What was your first overlanding trip?

[beyondthepavement]

The year was 1974. The rig, my dads 1973 Land Rover series 2 left hand drive. Shipped Form England to New York when he can back state side from being stationed there.
Me? I was just a little guy 3 years old. We picked the rover up in New York and off to Florida we go. My dad had water rescue training there. I got to go see micky mouse of course.
From there we were off to Missouri. I got to meet my grand parents for the first time. While we were there my dad and Grandpa out fitted the rover with what she would need to for the next part of our trip.
A big wooden storage box was built on the back, a sleeping platform inside and 5 gallon jerry cans were mounted on the front ( i actually still have these cans). After our visit we were on our way. Our destination ....Alaska
The trip its self was uneventful. Me being 3 i remember none of it , but it was my first overland trip and the start of many to come.View attachment 146069View attachment 146070View attachment 146071View attachment 146072

 

[Road]

The year was 1974. The rig, my dads 1973 Land Rover series 2 left hand drive. Shipped Form England to New York when he can back state side from being stationed there.
Me? I was just a little guy 3 years old. We picked the rover up in New York and off to Florida we go. My dad had water rescue training there. I go to go see micky mouse of course.
From there we were off to Missouri. I got to meet my grand parents for the first time. While we were there my dad and Grandpa out fitted the rover with what she would need to for the next part of our trip.
A big wooden storage box was built on the back, a sleeping platform inside and 5 gallon jerry cans were mounted on the front ( i actually still have these cans). After our visit we were on our way. Our destination ....Alaska
The trip its self was uneventful. Me being 3 i remember none of it , but it was my first overland trip and the start of many to come.View attachment 146069View attachment 146070View attachment 146071View attachment 146072

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Very cool you got to do that, and even cooler you still have the jerry cans!

My first solo adventuring:

Though I'd been traveling long-distance to camp and cultural spots via hitchhiking since I was 15, my first long-distance cross-a-border type vehicle-based adventure was to Nova Scotia from the Ohio River valley in the early 1970s. I wasn't yet twenty years old.

I went up there a couple times--once solo and once with a girlfriend--staying at an abandoned airfield in the Poconos and visiting Acadia NP in Maine on the way up, driving through New Brunswick and taking the ferry over to Prince Edward Island--this was before any bridge went over to PEI--where I met and stayed with some folks and went to what they called a Pig-n-Whistle, which was a Saturday night dance deal for the town. Then from there over to Nova Scotia on another ferry--large enough for several rail cars and semis on the lower deck--and up around the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton. Just wandering and getting to know the people and history.

No definite stops in mind, no definite time I had to be back.

I had a Chevy Carryall (forerunner of today's Chevy Suburbans) that I'd built a platform bed in back with long sliding drawers underneath. Yeah, was doing long sliding drawers and cooking in my adventure vehicle almost fifty years ago

Blew the engine while I was up there solo one time and managed to limp into a service station in the Whycocomagh/Baddeck area on Bras d'Or Lake. They took me in, fed me, had me stay at their place, and escorted me 'round to the MicMac Indian Res where I bought an old '65 Chevy for $65.00 Canadian. It had the same engine, but a broken u-joint in the drive shaft.

Every time we went down a dirt road on the res to a creek and back up, the drive-shaft would pop out. Then we'd stop, jump up and down on the hood and trunk while someone underneath popped 'er back in place so we could continue on.

Put that engine under the hood, put the bad one in the back in a big green garbage bag, and continued on my way adventuring.

I'd buy fresh Cod right from the boats when they came in at night. They'd filet it for me right on the dock. I'd pick up a few potatoes and cook it all right on the shore. I loved that place. Very good memories.

I grew up traveling and camping all over Europe. Must've hit me at the right stage of development in my life, because it's about all Ive done ever since; hitting the road whenever I could, camping and adventuring and traveling solo while exploring an area and its people.

Thanks for asking!



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Stay safe, stay clean, stay positive!


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Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

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[Jeep'n It Simple]

My first overloading trip were with my parents and siblings. I am 66 now, so I guesstimate this picture is from 55+ years ago. Thats I'm the tall blonde kid on the right standing by the door and my Dad on the other side and my younger brothers and sister. We did not have a lot of money so our vacations were weekend trips the VW Camper and exploring Forest Service roads in the San Bernardino, Los Padres, and other local national forests. He would get home from work on Friday night, pack up the van off we would go early Saturday morning. We kept it simple back then, Army canvas wall tent, sleeping bags, lantern, and groceries. When I think back to those trips I laugh at all the great memories we made. The tent, sleeping bags and things were all packed in the van then we would would pile in on top of the equipment. Hate to think what the ticket $$$ would be if he got stopped today with a bunch in kids in a van sitting on top of a bunch of camping equipment :-). It was from him and those fun weekend trips that I came to love the outdoors, camping, fishing, exploring back roads, and enjoying a crackling campfire in the evenings.

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I think this is an awesome thread, and hope it takes off with hundreds of posts, thank you for starting it. I would be very interested in everyones posts and first adventures overloading, I am sure there are more great stories waiting to be told.

 

[RobMac]

Not sure if us Aussies can post in this section but here goes.... (just delete if not allowed ;) )

1987 - Cape York Trip (Australia)

Was going through some VERY OLD photos from my younger days when I came across what was my very first 4WD Adventure Trip... A trip to Cape York back in 1987... We did this trip not long after leaving school when we had bought our 1st 4WD's. Where we use to live, it was quite hilly and there was plenty of opportunities to go 4WDriving and develop our 4WD skills, so like most young fellas of that time we wanted adventure, so we hatched a plan to head to "The Cape". It would just be 2 vehicles in the group (1) 1984 Toyota Hilux single Cab 2.4ltr Diesel & (2) an Old Series 2 SWB Landrover + a Dog.
What an adventure it turned out to be and is, I reckon, "The TRIP" that set me on a path of the love of 4WDriving, Touring & Camping whenever I can today.

There's a few old photos from back then:

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[rgallant]

Well perhaps not as cool as some but, my parents tossed the dog and 5 kids into a Pontiac station wagon and drove from Vancouver to well past Pemberton BC, in about 66. You can do that drive to day in about 4 hours if you take easy.

The road turned to gravel, standard FSR sized just past Squamish as I recall. Pemberton was the hotel, gas station and a railroad siding and not much else. We continued for another couple of hours, I believe we ended up on the Lillooet river.

We saw no one for the week we were there, no photos but the fishing was good, I saw my 1st grizzly and black bears and at 8 they looked huge to me.

That was our family summers into the early 70's, explains a lot about why I do this stuff.

 

[Billiebob]

My Uncle was a mining engineer, not so much an overland expedition as a prospecting trip but it involved a Jeep.... no pics of me tho.... View attachment 151147

Then theres my parents trip from Whistler to Prince George in the '40s, overland by rail. Suits and skirts were the order of the day. But this was before I was a twinkle in Dads eye.

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My first real overland trip was with Dad in the late 1960s. Up the Elk River valley from Elkford, BC over the continental divide and into Alberta, what is now Kananaskis Country via Jeep Wagoneer. Definitely a trip I want to do again.

Back then everything was stock, there was no aftermarket sucking the life out of you. You just went wheeling and got 'er done.

 

[Angel Rivera]

Real overlanding, other than a day or two or pulling a trailer-last September. Anchorage to the Actic Ocean on the Dalton Highway.

Edit: Adding this link from my facebook of the Arctic Ocean (hope it works)

 

[Billiebob]

Got to love guys with a real goal, reason to do something. The statement to my health improving !!!
100% Kudos to having the balls, conviction to git 'er done
I have lost far too many friends who worked themselves into the grave.