World Apprentice: Volunteer Overlander

Electronics: Camera Kit, Laptop, and Backups

One of my main goals in this journey is to document much of what I’m learning and experiencing along the way – mostly in still photographs, with some occasional video. Since I plan to travel light, I started researching smaller pocket-sized cameras. I didn’t want to be lugging around huge camera bodies & lenses, which would shout out, “hey, check out this gringo tourist and his fancy gear!”

Initially I checked out some of the waterproof and ruggedized point & shoot cameras, such as the Olympus Tough Series. These would definitely survive the trip, but the quality of the images would be lacking – plus, no possibility for interchangeable lenses. After a recommendation from a coworker, I then seriously looked at the Canon S95, which packs a lot of quality into a very small size. It shoots in RAW and full HD video. They even offer a waterproof case, plus some lens kits. But these are not true interchangeable lenses, so for me a deal-breaker. On an adventure like this, the S95 would better serve as a secondary camera, but be slightly lacking as a main.

I was then turned on to the Panasonic Lumix GF2. This is a professional-grade digital camera with interchangeable lenses, but in a smaller package, utilizing Micro Four Thirds lenses. This model shoots RAW at 12.1 megapixels, plus full 1080 HD video. With a pancake lens, it is almost a pocket camera (and could be easily stuffed into a jacket or cargo pocket. The basic kit comes with a decent “photojournalist” lens (14-42 mm, f3.5 – which equates to a 28-84 mm on a larger DSLR). I immediately picked up a fixed 20 mm f1.7 lens, which is awesome for low-light situations and shallow depth of field shots. Lastly I purchased a larger telephoto lens; 45-200 mm f4.5, which has built-in optical image stabilization. With a supply of filters, a few spare batteries, and plenty of SD cards, I should be ready for a variety of great photos while out on the road. Over the past few months since purchasing this camera, it’s been a pleasure to shoot. And I look forward to having more time over the next several months to further master this piece of equipment, as well as hone my photography skills.

Full camera kit, with Pelican for protection

Compact travel camera with 20-mm pancake lens

Ever since coming to work for Expeditions West & Overland Journal 3.5 years ago, I’ve converted over to be Mac-only. Honestly, I don’t have a lot of desire to ever switch back to Windows, even though it’s much less expensive to purchase that equipment. In my opinion, the hassle-factor just isn’t worth it. And like the Lumix GF2, Macs are a pleasure to use. And sticking with the lightweight theme, the 13” MacBook Air is an ideal laptop for this type of travel. Plus, the aluminum case and solid-state hard drive help to make it “ruggedized” (with no moving parts). The built-in SD card reader makes it easy for me to load photos into Aperture without the need for any external adaptors.

MacBook Air — lightweight & powerful

Now comes the most important part: backups. Being on the road for such a long time, I will surely generate a lot of data. And much of this data will be irreplaceable if lost – namely, the photos. A tradeoff for the solid-state drive in the MacBook Air is that it’s quite small – only 256GB. I will store only my most current and best photos on this internal hard drive, so will need to have some external hard drives to store the rest. And in the unfortunate event that my laptop gets stolen or broken, I will want to have a full backup.

Built in with all new Mac operating systems is a program called Time Machine, which makes a full backup of your computer. I’ve had great luck with this program – not only for recovering individual files, but also for restoring entire machines. My main backup drive will be a LaCie 1TB Rugged Mini. This drive is shock-, rain-, and pressure-resistant, and is connected & powered via a USB 3.0 cable. This will also serve as an external Aperture library for older and less-important photos not stored on my laptop’s hard drive. I plan to do backups daily to this hard drive, and store it separately from my laptop.

1TB ruggedized drive & Magic Mouse, atop the Air

Since video takes up a lot of space, I will not be storing these files on my laptop. For this, I plan to have a two 320GB WD MyPassport hard drives. These are both slightly smaller in size than the LaCie Rugged Mini, and use USB 2.0 cables. One will act as a video “scratch” drive for unprocessed videos, and the other will house video projects in-process and completed videos.

Since no data is safe until it is backed up three times, I will attempt to have other redundant systems in place. My “big daddy” backup will be a LaCie 2TB Desktop Rugged XL. This drive requires 110 V external power, and connects via USB 2.0 interface. It will act as a backup of all my data, and will be stored in a very hidden and secure place in the vehicle. I’ll only bring it out to update the backups about every week or so.

Backups galore: 2TB & 1TB LaCie drives, 320GB MyPassport drives (left to right)

But what if a major catastrophe occurs, and all of the data in my truck is lost or destroyed? As Internet connectivity allows, I plan to upload any crucial documents and important photos/videos to online repositories such as Google Documents. In addition, I plan to burn CDs/DVDs that I can mail back home as an additional offsite backup. Thankfully I’ve never lost any data, but I don’t want to press my luck on this upcoming adventure. Like they say, “Plan for the worst, hope for the best.” If I stick to this plan, it will be one less thing for me to be constantly worrying about.

Resources

• Apple: apple.com
• LaCie: lacie.com
• Panasonic: panasonic.com
• Western Digital: wdc.com

Water Storage & Filtration

Potable water on self-supported overland travels ranks at the top of the list of basic survival needs, right above shelter and food. With a shelter (FWC) secured, my sights now move to how I will both filter and store water while on the road next year. Sure, I could purchase bottled drinking water along the way, but over the course of time that’s not the most fiscally responsible method (not to mention the mounds of empty plastic bottles that I would have to discard). For most of my life, I have been in the habit of filling up reusable water bottles (plastic, aluminum, etc.) for drinking throughout the day.

Since most of my previous travels in North America had consisted of camping trips of no longer than a few days, I was able to get by with just filling up all of my available water bottles and bladders. Instead of having 40 Nalgene bottles rolling around in my backseat, I decided that one large storage tank would make more sense. Here’s where a 40 L (10.5 gal) water tank from Front Runner comes in. With a conservative rule-of-thumb being one gallon of water per person, per day – this should be enough for my dog and me for at least 5 days between resupplies.

Now I must figure out the best placement for this water tank. There was a perfectly sized place for it in the very back driver side corner of the camper, but this was well behind the rear axle. Having about 80 pounds of water sloshing around that far back would not be a good thing. Since I won’t be having passengers regularly in the backseat, I decided to place it in the wheel well. Tacomas are notorious for a “lean,” since the 18.5-gallon fuel tank is on the same side as the driver and starter battery. So I decided it would be best to place the water on the passenger side to help balance things out. Plus, my leaf springs will thank me for having this weight forward of the rear axle.. With the front passenger seat pushed back and slightly reclined, the tank is firmly wedged into place, preventing it from moving around in the case of a crash or rollover.

Access to both filling up and extracting water from the tank in this location should be easy. The fill cap is on the top, which may require me to move a few bags (depending on how to pack the backseat). The tap consists of a flexible hose, which I positioned facing the rear passenger door. This can be brought outside of the truck and below the level of the tank so that gravity can do all the work when I need to fill up water bottles or bladders for drinking, cooking, or showering.

When researching water filtrations systems for this trip, I considered various options. I liked the idea of something portable, in case the water source I was filtering from wasn’t near the truck. The plan would be to filter all water before storing it in my vehicle, so that there would be no confusion as to whether or not it would be safe for consumption. I came across Lifesaver’s website, remembering that we had tested their waterbottle filter back in the Fall 2009 issue ofOverland Journal. Now they offer a jerrycan filter. I can now not only make sure that all of my water is potable, but also carry an additional 5 gallons with me. A much more in-depth review of this product is forthcoming.

With just over 15 gallons of filtered drinking water stored in my truck and camper, I now feel comfortable being “off the grid” (a.k.a. camping on a remote beach somewhere) for about a week without having to resupply. Plus, I can fill up all of my smaller water bottles and bladders for an additional few gallons if necessary.

Resources:

• Front Runner: frontrunner.co.za [South Africa], frontrunneroutfitters.com [U.S.]
• Lifesaver: lifesaversystems.com [U.K.], lifesaverusa.com [U.S.]
• Overland Journal: overlandjournal.com

Places I Plan to Volunteer

I’m approaching this adventure from a point of view slightly different than a typical tourist. Instead of looking for hotels, restaurants, and major tourist attractions, I’m trying to figure out interesting places that I can volunteer & document, as well as places to stop & work for a short while if I need to ear some more gas money. With a camper to live & cook in, lodging & food is already taken care of. Granted, I will probably book a room in an inexpensive motel from time to time, in order to get a proper hot shower, do laundry, and re-organize & re-pack everything in the truck. And there’s no way I would pass up on delicious street tacos & other affordable local cuisine along the way. If I encounter any tourist attractions along the way that are worth checking out, I will do just that. But I won’t be going far out of the way for them, nor will they necessarily be a goal.

A very rough outline of my proposed route south. Subject to nearly infinite changes!

Primarily, I would like to check out places in Latin America that we’ve featured in the Conservation Postcard column in Overland Journal. Closest to home is Rancho Aribabi in northern Sonora, Mexico. Unfortunately, I’ve had trouble getting a response to my many offers over the past several months to volunteer. Perhaps they just don’t need any help at this time. A little disappointing that they haven’t responded to me, but a good lesson for me in volunteering: just because I’m offering to help doesn’t mean they need to accept it.

In addition to sites that I’ve researched ahead of time, I hope to find local artisans & regional industries to document. This could vary from woodworkers, fishermen, tequila distilleries, farmers, ranchers, vineyards, or leatherworkers. There are a few clothing companies with operations in Latin America that I plan on checking out. I’ve also got an opportunity to help distribute water filters for humanitarian aide in some remote locations.

About 7 years ago, I volunteered to help do some construction & renovation at a school in a small town in Costa Rica. A few of us also backpacked in to a village of an indigenous tribe (Bribri) to donate some gardening tools. It would be great to stop by there to see how things are going. And I recently contacted the organization, which is still involved in the community there. They told me there would be plenty of opportunities to help out when I arrive.

Earlier this year, I met a gentleman from El Salvador selling coffee at the farmer’s market in Prescott. He invited me to stop by his plantation as I was driving south. It’s these types of connections that I’m excited about making, especially while I’m on the road next year. I have always met interesting people throughout my travels, but rarely have had the time to follow up on those contacts. I have a friend who works at a vineyard in Mendoza. So I have an invitation to stop by there when I make it to this famous wine-producing region in Argentina.

I’ve been in contact with the folks at the Muskoka Foundation, and am looking forward to helping out with some of their humanitarian efforts in Latin America. They have a great network of volunteers around the globe working on a variety of interesting projects.

With my ultimate destination being the Patagonia, I already have some volunteer plans for a place in that region. I’ve been in contact with Conservación Patagónica regarding volunteering with them in late 2012/early 2013. They have worked to build national parks in both the Argentine & Chilean Patagonia. Currently their main project is in southern Chile, in Valle Chacabuco. That park has been referred to as the Yellowstone of South America. I can’t wait to lend a hand in helping to preserve this beautiful place for generations to come.

Mobil1 Synthetic Fluids

I recall when Scott Brady drove the Expedition West 2004 Toyota Tacoma up to the Arctic Ocean & back to Arizona on just one fill of Mobil1 synthetic engine oil. Upon returning from the 9,000 miles of harsh winter driving, those fluids were drained & analyzed, and still had plenty of life left in them.

Since I just hit 100,000 miles on my Tacoma prior to departure on this trans-continental drive, I decided it would be a good idea to switch over all my fluids to Mobil1 synthetics. After a quick trip to AutoZone, I came back with quite a few quarts of the good stuff. Not only would I fill up the engine oil with it, but also the automatic transmission & differentials.

A fine lineup

With a 75,000 mile warranty & since I had not yet had a single mechanical or computer failure, I had always taken it to a mechanic for the regularly scheduled oil changes & services. So this would be the first time I changed any fluids myself. To date, I had only wrenched on my truck to install the aftermarket suspension components, ARB Bull Bar, & other minor modifications. I consulted the factory service manual as well as several online resources (tranny, diffs). Much of this learning curve was frustrating, since taking it to a mechanic would have saved me many hours.

I’m glad I did this in Prescott before departing, as I found some issues with shoddy work from previous mechanics. It appeared that incorrect wrench sizes were used on both the front & rear differentials for the drain & fill plugs. The rear uses standard 24 mm bolt heads, and the edges of both were a little chewed up. They were also torqued well beyond the recommended 36 ft-lbs. Even worse, the front diffs are a 10 mm hex head, and it looks like a previous mechanic had used a 3/8” Allen key (which is slightly smaller). I was barely able to remove the upper fill plug. But since apparently the West Texas Arm-wrestling Champ had over torqued & stripped out the drain plug, I was unable to crack loose the bolt (even with a breaker bar). My buddy Clark even tried to help out with an easy out tool, but that broke off too! Solution: hand pump out the front diff fluid through the fill hole, and then fill it back up with synthetics. I also made sure to purchase a replacement fill bolt before doing this. I guess at some point in the distant future I can address removing the stuck drain plug if it becomes a necessity.

Front diff: drain plug & upper fill bolt, both chewed up from the wrong size wrench

Changing the transmission fluid was the most time consuming. In order to do it right, I dropped the entire pan & removed the metal filter for cleaning. Removing the 19 bolts on the pan was fun. Then, I mistakenly used water when cleaning the metal filter housing, potentially ruining any filter element on the inside. Thankfully the local auto parts store had a replacement in stock. After cleaning off the pink residue from the stock Ready-Seal, I laid on some black RTV along with a new rubber seal. At least now I won’t have to worry about the transmission for another 100,000 miles or so.

Removing the previous seal residue before replacing the pan

Sweet & Sour sauce? Nope. Synthetic ATF.

The engine oil was pretty straightforward. I had already switched over to synthetics about 20,000 miles ago, so wasn’t too worried about doing a full flush on the system.  I even used a premium Mobil1 oil filter (which I’ll be taking a spare along with me for the trip). I hope to not have to change the oil on the trip, but will swap out the filter about halfway through.

Shakedown Trip #1: The Eastern Sierras & Mojave National Preserve

I knew several months ago that I would be hitting 100,000 miles on my Tacoma sometime around the start of my big drive south, but figured it would be somewhere in Mexico or Central America. As luck would have it, I made it to that milestone on the way to get my new Four Wheel Camper installed. Several years ago, some friends of mine informed me of a tradition they had whenever any of their vehicles rolled another five zeros on the odometer: to give it a shot of their favorite spirit. So what would any respectable man of Scottish heritage do but serve it a dram of single malt. I kept a close watch on the dash as the all nines turned into a binary birthday. So I pulled over for a quick celebration of some whisky in the gas tank – a toast to many great miles behind us, and to good times ahead. This occurred somewhere not far from the Mojave National Preserve in Southern California, but it wouldn’t be until a few days later that I’d get to enjoy camping in this beautiful desert. I figured my Tacoma would still be below the legal limit to drive after that small amount of Scotch, so on we went.

 Celebratory shot of single malt

The following morning I spent several hours at Four Wheel Camper’s new facility, excited to get the last big important piece in place before embarking on the drive to South America. The installation went smoothly, with a few holes drilled into the bed & the camper bolted securely to the truck. Just like a kid at Christmas after unwrapping a new toy, of course I wanted to play with it.  Fresh off the assembly line, this FWC almost had that new-car smell. And I say “almost,” only because it wasn’t exactly the smell of a new car, but more akin to the smell of a new toy. It’s funny how different sounds, tastes, or smells can conjure up a memory. In this case, the smell of that brand-new camper triggered a long-lost memory of Ewok action figures & the Ewok village play set (from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi), probably from when I was about 5 or 6. Quite random, but that’s the truth. Although this would be much more than just a toy… it would be my home for the next several months (or years).

Patiently awaiting installation

The five-foot bed of my truck would soon become home to… my home

Back it up & bolt it in

Happy camper(s), and Carter’s OSHA-approved factory shoes

I couldn’t wait to sleep in it, despite the fact that it was wintertime & freezing cold at night. With about 1,000 miles to drive back home, there were plenty of opportunities to do just that (not just the camping part, but the freezing-cold-at-night part too). Early December in the Sierra Nevada mountain range meant that most of the high mountain passes were closed, so I had to take a road around the north to start making my way south on highway 395. My goal for the first night was somewhere in the area of Bodie & Mono Lake.

I had all of my backcountry guidebooks ready & my route planned. As I turned off the highway towards the old ghost town of Bodie and looked for a good place to air down my tires, I encountered… pavement. Apparently the State of California had greatly improved this historic site, so much so that price for admission had gone up by 700% since the printing of the guidebook I read, and the old dirt road looked to have been recently paved. Quite surprising, but not a hindrance. It was 3:30 pm, and the main park sign stated that Bodie closed at 3 pm during winter months. Bummer.

Not wanting to feel like a “fauxverlander,” I desperately searched for a side dirt road to explore. With the sun sinking ever closer to the Eastern Sierras behind me, I hoped to scout out a good campsite before dark. Not far before the ridgeline where Bodie comes into view I saw a promising two-track. Several minutes later I found some dispersed camping at a nice level site, complete with fire ring. Less than one minute after putting the truck into park, I had the FWC popped up & ready to rock.

The crisp air was quickly getting crispier, so scrounging up firewood was a first priority. My handy old milk crate that I brought along for a step into the camper was great for gathering up small pieces of dead wood from the surrounding sagebrush. Despite the wonderful smell of the flora, this time it was a sight that triggered a memory – a slightly more recent memory from just 15 years ago. This place I ended up parking for my first night’s camp in the new FWC reminded me very much of the Patagonia countryside, which is my ultimate destination on this upcoming journey. The wind-blown sagebrush, rocky mountain range in the distance, and lake down below conjured up good memories, as well as anticipation for the future.

I managed to get a decent little fire built, and enough hot coals to cook dinner. To celebrate, I grilled up some elk that I brought with me from a previous year’s hunt. But not just any old elk steak from the freezer; this was tenderloin, the choicest cut that I had been saving for a special occasion. And to go along with it was a jar of homemade chutney that my aunt made from wild apples & blackberries (along with other delicious ingredients & spices). I agree that many meals prepared in the backcountry taste better than at home, no matter how simple or bland. But this was truly a five-star meal.

As I sat close to warm myself by the dwindling fire that I built from wood I had just foraged by hand, it was almost as if I could feel the DNA deep inside my body that came from ancient ancestors, hunter/gatherers that were at that very same spot many millennia ago, looking out over the same pale-blue snowcapped range and the same shimmering lake below which reflected the mountains above, all basking in the light of a less-than-half moon to which my eyesight had already adjusted without any artificial lighting apparatus. It was dawning on me that I would soon be living a very simple life, paring my existence down to a basic form, just the necessities. Would I be living like a prehistoric homo sapiens out of this camper – essentially a caveman in his rolling man-cave? Probably not. Would I be living like a pioneer in his covered wagon, like those who founded the nearby town of Bodie? Possibly.

The reality is that I will strive to live like a modern-day backpacker… but with wheels. Just on this first shakedown trip, barely with a third of what I imagined packing with me next year, I was already feeling like there was too much clutter. Granted, I still needed to organize my stuff better. Once I have a place for everything & a good system for accessing it, I would have a better feel for just how much stuff I can take with me, yet not feel like there’s too much clutter (which will ultimately just be a distraction).

That first night the mercury dipped below 0°F, so Carter & I were huddled deep under the sleeping bags & blankets. We awoke to a crystalized camper, since much of the interior was covered in frost. Never in my life had I been so cold. I should have known that camping above 8,000 feet in the wintertime was going to be chilly. The next night down in the Mojave Desert, I welcomed the 30-ish degrees Fahrenheit for the overnight low. These would most likely be the coldest nights I would see until the Andes in South America (with the exception of a few other high-elevation places along the way). But for the most part on this camper build, I was focusing on good ventilation for keeping it cool throughout the muggy tropics.

Beckon the frost

Lessons learned on this first shakedown trip:

•      Make sure the rear camper door is completely closed before driving away.
•      Don’t try to cook something inside the camper with no windows/vents open.
•      Don’t drop a hot pan on the linoleum floor.
•      Remember to secure all 6 roof latches after dropping the roof.

Thankfully I didn’t damage anything throughout these lessons, aside from a very small burn on the floor from the hot pan that I dropped when the smoke alarm (which works way too well) went off while I was heating up some tamales for lunch. Regarding the open door, while driving through a small town a nice gentleman hollered at me that my camper door was open! Thankfully I had only driven a few blocks since last opening it, and nothing had fallen out. And for the roof latches – I managed to drive the final 5 miles of this trip (from the Overland Journal office to home), with one section of a 50 mph speed limit, having forgotten to secure even one of the roof latches after dropping the roof. Luckily, no damaged sustained. This speaks volumes to the sturdy craftsmanship by Four Wheel Campers. And I know that in the future I’ll not be repeating any of those items listed above!

Notes on fuel economy:

Prior to the FWC mod, I was averaging 16.1 mpg. Post camper: 14.6 mpg. A drop in 1.5 mpg was less than I had expected. Although, I did make a very concerted effort to change my driving style. I (well, my 3.4L V6 engine) could feel the added weight of the 530-pound camper plus gear. The added wind resistance was a big factor too. Instead of driving at or just above the speed limit like I normally did, I now was watching my RPMs and trying to keep it near 2,000 or below. Since fuel is going to be my #1 expense next year, I will really have to take it easy when driving. But that shouldn’t be too hard since I plan to go at a pretty mellow pace anyway.

Suspension & Tires

Years ago while taking a business class at The University of Arizona, we did a case study on Toyota Corporation, regarding their philosophy to build the best product the first time around so that customers wouldn’t have to deal with widespread failures in the vehicle they purchased. That stuck with me when it was time for me to purchase my first vehicle after graduating. I had always liked pickup trucks, especially the smaller ones, since I learned to drive on a manual transmission 1986 Ford Ranger. After doing quite a bit of research, I decided the Tacoma would be the perfect vehicle for me. In the fall of 2004, I purchased a double cab 4WD Toyota Tacoma with only 7 miles on it. I immediately drove it from the lot to an area nearby with some challenging dirt trails & water crossings. I was hooked.

Just minutes after purchasing this truck, I took it wheeling.

Over the years I kept the vehicle relatively stock, since it was my only vehicle: serving both as my daily driver and trail rig. With the factory rear locker, I was able to tackle quite a few difficult trails with great success. But the stock suspension was a bit lacking. So when doing some aftermarket suspension research online, I came across Scott Brady’s Tacoma build on his Expeditions West website. His approach seemed to be the most reasonable, since I did not want to build my truck into a rock crawler. After a few email exchanges, I decided to purchase a full suspension from Demello Offroad: Donahoe coilovers in the front, with Deaver leaf springs & Bilstein shocks in the rear. Immediately I noticed a huge improvement over the stock setup while out on the trail, while not compromising the truck’s performance on the pavement. This also allowed for better fitment of a larger-than-stock tire: 255/85 R16 BFG Mud Terrain.

This setup was great over the years, while I used the truck for everything from extended road trips in the U.S., hunting, camping, cutting firewood, adventures in Baja, helping friends move, and more. But in preparation for a much heavier payload on a self-supported overland drive from Arizona to Argentina, a few changes were necessary. With over 60,000 miles on this aftermarket suspension, the Bilstein shocks were done, the Deaver springs could use some reshaping & more leafs added, and the Donahoes (now Icon) were ready to be rebuilt.

First I pulled off the leaf springs, and shipped them back to the guys at Demello Offroad. Initially I only went with an 8-leaf pack since the truck was relatively stock, but decided it would be necessary to upgrade to a 10-leaf. So with the springs serviced and two more leafs added, they were ready to go back on the truck. Now I was ready for a heavier payload (a.k.a. camper), yet still maintain some travel & articulation while on rough trails.

10-leaf spring pack from Deaver

For the shocks I decided to go with some heavy-duty Old Man Emu shocks from ARB. I also had them send some greaseable rear shackles since the rear leaf springs were off the truck. These were slightly longer than the stock shackles, but made of much stronger materials, with the added benefit of grease zerks. ARB builds their suspensions for the long haul, since overlanders in Australia have thousands of miles of rough roads to contend with. I anticipate that these shocks will last much longer than the Bilsteins.

OME shocks, complete with the crash-helmeted-emu

ARB’s greaseable zerk shackles

Last, I contacted Icon regarding my front coilovers. The passenger side shock had leaked out most of its oil, so was in definite need of a rebuild. In addition to rebuilding both shocks, they put on heavier Tundra springs, and swapped out the old Donahoe caps with the new Icon logo. With adjustable ride height, these are now ready for the added weight of a front bumper & winch, as well as perform with a heavier payload in the rear.

Donahoe coilovers rebuilt by Icon, with thicker coils

I really liked the 255/85 R16 BFG Mud Terrains. Not only did they look great on my truck, they performed well on the trail. However, they were a bit larger than necessary for the type of driving that I would mostly be doing, and rather loud on the pavement. So for this trip I decided to buy a full set of 265/75 R16 BFG All Terrains. These ride much better on the pavement, still perform great in the dirt, and are closer to stock size (which my stock gearing is thankful for).

Resources

• ARB: arbusa.com
• BFGoodrich: bfgoodrich.com
• Demello Offroad: demello-offroad.com
• Icon Vehicle Dynamics: iconvehicledynamics.com

Ever since living in the Patagonia region of Argentina for a year as a high school exchange student, I’ve wanted to return. The host families I lived with were absolutely wonderful, as well as many of the great friends I made. Initially I kept in touch with everyone quite regularly, and hoped to one day purchase a plane ticket and take a vacation to get back down there. With the high cost of airfare to South America, I wanted to justify spending that much money by visiting for at least a month or two. When I was a college student, I had plenty of free time, but not the funds. And at various jobs after college, I was able to save up the funds, but never had enough time (with usually just 2 weeks of vacation time each year). So in order to do the type of traveling I wanted, drastic measures would have to be taken. And living a conventional American life, working desk jobs for large corporations, those drastic measures were too far outside of the box for me – and a bit beyond my comfort level.

About 3.5 years ago, I made a very risky decision to leave the healthcare information technology career path behind, and take a lower-paying job with some new adventure travel companies started by Scott Brady: Expeditions West & Overland Journal. As much as I enjoyed computer tech support, it wasn’t something I was passionate about. Now I would be able to take something that was a hobby & passion to now be my profession. Over the course of that time, I gained skill across the board, which would help me to be a more confident & competent international traveler – by way of both 4WD vehicle & dual sport motorcycle.

Never in the years after returning from the Patagonia had I imagined driving down there. Drive into Mexico; maybe. But keep driving south into supposedly even more dangerous countries, and eventually into another continent; no way! That just wasn’t something that normal, rational people did. And I considered myself to be both of those, even when doing “adventurous” things. Most of my risk taking had been very calculated & well thought out. But for the first time in my life I had employers that might actually be supportive of this crazy idea, and I wouldn’t have to quit my job outright. For various reasons (mostly personal), I was ready to take a break from my office duties at Overland Journal. I began brainstorming an idea to sell all of my worldly possessions and start driving south. But the trip needed to have more meaning that just an extended vacation as a tourist.

Thus was born my idea for World Apprentice. I would plan to stop & volunteer (or work) at different places along the way. Some of these would be planned ahead of time, and others I would discover along the way. I have plenty of skills to offer as help to others, and I would also document master craftsmen of various trades along the way. Through this, I could better experience all the cultures along my route, rather than distanced & protected as a traveler in a vehicle. When I pitched the idea to Scott, he was all for it, and thought it was a great idea. With 6 months notice, there would be plenty of time to cross-train others on my job, as well as prepare for the sabbatical/extended leave of absence. So for the first time since college, I would finally have the time. However, I did not have the funds. So I made another risky decision: to cash out most of my retirement fund that I had so diligently contributed to while working in healthcare. With this, I will be able to pay off my truck, procure a Four Wheel Camper, and pay for food & gas to drive all the way to Ushuaia.

Ever since making this decision, it’s woken me up out of a dead sleep in the middle of the night a few times – usually with my heart stopping while I think to myself, “what in the heck am I about to get myself into?!?” But there’s no stopping me now. I’ve got to do this. And I don’t want another 15 years to go by and regret not making it back down to the Patagonia. So with no intent of writing any country songs, it will be me, my dog, & my truck, hittin’ the road & headin’ south.

Do you ever reach that time in your life when you’re just ready to hit that big reset button on life? Mine had hit a critical point, where stress had become an oppressive burdon upon me, which I just couldn’t shake off.

Time to sell & give away just about everything, load up the truck, and start driving south to see what adventures lay before me.

South is my new north.