Last week I attended the 3rd annual Overland Expo in Amado, Arizona. Located only 30 miles from the Mexico border, it was quite a tease! Nevertheless, I was happy to trade a cold and snowy New Hampshire winter for a few days in the 90 degree sun. The expo was fantastic.
Overlanding… What is it? It’s all about traveling the world with your own wheels (be it bicycle, motorcycle, or 4wheel). The event attracted around 5,000 people from all walks of life and from all over the world. The event was filled with vendors making products to help you traverse the world, knowledgeable veteran travelers, inspiring authors and filmmakers, and a huge crowd of aspiring travelers. Here’s how it all went down.
I flew into Phoenix to save some cash and Zach from Overland Gourmet offered to set me up for the night. He and I packed his FJ up to the roof and then 2 feet above the roof!
The days were hot, dry and windy. I spent most of my time in the Authors and Filmmakers tent talking with people about the Motorcycle Mexico DVD. I answered questions about riding south of the border and met a lot of aspiring travelers getting ready to embark on a wonderful and wild adventure through Latin America. A few days before the rally I made up a life-size banner. It turned out to be a big hit and attracted lots of attention!
Clockwise from top left: 1) Nina – interviewed in the film 2) LaOutbackTrail on ADVrider 3) Filmmaker Austin Vince 4) Alisa (MotoAdventure Gal) in her own photo.
The Authors and Filmmakers tent was a fun place to be and I met some of my Adventure Travel heros like Austin Vince, Lois Pryce, Ted Simon, Sterling Noren and Carla King. It was also great to make new friends with Carl Parker, Bill Dwyer (Atlas Rider), Chris Scott and Lorraine Chittock. Here’s the crew posing for a group photo.
Grant and Susan Johnson, founders of Horizons Unlimited were there too. They spent 10 years riding around the world 2up on their BMW. These guys really inspired and prepared me for my ride to Argentina.
This year they had a great venue for aspiring travelers to pick the brains of the veterans. Group Panel Discussions took place all day long on various topics. I had the honor of being on the “To Ride Solo Or Not” and “Borders, Bribes and Checkpoints” panels as well as moderating the “Security on the Road” panel. Collectively, the panels had decades of travel experience and they shared their advice. Sometimes it was contradictory – and ultimately the travelers have to make their own decisions based on the circumstances of the situation.
In addition to group panel discussions, the days were packed with exciting presentations from world travelers. Furthermore, simply walking around the venue was spectacular, taking in all the amazing vehicles.
Gary and Monika Wescott of Turtle Expedition have been globetrotting for 40 years. This is their fifth vehicle, aptly named, Turtle V.
Electric motorcycle – ZERO.
An old Land Rover with plenty of adventure under its belt and ready for more action.
The new NEMO Jeep with custom NEMO rooftop tent.
Bright yellow Sportsmobile
Let’s not forget about the world travelers:
Ara’s sidecar rig (sidecar is for his dog!)
10 years on the road!
Murph has been on the road for 18 months. He built sliding drawers below his panniers for extra storage space! Not only does he travel with a full moto load he’s also riding with a full climbing setup and ice axe! This guy is on one hell of an adventure. Check out his site for amazing photos.
Each night, Zach and Jonathan of Overland Gourmet were cooking up delicious treats. Their massive Snowpeak tent was the place to be when the sun went down – lots of food, booze and good company. What more could you ask for? Although, I think I still have a bacon hangover…
Sunday afternoon was the culmination of an fun and exhausting long weekend. Everyone relaxed with a delicious BBQ and cold beers.
After the BBQ it was time for me to get to the airport. I didn’t have wheels so I hitchhiked on the side of the road. I made a sign showing where I wanted to go and where I needed to go. Dozens of people with expensive vehicles passed by without even acknowledging me. Finally I was offered a ride by an old couple who weren’t even at the expo – Thanks for your generosity in picking up this stranger!
My flight wasn’t until 5am the next morning so I set up shop for the night on a couch in a quiet area of the airport. The police weren’t happy when I took my 2am pee break. Something about leaving my luggage unattended…
On my last connection I had to make a choice – Go home to Manchester, NH in the cold rain or fly south to Mexico City for adventure. Alas… I’m in the cold rain.
All in all it was a great trip. I hoped to sell enough DVDs to pay for the trip. Although I didn’t quite make it, I came close and had lots of fun. If you’re thinking about overlanding – get this on your calendar for 2012! See you there 
Oh man, wish I could have been there!
Looks like there was damn near everybody there, plenty of overland “celebrities”!
That banner idea is brilliant
Thanks! There sure was an A-list of overlanders. Certainly a fun event – something to put on the calendar for 2012!