The LR4 — Crossing America Offroad with Tom Collins at the helm!
- Thread starter Dendy Jarrett
- Start date
David Harris
Expedition Leader
Agreed. That is a lot of miles on dirt, and a pretty rapid pace at that. Looking forward to following the upcoming Silk Road journey. Dare we hope these are shakedowns for future hard-core journeys? Really want to see a new Range Rover in the Darien Gap. . . (Yeah, right. . . )
Scott Brady
Founder
They are releasing updates a few weeks behind. It took them over a month. . .
They also did not skip Nevada. In fact, the only section of the TAT they skipped was due to flooding and then fires in Oregon.
They also did not skip Nevada. In fact, the only section of the TAT they skipped was due to flooding and then fires in Oregon.
This was a very cool trip, can't wait to see more pictures and hear the specifics. I am amazed/disappointed at all the criticism on here surrounding this trip. Was this the Camel Trophy? No. And it wasn't supposed to be. Given how developed the US is, 5,000 miles of off road driving in a stock vehicle is really cool. Congrats to Land Rover for doing this and for publicizing it. They are continuing to promote the brand and it's heritage by supporting adventures like this and I hope to see more of it in the US and overseas.
This was Update 5
Land Rover continues through Colorado and Utah and on their month long cross country off-road drive from North Carolina to Oregon.
The Expedition spent a few days crossing the Rocky Mountains, the largest physical barrier on the expedition. The Colorado leg began in Trinidad, on the New Mexico border, and ran northwest through Lake City and Telluride, using some of the passes that carried the pioneer and stagecoach traffic of the past.
"The pioneers covered around 10 miles a day on similar roads you guys are using," said Dave Shaw, who drives a horse-drawn stagecoach in the old gold mining town of Silverton, CO. LREA is averaging around 200 miles a day.
Atop Black Bear Pass, a 12,000ft mountain above Telluride, Colorado, the trail descends into a town along a steep face. The slippery rock and shale surface is dangerous and requires extreme caution. Slowly but surely, Expedition Leader and Colorado resident Tom Collins led the team safely into Telluride.
"Hurry this section and you could regret it," Tom said after the successful crossing of the Rockies. "We are doing this event in August because any other month and the passes could be blocked by snow. Even on Black Bear we had some snow flurries."
The expedition then pressed onto Utah. The trail runs a few hundred yards from sections of Interstate 70. The Interstate is so close you can hear the rumble of trucks and cars.
Threading its way among massive boulders is a sand track that is part of a challenging section of the 5000-mile Trans-America Trail. The challenging trail goes through Black Dragon Canyon, where razor-sharp rocks, rattlesnakes and the risk of flash flooding are the antithesis to the Interstate.
Each Land Rover LR4 progressed steadily at a walking pace, while being watched over by 1,000 year-old cave paintings under the lip of a canyon wall. With the air suspension set in lifted mode and the Terrain Response dialed to Rock Craw, the crews edged through in the Utah landscape for 14 hours.
The heat of the Nevada Desert awaits the crews as they continue onto the next segment of their westward journey from North Carolina to Oregon.
Land Rover continues through Colorado and Utah and on their month long cross country off-road drive from North Carolina to Oregon.
The Expedition spent a few days crossing the Rocky Mountains, the largest physical barrier on the expedition. The Colorado leg began in Trinidad, on the New Mexico border, and ran northwest through Lake City and Telluride, using some of the passes that carried the pioneer and stagecoach traffic of the past.
"The pioneers covered around 10 miles a day on similar roads you guys are using," said Dave Shaw, who drives a horse-drawn stagecoach in the old gold mining town of Silverton, CO. LREA is averaging around 200 miles a day.
Atop Black Bear Pass, a 12,000ft mountain above Telluride, Colorado, the trail descends into a town along a steep face. The slippery rock and shale surface is dangerous and requires extreme caution. Slowly but surely, Expedition Leader and Colorado resident Tom Collins led the team safely into Telluride.
"Hurry this section and you could regret it," Tom said after the successful crossing of the Rockies. "We are doing this event in August because any other month and the passes could be blocked by snow. Even on Black Bear we had some snow flurries."
The expedition then pressed onto Utah. The trail runs a few hundred yards from sections of Interstate 70. The Interstate is so close you can hear the rumble of trucks and cars.
Threading its way among massive boulders is a sand track that is part of a challenging section of the 5000-mile Trans-America Trail. The challenging trail goes through Black Dragon Canyon, where razor-sharp rocks, rattlesnakes and the risk of flash flooding are the antithesis to the Interstate.
Each Land Rover LR4 progressed steadily at a walking pace, while being watched over by 1,000 year-old cave paintings under the lip of a canyon wall. With the air suspension set in lifted mode and the Terrain Response dialed to Rock Craw, the crews edged through in the Utah landscape for 14 hours.
The heat of the Nevada Desert awaits the crews as they continue onto the next segment of their westward journey from North Carolina to Oregon.
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This was Update 4:
5,000-mile off-road drive across America reaches halfway point
Stops along legendary Route 66 include a cowboy fair and a winery on the great plains
LR4 vehicles continue to withstand the tough and extreme conditions
After two weeks, 2000 miles, two time zones and eight states, Land Rover Expedition America has reached its midpoint near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The marathon month-long crossing of America on dirt roads, tracks and trails has recently passed through the vast expanse of the Great Plains using back roads in remote parts of Northern Oklahoma, Southern Kansas and the far North East of New Mexico.
The Land Rover LR4 convoy crossed the famous Santa Fe Trail and into Colorado and the endless plain abruptly ended with the eastern wall of the Rocky Mountains. The 14,000 ft summit of Pike's Peak loomed in the distance as a beacon to the expedition crew.
After a day of rest in Colorado Springs, the Land Rover Expedition America Team spent four days climbing remote mountain passes in the range. These passes are normally only snow-free in August. Storms have been buffeting the Rocky Mountains and the potential for snow at high altitude remains a possibility.
The team was welcomed to a cowboy fair where locals showed off their vintage tractors and, in return, inspected the mud-caked LR4s. In Kansas, the members of the Land Rover team were shown the craft of making wine against the climatic odds on the Great Plains.
Extreme weather has followed the event since Mississippi. Temperatures as high as 103 degrees, flooded roads, tornado warnings and dramatic thunderstorms have challenged the crew on their dawn to dusk days at the wheel.
The cars are factory specification Land Rover LR4 vehicles. The only equipment added to the vehicles was a factory winch kit, a roof rack, and a skid plate. When asked why the cars were not extensively modified for this journey, Land Rover Expedition Leader Tom Collins noted: "Doing this in stock vehicles is important as it clearly demonstrates the capability of the LR4 that anyone can buy at their local dealership."
One of the highlights of the Oklahoma and Kansas sections was crossing Route 66 northeast of Tulsa at White Oak, Oklahoma. The legendary Mother Road runs over 2,400 miles from Illinois to California and was the route which forged so many westward dreams.
The Trans-America Trail, along which Land Rover Expedition America is traveling, is double the length of Route 66. In many respects it is closer to the experience faced by Pioneers in their covered wagons in the 19th century, while Route 66 defined westward migration in the 20th century.
The next week will bring 12,000-foot ascents of the Rocky Mountains. Land Rover Expedition America will then cross through Utah, and a week of desert driving onwards through Nevada. The varied climate and terrain of Oregon will be the last section before our finish on the Pacific Coast.
ends
5,000-mile off-road drive across America reaches halfway point
Stops along legendary Route 66 include a cowboy fair and a winery on the great plains
LR4 vehicles continue to withstand the tough and extreme conditions
After two weeks, 2000 miles, two time zones and eight states, Land Rover Expedition America has reached its midpoint near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The marathon month-long crossing of America on dirt roads, tracks and trails has recently passed through the vast expanse of the Great Plains using back roads in remote parts of Northern Oklahoma, Southern Kansas and the far North East of New Mexico.
The Land Rover LR4 convoy crossed the famous Santa Fe Trail and into Colorado and the endless plain abruptly ended with the eastern wall of the Rocky Mountains. The 14,000 ft summit of Pike's Peak loomed in the distance as a beacon to the expedition crew.
After a day of rest in Colorado Springs, the Land Rover Expedition America Team spent four days climbing remote mountain passes in the range. These passes are normally only snow-free in August. Storms have been buffeting the Rocky Mountains and the potential for snow at high altitude remains a possibility.
The team was welcomed to a cowboy fair where locals showed off their vintage tractors and, in return, inspected the mud-caked LR4s. In Kansas, the members of the Land Rover team were shown the craft of making wine against the climatic odds on the Great Plains.
Extreme weather has followed the event since Mississippi. Temperatures as high as 103 degrees, flooded roads, tornado warnings and dramatic thunderstorms have challenged the crew on their dawn to dusk days at the wheel.
The cars are factory specification Land Rover LR4 vehicles. The only equipment added to the vehicles was a factory winch kit, a roof rack, and a skid plate. When asked why the cars were not extensively modified for this journey, Land Rover Expedition Leader Tom Collins noted: "Doing this in stock vehicles is important as it clearly demonstrates the capability of the LR4 that anyone can buy at their local dealership."
One of the highlights of the Oklahoma and Kansas sections was crossing Route 66 northeast of Tulsa at White Oak, Oklahoma. The legendary Mother Road runs over 2,400 miles from Illinois to California and was the route which forged so many westward dreams.
The Trans-America Trail, along which Land Rover Expedition America is traveling, is double the length of Route 66. In many respects it is closer to the experience faced by Pioneers in their covered wagons in the 19th century, while Route 66 defined westward migration in the 20th century.
The next week will bring 12,000-foot ascents of the Rocky Mountains. Land Rover Expedition America will then cross through Utah, and a week of desert driving onwards through Nevada. The varied climate and terrain of Oregon will be the last section before our finish on the Pacific Coast.
ends
I don't usually spend much time here in the LR sub-forum - I'm a ::cough:: Nissan guy ::cough cough::, but I do love a good trip report ... so I had to come and check this one out.
I'm mainly posting here in this thread, to give a bit of public recognition to a member of another forum where I spend a bit more time (shimi1st on www.thenewx.org), who attempted the TAT last summer in his Nissan Xterra (as a charity endeavor) ... it's not quite so well documented as this Land Rover trip, and he did have to leave dirt a couple of times - notably to avoid a super-cell in Oklahoma, for a power steering fix in Nevada, and due to impassable single-track within 100 miles of the coast in Oregon. Here's the link to his write up: http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=55699&highlight=trans-am+trail
Now since I know that comparisons will be drawn; no, his vehicle is not showroom stock ... but he did attempt it as a solo vehicle trip, with one passenger. He completed a total of 9500 miles, round trip, in roughly 4 weeks. Yes there were a few small portions of his trip that were on pavement, but I believe he held to a common goal with the LR trip: to minimize tarmac usage.
My main reason for posting, though, was to point out that the TAT *has* been attempted by a 4x4 SUV prior to this LR trip; and to provide folks with a link to that trip report. Plus, since it's clearly a bigger deal than shimi's giving himself credit for, I had hoped to maybe get him a bit more visibility in the "overlanding community".
I'm mainly posting here in this thread, to give a bit of public recognition to a member of another forum where I spend a bit more time (shimi1st on www.thenewx.org), who attempted the TAT last summer in his Nissan Xterra (as a charity endeavor) ... it's not quite so well documented as this Land Rover trip, and he did have to leave dirt a couple of times - notably to avoid a super-cell in Oklahoma, for a power steering fix in Nevada, and due to impassable single-track within 100 miles of the coast in Oregon. Here's the link to his write up: http://www.thenewx.org/forum/showthread.php?t=55699&highlight=trans-am+trail
Now since I know that comparisons will be drawn; no, his vehicle is not showroom stock ... but he did attempt it as a solo vehicle trip, with one passenger. He completed a total of 9500 miles, round trip, in roughly 4 weeks. Yes there were a few small portions of his trip that were on pavement, but I believe he held to a common goal with the LR trip: to minimize tarmac usage.
My main reason for posting, though, was to point out that the TAT *has* been attempted by a 4x4 SUV prior to this LR trip; and to provide folks with a link to that trip report. Plus, since it's clearly a bigger deal than shimi's giving himself credit for, I had hoped to maybe get him a bit more visibility in the "overlanding community".
Antichrist
Expedition Leader
Quite honestly I don't care if it's hardcore or not, and I too applaud L/R for doing it.
What I find funny is just the hyping it as "hardcore" when it's not, or at least what they seem to think is, as illustrated by my "deep mud" posting.
chris snell
Adventurer
Marketing aside, this is a nice trip. Clearly, the only real challenge is scouting the route and staying off the pavement. Still, the roads are rough and it's a nice way to prove the trail viability of a computer-controlled vehicle.
I am a big fan of long trips taken mostly off-road. Navigation is my favorite aspect of overlanding and scouting these routes is a blast for me. There are so many other great variations out there, just waiting for someone to scout them. Key West to Seattle? San Diego to Bangor?
I am a big fan of long trips taken mostly off-road. Navigation is my favorite aspect of overlanding and scouting these routes is a blast for me. There are so many other great variations out there, just waiting for someone to scout them. Key West to Seattle? San Diego to Bangor?
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brushogger
Explorer
I just hope LR gets enough positive feedback and sales from events like this to encourage them to keep the tradition alive and their future products off road worthy.
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Antichrist
Expedition Leader
Not on dirt roads. According to LRNA the furthest east you can get on a dirt road is Asheville, NC
After covering over 5,000 miles of off-road adventures through 10 states across America in the #LR4, the #LRExpeditionAmerica team has arrived at its last stop by the Pacific Ocean. Thank you for following our journey through breathtaking scenery and magnificent historical landmarks on Instagram: http://ow.ly/obeo5
So did I miss something? Did they skip Oregon except for the beach or did they just run out of digits in their digital cameras? I don't see even one Oregon shot or write up except for the coast shot. Maybe I'm getting Al-whathisname disease! A least half of this state is dirt roads.