Cooperative Living July 2021 - 20

TravelAdvisory | by Eugene Buchanan, Contributing Writer
It's today's
O
A
and children
fired up the
secret spo
this
O
OVERLANDING:
Finding Your Own Adventure
A new way to travel and explore off the beaten path
s soon as Colorado's stay-athom
Pat
Drake, his wife, Isabel,
his wife, Isabel,
MonuMonument to get away from it all.
ing weeks of self-isolating,
olorado National
get away from it all.
isolation - clean air, campfires,
stargazing and lizard chasing - was
far more soulful and a much-needed
reprieve from quarantining with
the kids.
The Drakes are part of the
burgeoning craze of " overlanding, "
a pastime long popular in Australia
and South Africa that's catching
on stateside.
In short, it's car camping in style
with all the creature comforts in
a trustworthy rig that can get
you off the beaten track and,
more importantly, back home.
" It offers that feeling of freedom
and aand way to get away from it all, "
says Drake,
says Drake, who owns rental company
Colorado Overlander, which outfits
Colorado Overlander
way to get away from it all, "
which outfits
trips for people heading across the
way to escape; my family loves it. " loves it. "
who owns ental company
trips for people heading across the
western U.S. " For us, it's just a great
way to escape; my family
SANTA FE TRAIL, UPDATED
Indeed, with the craziness of the
coronavirus and many people forsaking
flying in favor of staying closer to
home, the sport has seen a surge
across the country, opening the car
doors to a style of camping as
perfect for families as it is friends.
According to Arizona's
Overlandjournal.com, overlanding
is defined as " self-reliant overland
travel to remote destinations where
the journey is the principal goal. "
It's most often accomplished by
mechanized off-highway transport,
including trucks, campers and
18 | Cooperative Living | July 2021
western U.S. " For us, it's just a great
s Colorado's stay-atder
lifted last spring,
home order lifted last spring,
Pat
and children Olivia, Cruz and Catalina,
fired up their 4x4 and set off for a
secret spot in Colorado National
ia, Cruz and Catalina,
4 and set off for a
Following weeks of self-isolating,
this isolation - clean air, campfires,
nearest equivalent
of embarking on
the Sante Fe or
Oregon Trail.
SUVs, where the principal form of
lodging is camping in your rig.
It extends to the new craze of rooftop
tents on a rig, like Snoopy and his
Sopwith Camel. Lengths can vary from
days to weeks, months and even years.
The common denominator: the journey
is the purpose, with the dirt roads
traveled both the means and the end.
" It's today's nearest equivalent of
embarking on the Sante Fe or Oregon
Trail, " says Drake. " Your wagon is
your vehicle and
our vehicle and the horses are
hood. The hazards and
the
horses
re
goals might not equal those iconic
migrationsmigrations of the 1800s, but
thethe sense of accomplishment
sense of accomplishment
and lessons learned do. "
OVERLANDING ANYWHERE
With the nation's diverse array of
tto the towering peaks of the Rocky
ountains and lush forests of the
Northwest.
R Routes for these self-reliant
exist for everyone from novices
Continental Divide
to
o the towering peaks of the Rocky
MMountains and lush forests of the
outes for these self-reliant journeysjourneys
exist for everyone from novices to
seasoned experts, from cross-country,
mega-journeys like the 2,500-mile
seasoned experts, from cross-country
mega-journeys like the 2,500-mile
Continental Divide Trail from Mexico
to Canada and 5,000-mile
to Canada and 5,000-mile TransA
Here
their
eal beauty:
the stress of
rail fromMexico
ransmerica
Trail from Virginia to Oregon
tto simple overnighters close to home.
America Trail from Virginia to Oregon
o simple overnighters close to home.
Here''s their real beauty: Withoutithout
the stress of a daily goal, overlanding
daily goal, overlanding
ith the nation' diverse array of
terrain and roads, its topography lends
itself perfectly to the pursuit, from
the rolling hills of the Appalachians
terrain and oads, its topography lends
itself perfectly to the pursuit, from
the olling hills of the Appalachians
might not equal those iconic
of the 1800s, but
your vehicle and the horses are
under the
E
under the hood. The hazards and
goals
lets you take in history, wildlife,
culture, scenery and anything else that
catches your attention along the way -
be it a swimming hole in a river, a side
hike to a waterfall or a rock sample
of a geologic wonder.
With souped-up vehicles suited to
the task, overlanding bridges the gap
between RVs, which let you camp but
restrict you to paved sites, and regular
cars, which make camping a chore.
Combine this with the social
distancing parameters of COVID-19
and overlanding has fast become a
burgeoning poster child of the camping
market. Overland Journal, published
five times per year, has 175,000
newsletter subscribers and more
than 200,000 Instagram followers.
" Overlanding is getting super
popular, especially during the
pandemic, " maintains Shannon Stowell,
CEO of Washington's Adventure Travel
Trade Association, whose membership
includes many overland companies.
" Even when tourism comes back,
people are still going to want to be selfreliant
and get away from the crowds.
There's going to be a whole new
segment that falls in love with it. "
OVERLAND CONNECTIONS
In the past few years, a convoy
of such companies has cropped up
around the country, making the pastime
easieri r for weekend warriors. There
to the overland
many
re also websites, Facebook groups,
blogs, chatrooms and more dedicated
o the overland obsession, many
are also websites, Facebook groups,
obsession,
blogs, chatrooms and more dedicated
to the overland obsession, many
sharing first-person accounts,
around the country making the pastime
eas e for weekend warriors. Ther
R
R
co-opliving.com
V
http://www.Overlandjournal.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living July 2021

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