serialNSXer
New member
Greetings
Being a complete newbie to vehicle dependent expeditions, and Land Rovers in general, I thought to convey to this forum the experience my family and I had into Mexico. Last month, my wife and two teenage sons accompanied me in our newly built Defender on a VDE to the Mayan ruins in Mexico. We convoyed with Peter Sweetser and his son Oliver in their oh-so-original Camel Trophy Defender. Though the pictures tell the best parts of the story, I thought to add a few paragraphs as below.
To suggest that we were on a tight and aggressive schedule is putting it mildly. From South Florida up the panhandle, through Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and all the way down through Texas to cross the border at Brownsville. Then through Mexico and high-tailing it originally to Belize and Guatemala, with our final destination at Tikal. All this and back again...in two weeks!? What were we thinking?
For most of the way through the US we were at terminal velocity for two heavily laden, underpowered, trucks. But we still managed 65-70mph along this route. Crossing into Mexico is a whole other story. It was slow going for me as I didn't know how to maneuver nearly 2.5 tons of truck on badly canted roads. That is, when there were paved roads. So, one of the things we learned early-on is that VDE is all about making up the route as you go along. And so we did. Having met two gentlemen on their drive back from Guatemala and Tikal, they warned us that security and border problems made that part of the journey arduous. So our new plan was to swing by the Mayan ruins at El Tajin , with an ultimate destination of a Palenque.
All during this, the Land Rover was an absolute juggernaut. It is my 79th vehicle I've owned since beginning driving at age 16. And with a backdrop of having Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and a plethora of both muscle cars and out-and-out race cars, I can freely admit that a Defender is an absolute gem of a vehicle. It's so "old school," which is exactly what I love about it, in this world of technology driven vehicle design. Boring. A Porsche is a marvelous car, but antiseptic compared to the fully engaged experience of a Land Rover. I guess I'm getting old when I appreciate a Defender over my Porsche race car. But there you have it, the experience of traveling with your family, kids whining and all, to a Mayan ruin, is -- as they say, priceless. The Defender didn't miss a beat the entire 5,000 mile journey. Of course we had fully prepared it with cold air-conditioning and all the amenities one could require for such a trip. We had even over prepared the 110 as it was to be our vehicle for a round-the-world trip scheduled for 2011.
But, you folks on this forum already know what I learned. That such expeditions never turn out as you plan, and you learn so much more you didn't expect to learn. And so it was for us. We made mental notes along the way in Mexico of what our journey would be on our 18-month global expedition to follow. So much so that it looks like we will start from London instead of South America, in a different vehicle prepared for a slightly different VDE. A newer Defender that is more conducive to a pair of old fogies into their 50s. I think my wife and I learned that air-conditioning is more than a blessing, closer to a necessity, to help us sleep through the night. And squatting for #1 or #2 behind a bush just ain't going to cut it for my Mrs.
Possibly, we can invent a whole new kind of VDE for others to follow? A more gentler VDE, one that tracks a route first through Europe as a way to get comfortable with overlanding. Staying in B&Bs instead of schlepping up and down a ladder to tent for the night. Then, cross into northern Africa where there is a mature expedition industry. Next, putting the truck on the water towards safari country near South Africa. And again on the water headed towards Asia, followed by the last stop in Australia, before returning back to the good ol' US of A. We expect not to spend too many nights camping or tenting, instead looking for a bed and breakfast which offers a quaintness all its own. Not to mention a fully functional bathroom -- as my wife continually points out.
So the long and short of it is that our current 110, Elliott, was sold to a good home. I have since bought a 100% restored 110, for future trips. [edited here to remove f/s section]
Sorry, there is problem with uploading photos to this site, so I've cross posted the PHOTOS HERE
Being a complete newbie to vehicle dependent expeditions, and Land Rovers in general, I thought to convey to this forum the experience my family and I had into Mexico. Last month, my wife and two teenage sons accompanied me in our newly built Defender on a VDE to the Mayan ruins in Mexico. We convoyed with Peter Sweetser and his son Oliver in their oh-so-original Camel Trophy Defender. Though the pictures tell the best parts of the story, I thought to add a few paragraphs as below.
To suggest that we were on a tight and aggressive schedule is putting it mildly. From South Florida up the panhandle, through Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and all the way down through Texas to cross the border at Brownsville. Then through Mexico and high-tailing it originally to Belize and Guatemala, with our final destination at Tikal. All this and back again...in two weeks!? What were we thinking?
For most of the way through the US we were at terminal velocity for two heavily laden, underpowered, trucks. But we still managed 65-70mph along this route. Crossing into Mexico is a whole other story. It was slow going for me as I didn't know how to maneuver nearly 2.5 tons of truck on badly canted roads. That is, when there were paved roads. So, one of the things we learned early-on is that VDE is all about making up the route as you go along. And so we did. Having met two gentlemen on their drive back from Guatemala and Tikal, they warned us that security and border problems made that part of the journey arduous. So our new plan was to swing by the Mayan ruins at El Tajin , with an ultimate destination of a Palenque.
All during this, the Land Rover was an absolute juggernaut. It is my 79th vehicle I've owned since beginning driving at age 16. And with a backdrop of having Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and a plethora of both muscle cars and out-and-out race cars, I can freely admit that a Defender is an absolute gem of a vehicle. It's so "old school," which is exactly what I love about it, in this world of technology driven vehicle design. Boring. A Porsche is a marvelous car, but antiseptic compared to the fully engaged experience of a Land Rover. I guess I'm getting old when I appreciate a Defender over my Porsche race car. But there you have it, the experience of traveling with your family, kids whining and all, to a Mayan ruin, is -- as they say, priceless. The Defender didn't miss a beat the entire 5,000 mile journey. Of course we had fully prepared it with cold air-conditioning and all the amenities one could require for such a trip. We had even over prepared the 110 as it was to be our vehicle for a round-the-world trip scheduled for 2011.
But, you folks on this forum already know what I learned. That such expeditions never turn out as you plan, and you learn so much more you didn't expect to learn. And so it was for us. We made mental notes along the way in Mexico of what our journey would be on our 18-month global expedition to follow. So much so that it looks like we will start from London instead of South America, in a different vehicle prepared for a slightly different VDE. A newer Defender that is more conducive to a pair of old fogies into their 50s. I think my wife and I learned that air-conditioning is more than a blessing, closer to a necessity, to help us sleep through the night. And squatting for #1 or #2 behind a bush just ain't going to cut it for my Mrs.
Possibly, we can invent a whole new kind of VDE for others to follow? A more gentler VDE, one that tracks a route first through Europe as a way to get comfortable with overlanding. Staying in B&Bs instead of schlepping up and down a ladder to tent for the night. Then, cross into northern Africa where there is a mature expedition industry. Next, putting the truck on the water towards safari country near South Africa. And again on the water headed towards Asia, followed by the last stop in Australia, before returning back to the good ol' US of A. We expect not to spend too many nights camping or tenting, instead looking for a bed and breakfast which offers a quaintness all its own. Not to mention a fully functional bathroom -- as my wife continually points out.
So the long and short of it is that our current 110, Elliott, was sold to a good home. I have since bought a 100% restored 110, for future trips. [edited here to remove f/s section]
Sorry, there is problem with uploading photos to this site, so I've cross posted the PHOTOS HERE
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