Family Overland During COVID-19, Eric Mowell

Family Overlanding During Covid-19

From a 2wd Ford Ranger with a Walmart special tent, as a young married couple, to an Adventure Trailers Horizon towed behind a fully built Toyota Tacoma, with a newborn and a toddler, we have made several adaptions in our overlanding setups through the years. Our changes have been largely based upon a combination of budget, space and planned destinations. As our boys, now 11 and 13, continued to grow, we found ourselves once again contemplating a change. This time around however, an entirely new and unexpected change would affect our build and our travel.

Early this year, we decided to list our 2015 Toyota Tacoma for sale, just hoping to gauge some interest. As the interest level peaked, we began planning out our next build. We knew we wanted to go full-size, so the search began. After a bit more research and scouring the country for just the right truck, we found the perfect Toyota Tundra for our needs, and we jumped on the deal.

A four-hour drive from our home in East Tennessee took us to a dealership in Birmingham, Alabama. During our wait for paperwork processing, we watched the news as school systems and local governments began to announce closures on that rainy March afternoon. Covid-19 had now become a reality for most of the US.

As each day passed by, the news became flooded with stories of the pandemic. Schools closed, businesses closed, flights were canceled and the world quickly became a different place. The sure thing interest in our Tacoma began to wither, and we worried that we had made a mistake.

Fortunately, we were already a home school family, and I worked from home as an independent contractor, so the initial impacts did not affect us greatly. Churches began to close, restaurants closed, and even basketball courts began removing rims. The urban environment was practically shutting down, and everyone was feeling the impact.

Having the Appalachian Mountains in our backyard allowed us to quickly get outside in the fresh air and away from people, so we found ourselves getting out even more than usual with plenty of opportunity to test out the Tundra and continue planning. Once the Tacoma sold, we immediately began executing our build plan on the Tundra.

Phase 1 of the build was of course suspension, wheels, and tires. We went with a Dobinsons heavy suspension, SPC upper control arms, and Method 701 Wheels wrapped in 35” Nitto Ridge Grapplers. We also ordered aluminum skid plates from RCI.

As we waited for parts to come in, we were on the hunt for a camping system to put on the back of the truck. Having previous experience with Adventure Trailers, and several tours at multiple Overland Expos, we were partial to the AT Overland Habitat. We found a listing for a used Habitat in Northern California, and the owner indicated that he would be willing to drive to AT Overland headquarters in Prescott, AZ to make the exchange. After a brief negotiation, we made a deal and began planning our trip. It’s a long way from Tennessee to Arizona, so we knew we wanted to make an adventure out of it.

Our friends at Rock Your 4x4 in Knoxville, TN finished the Phase 1 install on May 15, and we hit the road the next morning. We pushed hard on Interstate 40 to make it to Prescott in 3 days. After a stay in the historic Hassayampa Inn, we arrived early at AT Overland for the install.

The team at AT Overland is always amazing to work with. Despite this being a used Habitat, they did not hesitate to go through a full run through of every detail, just to make sure we knew how to properly use, maintain, and enjoy our new-to-us camper. We even got some tips on some great campsites and areas to explore.

After grabbing some lunch for the road, we headed north to Sedona, and what a beautiful drive it was. The scenery through the Prescott National Forest and the historic town of Jerome helped set the tone for the beginning of our overland journey.

After a nice hike in Red Rock State Park, we dropped out of the arid conditions of Sedona into the lush greenery of Oak Creek Canyon. Our first night in the Habitat was spent at Cave Springs inside of Coconino National Forest. It was a cool and peaceful night in a beautiful spot.

Our drive the next day took us through the Painted Desert on the way to Marble Canyon. We took in some sights, including the temporarily abandoned Navajo Bridge (another Covid-19 closure). While we were able to park and walk across the bridge, the native shops and visitor’s center were closed. Nearby Lee’s Ferry was a great spot for lunch. This was one of the few options we found that had an open picnic area and restroom. A hike down Cathedral Wash took us to the Colorado River. The icecold water was refreshing after a warm hike, but it only took a few moments to chill us to the bone.

We spent the night at an amazing location along the rim of Badger Canyon, overlooking Badger Creek Rapids, where we met up with some friends from back home, that just happened to also be traveling in area. It was a great night to share a spot under the stars.

The next morning was spent warming up with the sun and working remotely. I have to keep up the work to enjoy the travel. We took our time packing up, then we continued through the Vermillion Cliffs, heading toward the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

For the first time that I can remember, Grand Canyon National Park was closed. Of course, it was due to the concerns over the spread of Covid-19. About the time we started our trip, we learned that a few areas of the South

Rim were beginning to open on certain days, for a limited amount of time. Unfortunately, those days did not coincide with our time in the area. So, our plan was to explore the Kaibab National Forest, working our way as close to the rim as possible. Being at a higher elevation than the South Rim, the North Rim was heavily forested and significantly cooler. The weather was perfect, and the miles of dirt roads were well groomed and fast. We hardly saw anyone else our entire time in Kaibab. We eventually made our way to Parissawampitts Point, catching our first glimpse of the vast canyon. Along a short hike, we came across an epic campsite just mere feet from the rim. We marked it on our GPS and hiked back to get the truck. A few new pinstripes were embedded in the side of the truck as we made our way through the narrow dirt roads. The campsite couldn’t have been much better as we enjoyed the sunset over the Grand Canyon.

Our journey continued heading north until we reached the town of Kanab, Utah. It was time to catch up on laundry and work, so we masked up and visited the local laundromat, which fortunately had good Wi-Fi. One of our best discoveries in Kanab, was a great little restaurant called Big Al’s Burgers at the Junction Drive-in. Things were very different with the CDC regulations in place, but we were still able to enjoy their bison burgers two days in a row!

From Kanab, we ventured into both Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. The entry fees were waived due to Covid-19 related partial closures. Many of the most popular areas were closed, but we still had enough access to enjoy the uniqueness of each park. From the Narrows of Zion to the Hoodoos of Bryce, we hiked many miles, but were unable to camp inside the parks. While we didn’t pass up adventuring in the national parks, getting in those nearby areas on BLM land with dispersed camping and less people, was much preferred.

Continuing west through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, we took the opportunity to get off the beaten path to enjoy some lesser known slot canyons and hidden campsites. Around every corner was another breathtaking view. We eventually made our way through Capital Reef National Park and up to Interstate 70.

Beyond the free admission to the parks, much of our travel had been minimally affected by Covid-19 closures. However, as we traveled through more populated areas on our journey back east, the impacts became more apparent. Traveling normalcies, we often take for granted were now very limited. From rest areas to restaurants, and even gas stations, closures on the final leg of our journey required more careful planning than expected.

Arriving back home, we were tired but thankful for the incredible public lands available to us - places we can get away, get active, and get refreshed. These opportunities to spend time as a family, exploring together, are so important to us and many overlanders alike. Don’t take them for granted, even during a global pandemic.

Eric Mowell

356 Overland Proverbs 3:5-6

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