When Steve and I were planning this trip, we spent a lot of time simply trying to find out where we could get more information about overlanding. Overlanding is obviously a big commitment and takes a good deal of time, energy, funding, and other resources, all of which can serve as decently formidable barriers for embarking on an overland adventure.
When we first came up for the idea for this adventure, often we would hear from people, “That sounds like one heck of a vacation.”
“How lucky you two are to be able to do something like this,” many would say. Breaking the stigma that we were going on some easy road trip vacation to exotic places proved to be near impossible. We knew, and every day with more and more research, we were absolutely positive that an adventure of a lifetime preceded us. Still, rarely would we find someone willing to listen to our pleading that this was a true expedition that would go far beyond
“The road” takes it’s toll on everyone and in a lot of different ways. For us boys hygiene is often an afterthought, due to the extra effort required in grooming. So, we embrace our unshaven faces and unkept hair and try to look the part of the rugged wanderer. The following photographs reveal the physical results of the last 6-7 months of constant movement. Proceed with caution.
The long road has almost come to an end. We’re sitting here, at Steve mom’s place in Dillon, Sunday afternoon, with only an hour and forty-five minutes from home and the completion of the on the road portion of The World By Road Expedition. We’ll be making our way to Denver mid-day, Monday. Just the thought of the end of the road is a beyond eerie feeling, so I haven’t a clue what’s going on in Shoppman’s mind, for this has been his life for the last 29 months. It’s been an incredible ride, and has been an amazing experience. Blogs on the finale will be up soon, put first on to the week in review.
We have been in Denver for thirteen days. This is the longest our crew has been in one place in a long time. Faces and places are familiar, there’s no longer a language barrier, and the food meets the needs of my simple palate. The contents of the trucks find their place in the garage, and our packs occupy a corner of the rooms where our heads rest. Two makeshift offices, one in the mud room where Shoppman works, and one in the dining room has Craig’s computer and mine.
