MICHIGAN TO ALASKA
The story of a dog and a Jeep, and one incredibly driven adventurer
DISPERSED CAMPING
Finding a way on the road to the Ovelrand Expo PNW
NORTHOLOGY ADVENTURES
ADVENTURE EVENTS
Overland Adventure Summit and Adventure Further Open House
This month we went to the Northology Community on Facebook to ask a question from Radio Chatter Game. This month we wanted to find out what kind of gear people love to brag about!
William H loves his Hasika suv tent because it allows the hatch to be open to give maximum ventilation while keeping the bugs out!
Paul and Bethany have been loving making their morning coffee out of their Jetboil Basecamp - sure beats setting up the full burners!
Cory M and Jared P both are loving their Kelty Backwoods Shelters!
John Q Showing His Smittybilt X2O Winch Working Hard!
Ben W: Soft Shackles
Marty S: Anvil Overland Bar
Christina G: Ironman 4x4 Bush Toilet
Kristan K: Bulletpoint MagSafe Phone Mount
(Not Actually Christina’s Toilet)
Naturally occuring minerals & electrolytes
Faster hydration
Aids in digestion, hearburn & acid reflux
Helps with blood pressure regulation
Helps balance acid (pH) levels
Presentedby
By Jason Fletcher
All Things Overlanding
Around May of 2024, I saw Rob from Revere Overland make a post about an all new event that he (and the guys from Commonwealth 4x4 and Shawnee Hills Workshop) were working to create in Kentucky This event would be a comfy, camping event with tons of vendors and trails located in the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky As soon as I saw his post, I shot him a message asking if I could help promote it
If you ’ re not familiar with the majority of overlanding expos and events like this, most are out west with a smaller number in the east However, I’ve pretty much had to drive 10+ hours to get to any overlanding expo, which leaves a big gap for those of us in the midwest So, something like this happening in my own backyard is amazing and helps a lot of us get access to some great manufacturers and products we otherwise, have to drive for a full day to see
If you want to learn more about the Overland Adventure Summit and what makes it so special, keep reading
The Vibe
I’ve talked a lot in the past about events like KOAR or even the MOORE Expo (which has grown to be more similar to the other Overland Expos, but retains that small town, helpful feel of the smaller expos) and why I love these smaller, more intimate events There’s definitely a “vibe” that is unique to these more authentic and homegrown type of events It’s hard to quantify or to capture, but when you put the right people behind the creation and management of an event, it becomes evident
In the case of the Overland Adventure Summit, the primary drivers behind it were Clay Harvey (Commonwealth 4x4) and Wes Harville (SHW) who took the success of the event very seriously It was cool to see their kids riding around on e-bikes and tractors selling ice cream or making sure there was toilet paper in the portopotties These aren’t glamorous jobs, but these kids knew how to work and again, I love the idea of having family helping to make these events a success It gives it a local, small town vibe and I loved it
The event was organized and the camping spots were in a great campground along a creek The weather was pretty hot and humid, but we got lucky for the majority of the event as it cooled off in the evenings and made sitting around a fire pretty enjoyable.
As you come into the registration area, you then drive past a long, straight row of vendors to get to the camping area. I really liked that the vendors were all in a line because it made it much easier to find them and there wasn’t any of the typical “searching through a large grid of vendors with map in hand” to find the one you want. You could easily stroll down the line of vendors and see everything on display. For this being the first event, they had an impressive 26 vendors, over 160 campers, and over 150 day passes sold. It felt small, but also busy and I saw a lot of people having a great time. There were even a few Nissan drivers I got to chat with, which was a nice surprise. Overall, the vibe was great and everyone had a lot of fun and got to see a lot of cool stuff.
ADVENTURE & EDUCATION
One of the big focuses was on classes and education. As a vendor, I was a bit locked into my area and wasn’t able to attend most of them, but I did see a lot of them from my booth and they looked awesome.
There were classes like cooking on a skottle, to how to plan longer expeditions and trips, to hands on recovery and driving courses. I’ll put a link at the end of this article to the video recap I put together where you can see them recovering a vehicle that has flopped onto its side. It was pretty cool.
If you ’ re in the midwest and looking to get some hands on with both gear and also education related to overlanding and offroading, the Overland Adventure Summit is a great place to start.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Not to harp on this too much, but having an event like this in the actual midwest, is amazing Not only is the Red River Gorge and the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway within a few minute drive, but all of Kentucky is just beautiful Compared to my home state of Indiana, these are some real trails if you want to get offroad and test your rig
A lot of people that I spoke with at the event talked about how excited they were to attend because this was the first opportunity they’d had to see something like this because the other big overlanding events are so far away Also, there were people from 22 different states that came, so some came from a ways away to check it out
There is so much opportunity for vendors and attendees alike to get to meet and see avid overlanders and off road enthusiasts who share their hobbies You could check out different setups from offroading trailers to roof top tents to vanlife builds to ground tent campers With companies like Iron Man 4x4, SHW, Commonwealth 4x4, Devos, and many more displaying their wares, there was plenty to see
In addition to the event itself, they raised money to help support the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway, which is a tourism draw for this area but is run by a private organization that puts their sweat and tears into upkeep and expansion of these awesome trail systems
For 2025, they’re targeting to double the number of vendors and attendees, so if you ’ re anywhere near north east Kentucky and you couldn’t make it this year, you should definitely make the trip next year
Hope to see you there!
Here’s the video recap I made if you want to check it out (and click that subscribe button for more All Things Overlanding): https://youtu.be/Lg9bHP34WaY
TCTEARDROPS ADVENTURE EDITION
The all-new TCTeardrops AE "Adventure Edition" offers our most popular features and a few new ones all rolled into one.
5x10 with new trailer body style
3,500lb de-rated torsion axle
Custom tire sizes available up to 35"
Diamond Skid Plate (option)
Lock-n-Roll Articulating Hitch
10" Electric Brakes
Floor to Ceiling full front cabinet
6'7" Sleeping Cabin
Large galley with slide-out table and cabinet
Visit our website and build your TCTeardrop camper today!
Coming in summer 2024-try before you buy RTT rentals. Visit our new gear shop for RTTs, solar, awnings and more.
HAUL YOUR BOATS, BIKES, BED AND BREAKFAST ALL IN ONE EYE-CATCHING, AFFORDABLE PACKAGE!
ROCKHOUNDING THE GREAT LAKES
The Great Lakes is a great destination for stunning views, lakeside camping and family fun Searching for agates, fossils and petosky stones is a favorite pasttime for many and the beaches up north have plenty of treasure in store for those who seek mementos of their adventures
POPUAR SPOTS
LAKE SUPERIOR
Agate Beach, Grand Marais: This beach is well-known for its Lake Superior agates, which are prized by collectors for their vibrant colors and distinctive banding The beach itself is a scenic location, with sweeping views of the lake and a rugged, rocky shoreline
Keweenaw Peninsula: This area is rich in copper history and offers a variety of minerals, including native copper, datolite, and agates The rocky shores and old mine tailings provide ample opportunities for discovery
ROCKS TO FIND LAKE HURON
Lake Superior Agates: These are the most soughtafter stones They exhibit beautiful banding in shades of red, orange, and brown
Fluorescent Sodalite: a fascinating rock that glows under UV light due to its sodalite content
Basalt: Often found along the Keweenaw Peninsula, basalt is a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock
Jasper: This colorful, patterned rock is commonly found along the beaches and can vary in color from red to yellow to green
LAKE MICHIGAN
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Alpena: This area is not only great for rockhounding but also for exploring shipwrecks The shores are littered with interesting rocks and fossils
Rockport State Recreation Area: This site is known for its limestone formations and fossils It's a great place to find a variety of
ROCKS TO FIND
Fossils: The shores of Lake Huron are rich in fossils, especially in areas like Rockport, where ancient marine life has been preserved in the limestone 1
Limestone: Abundant in the area, limestone often contains fossilized remains of marine organisms
Granite and Gneiss: These metamorphic rocks can be found along the beaches, often worn smooth by the action of the waves
Petoskey State Park: Located near Petoskey, Michigan, this park is famous for Petoskey stones, which are fossilized coral and the state stone of Michigan
Ludington State Park: This park offers a variety of rocks, including fossils, and is a popular spot for rockhounds
ROCKS TO FIND
Petoskey Stones: These fossilized corals are unique to Michigan and display a distinctive hexagonal pattern when polished.
Fossils: Various types of fossils can be found along the shores, including crinoids and brachiopods.
Chert: This sedimentary rock can be found in a variety of colors and often contains fossils.
BEST TIME
SPRING AND FALL
Advantages: These seasons offer cooler temperatures, which are more comfortable for extended periods of rockhounding Additionally, the beaches are less crowded, providing more opportunities for uninterrupted exploration
Disadvantages: Weather can be unpredictable, with occasional rain or storms
SUMMER
Advantages: Warm weather and longer daylight hours make summer a popular time for rockhounding The water levels tend to be lower, exposing more of the shoreline
Disadvantages: Beaches can be crowded, and high temperatures may be uncomfortable
WINTER
Advantages: Winter storms can churn up the lakebed, depositing new rocks and fossils on the shore You will likely be the only one there!
Disadvantages: Cold temperatures and ice can make rockhounding difficult and dangerous
BEST CONDITIONS
After Storms:
Storms, especially those with high winds and strong waves, can uncover new rocks and fossils by shifting the sand and gravel along the shoreline The best time to search is immediately after a storm, when the newly deposited materials are still fresh
Early Morning and Late Afternoon:
The lighting conditions during these times of day are optimal for spotting rocks and fossils The low angle of the sun can make it easier to see the colors and patterns in the stones
Clear and Calm Weather:
Clear skies and calm weather conditions make for a more enjoyable and productive rockhounding experience. Calm waters also reduce the risk of strong waves washing away newly discovered rocks.
INFO & TIPS
Bring Tools: A small shovel, a rock hammer, and a bucket or bag can be useful for digging and carrying your finds
Wear Appropriate Clothing: Dress in layers to stay comfortable in changing weather conditions, and wear sturdy shoes for walking on uneven terrain
Stay Safe: Be aware of your surroundings, especially near cliffs or rough waters Always let someone know where you ’ re going and when you plan to return
Rockhounding on the Great Lakes can be a rewarding experience, offering both the thrill of discovery and the beauty of nature By choosing the right time and conditions, you can maximize your chances of finding unique and valuable specimens
ANTIQUE IS UNIQUE
Our roots started at 8th Avenue Antiques & Salvage in Norway, Michigan in 2009 In 2018, we moved to the upstairs at True North Outpost, and in 2023 we’ve grown into a new-to-us building on-site that is dedicated to our love of antiques and upcycled pieces.
ANINVITATIONTO ADVENTUREFURTHER
Scott and Ashley Hrincirik of Adventure Further invited the community to come and celebrate the completion of their adventure headquarters. The rigs were all on display, there was amazing food, refreshments, goody bags, live music and a whole bunch of folks gathered to spend an afternoon making new friends and catching up with old ones There were also fun giveaways with tees, hats and swag from Adventure Further, Tyri Lighting, MidlandUSA and Northology Adventures
Thanks Scott and Ashley for your amazing hospitality! If you are not yet subscribed to their YouTube channel, you can catch up on all the adventure here.
in Athens, Ohio, Athens Overland
SERIOUS COMFORT
Spacious and inviting – like a higher end house and not like an RV Sparrow feels like home
ALL ELECTRIC
410 watts of solar expandable to over 1kW, 400Ah Lithium battery and 2,000 watt inverter Induction cooktop, AC and heat all useable off-grid
Independent suspension, heavy duty welded tube steel frame, rock guards, running boards and stand-on fenders Proprietary composite panels that are incredibly strong, lightweight, highly insulation and impervious to rot READY FOR ADVENTURE
HOW WE FOUND AMAZING
DISPERSED CAMPING
ON THE ROAD TO OVERLAND EXPO PNW
BYCINDYPOPE
WISCONSIN TO SOUTH DAKOTA
Google Maps, I love you I had heard that folks going to the Badlands in South Dakota finding great dispersed camping just outside the park in the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands I usually start my campsite search on Google Maps just to get a lay of the land and to see satellite images A quick crossreference to iOverlander and sure enough, there is a ton of info and first-hand reports A quick check o the MVUM and it looks like we got ourselves a campsite for the first night with plenty of backups nearby Eleven hours later we were set up and eating fajitas when a brief but epic storm rolled thru
The Beaverhead- Deer Lodge National Forest near Butte, Montana was full of nice sites in the Pioneer Mountains
SOUTH DAKOTA TO MONTANA
We knew we wanted to make it to somewhere between Bozeman and Butte before settling in for the night on the second day iOverlander for the win here We ended up on a National Forest Road with several large campsites that were nicely spaced out. There was only one other campsite occupied and it was barely visible through the trees The gravel road wound through pastures and cattle gates before climbing up the mountainside and into the trees
One thing that the apps will not tell you, but when camping in a National Forest, you may be woken up at 4 am to the sounds of heavy machinery, logging trucks and chainsaws It was not a deal-breaker, and the bug-free, cool evening and mornings were refreshing Ten out of ten for sure, will camp there again!
FromMichigan
Alaska To
A Dog and His Jeep in the Land of the Midnight Sun
I’m Adam Rubin. I’m the current creative Director for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, having spent the last 10 years working for the Detroit Pistons in production and content, and before that, Connecticut native. I’ve been camping since I was five years old. My mother gave me the love of the outdoors and roughing it if you will- sleeping on the ground and cooking our food over a campfire, so when I was old enough and had a job that afforded me the ability to afford the outdoor lifestyle, I decided to buy a Jeep Gladiator and slowly build out an overland set up.
Thefirststeps
I have been in and around YouTube since 2004. I launched my very first YouTube channel focused on getting high school athletes recruited to college because of the time getting access to game film was very difficult. Everyone was still working off of VHS tapes and in the off days, I would binge watch travel videos
In 2009, 2010 and I was super into van life videos in school videos and folks doing life on the road living down by the bay and a van with a watermelon kind of thing and fell in love with a couple YouTube channels who just started making the drive up to Alaska and at that point time I said man I really need to go to ALASKA that seems like another another worldly place bucket list. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to drive there, but I need to add it to the list
Fast forward to 2014 and I just gotten my dog Odin (who is a purebred Alaskan malamute) and gave myself 10 years to get him to Alaska. In 2019 I was going through a bit of a rough time at work and realized flights to Alaska actually pretty cheap. At the time it was $450 round-trip for a six day excursion in Alaska on Delta out of Detroit. I got the ticket, called my mom (who got me into camping and outdoorsy kind of way) and she joined me. We did a six day 1500 mile loop of Alaska as the exploratory, like “is it worth coming back,” and my God, it was worth coming back! So at that point it’s like OK, how do I drive there?
I still need to bring Odin there and in May 2022 I was scheduled to pick up my Go Fast Camper. I was build, I think, #3080. With the way my brain works, it’s well if this and this, then this and this... and so when I scheduled to pick up the GFC in Bozeman I’m like “Bozeman‘s halfway to Banff,” and so I like okay, so we gotta go to Banff cause we’re halfway there and Banff is halfway to Alaska so we gotta go to Alaska and we’re in Alaska, we’re basically already at the Arctic Ocean, so we gotta go to the Arctic Ocean, and if we’re there then we’ve gotta go to Wood Buffalo national park in Northwest Territories (cause it’s there and you have to go.) That was the 19 day journey of a lifetime from Detroit, Michigan all the way up to Dead Horse and then Wood Buffalo National Park. We spent three days in and around Fairbanks and that was the catalyst of not only do I like Alaska, I really like the interior in Fairbanks and I can live there. It’s got a Costco. It’s got an REI. It’s got all of the basic things I need and the weather and people are phenomenal.
Thetransition
I spent six months trying to find a job also working 80, 90 hour weeks at an NBA front office as we’re heading into the start of a season. I’m planning Media Day And at that point I did a blind application to the university for future opportunities, and in October they gave me a call and said we’ve got a creative Director position. I had one round of interviews and got the offer. I was actually at the fall Patreon gathering for Ozark overland Adventures when I accepted and signed the offer. I then went back to the campfire where everyone was doing introductions and within five minutes of signing the offer was telling everyone that I just met that I’m moving to Alaska in two weeks. It was one of those surreal feelings of not only was I getting out and camping in the jeep with my mom and getting to meet a bunch of really amazing folks,I was also a bout to embark on the journey up to Alaska.
Alaskavs. Michigan
Which for all intense and purposes, Alaska tried to kill me Five times Realistically it’s me doing things that I probably shouldn’t do like getting stuck in snow and going up a mountain that I’m not supposed to be up but I can breathe. There is so much freedom and so much fresh air and so many opportunities to explore not just Alaska, about yourself and kind of find your groove
If you wanna find yourself move somewhere completely brand new in your 30s, where you don’t know anyone and you’ll actually find yourself. That’s what I’ve done. I’ve met some of the most genuine people that I happened to live two hours away from when I was in Detroit in the middle of Alaska on highway I’ve bought Girl Scout cookies on an actual glacier I’ve gone camping in -35° I’ve gone camping in 80° I’ve seen wildfires I’ve seen -56 I’ve seen a dog who spent 8 1/2 years of his life in the city in fenced in yards, suddenly be able to run off leash without any concern. I’ve got a really amazing job It’s a dream job It’s bucket list job Work life balance actually does still exist in 2024
When while living in Michigan, I didn’t start camping until about 2017. I bought a used 2008 jeep Wrangler JKU and I removed the rear seats and I would take it camping by taking the couch cushions off putting them in the back with a cooler and just driving and camping out of the back. In 2018, I drove from Detroit all the way out to Newfoundland and back on an eight day, 4000 mile road trip and that was the kick of, okay, I can actually do this. This is a legitimate thing thing. I’m capable of doing it.
Funny enough it took me eight years of living in Michigan to finally go to the U.P., and the only reason we went is because it was 95° one day and Odin was miserable. I saw it was 60° so we went to the UP and I fell in love with it. In 2019 and 2020 right before Covid, we went up for five times just exploring and camping. There is a YouTube channel called Venture FWD and Chris is absolutely phenomenal. He’s your every day average mid 30s to early 40s person just like Matt & Cara are and he was driving around Michigan in the upper peninsula and providing campsites that I didn’t know existed. That’s how I kind of discovered Gaia and Off-Road apps and Matt & Cara also taught me a bit.
Right before I decided to move in 2023, I started doing hard-core traveling. We went up to the Keweenaw Peninsula, we camped in Copper Harbor, we were all the way around to the Porcupine Mountains. I got connected with a buddy of mine that I’ve worked with for 10 years but had no idea was camping until we did that. Six months after starting it I did a massive road trip up and around Michigan out to Montana and then back through the for my buddies bachelor party and then did another trip up and around Michigan in October during a massive blizzard into Ontario, and then into Prince Island. It was this experience of “that’s only four hours away” and then I realize Red River is five hours away and Indiana Dunes is a couple hours away and suddenly Detroit became the central hub. This is great because I’m a couple hours there a couple hours there a couple hours there which really prepared me for life in Fairbanks, because Fairbanks is in the middle of nowhere. There are 32,000 people in town but it’s six hours to the Arctic Circle, seven hours to Anchorage, two hours to Denali National Park, three hours to the Richardson Highway in wonderful mountains, 45 minutes east to camping on a river, 45 minutes west camping on a cliffside, 45 minutes north to a wonderful northern lights location. Utilizing it as a hub rather than the destination has been a massive change and mentality because now Fairbanks is where I come home to rest and relax. It’s safe and it’s secure and it’s got everything I need. It’s nice and peaceful and then that’s the base of operations so then get out and explore everything else. Whereas if I was in Anchorage, I’d have all of the creature comfort and big city life, but then I’d be driving an hour or two hours every direction to kinda get there. I can stand on my balcony and see the northern lights, but I also have sunlight 24 hours a day in the summer. It’s that resort location for me because I’m off in the hills and it’s peaceful and quiet and I can let Odin roam free and I don’t need to worry about it. I’m nine minutes to Costco, seven minutes to a Taco Bell (for our friends MoLeisures Xventures, who enjoy Taco Bell, I told him about all the locations!) Fairbanks is just similar to Michigan and honestly the tri-state in the Midwest. It is so perfectly centralized to all of the adventure opportunities that it should be viewed as a benefit rather than a negative.
Wildlifein Alaska
The main difference so far, and it’s been a massive boost for Odin, is that we don’t have ticks in Alaska. I still have flea and tick because of the amount of times we come down to lower 48.
The wildlife in Alaska silly is truly wild wildlife. In Detroit we have coyotes and raccoons. They’re used to city streets and used to garbage. The animals in the Midwest are used to people and finding food around people. The wildlife in Alaska is used to seeing people but like “oh, you’ll shoot me, I’m gonna go the other direction.” I’ve camped in pure bear country and not had to worry about bears breaking in my trash. Here we don’t have raccoons. We have porcupines and we have beavers and we’ve got wolverines, but we don’t have the animals that are going to kind of go through your trash. From a camping perspective, we have to take extra precaution to keep food in our fridge and in locked boxes in the car, but we also don’t need to worry about animals walking into camp.
In the Midwest, I had raccoons and coyotes breaking open bins from Home Depot trying to get at the latches because they thought food was in it. There wasn’t any any food in the bin but they were so trained that “oh, humans camping, here there’s food” and they would come in and destroy camp. That doesn’t exist here. We’ve had some coyotes come into camp and wanna play with the dogs, but we’ve had no bear encounters. You need to be more mindful of moose for sure because the moose are bigger but even then, unless you’re threatening their offspring or you’re in kind of the rut mating season they don’t wanna be anywhere near you. They want to be left alone because they see you as a natural predator rather than a food source.
Exploring Alaska
The simple advice is absolutely 100% do it, you will not regret it. The only difficult decision you’re gonna have to make is when are you going and where are you going because there are no bad times of year to visit Alaska. If we’re dead of winter, we’ve got the Iditarod you’ve got a bunch of festivals, wonderful world class skiing at Alyeska, there is so much going on in Alaska every day that there is no bad time to visit if you’re thinking of coming up.
If you’re worried about bears, don’t be. Bear spray is on everyone, we carry bear spray we carry firearms and deterrence that almost never come out (if anything they come out because someone stumbles into your camp drunk at 2 o’clock in the morning.) About bears walking by, you’ll see the bear and like “oh cool there’s a bear,” and then they’ll continue strolling on by.
If you’re concerned on gas because everyone’s freaking out “oh my God, what about gas?” Don’t worry. We fill up anytime we’re near half tank and the farthest you’ll be away from a gas station is about 150 miles. If you come up in the winter (as everyone should be doing) you keep an emergency stash in the vehicle because it gets cold and you could get stranded so you keep gas. If you’re worried about gas, prices in Alaska are almost exactly the same as gas in Ohio and Michigan unless you go super far out. Yes, if you go up to Hall Road to Dead Horse, you’ll be paying seven dollars a gallon, but you’re also at the top of the world. It’s an expense to expect.
If you’re worried about a time commitment and you are concerned on the drive, you can easily fly up. There are multiple retailers who will rent vehicles to you. Alaska Overlander is one of them and they’ve got 12 vehicles one of which is custom kitted out to be a four season vehicle. If you’re like me and you wanna drive up, absolutely 100% drive up. There are three dozen YouTube videos on the Alaska highway.
One crucial item is pick a region because ALASKA so big that if you trying to do everything you will have a great vacation but you’ll miss a lot. Come and visit the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage or go and do the interior to Denali national Park and Denali Highway, Fairbanks Chana Hot Springs or do the Arctic and do the Dalton Hall Road, spend five or six days to do the Eastern portion with Wrangell-Saint Elias or come in and do Katmai and Lake Clark and Gates of the Arctic. Fly to those national parks because each of those alone is worth doing 6 to 8 days for. Don’t try and do everything at all once because the state of Alaska is basically as large as North Dakota all the way down to Texas and the entire center of the country. If you try and do it all in one 10 day trip, you’re gonna miss a lot. Pick a region and enjoy it. Take it slow.
From a camping perspective you’re gonna leave Alaska and you’re gonna be driving around or your normal locations like “man why isn’t this a campsite? Why is that not a campsite? Why can’t I camp there?” because in Alaska if you see something cool there’s a 90% chance that there’s a campsite right there you can just pull up and boondock.
TheJeep
I currently own a 2020 Jeep gladiator “Sporticon.” I bought it as a sport with the tow package so it’s got a larger alternator. It had an engine block heater and the auxiliary switches and I have since installed several Rubicon takeoffs that I found on Facebook marketplace for either free or $50 hundred bucks. It has a 2 inch Mopar lift which is really a 3 1/2 inch Mopar lift when you remove the rear seats in about 300 pounds. It’s running 35 inch Toyo open country ATT 2s.
It has a GFC canopy camper on top with a brand new Overland Vehicle Systems 270° awning, and currently an Alaskan flag flying 20 feet off the ground because I wanted everyone to know how far I came to get here (at Overland Expo PNW.)
It’s got 134,000 miles on it. It has a brand new engine as of 133,000 miles on it because the old one froze -40° temperatures. I’ve driven it through almost all of Canada, every northern U.S. state, some of the middle of the country states and on an average of about 30,000 miles a year.
I think this is the fourth iteration when I originally bought it. It had a Fishbone Off-Road half rack on the back with a tent that I absolutely loved and I’m similar to Enoch and that I don’t wanna do it the way everyone else does it. I mounted the tent so it came off the back so instead of coming off either the driver passenger side - it opened up directly to the back so that I could pull into a campsite and just be a vertical line and not need to worry about side space. I then removed the tent and the half rack and went to the GFC and got rid of my Goose Gear platform and built a full backseat platform for Odin, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. Odin is very much a lovable dog, but he likes to sit directly and the left of my face in the blind spot so I’d be merging onto a highway and he’d be right there like “nope,” and there were too many close calls.
So the third iteration of the vehicle saw a cabinet build in the backseat that allowed me to increase storage while giving him enough space. This past winter we tackled the truck bed and removed the custom built fridge slide that I had and hard mounted a diesel heater in the truck bed so that the truck bed and the canopy camper would be warm. We routed the exhaust through one of the GFC panels to a muffler.
For this summer and likely the remaining time, I Installed a cubby system on the driver side of the truck bed that now holds my shovel, my ax, my chairs, my tables, and my shower/toilet tent. The storage is now to a point where there’s nothing in the truck bed because everything has its own place and then as part of the truck build out. I installed a bunch of Milwaukee pack-out cases on custom lock, so that when we’re bouncing the truck around on trails on the side of the mountain. nothing gets thrown all over the place.
FindingOdin
To follow my dog (because he’s the star of the show) and then if you’re super into red jeeps, you can follow the same account (I’m probably the third wheel of the entire thing) both my Instagram and YouTube accounts are @dogandajeep. We just started YouTubing probably this past December. I am thoroughly enjoying the sounds of camping so kind of the ASMR style because I enjoy both filming it and editing it and going back and listening, it helps immerse me in the moment of the campsite. On Instagram it’s very eclectic. Some days will be aurora photos and videos and time lapses, other days will be my dog running away from me into the mountains. Some days will be me putting the truck through water crossings that I have no right going through and other days will be me showcasing maybe a campfire that I’ve built or Odin playing with another dog or some of my friends and I camping in far off places with snow still on the mountains. The YouTube channel is all about camping with Alaska and adventures. was going and foremost vehicle I’ve but it’s gotten me to someplace that I never thought I’d reach.
FOCUS
Photo: Asa Lee Meadows
By Asa Lee Meadows
8 THINGS YOU NEED TO GET SOME COOL SHOTS AND RESOURCES TO HELP PLAN THEM.
Editor's note: The Milky Way is burning bright in the northern sky, the Perseid Meteor Showers return in August and the approaching Autumn Equinox brings increased chances for displays of the Aurora Borealis. We are rerunning this info from our July 2020 issue to help beginners interested in shooting the night sky with some tips and tricks.
Camera with manual mode It can be mirrorless (the new hotness) or DSLR Full frame or crop sensor. You don’t have to spend thousands on gear I shoot with a Nikon 5300 crop sensor I have 3 kit lenses: 18-55mm, 55-300mm, and a 35mm prime. Also, if you are going to shoot at night, get your lens focused to infinity during the day when you can use autofocus to help, and tape it so it won’t be out of focus later that night. If need be, use your camera’s live view to zoom in on a star or planet and manually focus
Shoot in RAW mode JPGs don’t have enough info to bring out photos in post processing I did a castle night shot in Ireland only to find out later that I was still in JPG mode I couldn’t bring out the colors of the milky way I learned that lesson the hard way
Tripod. If you are doing a night shot, you’ll be doing a long exposure You need something steady I once forgot mine, but was still able to get a decent shot, using a piece of firewood and my camera bag to angle the camera up to the sky Zooming in on the moon, will require a fast shutter speed (around 1/100 or 1/160 of a second) but if you shoot handheld, you’ll still introduce shake and get a fuzzy shot
Remote trigger or time delay. Pushing the button on the camera introduces camera shake. The mirror moving up so the light can hit the sensor introduces shake I have a cheap intervalometer but wifi remote can work too, as well as the 2 second delay on my camera On the expensive side, I have a tool called Arsenal that I use to remote trigger, and see pics right on my phone, but it can also lock up my mirror further reducing shake
Extra batteries Long shots eat up power Especially if you are doing a timelapse.
Clear dark skies. You can wait out the moon and sun to set, but it’s hard to get through clouds I use Clear Sky Charts in Michigan (Map) to check the 2 day forecast So far it’s been 100% accurate You want to aim for clear to 0-10% cloud cover. This site also has a light pollution overlay slider to see if where you’ll be has dark skies, or check the marked spots that are close to your campsite Also be mindful if you have a campfire, that can put off too much light and ruin a shot Using a flash light to briefly light up the foreground is a cool way to add interest
Know where to aim, so you can compose your shot in the daytime Say you want to get the milky way behind your campsite Well, you need to know where the milky way will be during the night when the moon (preferably close to new moon phase) is not out It’s in the southern sky, but I use PhotoPills to plan how to set up my shot, using which lens and a free app Sky Map to also find where constellations and other heavenly bodies will be at what time (stellarium mobile is another free app as well ) I also use https://www timeanddate com/ to get a monthly view of moon and sun time information.
Google is your friend. Youtube can teach you how to use these tools, post process an image, pretty much everything is available online to find how to do something; so get out and shoot!
MICHIGAN- HEADLANDS DARK SKY PARK
This park is set among some 600 acres of woods and two miles of undeveloped shoreline is free to the public and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
MICHIGAN- STATE DARK SKY PRESERVES
Michigan is lucky to play host to both dark sky preserves and parks that offer stellar celestial landscapes. -MI DNR
MINNESOTA- VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK
Voyageurs, named an International Dark Sky Park, has may places with open horizons with beautiful views of the night sky. All campsites are water-based, require a permit, and can only be accessed by boat.
WISCONSIN- NEWPORT STATE PARK
The first and only park in Wisconsin to receive an official “Dark Sky Park” designation from the International Dark-Sky Association. With has 17 backpack (hike-in) campsites, campers must hike or bike in all gear.
WISCONSIN- WILDCAT MOUNTAIN STATE PARK
Park your vehicle in a lot for your cart-in site, the park supplies a cart, load your gear and travel on foot no farther that 400 feet to a campsite off the beaten path.
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