XXXpedition
Explorer
and i'm gonna be there:sombrero:
Paris / New York - Transcontinental 2009
- Thread starter BlueGerbil
- Start date
egn
Adventurer
Oh, it would have been nice to meet you. 
Last year my truck was in the exhibition and I was there all the time. This year I am at one of the largest globetrotter meeting east of munich at the same time:
http://www.daerr.de/Globetrottertreffen/Globetrottertreffen.htm
Are you longer in Germany?
Last year my truck was in the exhibition and I was there all the time. This year I am at one of the largest globetrotter meeting east of munich at the same time:
http://www.daerr.de/Globetrottertreffen/Globetrottertreffen.htm
Are you longer in Germany?
egn
Adventurer
There is news at http://www.thegreatrace2008.com.pl/ .
The english language version of the website isn't working yet, only polish and german. I translated part of the text with the help of Babelfish:
The image galerie can be found at http://www.thegreatrace2008.com.pl/de/fotogaleria2008.php
The furnace didn't work for some time and so they had -37° C in the cab. The lowest temperature was about -63° C. Some of the seals where destroyed. Some automatic fuses where malfunctioning. The had to run the Deutz engine continuously for 3 weeks.
The english language version of the website isn't working yet, only polish and german. I translated part of the text with the help of Babelfish:
The image galerie can be found at http://www.thegreatrace2008.com.pl/de/fotogaleria2008.php
The furnace didn't work for some time and so they had -37° C in the cab. The lowest temperature was about -63° C. Some of the seals where destroyed. Some automatic fuses where malfunctioning. The had to run the Deutz engine continuously for 3 weeks.
Last edited:
XXXpedition
Explorer
@ egn:
i live in munich now
let's hook up...
shoot me an email info@xxxpedition.com
sven
i live in munich now
let's hook up...
shoot me an email info@xxxpedition.com
sven
BlueGerbil
C´est le gerbil plus bleu
The last prearrangements are in full swing: the expedition Jeeps are being loaded and prepared, there’s an atmosphere of departure at Extrem Events.
Tonight, the participants will leave for Paris where the “Paris / New York – Transcontinental 2009”-expedition begins.
For a long time the entire team of Extrem Events has continuously worked towards this moment. Thus all participants are full of expectation.
We would like to sincerely thank our partners and helpers again who make this expedition possible.
Also, new pictures of the modified, floatable vehicles as well as the special trailers can be found on our homepage www.pny2009.com
Tonight, the participants will leave for Paris where the “Paris / New York – Transcontinental 2009”-expedition begins.
For a long time the entire team of Extrem Events has continuously worked towards this moment. Thus all participants are full of expectation.
We would like to sincerely thank our partners and helpers again who make this expedition possible.
Also, new pictures of the modified, floatable vehicles as well as the special trailers can be found on our homepage www.pny2009.com
articulate
Expedition Leader
Hello . . . uh, so we're floating that sucker across the Atlantic?
BlueGerbil said:Also, new pictures of the modified, floatable vehicles
BlueGerbil
C´est le gerbil plus bleu
articulate said:
Nope - the plan is to drive from Paris in eastern direction through Europe and Asia to the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska and to cross the Bering Strait on the ice and partly swimming. You can view the entire route on www.pny2009.com
BlueGerbil
C´est le gerbil plus bleu
10/02/08: START OF EXPEDITION
Finally! Starting as a vision in the head of Matthias Jeschke some years ago and realized by an expanding and motivated team in approximately 15 months, the expedition has now become vivid and tangible. Today is the beginning of the 43,000 km long distance track from Paris to New York.
A successful kick-off was the press conference of the German Embassy in the French capital city. The resulting dpa-news communication led to huge press coverage in various kinds of media as for example the “Financial Times Deutschland”, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” and the broadcasting company RTL.
Please have a look in our media coverage section.
Furthermore there are significant pictures in our gallery as a documentation of this historical event.
The atmosphere of departure is remarkably obvious within the team. Finally at the beginning of something unbelievable! The expedition has started!
Finally! Starting as a vision in the head of Matthias Jeschke some years ago and realized by an expanding and motivated team in approximately 15 months, the expedition has now become vivid and tangible. Today is the beginning of the 43,000 km long distance track from Paris to New York.
A successful kick-off was the press conference of the German Embassy in the French capital city. The resulting dpa-news communication led to huge press coverage in various kinds of media as for example the “Financial Times Deutschland”, the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” and the broadcasting company RTL.
Please have a look in our media coverage section.
Furthermore there are significant pictures in our gallery as a documentation of this historical event.
The atmosphere of departure is remarkably obvious within the team. Finally at the beginning of something unbelievable! The expedition has started!
Last edited:
BlueGerbil
C´est le gerbil plus bleu
03. Oktober 2008
Slowly creeping through the Paris traffic of the inner city, we are surmounting the roofs of the other cars – accompanied and thronged by the crossing scooters and motor bikes. Our cars are sticking out of the crowd, which is obvious due to curious to astonished looks of pedestrians and drivers as well as fast-paced taken pictures. There is no possibility to oversee our branded Jeeps with all the additional special equipment.
The dpa-publication (German press agency) from yesterday is still in use. Not only publications in print and internet reached our office, but also news in radio and television. Dpa-radio distributed the interview with Matthias Jeschke to 80 different radio stations and furthermore we received an invitation for a live show of RTL. The media response exceeded our expectations. Especially due to the dominant Motor Show Paris, our partners are thrilled about the amount of response.
In the afternoon we drove to the exhibition and placed the car in an exciting manoeuvre near the exhibition hall 1. We haven’t been displaced by the police, but interestingly been watched and congratulated. We felt honoured to have the vice president of Chrysler International, Mr. Thomas Hausch to welcome the team and to sign the three Jeep bonnets as first person. Afterwards all team members followed. Thomas Hausch emphasized again his confidence in our expedition and he is looking forward the reunion in New York.
Now it is obvious for everyone what happens here. We are ready – It begins! The historic expedition „Paris / New York - Transcontinental 2009“ has started. Happiness and is visible in the faces and motivation, not only to start to circle world, but also to reach the goal in Mai 2009 in New York.
Slowly creeping through the Paris traffic of the inner city, we are surmounting the roofs of the other cars – accompanied and thronged by the crossing scooters and motor bikes. Our cars are sticking out of the crowd, which is obvious due to curious to astonished looks of pedestrians and drivers as well as fast-paced taken pictures. There is no possibility to oversee our branded Jeeps with all the additional special equipment.
The dpa-publication (German press agency) from yesterday is still in use. Not only publications in print and internet reached our office, but also news in radio and television. Dpa-radio distributed the interview with Matthias Jeschke to 80 different radio stations and furthermore we received an invitation for a live show of RTL. The media response exceeded our expectations. Especially due to the dominant Motor Show Paris, our partners are thrilled about the amount of response.
In the afternoon we drove to the exhibition and placed the car in an exciting manoeuvre near the exhibition hall 1. We haven’t been displaced by the police, but interestingly been watched and congratulated. We felt honoured to have the vice president of Chrysler International, Mr. Thomas Hausch to welcome the team and to sign the three Jeep bonnets as first person. Afterwards all team members followed. Thomas Hausch emphasized again his confidence in our expedition and he is looking forward the reunion in New York.
Now it is obvious for everyone what happens here. We are ready – It begins! The historic expedition „Paris / New York - Transcontinental 2009“ has started. Happiness and is visible in the faces and motivation, not only to start to circle world, but also to reach the goal in Mai 2009 in New York.
BlueGerbil
C´est le gerbil plus bleu
BlueGerbil
C´est le gerbil plus bleu
04. Oktober 2008
The day starts with a jam-packed breakfast hall. It is weekend and we are staying in a Disneyland hotel. Many families are once more using the weekend to visit the theme park and with around 150 people they are a huge part of this morning jam.
However, the next call made all breakfast stress disappear, because Matthias Jeschke gave the first live interview of the expedition with SWR 1, which gets on air in Germany only a few minutes delay. Over the following Link you can listen to this Interview in MP3: http://www.pny2009.com/cms/upload/Medien/Radio/2008_10_04_SWR1.MP3
We are going to refuel: Beside regular gasoline we are pumping a part of the cellulose ethanol in the tank what we brought along and mix it to an E30 mixture (30% Ethanol; 70% Gasoline).
The engines whir as usual and swallow the Ethanol of the second generation like they used anything else. No output loss, no changing behaviour. We are leaving Paris northwards in direction of Belgium. For some attendees this has been the first time at the steering wheel of our extremely modified Jeeps, what has given extra tension and motivation.
Even the partly existent language barriers could not cloud the great atmosphere. Far from it! We were talking with hands and feets and these kinds of talks provided a lot of fun with quite a few guffaws of laughter.
On our way to Antwerp, for the first time, we have been able to calculate realistic consumption data for the vehicles – withal the total height of almost 3 meters and a definite higher weight compared to the standard Jeep, the average consumption is only between 12.8 and 14 Litres / 100km.
We spend the evening at the home of Johann Nietvelt and his family, one of the record driver of the “Panamericana – 2006“project. Beside a delicious dinner we have been invited from our host to try a bit of the diversity of the Belgian beer selection. Luckily we are staying in Antwerp tomorrow and nobody has to drive.
The day starts with a jam-packed breakfast hall. It is weekend and we are staying in a Disneyland hotel. Many families are once more using the weekend to visit the theme park and with around 150 people they are a huge part of this morning jam.
However, the next call made all breakfast stress disappear, because Matthias Jeschke gave the first live interview of the expedition with SWR 1, which gets on air in Germany only a few minutes delay. Over the following Link you can listen to this Interview in MP3: http://www.pny2009.com/cms/upload/Medien/Radio/2008_10_04_SWR1.MP3
We are going to refuel: Beside regular gasoline we are pumping a part of the cellulose ethanol in the tank what we brought along and mix it to an E30 mixture (30% Ethanol; 70% Gasoline).
The engines whir as usual and swallow the Ethanol of the second generation like they used anything else. No output loss, no changing behaviour. We are leaving Paris northwards in direction of Belgium. For some attendees this has been the first time at the steering wheel of our extremely modified Jeeps, what has given extra tension and motivation.
Even the partly existent language barriers could not cloud the great atmosphere. Far from it! We were talking with hands and feets and these kinds of talks provided a lot of fun with quite a few guffaws of laughter.
On our way to Antwerp, for the first time, we have been able to calculate realistic consumption data for the vehicles – withal the total height of almost 3 meters and a definite higher weight compared to the standard Jeep, the average consumption is only between 12.8 and 14 Litres / 100km.
We spend the evening at the home of Johann Nietvelt and his family, one of the record driver of the “Panamericana – 2006“project. Beside a delicious dinner we have been invited from our host to try a bit of the diversity of the Belgian beer selection. Luckily we are staying in Antwerp tomorrow and nobody has to drive.
BlueGerbil
C´est le gerbil plus bleu
Early this morning, we left from Antwerp to the photo shoot in Brussels where we - as a funny coincidence - met two young Englishman on their way to the North Cape.
For me, the gathering was like a closing circle in my life.
In 1989 I left for the North Cape. At that time in winter, I was driving all by myself with an old self built and restored VW Bus northwards and walked the last 12.5 Miles in a dangerous mission all alone through metres of high snow to the peak of Europe.
I must have had a guardian angel already at that time, because due to wrong informations regarding the distance length I lost my strengths on the way back. Despite all efforts a distant passing military vehicle was not able to notice me. Exhausted, I sank down and must have lied there in the snow for a while, because when I regained consciousness it was already late afternoon and it began to dawn.
At the place I woke up was a small water puddle, being build around a marking pole. I took some sips and walked with last strength and will back to my car. Half hanging out of the sliding door I fell asleep and were found by natives who helped me and gave me something warm to drink.
Today - after having done several extraordinary things and being on my probably biggest adventure ever - I met those two guys. They are at the same point in life as I did - at the beginning, carrying the same desideratum inside of them, being filled by zest of action and wish to experience something.
Since one of them - blond hair and beard - looked a kind of like me then, specific thoughts arose. A part of me adopts the role as a viewer and looked back at the younger me and the more experienced me now. It was a synchronous look at the beginning and the present. It was bizarre and exceptionally at the same time.
After this "special" reunion, some of the photo shoots took place in pouring rain. Anyhow, we are in a good mood.
Matthias Jeschke
For me, the gathering was like a closing circle in my life.
In 1989 I left for the North Cape. At that time in winter, I was driving all by myself with an old self built and restored VW Bus northwards and walked the last 12.5 Miles in a dangerous mission all alone through metres of high snow to the peak of Europe.
I must have had a guardian angel already at that time, because due to wrong informations regarding the distance length I lost my strengths on the way back. Despite all efforts a distant passing military vehicle was not able to notice me. Exhausted, I sank down and must have lied there in the snow for a while, because when I regained consciousness it was already late afternoon and it began to dawn.
At the place I woke up was a small water puddle, being build around a marking pole. I took some sips and walked with last strength and will back to my car. Half hanging out of the sliding door I fell asleep and were found by natives who helped me and gave me something warm to drink.
Today - after having done several extraordinary things and being on my probably biggest adventure ever - I met those two guys. They are at the same point in life as I did - at the beginning, carrying the same desideratum inside of them, being filled by zest of action and wish to experience something.
Since one of them - blond hair and beard - looked a kind of like me then, specific thoughts arose. A part of me adopts the role as a viewer and looked back at the younger me and the more experienced me now. It was a synchronous look at the beginning and the present. It was bizarre and exceptionally at the same time.
After this "special" reunion, some of the photo shoots took place in pouring rain. Anyhow, we are in a good mood.
Matthias Jeschke
BlueGerbil
C´est le gerbil plus bleu
October 6, 2008
Travelling also means to face new situations and to adjust to them – that is exactly what the expedition demanded from us in a democratic way today! The press conference – which has been prepared excellently by the Representation of the State of Hesse – turned out differently than planned. A national strike in Belgium caused a failure to appear on the part of the representatives of the press and also shut Belgium completely down. It is impressing to notice all the things that were not operating any longer – beginning with a non-speaking radio host as well as buses and train lines. Due to the restricted space in the Hessian State House of Representatives, we presented the banner exhibition along with our three Jeeps in the automobile museum – the only open available space. Besides the visitors of the museum we were also happy to welcome a delegation of the Representation of the State of Hesse as well as representatives of Chrysler Belgium.
Our vehicles were also the center of attention in front of the museum. We particularly liked a Romanian tour group which would have joined us right away. It was a very pleasant, open-minded meeting. After reaching Rotterdam in the evening, we had to stop at a doctor’s office because Falk – our cameraman – has hurt himself on his foot. Right after the treatment we continued our way to the Goethe Institute where they were anticipating our arrival.
But before the greeting, the creators of our Jeeps had to take care of the parking of the expedition vehicles first. Due to a very narrow driveway – only slightly wider than the vehicles themselves – and a constantly closing electric gate this proved to be a time-consuming undertaking. In the evening, the sincere greeting by the employees of the Goethe Institute compensated for all the effort.
Travelling also means to face new situations and to adjust to them – that is exactly what the expedition demanded from us in a democratic way today! The press conference – which has been prepared excellently by the Representation of the State of Hesse – turned out differently than planned. A national strike in Belgium caused a failure to appear on the part of the representatives of the press and also shut Belgium completely down. It is impressing to notice all the things that were not operating any longer – beginning with a non-speaking radio host as well as buses and train lines. Due to the restricted space in the Hessian State House of Representatives, we presented the banner exhibition along with our three Jeeps in the automobile museum – the only open available space. Besides the visitors of the museum we were also happy to welcome a delegation of the Representation of the State of Hesse as well as representatives of Chrysler Belgium.
Our vehicles were also the center of attention in front of the museum. We particularly liked a Romanian tour group which would have joined us right away. It was a very pleasant, open-minded meeting. After reaching Rotterdam in the evening, we had to stop at a doctor’s office because Falk – our cameraman – has hurt himself on his foot. Right after the treatment we continued our way to the Goethe Institute where they were anticipating our arrival.
But before the greeting, the creators of our Jeeps had to take care of the parking of the expedition vehicles first. Due to a very narrow driveway – only slightly wider than the vehicles themselves – and a constantly closing electric gate this proved to be a time-consuming undertaking. In the evening, the sincere greeting by the employees of the Goethe Institute compensated for all the effort.