next day I may be shopping in New Mexico, and a week after I may be filling up potable water in Arizona. A month after I may end up taking a contract in Minnesota, and stay there for a few months before moving somewhere else.

That imaginary construct of a city as a place where I belong has dissolved. I no longer belong to one state, one city, one community, one dwelling, and even one family. I just see myself as a part of a grander whole.

I become a part of the place and community where I work or where I travel to. It is no longer alien to me, nor I am alien to it. This is where I am from for the time being.

I will eat with you. I will spend time with you. And, most importantly, I will work with you.

I will experience your happiness and your struggles. I will see your smiles, and your frowns. I may even be the cause of them. We will laugh together, and we will cry together.

I will see the beauty of your landscape, and the things that you cherish the most in it. I will experience hustles & bustles of the city life.

I will get absorbed by all of this, and form new attachments...

... only to detach from it all one day, and move on.

What are My Weaknesses​

Half way into the trip I realized that not having options, and not being flexible enough were my main weaknesses. This trip really challenge my creativity and my ability to adapt to different circumstances. At one point the only stove that I had stopped working, and I was left with a car full of food but no way to cook it. Another time I had to wait several days at one location before moving on. My water supplies were running out, while I was camping next to a lake. The list can go on.

In all of these instances I had to find other options along the way to suit those different scenarios, and find a solution that would allow me to adapt to the situation. This was not so obvious to me when I was just starting out. I only had one solution for a given task, and thought that it would work forever and in any situation. What surprised me the most was that I was attached to using just one method, when an easier one was readily available.

What is Your Greatest Fear?​

Overlanding has opened up my mind to the fact that I can live with less. With each subsequent trip that less just gets lesser. Some things get donated, while other things get exchanged for gear that is more suitable to my style of traveling.

Overtime I realized that it is difficult to come up with a set of gear that will be the final answer to all the problems without backing up these choices with personal experience. Things just don't translate well without experience. Transitioning from house to airbnb, and from airbnb to camper is a journey of it's own. Leaving it all behind is a process.

It took me several years to realize that I can live differently, and I can live with less. Every time I had to adapt to new lifestyle that required new solutions, and new experiments. From home gym, I downgraded to Planet Fitness, and from PF I downgraded to resistance band training. From two screen monitor setup at home, I downgraded to 15" laptop. From cooking on a cook top, I downgraded to cooking on MSR stove. The list can go on.

For me it was a liberating experience. At this time, I have a spreadsheet with all the items that I own. I know exactly what I have, and where to find it. Having the experience of living with less has changed my mentality completely. I know that I don't need a house or an apartment to live the life that puts a smile on my face. I know that I can travel to the Western part of the US and live freely with less, doing the things I enjoy doing.

Perhaps the most liberating thing is loss of fear of "what if". What if I loose my job? What if I loose my financial stability? What if ... Now, I know that I can jump into my camper and take off.

This realization has drastically changed my dealing with the world. When you know that you can live simply on $600 a month, it does something interesting to the way you operate in professional environment. When you know that you don't need much to live a fulfilling life, negotiations take a different angle.

Before I would come up with some nonsense when people ask me, "What is your greatest fear?". Right now, I know that my greatest fear is loosing this freedom.

Was The Game Worth The Candle?​

Driving back to the US I was thinking that if someone told me that during this trip ...

• I would have to detour a dozen of times because of road closures along the way.
• I would get stuck in snow in the middle of nowhere attempting to make it over the peak.
• My steering rack would break half way into the trip.
• My windshield would get smashed.
• My tire would blow up and I would be driving without a spare on rough roads for a 1,000 miles.
• My stove would break in the middle of nowhere leaving me with a car full of food but no way to cook it.
• I would get stuck in the middle of nowhere for several days waiting for a ferry.
• I would have a confrontation with an angry truck driver.
• I would get stopped twice by local police.
• ...

If I knew all of this, would I still go? I thought that all of these events are peanuts compared to all the positive experience I had along the way. Any activity involves a certain level of risk. I have learned a lot during this trip, and have made many improvements in all the aspects of overlanding. This is priceless.

 

[Dave in AZ]

Great writeup, really enjoyed. A lot of helpful introspection that made me think. Thanks for posting. Sounds like you had all this on a blog, which I would have never ever found. Hopefully more folks will find your great story and enjoy it as I have.

 

[strannik]

Great writeup, really enjoyed. A lot of helpful introspection that made me think. Thanks for posting. Sounds like you had all this on a blog, which I would have never ever found. Hopefully more folks will find your great story and enjoy it as I have.

I realized the same thing just yesterday. The hardest thing about making a personal blog is Search Engine Optimization. I made a blog, but Google refused to find it. After a while I came to conclusion that it never will find it, and instead of me sharing this information with like minded audience, it will just be floating in cyberspace. Luckily Expedition Portal has good post editor that allows you to copy and paste your WordPress blog posts directly without modifying any of the content.

 

[AbleGuy]

What a wonderfully raw, honest trip report.

Sharing your observations of your self discovery and also the cultural differences you noticed were real bonuses. Many trip reports are just picture heavy, hurried “we did this, saw this, drove on…” recountations.

Your more naked style of writing and sharing was such a welcome improvement on that.👍🏻

 

[jhmoore]

Loved your write-up. Thank you so much for sharing!

 

[Broshaker]

The writing style of categories made this so fresh! Thank you for sharing all of this. It was packed with useful information and things to think about!