The LR4 — Crossing America Offroad with Tom Collins at the helm!
- Thread starter Dendy Jarrett
- Start date
DaJudge
Explorer
What did you get when you clicked on the instagram link? All I get is a login page.
www.instagram.com/landroverusa takes me straight to Land Rover USA's Instagram page plastered with photos and videos. No login request. Using Firefox as browser. Can't see the page when using IE, so it may be a browser issue.
goodtimes
Expedition Poseur
That used to be the case - but by 2007 or 2008, the route was changed to eliminate all of the private land.
The route is continually being refined as roads open & close (particularly in Oregon), so this years map and next years will be different.
Since they will be winging it, it will be interesting to see how they get around the sections of single track in the western half of the trip. I'm sure it can be done - but I'll be interested to see how they approach it while keeping the "as little pavement as possible" aspect in mind.
Finally, I am kind of surprised that TC hasn't ridden the TAT on his KLR yet (he loves that KLR).
LAND ROVER EXPEDITION AMERICA: UPDATE 1
August 1, 2013 at 9:48am
Land Rover's attempt to achieve one of the world's few remaining untouched epic automotive adventures – to drive across America on dirt road – got off to a successful start last week.
By the time Land Rover Expedition America (LREA) reaches the Pacific Coast in North Bend, Oregon in late August it will have crossed 10 states, 4 time zones and 2 major mountain ranges, all on a web of linked dirt roads called the Trans-America Trail [TAT].
The expedition's start point was the Smoky Mountains on last Friday afternoon, when the four LR4s rolled out of the Land Rover Experience center at The Biltmore in Asheville North Carolina, the furthest east in the United States that a dirt road can be found.
“It's a great place to begin - straight from the Land Rover driving school onto a succession of amazing mountain trails,” said Expedition Leader and former Camel Trophy veteran Tom Collins.
The expedition is using standard Land Rover LR4's, fitted with factory-spec winches and roof racks for the marathon 13-hour days. Each car is crewed by three drivers and navigators.
Swathed in low cloud, the North Carolina tracks were quickly replaced by those in eastern Tennessee. Outside Tellico, TN - the start point for motorcyclists doing the Trans-America Trail - heavy rains had turned forest roads into streams and turned streams into fast flowing currents. LREA is only using established tracks and trails.
Bikers gathered in Tellico were intrigued to meet the LREA crew. There is, as yet, no record of vehicles having successfully made the crossing to Oregon.
To find a network of dirt trails and attempt such a trans-continental trip in the 21st Century is remarkable in itself. However, progress will make the journey increasingly hard to achieve.
“In Tennessee the TAT trails are already increasingly being paved,” explained Collins. “Who knows how long it will be before other states do the same with their unsealed roads. This is an expedition with a shrinking environment as its challenger.”
The tiring, long and challenging days mean the crews have to pace themselves. Drivers rotate duties regularly; carry emergency supplies and satellite communications. Even in the most advanced country in the world, this is a real-world adventure.
Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma are the destinations on Week 2 of the Land Rover Expedition America. The route runs past Clarksdale, home of the Blues, and across the Mississippi River.
From the South, the adventure will emerge into the Mid-West and the endless horizons of the plains. The route across Oklahoma kisses the southern border of Kansas for mile after mile.
“If it's not clear already, the next week will show the sheer enormity of this undertaking,” added Collins. “The US is a big place, never more so than when you are crossing it on dirt.”
August 1, 2013 at 9:48am
Land Rover's attempt to achieve one of the world's few remaining untouched epic automotive adventures – to drive across America on dirt road – got off to a successful start last week.
By the time Land Rover Expedition America (LREA) reaches the Pacific Coast in North Bend, Oregon in late August it will have crossed 10 states, 4 time zones and 2 major mountain ranges, all on a web of linked dirt roads called the Trans-America Trail [TAT].
The expedition's start point was the Smoky Mountains on last Friday afternoon, when the four LR4s rolled out of the Land Rover Experience center at The Biltmore in Asheville North Carolina, the furthest east in the United States that a dirt road can be found.
“It's a great place to begin - straight from the Land Rover driving school onto a succession of amazing mountain trails,” said Expedition Leader and former Camel Trophy veteran Tom Collins.
The expedition is using standard Land Rover LR4's, fitted with factory-spec winches and roof racks for the marathon 13-hour days. Each car is crewed by three drivers and navigators.
Swathed in low cloud, the North Carolina tracks were quickly replaced by those in eastern Tennessee. Outside Tellico, TN - the start point for motorcyclists doing the Trans-America Trail - heavy rains had turned forest roads into streams and turned streams into fast flowing currents. LREA is only using established tracks and trails.
Bikers gathered in Tellico were intrigued to meet the LREA crew. There is, as yet, no record of vehicles having successfully made the crossing to Oregon.
To find a network of dirt trails and attempt such a trans-continental trip in the 21st Century is remarkable in itself. However, progress will make the journey increasingly hard to achieve.
“In Tennessee the TAT trails are already increasingly being paved,” explained Collins. “Who knows how long it will be before other states do the same with their unsealed roads. This is an expedition with a shrinking environment as its challenger.”
The tiring, long and challenging days mean the crews have to pace themselves. Drivers rotate duties regularly; carry emergency supplies and satellite communications. Even in the most advanced country in the world, this is a real-world adventure.
Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma are the destinations on Week 2 of the Land Rover Expedition America. The route runs past Clarksdale, home of the Blues, and across the Mississippi River.
From the South, the adventure will emerge into the Mid-West and the endless horizons of the plains. The route across Oklahoma kisses the southern border of Kansas for mile after mile.
“If it's not clear already, the next week will show the sheer enormity of this undertaking,” added Collins. “The US is a big place, never more so than when you are crossing it on dirt.”
goodtimes
Expedition Poseur
Really?
It's a great trip. Hell, it's an awesome trip. I'd recommend it to anyone that want's a diverse taste of American scenery.
But really, it doesn't need to be over played. It's not the Dakar rally where you need some crazy strategy sessions to figure out who/what/when/where. Grab your camping gear, a GPS, your cell phone, and go. You don't need a brand new LR4 with a winch and roof rack, extra spare tires, lots of spare gas, water, etc. You'll pass through a town every 200 - 250 miles. You're never *that* far from civilization, and the roads aren't *that* tough. You know the last one is true - they're driving Land Rovers!
Ok, ok, if that doesn't make you believe it - I rode my BMW 650GS through the western half, which is by all accounts the most difficult with regard to terrain. And to be honest - I wasn't that great of a rider when we left. I'm still not - but I sure the heck learned a lot while on the trip.
LR Max
Local Oaf
It seems like pretty easy going right now but when they hit the rockies, things should get interesting. I do agree, right now they don't need all that fancy stuff but once they hit 8,000ft, they'll be glad they had all that stuff.
Also driving a LR4 shouldn't be that tiring. Now if they said a Series 2a, well then yes.
Lastly I was hoping for more photos.