Overland Journal :: Summer 2010 by Overland Journal

Overland Journal Summer 2010

CONTENTS

Summer 2010

Feature s 28

Tracks in the Snow: Wolf Conservation, Ann Lockley

12V Refrigerator Test, Graham Jackson

Bolivia photo essay: Where Bolivia Meets the Heavens, Jorge Valdés

Vehicle Feature: 2005 Tacoma, Chris Marzonie

Canyon de Chelly, Scott Brady

Dep artments

Overland Post

Editor’s Column

Editor’s Project

News from the Trade

Overland News, Sam Watson

Latitude

Family Overlanding, Mark Stephens

Overland Conservation, Roseann Hanson

Overland Medicine: Venomous Snake Bites, Jonathan Hanson

103

Skills: Mapping Software, Chris Marzonie

120

Overland Chef: Hearty Pork and Dumplings, Connie Rodman

122

Classic Kit: The Pith Helmet, Christophe Noel

128

Tail Lamp: An Adult Decision, Jan Heine

On the cover: Where Bolivia meets the heavens. Photo by Jorge Valdés. This photo: A campesino hard at work piling mounds of salt in Bolivia. Photo by Jorge Valdés. Back cover: No thank you, I think I'll pass. Belize. Photo by Stephanie Brady. Overland Journal Summer 2010

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Summer 2010 Publisher and Chairman Scott Brady President and Director of Design Stephanie Brady Executive Editor Jonathan Hanson Editorial Director Chris Marzonie Senior Editor, Africa Graham Jackson Conservation Editor Roseann Hanson Medical Editor Dr. Edward Beggy Contributing Editors Stephen Bodio, Tom Collins, Brian DeArmon, Adam Jeske, Christine Jeske, Lois Pryce, Andrew Moore, Kevin Rowland, Chris Scott, Tom Sheppard, Mark Stephens Cartographer David Medeiros Photo Editor Nicholas Melamed Senior Photographer, South America Jorge Valdés Photographer At-Large Sinuhe Xavier Director of Business Development Brian McVickers Director of Operations Jeremy Edgar Contact Overland Journal LLC PO Box 1150 Prescott, AZ 86302 service@overlandjournal.com editor@overlandjournal.com Overland Journal is a trademark of Overland Journal LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. www.overlandjournal.com LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK Send comments to editor@overlandjournal.com or PO Box 1150, Prescott, AZ 86302

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Overland Journal Summer 2010

OverlandPost

Students in North Carolina using Overland Journal as an educational tool. Photo by Catherine B.

Educational Tool

I just wanted to send a note to thank you for your wonderful magazine. I am a high-school teacher in the Raleigh area, and I use Overland Journal in both my geography and yearbook classes. My students enjoy reading it in their free time, and when we are discussing an area of the world you have covered, the magazine really brings it to life for them. As the yearbook advisor I encourage my students to look through the issues for picture ideas and various ways to pose different shots. In both classes Overland Journal has been a blessing to me as a teacher.

Catherine B. Raleigh, NC

Article Request I wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your “On the Trail of Red Cloud” article. A simple journey like that is something that makes up the edges of a bigger overlanding trip, or the fun part of a non-overland trip. I would enjoy reading more well-written articles about such places, in addition to the articles about the big journeys. Thanks for the great publication, I am looking forward to the next issue. Nathanael Kuenzli 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD Overland Journal Summer 2010

Nice Blend

I just wanted to say how much I enjoy Overland Journal. Your blend of adventure travel, conservation, and your ability to show that owners of four-wheel-drive vehicles can be responsible when traveling on back roads is encouraging when so many publications have become so polarizing when they address these topics. I have seen the good and the bad when it comes to 4WD recreation. I worked 12 years at Oceano Dunes/Pismo State Beach, and I was the first ranger to issue citations for habitat destruction with a motor vehicle, when some guys thought they could use an estuary as a mud bog. I really wanted to attend the Overland Expo in April but regrettably I missed it this year. I put a 2H diesel engine in my 1965 FJ45 LWB and would like to have been on the Carbon Neutral Expedition. But I have a good excuse: I got a job as a seasonal park ranger at the Glen Canyon National Riparian Area. Dave Berry 1965 FJ45

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Overland Journal Summer 2010

CONTRIBUTORS

Summer 2010

Ann Lockley

Jorge Valdés After too many years in a safe, wellpaying, but soulless job that only ever allowed enough free time to play at being a writer, it was time for a change. In 2006, Ann quit her job, bought an old Range Rover, and took to the road, embracing life as a full-time freelance writer and photographer.

Prior to shifting career gears, Ann had spent the majority of her life sailing the waters of B.C. and the Pacific Northwest, backpacking local trails, and exploring the many back roads of British Columbia. The writer’s creed “write what you know” is true for Ann: She writes about sailing, adventure travel, wildlife conservation, environmental responsibility, and her favourite four-legged friends—dogs.

Jorge Valdés is the founder and president of TerraUltima Expeditions, and has more than 30 years of experience as a professional photographer. He has produced photography and imaging for the scientific research, commercial product, advertising, and editorial segments. His varied experience includes more than 17 years of shooting Formula One, five years of specialized geographic research aerial photography, microphotography of rare fossils, and coverage of the civil wars in Central America. He has visited more than 70 countries and lived in more than 20, and currently resides in his native Chile. Aside from photography his passions include cooking and wine.

Sam Watson

Connie Rodman

Born in the hills of northern England, Sam first travelled the Sahara aged seven—and it stole his heart. Since then he has lived in various spots around Africa, mapping parts of the Sahara, the Middle East, and Kenya. He has worked in desert rescue, and also conservation with Kenya Wildlife Services and the Born Free Foundation. Happiest overlanding with his Defender, “Elsa,” he is currently home in Britain teaching biology, playing cricket, and relearning Arabic. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, he is their secretary for the northeast of England, and a member of the Royal Institute of Navigation.

Born in Colorado, Connie has made several overland trips through Africa, along with numerous excursions into the Rocky Mountains, the American Southwest, and Mexico. In 2004 she completed a nine-month overland trip from London, England, to Cape Town, South Africa, with her husband, Graham Jackson. Connie enjoys the unique “outback” culinary arts, concocting delicacies to tempt any palate in campsites all around the world. Give her a can of this, a box of that and her secret seasoning stash and she can whip up some scrumptious dishes. When not cooking, you might find her in camp, warding off vervet monkeys with her twin frying pans of fury.

Christophe Noel

Jan Heine

Christophe Noel has been an avid backcountry traveler since he was too young to tie his own stitch-down hiking boots. As his feet have grown, so has his appetite for adventure. While bicycles are his passion, Christophe is an accomplished sea kayaker, backpacker, mountaineer and general vagabond. Having spent much of his life wandering the globe from Alaska to the Atlas Mountains and beyond, Christophe can now be found most days riding his mountain bike on the twisted singletrack near his home in Prescott, Arizona.

Jan Heine grew up in Germany—sort of. Formative in his youth were his family’s multiple trips to southern Africa and Mexico. Of his first 16 years, Jan spent about three on the (usually unpaved and dusty) road. After obtaining a Ph.D. in geology (like his father), Jan chose a freelance career as a writer and translator, based in Seattle, Washington. As the editor of Bicycle Quarterly magazine (bikequarterly.com), he now prefers two wheels and pedal power for exploring the unpaved roads of the Cascade Range, but he retains a spot in his heart for FJ40 Land Cruisers.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

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Overland Journal Summer 2010

JOURNAL ENTRY: From the Editor

Jonathan Hanson

The Overlander’s Motto: Be Prepared. Or Not. Is it possible to over-plan a trip?

“No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” That aphorism, actually a truncated paraphrase from the great Prussian military strategist Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, seems like a harsh admonishment to apply to trip preparation for an overland excursion. It’s supposed to be fun, right? However, I’m sure everyone reading this has known people (you might even be one of them) who readied for trips as though the course of world history might shift if they didn’t load the vehicle down with everything from spare wiper blades to backup alternators to complete boxed clutch assemblies. The tool kit—frequently ferried in a giant Pelican case—comprises the normal screwdrivers, wrenches and sockets, etc., but is likely to include a dial indicator, a digital torque wrench, an infrared thermometer, and several other implements with multiple dials, readouts, and probes. An on-board welder was installed before the ink was dry on the dealer’s sales contract. The trip itself ? Calculated to the last mile. Accommodations are arranged in advance. Routes and campsites are checked with Google Earth. Places of interest are waypointed. Meals are vacuum-sealed. Essentially, the goal is to have nothing unexpected happen that was not anticipated in advance. This slightly over-the-top description might sound like a sarcastic critique, but it isn’t—because we’ve all seen the other end of the spectrum as well: Travelers with poorly maintained vehicles that aren’t encumbered with so much as a spare serpentine belt, much less the tools with which to change it. A shovel? Used to be one in there. Maybe. Say, can we borrow a couple of wrenches? Wow, you have a winch. Cool. Can you pull us out? Let’s dismiss the completely unprepared as simply irresponsible and selfish, and contrast what we might call our Boy Scout traveler with a more reasonable alternative: Someone who takes care with the essentials, but lets the trip grow on its own. Small problems are easily dealt with, but more complex issues often result in delays, changed plans, or requests for assistance, even if it’s only to find the right road. The question is: Do the über-prepared travelers wind up enjoying their trips more than those who do minimal planning? Overland Journal Summer 2010

In many ways it’s a moot point, since those who subscribe to the down-to-the-last-detail strategy would never be happy with the laissez faire approach, and vice versa. But each can learn from the other. There’s being prepared, and there’s being willing to enjoy unexpected challenges and opportunities. The two aren’t necessarily incompatible. Ted Simon is the archetype of the take-what-comes traveler. From his pioneering Jupiter’s Travels journey around the world on a Triumph motorcycle to his The Gypsy in Me walking tour of eastern Europe, for Ted, the unexpected events are the journey. He’s always willing to follow a stranger home or be fed. Anyone who makes eye contact is likely to wind up as a friend. Ted’s basic travel strategy is that of a globe-trotting lost puppy. And it works, as evidenced by the enduring popularity of his books, which delve into the lives of the people he meets as few other writers manage. In contrast, Tom Sheppard’s background as a test pilot shows in his preparation for solo journeys in the Sahara Desert. His G-Wagen was specced with features the Mercedes factory had forgotten it offered. When existing wheels didn’t suit his requirements, he had them made. His fuel calculations probably involve cosines and Beatty Sequences. Yet for Sheppard, this approach is mandatory, since he deliberately seeks out places on the earth far from help, where the slightest lapse in preparedness would be not only irresponsible, but quite possibly suicidal. A lost puppy in the Sahara would be dead in two days. Despite the different approaches, I know for a fact that each of these travelers enjoys his experiences at a level few of us reach. Ted’s stories of Russian families and South American mechanics reveal what is best in humanity. And Tom’s descriptions of his beloved deserts rise to poetry, lending a transcendent glory to landscapes most people dismiss as brutal. For me, the lesson is clear. Planning is good, as long as it doesn’t prevent one from taking advantage of fleeting opportunities. Preparation is smart, as long as a setback doesn’t blind you to your surroundings. A wrong turn can lead to new vistas. A flat tire at dusk means more time to enjoy the sunset. In other words: Don’t let traveling get in the way of the journey.

Photo by Chris Marzonie

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Editor’s

Project Jonathan Hanson

A Year with the Wrangler JK Unlimited Rubicon 25,000 miles later: few modifications, even fewer problems

y the time you read this, it will have been a year since we picked up our long-term Wrangler. Those of you who remember my introduction in the Summer 2009 issue will recall the strategy we decided to use with the JK: Rather than seeing how many accessories and modifications we could bolt, weld, screw or glue on it in 12 months, we decided to see how it would perform as an overland vehicle more or less straight out of the box. This might seem like an odd approach when a significant majority of our subscribers tell us in our surveys that they drive modified vehicles, and most have wish lists at least a dozen items long. But it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need just one more suspension upOverland Journal Summer 2010

grade, or better driving lights, or a roof tent or titanium cookware or, heck, even a better camp chair before you can do any serious overlanding. Mind you, I’m not saying those things won’t improve your vehicle and— perhaps—even your experience. But the lack of any or all of them should never prevent you from turning the ignition key and going somewhere. Then too, we considered the many newcomers gravitating to the idea of overland travel, who on first introduction might be fooled into thinking they need an expensively modified and accessorized vehicle to go drive down back roads and camp—the nuts-andbolts premise, after all, of overlanding. In fact, when asked by those just getting started what to buy, I specifically advise against any major investments until they’ve spent a dozen nights

and a few thousand miles out exploring. Only with experience can one know whether, for one’s own circumstances, a roof tent or a ground tent is the right choice (or, of course, one of each . . .), or a trailer; if a full-on chuckwagon kitchen is justified over a backpacking stove and mess kit; if a bulky-but-cozy flannel-lined rectangular sleeping bag earns its space over a compact down-filled mummy, and if under it should be a full-size cot or an ultralight Thermarest. So our Wrangler ended its first week with us with pretty much what it still has. First to go in were a few things that should be considered mandatory: a shovel, a Hi-Lift jack, an air compressor (in this case a QuickAir X 2000 on test), an Extreme Outback tire repair kit, and a first-aid kit. The “mods” list was count-on-one-hand short. Since we’re a two-person household, I took out the JK’s rear seats, which don’t fold quite flush with the rear deck, and installed a Kilby Enterprises flat-floor kit, which gave us a sleeping-length floor for two if we feel like simply crashing after a long drive and the weather is unfriendly. More importantly, it gave us a sturdy platform on which to mount one of ARB’s redesigned fridges, easily accessible from the driver’s side rear door. I locked down the fridge with straps to a pair of Mac’s Custom Tie Downs anchor plate rings. Between the front seats I installed a Tuffy security console. For the JK, this is sort of an insert that slots into the rear of the factory console assembly. You undo some Torx fasteners, drop the rear panel, and pop out the stock console box. The Tuffy box goes in its place. It’s no bigger than the stock unit, but a lot more secure. Installation takes about 45 minutes if you have a set of Torx drivers, unless you also add the recommended security

bolts through the transmission tunnel, which adds another 45 minutes. And, um, that’s about it. After that we just drove. We didn’t spend a lot of time evaluating the Rubicon’s prowess on difficult trails, because we already knew it’s unbeaten by any vehicle currently available in the U.S. Given solid axles front and rear, each with its own differential lock, a compliant (with the electrically operated front sway bar disconnected) all-coil suspension, and a 4:1 transfer case, that’s not surprising. What was surprising was how comfortable the JK was on highway trips. I know, I know—Roseann and I both come out of early Land Cruisers, so anything is likely to seem Bentleyish by comparison. But we’ve put 400,000 miles on Toyota pickups too, don’t forget. In the Gear 2010 issue I wrote an update that included a few gripes about the JK— mostly minor with the exception of what I think is a very poor low-speed ride over cobbled or rutted roads. The occupants’ heads are jerked side to side uncomfortably each time a wheel drops in a trough or bumps over a “baby head,” as those half-exposed fist-sized rocks are called. I’d like to see Jeep (or someone) offer a reduced-diameter front sway (anti-roll) bar, which is the cause of the problem. If the sway-bar disconnect could be operated at speeds up to 25 mph or so, that would fix it too. As it is, the bar automatically re-connects over 16 mph.

A couple other items are worth mention. One is the JK’s astounding ability to fling mud from the front tires all over the front door and unerringly into the front door handles, with the frequent result that the handles simply disappear under a giant glob of muck. I half expect to encounter some wriggling amphibian every time I fish through the goop to open the door. A short set of front mudflaps would solve that, and I believe they’re available, but I live in Arizona, so, like all Arizonans do with windshield wipers, I think I need those mudflaps when it rains, then forget about them during the next six months or so of dry weather. Then there’s the windshield. The original windshield was replaced when, on the way home down our five-mile dirt road during a howling summer storm last year, windswept sand completely opaqued the glass in less than five minutes, rendering visibility almost nil. Then, two weeks after the replacement was in, a crack appeared in the upper left corner for no apparent reason, growing slowly toward the center. I assumed it was happenstance and poor installation, until another JK owner smiled and said, “Ah, you’ve got the crack.” A short web search revealed ample, if anecdotal, evidence that JK windshields are indeed prone to spontaneous cracks. Some sort of flex could be the culprit; then again, given the sand blasting on the original, and the fact that our third windshield acquired a large star crack from a not-very-big rock scant days after its installation, I wonder

if the glass itself is sub-par. Otherwise, in 25,000 miles the JK has never failed us once. It’s on its original set of plugs, brake pads, and BFG Mud-Terrain tires (which still show plenty of tread). It swallows large amounts of camping gear, obviating the need for a drag-inducing roof rack. Fuel economy is acceptable at 17.8 mpg overall (although a short drive in a 26-mpg turbodieselpowered Egyptian military JK we had at the office for a short time had me itching for a U.S. version). What now? It depends. If Chrysler takes back the Jeep, we’ve had a good year proving that the Wrangler can hold its head up with the world’s premier expedition vehicles. If our request for an extension is granted, it might be time to investigate a few of Chrysler’s own Mopar accessories. But just a few. The Wrangler JK Unlimited Rubicon doesn’t need much to provide a couple or family with reliable, comfortable, and competent overland transportation.

RESOURCES

jeep.com extremeoutback.com, 866-447-7711 sunperformance.com, 714-708-7730 kilbyenterprises.com, 818-565-5945 arbusa.com, 866-293-9083 Mac's Custom Tie Downs, available from expeditionexchange.com, 310-618-1875 tuffyproducts.com, 970-564-1762

Left to right: The Kilby flatfloor kit adds to the versatility of the cargo area. Mac’s Custom Tie Downs secure the ARB fridge. 25,000 miles on the BFG tires, with plenty of tread left. A Tuffy console box adds no extra storage but lots of security.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

NEWS FROM THE TRADE Exploring the newest gear for overlanding

diesel and alternative-fuel news by Kevin Rowland

Still no joy for small-diesel fans

I won’t bother listing the specifications for the latest crop of domestic diesel trucks, which are nothing like the proposed 4-liter engines we reported on over a year ago. Instead, the only offerings are even bigger than their predecessors, well over 6 liters and with ocean-liner torque curves. Yet the line-up is being touted as the greenest, most efficient ever. Imagine what could have been done with the 4-liter options. The stubborn big-platform focus still leaves the market wide open for Mahindra, but where are they? The little truck that could has been de-

layed more times than I care to count, and the U.S. distributor is reportedly suing over the delay. On the other end of the spectrum, Fiat has announced that they do indeed plan to bring the miniscule but legendary 500 to the states, possibly as soon as December. No comment as to whether we can hope for the 1.3-liter MultiJet diesel variation. I’m assuming that the Jeep-badged Iveco is still even further out.

Good causes Navigating around something very large is a popular way to raise awareness for your cause, and we have a couple such alternatively fueled endeavors for you to watch.

On a slightly smaller scale, former off-shore oil driller and current author Paul Carter has been circumnavigating Australia on a biodieselpowered motorcycle.

Photo by Bridgette O'Leary

Project Evie is headed up by a group of relative youngsters who are planning a global circumnavigation in an all-electric vehicle, to increase awareness of what electric vehicles can accomplish and to address the issue of “range anxiety,” or the consumer perception of how far a “tank” of electricity will go. Their route includes the U.S., so I’d tell you to keep your eyes open for them, but they have yet to disclose what they will be driving. My best guess: an e6 from the Chinese manufacturer BYD. The specs for the e6 sound impressive on paper, and the Project Evie trip would be a great chance to prove them on a real road. project-evie.org

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Two years ago a motorcycle called the BioBike made headlines by winning the alternative fuel class of the World Solar Challenge race, held yearly in Australia. A Yanmar engine modified to run on biofuel powered the bike, which was created by mechanical engineering students at the university of Adelaide. Mr. Carter painted the bike black, rechristened it Black Betty, and made plans to run it all the way around Australia, fueled the whole way on biodiesel. Despite more than a few setbacks, both mechanical and physical, the bike and Paul have made it most of the way. Once he returns, the students at Adelaide are working up another vehicle that Paul plans to run over a dry lakebed at speeds in excess of 160mph, to set a new biodiesel land speed record—a bit of a challenge compared to the 55mph top end of the little Yanmar. thegoodoil.tv

Overland Journal Summer 2010

NEWS FROM THE TRADE Exploring the newest gear for overlanding By Scott Brady & Jeremy Edgar

Caribou External Quick Fasten System $23 to $104 (kit only)

Hema Navigator 5” $869

The Hema Navigator 5” (HN5) is the first comprehensive portable navigation system that incorporates both street and backcountry nav applications. In an effort to eliminate the need to use a laptop for advanced navigation software, Hema developed this five-inch touch-screen GPS device to run three different nav applications on Windows CE. Street nav is handled by Route 66, which utilizes the latest NAVTEQ street maps and points of interest. OziExplorer handles the 4WD nav, and allows you to load in Hema digital maps or any other georeferenced map you may have. Topo navigation can be done in the Memory Map application. With a micro SD card slot, the user should be able to load many gigabytes of maps, routes and waypoints. The unit also comes ready for rear view camera input. With a four-hour battery life, one could even take the unit out of the vehicle on a short hike. hemanavigator.com.au, 07-3340-0075

Caribou Luggage has developed a method to secure Pelican (or similar) cases to a vehicle without the use of ropes or straps. The External QFS utilizes L-brackets that bolt to a flat surface in a vehicle or on a roof rack. Two flat plates then bolt to a sidewall of the case, (requiring the user to drill two holes per bracket). An external quarter-turn fastener ensures that the cargo box remains affixed to the vehicle. Optional rail mounts are available, as well as pre-drilled Caribou brand cargo boxes. The External QFS kits come in either regular or heavy duty, in quantities of one to four brackets. cariboufasten.com, 303-786-8947

Trasharoo $45

Storing trash while on the trail is always a challenge, especially with a smaller vehicle such as a Land Rover or Jeep. Constructed from 900-denier canvas and designed to carry a 50-pound load, the Trasharoo secures to the spare tire for ease of access while in camp, or when picking up all those discarded Bud Light cans and other trash found along the trail. It fits a standard 30-gallon trash bag and includes additional pockets for storing recovery gear, gloves and other items. Designed to fit up to a 40-inch tire. trasharoo.com, 714-854-7292

Overland Journal Summer 2010

NEWS FROM THE TRADE Exploring the newest gear for overlanding

AltRider R1200 GSA Side Stand Pad $37 The 1200 GSA is a heavy bike, so much so that deploying the side stand in soft terrain can result in a bike on its side, resting on that beautiful cylinder. The factory side stand also cants the bike at a considerable angle, making it difficult to lift upright if the pad has sunk in mud or sand. To address this issue and ease deployment, AltRider has designed a bolt-on foot that increases the surface area to distribute the load, while avoiding rattling or contact against the bike when the stand is stowed. Made from 1/8-inch stainless steel, the design includes a tread pattern on the side to grip the rider’s boot and also help prevent the bike from sliding. Four Torx fasteners secure the foot to prevent loosening. altrider.com, 206-922-3618

Baja Designs Stryker $298

From the manufacturer of our Gear 2010 Editor’s Choice Award, Baja Designs has developed a powerful LED motorcycle and bicycle headlamp. The Stryker is a multi-mode unit boasting output up to 800 lumens, with a daylight-like 5700-degree color temperature. The light is ruggedized and waterproof to 33 feet. The system is delivered with a swappable battery pack (three to 12 hours of light output, depending on mode) and handlebar mount. Also available is a helmet mount, headlamp strap, and a wrist mount. Our team used the light during the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo MTB race with excellent results. Impressively, the unit includes a lifetime warranty. bajadesigns.com, 760-560-2252

Bolt Vehicle Keyed Locks $27 Wouldn’t it be convenient if all the security locks in and around your vehicle worked on the same key? Strattec has developed a padlock, a six-foot cable lock, and a receiver lock, all utilizing an automotive grade, six-plate tumbler with side bar cylinder, which can be keyed to most vehicles by inserting the vehicle’s key into the lock and rotating ¾ turn. This sets the locks to the same key as your vehicle, reducing the bulk of your keychain and the chance of losing that little key you put in the glovebox. Quite an impressive innovation in locks. boltlock.com, 414-247-3333

Overland Journal Summer 2010

NEWS FROM THE TRADE Exploring the newest gear for overlanding

Tuffy Concealed Carry Drawer $99

IPF Seven-Inch Headlight $182

This high-security 16-gauge steel security drawer mounts under the driver’s side seat in a Jeep JK and provides 324 cubic inches of lockable storage. The secured contents are easily accessed by the driver using the pull lever. Tuffy’s PryGuard Locking System with a 10-tumbler double-bitted security lock otherwise denies access. The design incorporates a heavy-duty fully extending slide system, weather-seal, and welded construction. A formed rib in the enclosure additionally strengthens the locking system. It mounts using factory hardware—no drilling required. (Optional security hardware is included which requires drilling one hole.) Manufactured in the U.S. tuffyproducts.com, 970-564-1762

Designed specifically for the Jeep Wrangler JK, ARB worked with IPF to develop a 7-inch round replacement lamp for the new model Jeep. It changes the lighting performance by shifting the beam pattern reflector from behind the bulb to the glass element in front. It also changes the lens from a plastic dome on the factory unit to hardened glass. Installation is quick with the supplied adapters, and the use of an H4-style bulb provides easy service and replacement. arbusa.com, 866-293-9083 22

Ravelco Anti-Theft Device $470 Overlanders worry rightfully about having an expensive vehicle stolen far from home (or, for that matter, at home). We also worry about having an expensive alarm system fail, leaving the vehicle disabled. The Ravelco solves both problems. It’s not an alarm, and it has no moving parts. Yet after over four million installations, not a single vehicle has been stolen by bypassing the device. A simple dash receptacle mates with a keychain plug. Without the plug, the vehicle will not run. Behind the dash, steel-shielded conduit contains a wiring bundle running to a control center of the vehicle—computer, starter, ignition—varying with installation. But even with access to the wiring, a thief is faced with 100,000 possible combinations to connect the right circuits. You could leave your Hummer parked in Juarez and not worry a bit. Look for an installation and complete test in one of our vehicles soon. ravelco.com, 281-341-6222

Overland Journal Summer 2010

OVERLAND NEWS Showcasing expedition travelers and resources from around the globe By Sam Watson, FRGS

Royal Geographical Society

Overland Travel Workshop

arly summer saw the second Royal Geographical Society Overland Travel Workshop, in the hills of northern England. The sleepy Yorkshire village of Terrington awoke to the rumble of diesels as overlanders from all corners of the U.K., the U.S., and Europe arrived to swap stories, spin yarns round campfires, and join in with the two-day lecture programme. The RGS, based in Kensington in London, has been supporting global exploration since 1830. Amongst their list of Fellows are names such as Shackleton, Scott, and Livingstone, and this is the second time they have sponsored this gathering of overlanders. The aim was quite simple—to bring together experienced overland travellers, those who would like to be overland travellers, and the suppliers of equipment and knowledge to support both groups, and to get all three chatting in a relaxed and convivial way.

Of course, Sunday evening came all too soon, and the rumbling herd reluctantly departed—some to Asia, some to different parts of Africa, some were heading over the Pond stateside, and some, well, they were just content to dream. Land Rovers, Toyotas, Jeeps, Fords, G-Wagens, a Hummer, and some large overland trucks mixed with kitted-up KTMs and BMWs in what was obviously much more of a happy community than merely a gathering of disparate folk, and the talks, laughter, drinking and singing round campfires drifted well into the starlit nights. Plans were made and friendships forged, and when the time came to finally kick the tyres, douse the fires and head on out, it was a case of “Same time next year – and tell us where you’ve been!” The Royal Geographical Society 2011 Overland Travel Workshop is set for the last weekend of May next year. Contact the organiser, Sam Watson, at the Royal Geographical Society for information. watsonsam@talk21.com or surf to rgs.org

The focus of the workshop was a programme of ten lectures, which ranged from Overland Journal’s own Tom Sheppard, who enthralled and inspired everyone with “Lessons learned from 50 years of desert travel,” to the experienced Camel Trophy mechanic Ben Stowe, who had the audience scribbling copious notes with his “Bush repairs and servicing” course. Along the way, other speakers gave the lowdown on how to ship your vehicle to Australia or into Africa (and what to do when you get there!), advice on routes to take round Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, as well as tips on medical procedures and equipment.

Just as useful was the attendance by Europe’s top overland vehicle outfitters, who brought many useful pieces of equipment to be haggled over, poked and prodded, tried and tested by the assembled crowds. Eezi-Awn and MyWay roof tents did well, as did Adventure Trailers, although in fact everyone concerned had a hugely enjoyable and productive weekend. Adding to the general atmosphere was the provision of a range of African and Asian food at the free buffet, and also a substantial amount of that non-vehicle-specific lubricant, beer—lagers from Namibia and Kenya stood alongside the specially-brewed “Overlander” English dark ale.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

A wolf in the Lower Tatra Mountains in Slovakia. Photo by Tomáš Hulík. Overland Journal Summer 2010

‘Wolves are too rare to stumble onto, and too wary to be fooled by common photographer tricks. Even glimpses of them are rare. They’re secretive and mysterious, and their story is often revealed only through the tracks in the snow’. Jim Brandenburg ~ Brother Wolf: A Forgotten Promise

Tracks in the Snow Volunteers help biologists assure wolves can continue to co-exist with people in a storybook setting By Ann Lockley Overland Journal Summer 2010

Overland Journal Summer 2010

My conversation with Roseann Hanson at ConserVentures went something like this: “Ann, how would you like to go to Slovakia . . . ” “Yes!” “ . . . in February . . . ” “Sure!” “…to track wolves and lynx…” “YES!!” Roseann paused for a breath. I was too excited to breathe. 31

The setting Two decades ago Slovakia emerged from behind the shattered Iron Curtain like a lost Grimm’s Fairy Tale, full of dark forests and darker castles. After a peaceful divorce from the Czech Republic in 1992, the country faced the future with a strong ethnic identity (a Slavic presence since 500 A.D.), a struggling economy—and an unknown number of wolves that had somehow survived the serial upheavals of the 20th century by hiding in the vastnesses of the Tatra and Carpathian Mountains. Today Slovakia’s national identity is stronger than ever, and its economy is vibrant. But how many wolves have survived into the 21st century is still a matter of conjecture, if not outright guesswork. Talk to some farmers and hunters and they’ll tell you a thousand or more; a few activists claim the number is barely a tenth that. What is the real number, and how can those wolves survive into the 22nd century and beyond while co-existing with humans? That’s what I and nine other volunteers were here to help biologist Robin Riggs figure out, under the auspices of Biosphere Expeditions.

Overlooking the Liptov Basin and the Váh River. Photo by Robin Riggs. Top: A young male or full-grown female lynx print. Photo by Ann Lockley.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

A Biosphere Expeditions Land Rover 110. Photo by Ann Lockley.

Why volunteer?

As travelers, we have an innate desire to explore and learn about the areas we visit. It is the main reason most of us travel. We spend part of each day investigating this new world around us, interacting with locals, and building memories. We are taught not to leave a trace, to pack out what we pack in. But what about leaving a mark beyond a fire ring and a few dollars spent in an impoverished country? In a place such as Slovakia, the simple act of donating something as ethereal as time can make a difference, and there is something unbelievably fulfilling about being useful rather than a simple traveler. What about actively seeking out ways to help a cause you believe in while traveling? If you know you will be in a country or area at a certain time, why not do some research to find out if there are any conservation, environmental, research, or community projects you could help? The opportunity to crawl out from behind the wheel and give back to a country that has given you days, weeks, or months of enjoyment and memories is worth far more then the time invested. You have been given something momentous; you can give back something equally valuable by building a school, repairing a bridge, cleaning up an abused wilderness area—or following tracks in the snow.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Hunters, farmers, herders, and scientists Riggs, founder of the Slovak Wildlife Society, believes the actual number of Slovakian wolves to be around 400 individuals at the end of each summer. However, by the end of the winter, that number drops by up to a third, due to the natural environmental culling of old or weak members of the pack, and the effects of the hunting season. In Europe, wolves are considered “strictly protected fauna species,” and under the 1979 Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife & Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention), deserve to be “specially protected.” This provision was written to “prohibit the killing and capture of wolves, or the destruction of dens, and to prevent the trade in wolves and wolf skins,” but unfortunately it lacks any real teeth, since many of the countries that signed the provision have chosen to exempt the wolf from legislative protection. Slovakia is one of them. In Europe, where prey is not as prevalent as in areas such as North America, wolves may range up to 200 kilometers in search of food, preferring mountainous areas above 300 meters elevation, where red deer, roe deer, and wild boar are most common. Because much of the lowlands in Slovakia have been plowed for crop farms, livestock share the mountains with the carnivores—and predation on sheep puts wolves in the unwanted media spotlight. Although the actual percentage of sheep lost to wolves is less than one percent per year, farmers and many hunt-

ers feel the number of wolves in the country is too high, estimating a population in excess of 1,200 animals. For the 2009/2010 hunting season, Riggs helped to finally set in place a government-regulated cull quota of 140 wolves per year, and a season shortened by six weeks. Given a historical average of 88 recorded wolf kills per year, the higher quota will theoretically dissuade poaching and potentially allow hunters to take more animals, yet the shorter season should actually make this quite impossible. The next step is to collect hard data to back up Riggs’s beliefs, and hopefully find a way to increase the population of wolves in Slovakia— but more importantly to protect and increase their habitat, find ways for farmers to live in peace with wolves, and still keep the hunters content.

“Never have I ever tracked a wolf ” Tracey was in Slovakia to try something completely different. Alex was there to live his biology student dream. Danielle was there to enjoy the mountains and wilderness. I was there as a journalist. The 10 volunteers came from very different backgrounds, with different reasons for participating in this conservation project, yet what brought us together was a need to be of “use.” Volunteer tourism is growing in popularity throughout the world, but it’s not a new concept. In the early 1960s, the Peace Corps gave young adults the opportunity to travel and experience new cultures while volunteering their time to help improve impoverished communities. Even the push by the U.S. Parks Department in the 1920s to make the national parks a popular travel destination was a form of volunteer tourism—without the support of the country behind them, the natural resources of the parks would not be there for us to enjoy today. Biosphere Expeditions, the non-profit wildlife conservation organization behind our wolf project, began as a moment of revelation for managing director Dr. Matthias Hammer. “I was nearly at the end of my schooling,” explains Matthias about the final few months acquiring his Ph.D. in biology at Cambridge University. He was realizing that the world of academia was not necessarily the life he had dreamt of since childhood. The endless hours of pencil pushing, administration, and ivory-tower politicizing paled against his infrequent and brief stints working as a field biologist. “And I thought, maybe this is not what I want to do after all!” Throughout his time at Oxford, followed by Cambridge, Matthias had led fellow students on expeditions. “I really enjoyed that,” continues Matthias. “I had spent time in the military so I had organizational and leadership skills, and, obviously, was into biology. Then someone said to me, ‘Why don’t you have people get you to take them on expeditions?’” In that moment of revelation, Matthias saw Biosphere Expeditions almost as it is today. He did some research and found that it was a viable concept, took a business course, and in 1999, BE started their first expedition: a wolf-tracking project in Poland. “The Polish hunters figured they had 150 wolves and that if they shot 50, they would still have 100 left over.” After the four-year study was complete, the hard data was far different. Research revealed the numbers to be closer to 30. The Polish government stopped issuing licenses.

Matthias says, “It was a great resolution, and immediate, at least in the terms of biology where everything takes forever.” More importantly, it gave the young organization the understanding that yes, it could make a difference. Fast-forward a decade. Biosphere Expeditions now operates a dozen projects throughout the world each year, and is once again protecting wolves from over-hunting while helping to improve the human/ carnivore relationship.

Changing views of conservation Wildlife conservation as a field encompasses the protection, preservation, management, and study of wildlife and wildlife resources. It has grown and changed over the last several decades, with major shifts in how we look at managing species in danger. “L. David Mech has been doing wolf research for over fifty years,” states Matthias. “His conclusions are obviously about wolves, but are relevant to conservation subjects elsewhere. What he says is that we need to get away from numbers and focus on increasing habitat.” Wolves survive across a lot of range in multiple countries and their numbers are increasing, so as a species, they are flourishing. “Habitat encroachment is one of the five big problems in conservation, so if we can create more suitable habitat for them, it guarantees their survival.” Matthias continues, “The second part to Mech’s approach is that you need the cooperation of the people who live with the animals for any conservation project to work. In Slovakia, there are hunters, farmers, and urban people, and whether you like their argument or not they all have legitimate points. You need as many sectors of society as possible to accept your program. If certain groups, such as hunters, do not accept what you are trying to do, some of them will just poach. The flip side to this is that the other sectors must accept a wolf cull quota, but it guarantees the cooperation of the potentially most destructive influence on wolf numbers.” Tracking and collection of what biologists refer to as spoor—hair, urine, scat, etc.—is considered a “non-invasive survey method,” meaning the animals are not directly observed or disturbed in any way. Humans have used non-invasive survey methods for millennia to gather data on various species, but only in the last decade has the introduction of DNA evaluation drastically enhanced this form of research. Now, instead of just observing the tracks and spoor left behind, DNA analysis can identify not just the species, but an individual animal, its sex, community relationships, and genetic relatedness, as well as accurate information on diet, stress, viruses, and internal parasites. “Non-invasive methods are very labor-intensive,” explains Riggs. “They need a lot of people-hours, which makes it ideal for volunteers since we can cover so much more then we would be able to do on our own.”

Overland Journal Summer 2010

For professional use only 34

My next conversation, this time with Matthias, went something like this: “It is well below freezing here, so you will need to bring appropriate cold weather gear. But that should be easy for you, being from Canada.” “Well—I don’t actually own a winter coat . . . ” “What do you mean, you don’t own a winter coat?” “I’ve never needed one before . . . ” “You live in Canada; how can you possibly say you never needed a winter coat?” “Where I live it rarely drops below freezing . . . ” “What about skiing?” “I am a sailor, not a skier . . . ” “How can you call yourself Canadian if you’ve never seen snow?” I was speechless. Matthias was laughing too hard to talk. So began a mad rush to acquire appropriate cold-weather gear. I needed everything from the ground up, and given the cost of even the cheapest mountaineering gear I also needed some assistance. Help came in the form of someone I had met briefly at the Overland Expo in 2009, a smokejumper by profession as well as a product tester for the U.S. government. Two weeks later I stepped off the train in Liptovský Mikuláš in what I am sure was the only pair of Italian-made wildland firefighting mountaineering boots in all of Slovakia. It wasn’t until the last day that anyone noticed the logo: Cosmas—for professional use only, which, understandably, sparked a series of probing questions. Considering they were designed to protect from severe heat, not severe cold, the boots performed better then anyone imagined, and after a week in snowshoes Overland Journal Summer 2010

Top: Alex and Isabelle practice orienting in a snowed-in landscape. Biosphere Expeditions Land Rovers at work. Photos by Ann Lockley.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

I was one of only two volunteers who did not have blisters, hot spots, or pressure sores. I never did find a winter coat, but I did have enough cold weather gear that my duffel was also the largest, most unruly bag to ever get stuffed onto a train in Slovakia.

The Slovak Pub and Pod Dobakum

Part of the group I was to work with decided to meet for dinner at the Slovak Pub the night we arrived in Bratislava. The largest restaurant in the city, the second-story pub comprises a series of rooms strung haphazardly together, each depicting a different era of Slovakian history, from Pagan times through to the revival era of the 19th century. Our party of nine was seated in the cottage room, surprisingly fitting considering the log-house style walls, decorations, and art work were the actual interior of the Pavelica family cottage in the Liptovský area, where we would be spending the next week in our own cottage. The evening was spent telling stories, drinking local beer, and enjoying traditional Slovakian food. Having just stepped off 24 hours worth of flights and layovers, it had not really sunk in that I was in another country until someone, I am not sure who, commented as we were leaving that the stairs, worn from centuries of use, were older than my entire country. Saturday morning the first official day of our wolf project arrived. A five-hour train ride took us to Liptovský Mikuláš, where we met Matthias, Robin, and our host, Robert, in three amusingly zebra-striped Biosphere Expedition Land Rovers. Once at Pod Dobakum, our base camp, we were given our room assignments, told to settle in, and be back downstairs in 15 minutes. We were two or three to a room, each with its own restroom. The larger rooms had a lower seating area, table and chairs, and buffet with stairs to three beds in the loft area. My bunkmates, Julie from England and Danielle from France, and I quickly put our bags down before rushing downstairs to the common area for the start of our classroom work. The first day and a half was spent teaching us the skills we would need in the field. We learned how to locate and identify the traces left behind by wolves, lynxes, brown bears, wild boar, and deer, as well as how to collect and document our finds. After species identification came the hands-on training. VHF radios, GPS, binoculars, topo maps, and, of course, the trusty compass were all covered. For those in the group who spent time in the wilds this was a good review, but for those who had never used the equipment before it was a time of stretching comfort zones and learning new skills. “‘Fred’ is the red arrow,” explains Matthias, during Compass Lessons 101 on Saturday afternoon. “Fred always points to relative north. Now, the two hollow lines that swivel with the bevel are the ‘shed.’ To take a bearing, you must put Fred in the shed.” After spending a few hours in the classroom, we bundled up in our winter clothes to practice taking a compass bearing a short way up the road. It was a cold, foggy day in the lowlands. With scenes from Doctor Zhivago going through my mind, the endless view of white was surreal. From what seemed like miles away, the sound of a big diesel motor starting up and lumbering under a heavy weight disturbed the peace, and images of an old Russian Prada or some other communist-era rig Overland Journal Summer 2010

came to mind. Ten minutes later, a John Deere tractor drove past pulling a heavily loaded trailer of hay. I guess communism really is a thing of the past in modern Slovakia. That evening, to practice how to make a track with the GPS from the comfort of the Land Rover Discovery 3, Matthias took a few of the participants on a “booze cruise”—a trip to the local Tesco to stock up on alcohol for the week. Communism may be gone, but some things will never change.

Hitting the trails In an attempt to ascertain our fitness levels and backcountry experience, expedition leader Malika Fettak and Matthias took us on a short but deadly trail up a partially frozen creek bed on Sunday, our first full day at base camp. Cross-country walking in the Tatra Mountains in winter is a challenge. You take one step forward, slide back half a step, and take another step forwards. Snowshoes help but cause other challenges and you feel like you are in a constant battle with your clothes, adjusting how many layers you are wearing. You start out with too many layers on, stripping off as you go. Then you stop for a tea break or to collect a sample and need to quickly pile them back on, only to remove them again within in a few steps. With our scientist, Robin Riggs, and local wildlife photographer/ videographer, Tomáš Hulík, in the lead, the pace was set at “only experienced should follow.” I’m not sure if I even saw them at any time on the hike, and learned a valuable lesson that day about combining jet lag, dehydration, and elevation: when you hit the wall athletes talk about, it hurts. A lot. It also scares the heck out of you. From that day forward, however, the large group was broken up into four or five smaller teams, and trail choice was based on fitness level. The pace was set in order to spot tracks, meaning if the trail was wide and simple, you moved quickly; if the terrain was complicated with dense brush, you moved more slowly. Although still a strenuous workout, the beauty of the area and camaraderie of the group kept spirits high—and all exhaustion was forgotten when you found a track. Tracks tell a story. Learning to read that story opens up an entirely new world to explore, allowing a glimpse into the life of the animal. The first tracks our group found Monday morning from a target species were from a lynx, along a well-used path only one kilometer from town. You could easily visualize his movements as he came onto our path from up a wooded hill, crossed over, leaped through some deep snow to get to the river for a drink, and then proceeded to jump over the river to climb up a steep slope of fallen trees and debris. We were heroes that day for finding the most interesting tracks, and the following day, Tomáš and Jeanette tracked the lynx up the slope to find more information about its movements.

Life at Pod Dobakum At the end of each day in the field, the common area of Pod Dobakum became the hub of activity as teams discussed their day and entered finds into the computer. This was my favorite part of the day, sitting with a steaming cup of tea as each person told stories of individual challenges and the excitement of finding a track or a bit of frozen urine.

Top: Checking the direction of travel of a bear. Photo by Robin Riggs. Lower left: Colder than certain parts of Canada. Photo by Ann Lockley. Lower right. Brown bears, too, survive in Slovakia. Photo by Tomáš Hulík.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

By far the quietest, most unassuming person of our group was Danielle. From the border area of France and Switzerland, her accent made even words like “carcass” sound charming, and her proximity to the Alps gave her a love of the mountains. On Wednesday, our resident videographer Tomáš took Danielle with him to continue tracking the lynx from where he and Jeanette had left off the day before. From Jeanette, we had learned that Tomáš had no difficulties following the adept cat over any terrain. Steep climbs, rough scrag, fallen trees—nothing stopped him except when he graciously waited for her to get unstuck from branches and un-high-centered off logs. It was growing dark outside when Tomáš and Danielle finally made it back to base camp. Walking into the cottage looking utterly exhausted, Tomáš dropped everything, cracked a giant bottle of beer, and flopped into the nearest chair. “Danielle is a mountain goat!” was all he could say before downing the beer in one go. Danielle came in a few minutes later, looking refreshed and quite oblivious to having walked the legs off of Tomáš. That same day I took off from tracking to nurse the last vestige of my wall-hitting ordeal on Sunday, a left hip that felt like it was on fire. Instead, I took the opportunity to go for a gentle walk with our host, Robert, and his dog, around Dúbrava and Svätý Kríz, the towns near base camp. Robert had lived in England for several years, then returned to Slovakia to help his family manage Pod Dobakum. He had an ear for languages, greeting each of us in our native tongue, and an amazing memory for details, remembering all our likes and dislikes from the first day on. Our walk took us past a tserkvas, a Gothic articulated wooden church built during the reign of Emperor Leopold I at the end of the 17th century, when Slovakia was a part of Hungary. The church is one of the largest wooden buildings in central Europe—the cross-shaped structure is 43 meters long and seats 6,000 people. It is made entirely from wood. In an attempt to squash the Lutheran religion, Leopold Overland Journal Summer 2010

Top: A lynx eyes the photographer. Photo by Tomáš Hulík. The all-wood 17th-century Gothic church called a tserkvas. Photo by Ann Lockley.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

wanted to make it as difficult as possible for the people to practice their religion, so no metal was allowed in the building. Additionally, the front access gate had to be located on the far side from the town, requiring the devoted to walk far out of their way to attend services. We passed the town square and a memorial to the Red Army, which liberated Slovakia from the Germans on April 4, 1945, after 80 days of harsh fighting known as the Slovak National Uprising. Although the red flag with the infamous hammer and sickle was obvious by its absence, the memorial also stands as a daily reminder of the four and a half decades of oppression brought by the purported liberators. The last stop on our walk was to visit the now empty house of Robert’s elderly friend, who had died several months earlier. The tiny, peaceful cottage, draped in ragged Buddhist prayer flags and sitting amongst the barren winter fields of northern Slovakia, seemed in stark and uplifting contrast to the communist memorial missing its flag less than a kilometer away.

A good use for bad history The Slovak Wildlife Society needed thousands of strips of brightly colored material attached to rope—called flaggery—to demonstrate to local farmers that there were ways to keep livestock safe without killing carnivores. But where could they get volunteers to make the strips, and the material? Someone thought of schoolchildren—and remembered as well that every school in the country had piles of old red communist flags gathering dust in their attics. Why not make it a competition? “On some of them,” laughs Robin Riggs, “you can still see the letters from communist slogans.”

Many schools from the area surrounding the Lower Tatras participated, and the school that produced the most flaggery won a small statue of a wolf and a trip to the farm to see their work in place. Flaggery had been tested in controlled and captive conditions at the Rome Zoo, and although color was not as much a deterrent as the tone of the material used, wolves would not cross the line of flags, even when their food was on the other side. The good news is, the farms that have installed flaggery have not lost any sheep within the flagged areas. The bad news is, the SWS have only been able to convince two farmers to try the technique. “So far the farmers and shepherds are skeptical and set in their ways,” explains Riggs. “They just do not think it is going to work.” “The best group to work with so far,” says Riggs, “are the beekeepers, for whom we have provided electric fences to protect their hives from bears. They tend to be older guys, quite educated, retired, and it is their hobby so they own the hives. They are really focused and highly motivated so that is going very well.” The SWS continues to work with farmers and shepherds on ways to protect their livestock from carnivores, including flaggery, electric fences, and dogs bred and raised to be flock guardians.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Golden chai, camera traps, and good-bye On Thursday, two late additions to our group arrived—reporters from Bratislava doing a piece on the Biosphere Expeditions’ wolf project. Bedraggled and weaving from having shared several bottles of “golden chai,” or slivovitz, the Slovak plum brandy that by law must contain at least 52 percent alcohol, the pair stood out amongst our already tight-knit group. They passed out just after dinner, however, and so didn’t interfere with our usual evening fun of movies and conversation. On Friday, our final day in the field, my team came across the tracks of four wolves that led us to the ultimate find—frozen feces rich with DNA information critical to the study. Once again we were heroes, and our only frustration was to be leaving the next day and to not be there when the tracks were followed. Our mood on that last evening at Pod Dobakum was only subdued by the solemn realization that our week of playing research scientists was over. Michael, the quiet Irishman, was the only one to have booked two slots for his holidays—he’d be staying the following week as well. The rest of us were, sadly, heading home. Matthias arranged with Robert to have mulled wine around a bonfire after dinner, and gave us his thanks for helping with the project before retiring to bed, since he was leaving early the next morning to drive to Germany. Like school children without a teacher around, the participants decided to play a rousing drinking game called “Never have I ever.” Similar to truth or dare, the game led to us finding out far more about each other than was probably safe, and, for some, a headache the following morning. After breakfast, we said our good-byes to Tomáš, the two reporters from Bratislava, Robert, his family, and Pod Dobakum before heading to the train. There we said good-bye to Michael and Robin before climbing onboard the train to Bratislava. Tracey, Julie, and Danielle left us at the train station to catch their flights home. Malika, Jeanette, Roy, Alex, and I made our way to our hotels, then met that evening for a last dinner at the Slovak Pub, and said our goodbyes after another traditional Slovak meal.

More tracks in the snow A month later I found myself driving through Utah on I-89 near Bryce Canyon. The snow was up to a meter deep in places, and everywhere I looked there were tracks. I stopped a couple of times and found tracks from many species and sizes of deer, dogs, smaller four legged scavengers, and what could only have been a large feline. How do I know? Retractable claws and an asymmetric shape. Thank you, Biosphere Expeditions. The Slovakian project was finished for the year by then. The two groups following ours had built on our findings, including a possible hunt site and many more samples of fur, urine, and feces to keep our scientist busy for the rest of the year. Over the next two years, six more groups will spend a week each in snowshoes and, although that feels like a long time to reach a conclusion, as Matthias says, “In terms of biology, everything takes forever.”

Win the trip of a lifetime

his is your chance to join a unique wildlife conservation expedition with Biosphere Expeditions.

Courtesy of its global partners Land Rover and Swarovski Optik, Biosphere Expeditions is offering two free places on any of its one-week projects or two-week expeditions, except those to Africa. And there’s more: next to the main prize of joining the expedition there are Swarovski binoculars and Land Rover off-road driving courses to be won. All you have to do is be prepared for an expedition (not some luxury vacation!) and tell us who you are, why we should take you on and what you think you can contribute to the expedition.

Biosphere Expeditions Biosphere Expeditions is an award-winning, non-profit organization offering hands-on wildlife conservation expeditions as an adventure with a purpose for everyone. Projects are not tours, photographic safaris or excursions, but genuine wildlife expeditions placing ordinary people with no research experience alongside scientists who are at the forefront of conservation work. Biosphere Expeditions always work with local scientists and people from the host country, and at least twothirds of the expedition income is spent on the project directly. Teams are small and an expedition leader from Biosphere Expeditions will be by your side. More information www.biosphere-expeditions.org

First and second prize: Expeditions First and second prize: participate in a one-week project or two-week expedition of your choice. As a winner you can choose freely between any of Biosphere Expeditions’ one-week projects or twoweek expeditions (except those to Africa). www.biosphere-expeditions.org

Third and fourth prize: Swarovski Optik EL 32 TRAVELER binoculars It is the detail that makes the moment unique and turns an expedition into an unforgettable experience. This is when perfect and light-weight binoculars are essential: absolutely sharp, precise and in diamond-bright, lifelike colors they provide glimpses which would otherwise remain hidden for ever. More information www.swarovskioptik.com

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No more excuses: do your part for the biosphere. www.biosphere-expeditions.org/competition-usa Deadline: November 1, 2010. Images © Matthias Hammer, Andreas Hub, Wouter Kingma & Glenn McFarlane

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Slovakia Trip

Study Area

Cartography by David Medeiros (mapbliss.com)

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Free Range Fridges We evaluate the latest crop of overlanding’s most decadent—and worshiped—appliance

Three years on, we reprise our second major equipment test with (mostly) all-new models By Graham Jackson Photography by Brian Slobe

Overland Journal Summer 2010

We’d made a severe miscalculation. Well, to be fair, I had. It was a hot Saturday afternoon, and Brian Slobe and I had just completed half the photo shoot for this article, when, coming into the house in search of refreshment, we discovered an unlikely and distressing fact: We had four fridges, 96 beers—and only one cold one. I dutifully gave it to Brian’s wife, Debbie, while cursing myself for poor planning. Planning ahead is what refrigerators are all about. Whether it be cooling a beer for the evening camp, keeping meat fresh for the first two weeks of the Canning Stock Route, or keeping insulin at four degrees Celsius for nine months so it doesn’t go bad under the African sun, a refrigerator enhances comfort, extends range—and allows some who could not go otherwise, to go overlanding. In my opinion, a fridge is the first and best modification that should be made to an overland vehicle. So, following on from Chris Marzonie’s fridge review in the Summer 2007 issue of Overland Journal, we will cover some of the new and updated fridges to enter the market in the past three years. As in the previous fridge review, these units are all true fridge/freezers with heavy-duty, low-amperage-draw compressors specifically designed to run on a variety of voltages from 12VDC to 240VAC. They all use 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (known variously as R-134a, HFC-134a and Suva 134a) as a refrigerant in a sealed system. There are many sizes of fridge on the market, but the 45-liter seems to be the most popular, and that’s the size we targeted for this test.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Test procedures We ran three performance tests on each fridge, one based on temperature and two based on power. In addition to the usual weights and dimensions, we checked a couple of parameters not regularly listed by manufacturers, which I think are instructive if not critical for fridge choice. First is the total height of the fridge when open, as some vehicles have a fairly low interior ceiling. Second is the wall thickness of the fridge, which should give an indication of insulation efficiency, and related to that is the percentage of the total volume of the unit (footprint times height) that is usable interior space; this tells us how efficiently the fridge is packaged and how well the manufacturer maximized interior room. These numbers are also included on the data sheet.

Speed and insulation This test measured the speed of each fridge to cool down when empty, as well as the efficiency of the insulation to keep the interior cool when the power is off. We suspended a thermometer as close to the center of the cabinet as possible, then set the control to the lowest temperature and let the fridge run for 45 minutes, taking temperature measurements every five minutes. If the fridge had a turbo or fast-freeze mode, we used that setting. At the 45-minute mark we switched off the fridge and timed how long it took to come back to 50°F, again noting temperatures every five minutes. The results of this test are shown on chart 1, with a performance explanation accompanying each fridge review.

Workhorse cool-down In order to test the power draw of the fridge under harsh use conditions, we loaded each with the maximum number of beer cans possible, and set it to cool down to 45°F from ambient temperature. Given the heat capacity of liquid, this is a severe challenge for any fridge. The thermometer was suspended in the liquid (in a specially sacrificed Fat Tire can) as close to the center of the cabinet as possible. Instead of cooling as fast as possible we simply set the target to 45°F, giving a true measure of how long it takes to get to the target temperature, and mimicking how people will likely use the fridge. The test was run for six hours, and for the first and last two hours we collected temperature and amp draw readings every 30 minutes. We used a kilowatt meter to measure total power consumed by the fridge over the six hour period, which was recorded in kilowatt hours and converted to amp-hours for applicability here. Of interest are the actual achieved temperature and the total power draw, and these are shown on chart 2.

“Here’s to a long life, and a merry one; a quick death, and an easy one; a pretty girl, and an honest one; a cold beer— and another one!” - Old Irish toast (Editor’s note: “cold” beer in an “old” Irish toast? Hmm . . . )

Glutton or miser? More important than power consumed to cool down is power consumed to maintain a set temperature. For this test we measured the power consumed by each fridge while maintaining a set temperature for two hours. The ambient temperature during the test was 91°F.

Noise In quiet places, any noise at night can wake you up. If you’re sleeping on or in your vehicle, the fridge compressor can be just such a noise generator. After many months, I found it to be soothing, but for those who dislike any audible disturbance, we measured the noise produced by each fridge with the compressor and fan on. The meter was held six inches from the compressor cooling vents and a peak and an average decibel sound level was recorded. Overland Journal Summer 2010

Engel MT45F-U1

$805

his will mark a first in Overland Journal history: the third review of a single product. In the last fridge review Chris tested the Engel MT45 and the ARB MT45F-AL, which were virtually identical to the unit that Engel sent to us for this review. We had asked for their new composite MR040F, but the company declined, preferring to send the old stand-by, and not even the Series II version at that. (We hear there have been some performance issues with the MR040F; we’ll report when we know more.) So, re-introducing the MT45: The MT45 has almost undoubtedly seen more overland miles than any other fridge on the market, and is legendary for its reliability. What it lacks are some of the control advancements seen in the other fridges. Unchanged in 40 years, the heart of the Engel is the Sawafuji swing motor, made exclusively by Sawafuji Electric Co. in Japan, based on a German design. The swing motor has only one moving part, the piston, which is actuated by electromagnets rather than connecting rods, crankshafts, and a regular rotating electric motor. The simplicity of the motor design results directly in the reliability of the fridge, and also allows it to operate in some pretty extreme environments and at angles up to 30 degrees. The swing motor is not as fast as the Danfoss compressor used in all the other fridges in this review, but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in reliability and miserly power usage. There is no built-in thermometer on the MT45, and thus no ability to set-and-forget a specific temperature, and no way to monitor the Overland Journal Summer 2010

cabinet temperature externally unless you buy a wireless accessory thermometer (which Engel does sell). Control is achieved with a single dial marked from “off ” to “freeze.” This requires a learning curve on dial setting when you first purchase an Engel and, inevitably, some mistakenly frozen food items. Once you learn the control idiosyncrasies of the Engel, you can’t help but be impressed by the build quality. A large basket fits the interior snugly, and sits atop a mat that allows lower air circulation. The evaporation plate is spaced out from the cabinet and I would have guessed that dirt would collect in that space, but we have never found that to be the case. The 12VDC electric cord has a traditional cigarette lighter plug (albeit a very high quality one) with an enclosed thermal fuse. However, experience has shown that this just isn’t a sturdy enough connection for real world use—a Hella plug, optional on all the other fridges, would be preferable. There is an additional 10amp spade fuse easily accessible on the back of the cabinet. The Engel is by a fraction the most efficiently packaged fridge here: 37.4 percent of the total volume is usable interior space. It holds 62 standard (12-ounce) cans. The speed and insulation test showed pretty clearly that the swing motor isn’t as fast as the Danfoss compressor. The Engel dropped to 15.6°F in 45 minutes—but it came into its own after the power was off. It took the Engel 155 minutes to warm up to 50°F, the second longest in the test despite starting from the highest temperature. This shows very good insulation properties, and surprised me because on a qualitative review I thought the Engel’s lid gasket to be inferior to the others in the test. For the workhorse-cooldown test the Engel came closest to the target temperature at 48.2°F, but used the second most power to get there: 16.7 amp-hours. Both numbers surprised me as I expected higher temperature and lower power consumption, but remember that the control for the Engel is very simple, and I set the dial to 2 with only experience to say that may be anywhere close to the correct temperature setting. The Engel proved to be pretty efficient when maintaining a set temperature, consuming 1.67 amp-hours for the two hour test. For the sound test, there was little to choose between the fridges, but the Engel had the quietest running average at 55 decibels with a 70 decibel peak. engel-usa.com, 561-743-7419

Pros:

• Legendary reliability • Solid build quality • Available accessories • Simple operation • Efficient insulation

Available accessories: • Transit bag • Transit slide lock • Hinge lock • Fridge slide • Drop slide • Two-Zone compartment • Additional baskets • Digital thermometer • Two-Zone fridge light

Cons:

• No temperature control on thermostat • Slower cooling • Only conventional cigarette lighter plug • Lid comes off very easily (too easily sometimes) • No internal light

3. 6.

Opposite: The Engel holds the 62 cans shown on top. 1. Feet can also serve as mounting points if solid mounting is desired; corners have plastic bumpers. 2. Interior shows well-fitting basket and lower mat for circulation. 3. Control is simple, but setting temperature is guesswork. 4. Single latch is easy to use unless transit bag is fitted, then it can be a bit difficult to access. 5. Electricity options are numerous, here showing 12VDC and 120VAC. 6. The 12VDC plug is cigarette lighter only, and contains a special thermal fuse (one replacement included). 7. Hinges allow easy lid removal; holes here show missing lid bumper, which fell off unnoticed at some point. 8. Sturdy handles can be oriented up or down and used as lashing points.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

National Luna Weekender 52-litre

ational Luna, from South Africa, makes a premium fridge—as one would expect given the premium price. A National Luna model won our first fridge review, and the Weekender 52 oozes the same kind of quality in both parts and build. Drop the lid closed from a couple of inches up and you’ll get a soft swish, proof that the lid gasket is making a firm seal all the way around the cabinet every single time. The attention to detail is superb and the features numerous. I’ll start where the fridge connects to your vehicle. The National Luna utilizes a Hella (also called Merit) plug rather than more traditional cigarette-lighter plug, and includes the female Hella socket to mount in your vehicle. Connection is made with a solid clip, rendering the chance of it falling out due to vibration near nil. Wiring from the plug is a stout 10-gauge loom that terminates in an Anderson Powerpole connector at the cabinet. An in-line 15-amp automotive spade fuse is easily accessible near the plugs on the fridge body. There is an automatic switching capacity, whereby the fridge will run the compressor in turbo (compressor full on) mode while plugged into AC, but use a more conservative mode when plugged into DC. A button on the front panel allows use of turbo mode when connected to DC. The front panel also has a battery voltage indicator (much like the indicator on the National Luna dual-battery monitor) and a control to select a shut-off voltage (choice of 9.5, 10.5 or 11.5 VDC). This serves to protect the battery from deep discharge and could save you needing a jump Overland Journal Summer 2010

$1,500

start if you forget to monitor the system. An alarm can be set to go off when the low voltage is reached. One complaint: the controls are low on the cabinet, where easy access could be an issue depending on mounting location in the vehicle. The body of the Weekender is stainless steel, which contributes to its high weight (61 pounds), but makes a very handsome and durable unit. Sturdy handles are easily strong enough to lift the fridge when fully loaded. The latches have a very positive feel to them and are lockable should that be required, while the lid can be oriented to open along either the long or short cabinet sides, with all the necessary hardware included. Mounted high on the inside wall of the fridge is a courtesy light that automatically activates on opening the lid. The stainless steel interior shows dirt more than the other fridges, but the smooth sides and base are easy to wipe down. An interior step over the compressor forms a bi-level compartment, and a basket suspends over the upper section. Gaps in the basket are very large, so small items may fall into the lower part of the fridge. Thirty-seven percent of the total fridge volume is usable interior space, showing how well packaged the Weekender is, and it can hold an astonishing 90 standard cans (equating to 45 beers a day for that ‘weekender’ trip). In the speed and insulation test the Weekender achieved a respectable 4.5°F in 45 minutes, then took a sleep-inducing 172 minutes to warm back up to 50°F, showing class leading insulation and sealing. In the workhorse cool-down test, the National Luna got to 57°F, highest in the group by a fraction, but did it using less than half the power of the next fridge, at 6.67 amp-hours. This efficient use of power shows the high quality of National Luna’s control over the Danfoss compressor, and really pushes this fridge into a class of its own. That was again shown on the glutton or miser test, where the Weekender matched the ARB for lowest power consumption at 0.83 amphours over the two hour test. On the noise side, the Weekender produced 56 decibels running and a 71-decibel peak. nationalluna.com; available from equipt1.com, 866-703-1026

Pros:

• High quality parts and build • Very spacious • Excellent compressor control • User-selectable control options and battery voltage indicator • Lid can be oriented for either side or end opening

Available accessories:

• National Luna Weekender mounting base • National Luna Weekender fridge protection jacket • FrontRunner universal fridge slide

Cons:

• Heavy • Very expensive • Controls low on the cabinet • Large openings in basket

2. 5.

3. 6.

1. Opposite: Largest capacity in the test, the Weekender swallows the 90 cans shown on top. 1. Lockable hasps. 2. Massive interior swallows groceries and beer. 3. Comprehensive control panel shows a lot of information but is mounted low on cabinet. 4. Cabinet light comes on when lid is opened. 5. No rubber or plastic feet, but lots of options for hard-mounting. 6. Both 12VDC and 120VAC cords are included; notice the fuse for the 12VDC side. 7. 12VDC parts are very high quality; Hella plug with receptacle is supplied, Anderson Powerpole plugs on the fridge end. 8. Sturdy handles can double as tie points.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

ARB Fridge/Freezer

$855

RB used to sell a re-badged Engel MT45, but recently designed and built an entirely new fridge, which they call the ARB Fridge/Freezer. The heritage of the MT45 is evident, but ARB changed to the Danfoss compressor, added some control refinements, and put a lot of thought into the design. I’ll start with the controls, which are mounted in the most ergonomic location in this group—right below the lid catch, high enough on the cabinet so the temperature readout can be seen easily. A power button is included (rare on fridges), as well as a function button and temperature increase and decrease buttons. The display can be switched between Fahrenheit and Celsius depending on user preference. A battery protection feature is included, allowing the user to select at what voltage (10.1, 11.4, 11.8 VDC) the fridge will shut down to protect the battery. This is a useful function, especially for those who do not have a dual-battery system installed in the vehicle. On first sight many people think the ARB fridge is made entirely of plastic, but in fact, although there is liberal use of plastic, the case is zinc-coated steel. This is the lightest fridge in the test at 47.3 lbs, yet it has the second highest internal volume at 48.7 liters. The interior contains a step over the compressor compartment, and ARB calls that section the “dairy/fruit cabinet,” since it maintains a slightly higher temperature than the main cabinet. Other nice details include an interior light that comes on when the lid is opened (although the light is a Overland Journal Summer 2010

little low in the cabinet), a removable divider for the main basket, and a drain plug. On the initial release of this fridge ARB received a lot of complaints about the latch mechanism, but they quickly modified the design and the current version seems very serviceable. It is plastic, but shuts with a resounding snap, and shouldn’t cause any issues unless the fridge is over-full and the lid not closed. The carrying handles are very sturdy rods embedded in wings on the cabinet; they don’t flex when using cinch straps to secure the fridge like the handles on the Engel (and older ARB Engel clone). The lid is very long, and the open height of the whole fridge is almost 44 inches, so careful planning on mounting location is critical. On the other hand, the lid stays securely on its hinges in normal use, but can snap out instantly if needed. The ARB employs an old-fashioned glass fuse rather than a modern spade-type fuse—why, I have no idea. On the plus side, the 12VDC cord is well-made, and the plug has a collar that will adapt it from a regular cigarette lighter socket to a Hella socket. As an accessory, ARB offers a wiring harness with the Hella socket for vehicle installation. In some vehicles, the rear power sockets see too much of a voltage drop from the battery to run a fridge properly, and ARB’s harness will bypass that problem. Interior volume is 36.7 percent of the total volume, making it very comparable to the National Luna and the Engel, and it’s capable of holding 71 standard cans. The speed and insulation test proved to be a challenge for the ARB, due to its interior layout. In the first 45 minutes of fast cool-down, the main compartment dropped to 6.6°F, but with no time to equalize, the dairy/fruit section only dropped to 45.5°F. So when the power was removed the warmer air in the dairy/fruit section helped to warm up the whole fridge, resulting in the curve seen on the graph and giving a pessimistic reading on the insulation. Taking this into account the insulation actually performs well—it kept the ARB from reaching 50°F for 132 minutes, exactly tying the Whynter, despite the extra warm air. The lowest temperature reached was second highest in the test, showing it is not a speed demon (and also likely due to the extra volume of air to cool), but it does not have a fast cool or turbo mode either. On the workhorse cool-down test the ARB had the second highest temperature at 56.8°F, but also the second lowest power draw at 15 amp-hours over the six hour test. For the glutton or miser test, the ARB matched the National Luna at 0.83 amp-hours for the two hour period. For sound, the ARB gave the noisiest 57 decibel running average and also the noisiest 77 decibel peak. arbusa.com, 866-293-9083

Pros:

• Dual compartments • Excellent control placement • Basket divider & drain • Solid build details

Cons:

• Very long lid • Light is low in cabinet • Glass fuse for 12VDC

Available accessories: • Neoprene transit bag • Canvas transit bag • ARB fridge tie down strap system • ARB slide system • 12V / 24V wiring loom

6. 2.

3. Opposite: ARB holds a surprising 71 cans, shown here on the lid. 1. Nice detail in the electric cord capture slot. 2. Controls are easy to use and directly below latch. 3. 12VDC and 120VAC cords are supplied, but glass fuse is sub-par; the dual cigarette lighter/Hella compatible 12V plug is a great touch, if slightly lower quality than actual Hella parts. 4. Light is activated by opening lid. 5. The latch benefited from an early upgrade and works very well. 6. Interior can be easily sectioned, and includes a warmer fruit/dairy area (gray). 7. Drain plug a nice feature for cleaning. 8. Feet screws can also serve for hard mounting.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Whynter FM-45G

$649

fully admit that I had never heard of Whynter or their fridge line before we got one for this review. Because of that I was very curious to see what a lower-cost fridge would look like, and how it would stack up to competition with which I was pretty familiar. First impression out of the box allows that the Whynter is pretty spartan in appearance, but it seems to have all the necessary parts: a Danfoss compressor, a temperature readout, sturdy handles, interior baskets, and massively thick cabinet walls. Looking at the walls, I really feared for the competition; the insulation capacity must be huge. On closer inspection, I began to have second thoughts. The caulking on the interior of the fridge compartment was badly applied, and in some places there was a gap between mating surfaces. The two interior baskets taper in at the bottom, reducing usable space significantly, to the tune of six more beer cans that will fit with the baskets removed. Also, the lid gasket was split on arrival. But none of this was as disconcerting as the complete silence that greeted me when I first plugged it in. While it turned out to be a known problem that the Whynter often arrives from the factory not working, and it is a simple fix (a matter of plugging in a connector on the control block, which Wil Kuhns of Sierra Expeditions can explain in detail), I still have to question anything that arrives broken, so the Whynter and I were off to a bad start. Overland Journal Summer 2010

On the control side, the readout displays temperature (although only in Fahrenheit), and is mounted low on the side of the cabinet, which could make it difficult to read depending on mount location. There is a fast-freeze function that will override the set temperature and run the fridge down to its lowest temperature of -8°F. No voltage cutout is built in, though the manual states that the fridge will switch off at 10.4VDC. The 12VDC plug has an adaption collar for use in either cigarette lighter sockets or Hella sockets—a nice touch. As far as I could find, there is no fuse on the 12VDC power side of the fridge, so circuit protection to the vehicle’s plug would be critical. The handles are sturdy, and the drain plug is a nice feature. Unfortunately the Whynter doesn’t use space efficiently (due to those thick walls); the interior space is only 33.2 percent of the total exterior volume, lowest in the test. It also has the smallest interior space, allowing 60 regular cans with the baskets, and 66 without. On the speed side of the speed and insulation test, the Whynter proved to be the champion of the group, dropping to a bone chilling -3.1°F in 45 minutes. On the insulation side it proved how misleading initial impressions can be, and warmed up to 50°F in 132 minutes, faster than any save the ARB, which tied it from a higher start temperature. Clearly, thick walls do not necessarily good insulation make. On the workhorse cool-down test the Whynter hit the second lowest temperature at 52.7°F, but consumed a whopping 19.17 amp-hours to do it. The power of the Danfoss is there, but the control just isn’t right. The Whynter’s compressor runs in very long stages, an inefficient strategy as batteries prefer a higher drain over a short period followed by rest, rather than a continuous moderate drain. Cooling down is one thing, but maintaining is something else. The Whynter consumed exactly the same power as all the other fridges combined over the two hours of the glutton or miser test—solidly on the glutton side of power use. At least it’s quiet while using power, registering a 56-decibel average and a 69-decibel peak. whynter.com; available from sierraexpeditions.com, 866-507-4254

Pros:

• Low price • Drain plug • Includes two baskets • Very fast cooling

Accessories: • None at this time

Cons:

• Poor build quality, seals, and basket fit • Poor insulation, and bulky for the usable volume • Controls low on cabinet • High power use • Arrived for test inoperable

3. Opposite: The Whynter holding its 60-can capacity. 1. Thick walls suggest great insulation; belied by performance. 2. 12VDC and 120VAC cords supplied; dual cigarette lighter/Hella compatible 12V plug is useful though lower quality than actual Hella parts. 3. Basket shows poor fit at cabinet bottom. 4. Drain plug is useful for cleaning. 5. Gaps in sealing attest to cheap production. 6. Feet are not easy to remove for hard-mounting. 7. Controls are low on the fridge but easy to use; includes a fast-freeze function. 8. Dual baskets supplied allow easy removal of contents.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Conclusions

fridge is an expensive accessory, and due care should be taken in selecting one that will fit your needs. For years I have relied on an Engel MT45, from weekend trips to months in Africa where storage of my insulin was critical to survival and good health, so I am very fond of it and it has never let me down. Despite that history I was unhappy to see an MT45 show up for this test. Newer fridges were the focus, and Engel has a newer model, but for whatever reason they were unwilling to include it. That said, the MT45 is still the bar against which all fridges can be measured, so it does provide an excellent reference point for this review. It performed well in the tests, proving that it is still a solid, dependable choice. Unfortunately no development has been made on the control side, and in this age of electronics not being able to set a target temperature is a significant disadvantage. Apart from control and temperature display, the MT45 shows why it is the standard among fridges: excellent insulation and use of space, low power draw, and an efficient, robust (if not fast) compressor. After its initial failure to turn on, the Whynter really had to work to gain my respect, and I’m afraid it just couldn’t do it. The Danfoss compressor is an excellent workhorse if controlled properly, but electronically the Whynter doesn’t elicit that control. Other major issues, such as basket fit and poor insulation, make the Whynter a good cost -effective option for weekend work, but not a fridge that should be considered for major overland trips or long years of efficient service. So with the bar and the floor out of the way, we get to the liquor. ARB showed how well a comprehensive re-design can work— the company obviously paid attention to the flaws inherent in the old Engel clone. The Fridge/Freezer is efficient, it has ergonomic control placement, it’s light, and has advanced control features such as the voltage cut-off and easy temperature setting. I could find very little to mark against the ARB, including the price, and until the very end

it was in contention for the Editor’s Choice. But when I remembered Jonathan’s words regarding the top pick that “cost is no object if the performance justifies it,” the details of the National Luna won out. So the ARB, without hesitation, gets the Value Award. Costing only $50 more than the Engel, but with more space, more features, and more advanced electronics, the ARB fits that spot admirably. I have to admit that the price of the National Luna Weekender is a huge hurdle to overcome. It’s almost double the ARB. But, again, the winning is all in the details. The Weekender is capacious yet efficient, sturdy yet elegant; it utilizes the best parts in the correct places and, above all, controls the compressor with ingenious use of power. If only it weren’t saddled with the name “Weekender,” implying sporadic use—it should be called “The Fridge That Will Outlast You and Your Children.” Well, maybe that isn’t very catchy, but if you encounter a Weekender, you’ll know what I mean. It’s all about planning ahead.

A word about beer

If it occurred to you to wonder why we chose 45°F (7°C) as the target temperature for the workhorse cool-down test, it’s because the majority of the beer we chilled was pale ale, and 45°F is about ideal for a pale ale. Some U.S. breweries would have you believe that “ice-cold” is the best temperature, but given that human taste buds start to loose sensitivity at 59°F (15°C), I can only assume that those breweries are trying to hide something. The much-maligned “warm” British beer should actually be served at cellar temperature, between 54 and 57°F (12 - 14°C) where taste buds are still working well. The beer we sourced for this review all came from Colorado micro-breweries, and every can, to my glee, clearly states, “Pack it in—Pack it out.”

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Chart 1: Speed & Insulation Test

Chart 2: Workhorse Cool-down Test

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Refrigerator Comparison Manufacturer

Engel

National Luna

ARB

Whynter

Model

MT45F-U1

Weekender 52

Fridge/Freezer

FM-45G

Cost

$805

$1,500

$855

$650

Volume (listed)

43 quarts (40 liters)

52 liters (55 quarts)

47 liters (49.7quarts)

1.41 cubic ft (40 liters)

Weight empty (kg / lbs)

24.2 / 53.3

27.7 / 61.0

21.5 / 47.3

23.8 / 52.5

Internal dimensions (cm / in)

39.1x27.4x41.7 / 15.4x10.8x16.4

38.9x39.2x27 + 19.8x18.9x27 / 15.3x15.4x10.6 + 7.8x7.4x10.6

40.1x33.7x28.5 + 20.6x17.3x28.5 / 15.8x13.3x11.2 + 8.1x6.8x11.2

28x29x40 + 19x29x20 / 11x11.4x15.7 + 7.4x11.4x7.9

External dimensions (cm/in)

64.8x36.3x50.8 / 25.5x14.3x20

71x38.5x50.6 / 27.8x15.2x19.9

50.8x38x68.6 / 20x15x27

59.4x41.9x52.6 / 23.4x16.5x20.7

Interior light

Yes

Display temp units

N/A

°F / °C

°F

Battery protection levels (VDC)

N/A

9.5 / 10.5 / 11.5

10.1 / 11.4 / 11.8

N/A

Cabinet material exterior

Steel

Stainless steel

Zinc-plated steel

Steel

Compressor

Sawafuji swing motor

Danfoss BD35F

Refrigerant

1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (HCH-136a, R-136a)

Max incline

30°

Warranty

2 years

3 years

1 year labor

Country of manufacture

Taiwan

South Africa

China

Measured values

Interior volume (L / qt)

44.7 / 47.2

51.3 / 54.2

48.7 / 51.4

43.5 / 46.0

Beverage capacity (# of 12 Fl oz cans)

88 w basket; 90 w/o basket

60 w basket; 66 w/o basket

Interior volume as percentage of total cabinet volume.

37.4

37.1

36.7

33.2

Height with lid open (cm / in)

99 / 39

84.5 / 33.25 hinged on long side; 115 / 45.25 hinged on short side

111 / 43.75

90 / 35.5

Cabinet wall thickness (cm / in)

4.0 / 1.57

4.5 / 1.77

6.5 / 2.56

Results for speed & insulation test Lowest temp reached in 45 min (°C / °F)

-9.1 / 15.6

-15.3 / 4.5

-14.1 / 6.6

-19.5 / -3.1

Time to 10°C after power off (min / hr)

155 / 2.6

172 / 2.86

132 / 2.2

Results for workhorse cooldown test Power consumed (AH for 6 hrs)

16.67

6.67

19.17

Final temp (°C / °F)

9 / 48.2

13.9 / 57.0

13.8 / 56.8

11.5 / 52.7

0.83

3.33

Results for glutton or miser test Power consumed (AH for 2 hrs)

1.67

0.83 Results for noise test

Noise level running (dB(SPL))

Noise level peak (dB(SPL))

Overland Journal Summer 2010

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Technicolor

Lati tude Portfolio by Jake Quinones, New Mexico Backroads

32° N

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35° N

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39° N

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39° N Overland Journal Summer 2010

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33° N

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Donde Bolivia Se Encuentra con los Cielos A photographer and traveler searches for the junction of earth and sky

g By Jorge Valdés

Overland Journal Summer 2010

It was during one of my earliest trips to Bolivia that ChiChin, my good

friend from Santa Cruz, mentioned a place “ . . . donde Bolivia se encuentra con los cielos,” which means “ . . . where Bolivia meets the heavens.” The name was at the same time fantastic to the point of legend and irresistibly enticing. For years the thought of the place haunted me, taunted me, called me to seek it out and see for myself. Was it fantasy, just another Andean legend powering wandering souls searching for meaning? Or was it real, a junction between the earth and the sky, something only possible on the Altiplano, the Andean high plains? Finally, I could stand it no more. I packed my Land Rover Defender 110 with two trusted friends and my even more trusted Nikons, and headed north the 3,200 kilometers from my home in Chile to the fabled intersection of land and sky. After days of travel we arrived at Uyuni, gateway to the world’s largest salt flats. Surely, this must be the place, but freezing nights and silent sunrises did not reveal what I had waited so long and traveled so far to discover. Finally, I asked some locals about the legendary place donde Bolivia se encuentra con los cielos. They pointed north and said one word: “Coipasa.”

Coipasa was another long day’s drive. Was it just another wild goose chase? Was it just another tourist haven? Or was it what I sought? Two days later the sun’s soft pre-dawn light signaled a new day at Coipasa, and my first day at a place that is both fantastic and irresistibly enticing, donde Bolivia se encuentra con los cielos. Where Bolivia meets the heavens. It is quite real.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

This is my journey.

With spirits high, the journey had begun. For hundreds of miles we

followed the clouds of desert dust along the marred and barren landscape.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

The warm colors of the setting sun

on the richly-colored peaks of Cordillera de la Sal were awe-inspiring and a fitting end to a long day.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

In the middle of this 1,379-square-mile remote salt desert, at an elevation of 12,422 feet, a sign points us in the

right direction.

One of the many campesinos armed with picks and shovels, who pile conical mounds of salt; he makes around eight piles per day, for which he is paid roughly one dollar. The raw beauty of the place inspired three grown men

to experience child-like wonder.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Our search was over. We had arrived at the fabled intersection of land and sky donde

Bolivia se encuentra con los cielos.

For a moment, mere mortals were allowed to partake in a mythical landscape fit for the gods.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Notes

Southwestern Bolivia

Southwestern Bolivia comprises awe-inspiring, diverse landscapes ranging from the blinding Salar de Uyuni salt flat to the geothermal hotbed of Los Lípez, an important refuge for many Andean wildlife species. The ground here literally boils with minerals, and the spectrum of colors produced is extraordinary. A circuit from Uyuni takes you through unforgettable, breathtaking landscapes and is the highlight of many people’s visit to Bolivia.

Uyuni

Seemingly built in defiance of the desert-like landscape, Uyuni stands desolate yet undaunted in Bolivia’s southwestern corner. Mention Uyuni to a Bolivian and they will whistle and emphasize “harto frío”—extreme cold. Yet despite the icy conditions, which are compounded by the fact that, no matter how you plan it, you always seem to arrive at 2:00 a.m., Uyuni’s got a cheerful buzz about it. Travelers arrive and eagerly plan a trip around the Southwest Circuit; those who return see Uyuni with new eyes, as a sort of paradise filled with much-missed daily comforts. Although there’s not much to see here, and the wind chill can strip your soul bare as you pace the wide streets, Uyuni’s isolated position and outlook elicit an affectionate respect from both Bolivians and foreign travelers. (Notes from Lonely Planet)

Overland Journal Summer 2010

The Fifth Element A quintessential North American expedition vehicle Story and photography by Chris Marzonie

Overland Journal Summer 2010

he ancient Greeks confidently postulated the existence of four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Then Aristotle (or, some argue, Plato before him) argued that these four were insufficient, since they were vulnerable to outside influence and subject to change. And so was added a fifth element, or quintessence—a heavenly “aether” that was in perpetual circular motion, unchanged and unfaltering. Consider, then, an analogy: Many of us philosophize on the quintessential expedition vehicle. We realize the basic elements of all such machines consist of earth, air, fire, and water (just picture your favorite vehicle as it moves through a factory assembly line). But what of the fifth element? That’s what must be considered once the vehicle ceases to be simply a lump of physical components, and begins to take on the ideology of its owner—unchanged and unfaltering. For those who plan to elevate a vehicle beyond its stock form, to make the most of the performance potential, and to create an element of adventure and personalization that no factory can provide, the blending of the platform with aftermarket modifications becomes a critical process. It’s easy to choose hastily this and that, focusing on one thing at a time based on opinions and research restricted to each piece of kit. But what about the bigger picture? Each part adds to the sum of the whole. Treat the platform as a canvas, and paint it from bottom to top with a complete vision in mind. When you go on a trip and find that everything works in concert, you have closed in on the fifth element. You begin to reap rewards that appear to be outside your own sphere of influence on the vehicle, and seemingly come from the overland universe. Okay—maybe I’m taking overland philosophy a little too far. Almost 13 years ago, I bought and began developing my own expedition vehicle, a Toyota Tacoma. After many learning experiences, I had come up with my own philosophy, and I spent about eight years developing the truck. Despite a few trial-and-error experiences, it’s been a great success. A few years ago I met Dave Bennett, a U.S. Navy medic who was working on his own idea of the quintessential Tacoma, but of the newer generation. We’ve come to realize that we share much of the same philosophy—that a truck of reasonable size and weight, outfitted with carefully selected components, can attain a near-ideal balance between technical trail capability, long-haul driving comfort, and remote camping accommodation.

The truck This wasn’t Dave’s first Toyota. He’s owned a 1979 Hilux long-bed that logged almost 200,000 miles, then a 1988 4Runner, then a couple of Tacomas (‘02 and ‘03), which ended up being a little too confining for his family. He eventually got the 2005 you see here, in the fourdoor configuration with a roomier cabin. The ‘05 Tacoma was the first of the newest generation, with a completely redesigned and larger chassis and body, based on the overseas Prado. The slightly wider and longer configuration offered more

Overland Journal Summer 2010

The living arrangements

room for Dave’s family needs. The new powertrain is more efficient— the 236-horsepower, 4.0-liter V6 engine is almost 50 horsepower up on the older 3.4-liter, with little difference in fuel economy. For a dedicated expedition vehicle, many consider a rigid live axle superior to an independent front suspension (IFS). Unfortunately, Toyota no longer offers this choice in North America. However, the Toyota IFS is well designed—it employs a double-wishbone and strut arrangement rather than a torsion arm and shock. The benefits of this are excellent handling and comfort, with surprisingly good strength for trail use (I have only seen them fail in heavy-duty rock-crawling scenarios with oversized tires and debatable driving techniques). The coil-over-shock design allows much greater latitude in customizing the ride height, load capacity, and driving performance. Should an axle need to be replaced in the field, it’s a relatively easy affair requiring about 30 minutes of time for a practiced installer. Dave beefed up his IFS with Donahoe (now Icon Vehicle Dynamics) 2.5-inch-diameter coil-over adjustable shocks, setting them to provide nearly three inches of lift, and removed the factory sway bar to allow more articulation— and thus better traction—on the trail. The Tacoma rear suspension comprises a stout, rigid live axle and leaf springs, which Dave enhanced with a pair of Old Man Emu N182 shocks, and OME Dakar springs with an extra leaf. The Dakar springs were tested and designed for the Tacoma using an 880-pound cargo weight, so Dave was able to calculate the weight of his truck’s rear half with anticipated camper and payload, and conclude that an additional leaf would be needed for optimum performance and to match the the front suspension height. The rear axle is factory-equipped with an electrically actuated differential lock, greatly increasing the capability of the four-wheel-drive system. With the suspension lift the truck accommodates a set of BFGoodrich 255/85 R16 Mud-Terrain KM tires on factory alloy wheels, further increasing ground clearance. To augment the additional clearance with protective armor, Dave installed a pair of Bentup rock sliders (sill guards) with POR-15 corrosion protection (which was applied to the frame as well), an ARB bullbar on the front, and a CBI rear bumper with quarter-panel guards and a swing-out tire carrier. The rear body panels were trimmed to match the wrap-around bumper and improve departure angle behind the tires. Mounted to the swing-out is an Adventure Trailers jerry can holder with Scepter fuel can, and custom ammo-box storage for recovery items. Up front, the ARB bullbar is equipped with a Warn M8000 winch and a pair of IPF 968 lights. Overland Journal Summer 2010

The truck was originally outfitted with a custom tubular-steel bed rack, an Eezi-Awn roof tent, and an Engel fridge mounted in the rear half of the cab where the seats used to be. But a growing family necessitated the reinstallation of the rear seats, thus evicting the fridge, and a reconsideration of the sleeping quarters. About this time, Adventure Trailers had released their new line of AT FlipPac campers, so Dave ordered one color-matched to the Tacoma’s Silver Streak Mica paint. The AT FlipPac looks like an average fiberglass camper shell, but the entire roof flips forward over the front of the truck, deploying a ready-made tent canopy and a full-size bed. The canopy over the back half of the shell provides exceptional headroom and a place for a small hanging hammock-style bed, perfect for a child or up to 180 pounds of gear. Dave chose a solid-sided unit with a carpeted interior to provide a private area for dressing and allow maximum storage capacity without worry of things being placed against any windows. The AT FlipPac weighs only about 290 pounds,

1. ARB bullbar with IPF lights and Warn M8000 winch. 2. Samsung portable notebook running Overland Navigator with a Globalsat Sirfstar III GPS puck for backcountry moving maps, Magellan Crossover GPS for street navigation, and a Cobra WX-ST handheld CB radio for communications (soon to be supplemented with a VHF radio). Sounds are provided by a Kenwood Excelon KDC-889 head unit, KAC7202 amp, Image Dynamics sub-woofer, and Alpine Type-S door speakers, and enhanced with e-Dead Fatmat sound insulation. 3. The interior of the AT FlipPac is cavernous, with full-height standing room, loft bed with 12V heated mattress, and screened windows with zippered covers. 4. Donahoe 2.5-inch adjustable coil-over shocks improve performance and provide nearly three inches of lift. 5. Dave modified a Safari Snorkel, model SS135HFD (made for a Hilux) to fit his Tacoma. Also note the AT FlipPac support pole that attaches to the hood of the vehicle (though the torsion arm supports most of the weight). 6. CBI Off-Road Fab rear bumper with quarter-panel protection and swingout tire carrier, AT can holder with Scepter fuel can, and custom ammobox for recovery kit. 7. Adventure Trailers LED light fixture and military first-aid kit attached to placard with Velcro for quick-grab accessibility. 8. The camper interior has bench seating with multiple cargo storage bins and countertops, along with a slide-out Engel fridge and remote thermometer displaying both outside and fridge temperatures. 9. The front bench seat can be opened to reveal a portable hassock toilet and the National Luna auxiliary battery pack and power management system, with room to spare. 10. Center console boasts secure storage inside a Console Vault model 1012, and a National Luna remote dual-battery monitor. 11. Dave loads up the ActionPacker storage bins with the removable slide-in cargo shelf installed. The shelf will soon double as a counter that hangs from the swing-out tire carrier. The counter above the fridge has a galvanized surface for interior kitchen duty during inclement weather. 12. Old Man Emu N182 rear shocks and Dakar springs with an extra leaf (note “4WD” mudflaps custom-fitted from an ‘04 Tacoma. Dave thought the ‘05 version was too stiff and didn’t care for the 4X4 slogan).

6. 9.

3. 10.

11.

12.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

and has a low profile when underway, giving the vehicle an overall height of approximately seven feet. Dave built a custom modular interior for the camper with an assortment of storage compartments, a battery and power-management system, a portable toilet, bench seating, a countertop, and a space for his Engel. The fridge slides out to the rear of the vehicle for access, or can be opened from inside the camper. The modular storage system is constructed with a wood frame and birch plywood flooring and panels, with carpet upholstery to match the AT FlipPac interior. Should Dave need to use the truck for normal hauling duties, the entire system can be removed by unbolting it and sliding it out over the tailgate. To pack the truck for a trip, two large ActionPacker storage bins ride on the floor; a slide-out shelf above them provides more stackable storage. When it’s time to set up camp, the top tier of “soft” cargo comes out first, then the slide-out panel, and then the ActionPacker bins. The counter on the right side is clad in galvanized steel, and provides a cooking area in inclement weather. The counter and removable shelf have cargo tie-down anchors installed. The Toyota factory power outlet and storage compartments are all accessible and still in use. Concealed below the front bench is a National Luna battery pack with a dual-battery management system, and a Blue-Sea fuse block for power distribution. The National Luna battery status monitor lights are visible through a small opening easily seen from the rear of the truck for quick inspection. A portable toilet is housed on the left side, accessed by flipping the bench lid up; or it can be removed and taken outside. Adventure Trailers installed LED light fixtures along the left wall of the camper, with a switch for either white or red light (for nightvision-friendly use). A general-purpose military first-aid kit is mounted just below the rear LED light for quick access. Of course, as a Navy medic, Dave also carries a more comprehensive kit should any serious situations arise. Spending time with Dave and his wife out in the California desert allowed me to fully appreciate the well-balanced and carefully thoughtout design and performance of this personalized Toyota expedition vehicle. It’s clearly quite capable and agile on the trail, yet transforms beautifully into a comfortable and cozy home-away-from-home once Dave finds the perfect spot to set up camp and enjoy the splendor of the outdoors. Sitting with friends in the cool air of the desert night and gazing up at the stars, I imagined that if he were still around, Aristotle himself might own a truck just like it. I know—that’s carrying overland philosophy a bit far.

Specifications • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

RESOURCES

Adventure Trailers adventuretrailers.com, 877-661-8097 ARB arbusa.com, 866-293-9083 CBI Off-Road Fab cbioffroadfab.com, 208-528-0664 Console Vault consolevault.com, 866-878-1369 Overland Navigator spatialminds.com, 206-962-7754

Overland Journal Summer 2010

• • • • •

2005 Toyota Tacoma double-cab 4WD TRD SR5 1GR-FE 4.0 liter V6 engine A750F 5-speed automatic transmission VF2A transfer case with 2.57:1 low range OEM differentials with 4.88:1 Nitro gears OEM electronic rear differential lock Extended differential breathers Donahoe 2.5-inch-diameter adjustable coil-over shocks (front suspension) Old Man Emu Dakar leaf springs with extra leaf, Old Man Emu N182 shocks (rear suspension) 255/85 R16 BFG MT/KM tires on OEM alloy wheels ARB bullbar CBI Off-Road high-clearance rear bumper with swing-out tire and fuel-can carrier and rear quarter-panel protection Bentup square-tube rock sliders Warn M8000 electric winch ARB Bushranger X-Jack IPF 968 driving/fog lights TRD Sport hood and grill Safari Snorkel SS135HF Adventure Trailers FlipPac camper with LED lighting upgrade Custom modular camper interior Odyssey 1700 MJT battery National Luna Power Pack with remote dual-battery monitor Blue Sea Systems fuse block, 6-circuit with negative bus Kenwood Excelon head unit, Kenwood amp, Image Dynamics subwoofer, Alpine speakers, PAC SWI-X steering wheel controls adapter Total Sound Deadening EDead v1 SE2 Fatmat Samsung N130 Netbook, Globalsat SirfIII GPS puck, Overland Navigator software Console Vault Custom-mounted first-aid kit and 2.5lb. ABC fire extinguisher Engel MT-45 fridge with new-generation fridge slide and remote thermometer Hella air horns (3) Cobra 75-WX-ST CB radio with Wilson Trucker 5000 antenna

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Canyon de Chelly Mummies, petroglyphs, dancing, and frybread Scott Brady, his father, and friends travel into the farthest reaches of Canyon del Muerto and Canyon de Chelly in search of history, culture, a world-famous flute player, and a few dance lessons. By Scott Brady Photographs by Scott Brady and Bryn Forbes

Overland Journal Summer 2010

As our convoy rumbled up to White House Ruins, deep inside Canyon de Chelly in northeastern Arizona, my initial focus on the 1,000-year-old cliff dwelling was interrupted by a flurry of activity in front of our Jeep. Several Navajo—or Diné as they refer to themselves—started moving toward an old woman, who was clearly frightened and shuffling away from our group as quickly as she could. Stepping out of the Jeep, I could see the group reassuring her. Her countenance changed from frightened to hesitant, and the group came back over to us. I asked our guide, Cynthia Hunter, what the problem was, to which she replied, “That is my great aunt. She thought you were the U.S. Army coming to take her away.” History had many lessons for us as we traveled through this beautiful place, and it was quickly apparent that history was still alive—and sometimes still frightening—to the people of this canyon. The story of the Diné people and this canyon stretches back at least 600 years. Their pictographs record the arrival of the first conquistadores—a priest mounted on a horse with other riders in procession, muskets at the ready. The Spanish wasted little time before they began raiding Diné villages for slaves; the Diné retaliated with raids of their own, which continued after the New Mexico Territory came Overland Journal Summer 2010

under U.S. rule in the 1840s. In 1849 a belligerent American colonel on a sortie through tribal lands ordered his troops to fire on a group of Diné that had assembled to parley, resulting in the death of the tribe’s most prominent leader, Narbona, who was over 80 years old at the time. This escalated hostilities beyond hope of diplomacy until, in 1863, General James Carleton ordered Colonel Kit Carson to initiate a scorched-earth campaign to stamp out Diné resistance, including holdouts in Canyon de Chelly. Facing starvation, most of the Diné surrendered, and Carson, his distasteful job complete, left for home. But Carleton and the U.S. Army weren’t finished with the Diné. Over the course of a year, in an exodus that became known as the Long Walk, nearly 9,000 men, women, and children were forced to walk 300 miles to a reservation near Fort Sumner in New Mexico. Roughly 500 of them died along the way, mostly from exposure. Ironically, just four years later the U.S. government relented and allowed the Diné to return to their tribal lands between the Four Mountains. Now we were here, in what the Diné call Tséyi’ and what we’ve translated to Canyon de Chelly (pronounced “shay”), to hear their stories.

The Hogan is the traditional housing construction in the canyon, and are at times specific to just male or female occupation for practical and religious purposes. Opposite, clockwise from top left: Edward S. Curtis shot this image of Diné traveling through Canyon de Chelly in 1904, courtesy Library of Congress. Pottery shards on display. The Mummy ruins are the most impressive in the canyons.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

There is no private land on the Navajo Nation, so even in the canyon, the family must use the parcel or risk losing it. Opposite: Spider Woman rock is an impressive freestanding spire. An EarthRoamer XV-LT Overlandthrough Journal the Summer 2010 moving canyon.

Exploring the canyon rim Our adventure began at the Canyon de Chelly National Monument visitor center, where we met our guide and friend Cynthia Hunter and her mother, Sally. I had first met Cynthia in the summer of 2003, when we traveled through the region in our Land Rover, and she proved to be such a knowledgeable and engaging resource that we recommended her frequently to friends and family and eventually arranged a second, more comprehensive visit in the fall of 2009. Several friends came along, all driving some variation of an EarthRoamer, either the small Jeep XV-JP or the larger Ford-based XV-LT. As an especially fun addition, my father had flown into Flagstaff and was my co-pilot in the Jeep. My earliest memories were of my dad taking the family to Utah on various adventures and hunting trips, and I can still remember bouncing around in the old Willys M38a1 that belonged to my grandfather. It was exciting to have an adventure like that again with my father, and since he is a passionate horseman and student of Old West history, this trip was perfect. During our earlier visit here we discovered that it is critical to first explore the rims of the canyons, to gain perspective on the scale and visual impact of the De Chelly sandstone formation. Formed during the Permian period, the Defiance Plateau was cut into three canyons by the runoff from the Chuska Mountains, which are visible to the northeast. It’s possible to circumnavigate the entire canyon system overland,

85 although most choose to explore the South Rim drive as a two-way route, since it provides exceptional overlooks into De Chelly canyon and the significant features of White House Ruins and Spider Woman Rock. Spider Woman Rock is considered to be the tallest freestanding rock spire in the world, at over 800 feet. According to Navajo myth, it is also the home of Spider Woman, who resides at the top and would drop down on a string of silk to teach the Diné the art of weaving.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Canyon del Muerto Cynthia and Sally climbed into available seats in the trucks, and we set off from the visitor center into Chinle Wash. We aired the tires down to about 18 psi on the Jeeps and 45 psi on the big trucks to aid with passage through the soft sand. The wash is wide and the canyon walls are short, as this is the start of the sandstone plateau and west of the confluence of the two major canyon systems. There was no water in the canyon, as our trip was early in the fall after a dry summer. In early spring, the flow can be several feet deep on the main route and much deeper in the eddies and narrow sections. There is a famous (and oft-told) story in the canyon about a group of Land Rover owners who attempted the canyon on their Border to Border expedition, losing one of the Series pickups to the flooding in the process. For us, it was dry and dusty as we turned northeast into Canyon del Muerto (Canyon of the Dead), which was given that name by Colonel James Stevenson, who recorded 46 early Puebloan sites, including the site of a large ruin that contained two mummified remains, both wrapped in yucca cloth. The mummy cave was our destination for the day and would be our camp for the night. Along the canyon, Cynthia Overland Journal Summer 2010

shared with us the history of the early Pueblo and Navajo people, stopping at several significant ruin sites, well preserved and perched on the side of the canyon walls. The discussions also included interpretations of the numerous pictographs and petroglyphs that adorned the sandstone cliffs. In my travels throughout the Southwest, I have always enjoyed the aboriginal artwork and the history they share. As the canyon narrowed, the trail became more difficult, requiring better ground clearance and traction as the route entered and exited the wash. One final shelf road elevates the trail above the waterway and includes several tight switchbacks and rocky climbs, testing the turning radius of the larger trucks. This additional effort required to reach the end of the road rewarded us with a stunning view of the mummy cave and near-perfectly-preserved ruins. The rest of Cynthia’s family came along for the fun and we enjoyed a traditional Navajo frybread dinner while the photographers in the group spent more time taking pictures of her beautiful grandson sleeping peacefully in his authentic cradleboard.

Only this canyon can make an EarthRoamer look small. Navajo pictographs, depicting the Spanish arrival. Opposite, clockwise from top left: The cradleboard is traditional to the Diné; the headboard serves as protection and is inspired by the rainbow. Each piece has a story and significance. Indian frybread (when in Rome). Travis Terry is a famous Pima flute player. His wife is Diné, and he spends considerable time in the canyon. Anita Benalli looks over her beautiful goods, just after she thought we were the Army coming to take her away. In the end, I expect she was glad she stayed.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Cynthia's nieces presented a series of captivating dances, something we were all grateful and honored to watch. They even grabbed my father and me for a few dances, but I will spare all of you those images. Opposite: A view down into Canyon de Chelly from the rim.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Canyon de Chelly Waking the next morning, we retraced our route back to the confluence with Canyon de Chelly, and started east. The Diné farms in this canyon are larger and more active, all part of the community concessions for land ownership. If a family stops using the land, the community will take it back and give it to another family for use. As we continued forward, the canyon narrowed like Del Muerto, opening slightly at the White House Ruins. These ruins were constructed by the Anasazi, a Navajo word for “ancient enemy” or “ancient ancestor,” an estimated 800 years ago. The ruins get their name from the white colored stones used to make the walls of the upper structure. At the ruins, we had arranged to meet Travis Terry. Travis, a member of the Gila River Pima tribe who married a Diné woman, is famous as a world-class flute player. He told the stories of his youth and the history of his people interspersed with song and dance. We enjoyed a relaxing lunch (more frybread—when in Rome…), and gained a further appreciation for these great people and their balance with nature and emphasis on family. We also couldn’t help but purchase a few of the beautiful baskets and jewelry available for sale, several from Cynthia’s great aunt—the one who originally ran from our convoy. She was certainly happy that she stayed around. Farther into Canyon de Chelly we encountered the most famous of the pictograph panels, one featuring a procession of conquistadores with muskets and horses being led by a priest in a red cloak. These Spaniards massacred an estimated 115 Diné in a punitive expedition. Personally,

I find this mural to be awe-inspiring, and for several reasons, primary of which is the accuracy and detail of the scene. Most pictographs and petroglyphs show exaggerated proportions of human figures, often further distorted by zoomorphic adaptation. For this panel, the colors are rich and varied, with great accuracy in the horses, down to the hooves and flowing tails. Our adventure ended at the base of Spider Woman Rock, where we made our camp for the night (this requires special permission) and watched the sun dip behind the edge of the canyon, elongating the shadow from the sandstone spire and drawing a close to our day. With the setting sun, Cynthia and her family had one more surprise for us, the silence of the waning day broken by the beat of drums and the chorus of flutes. Her nieces had donned the classic dress of the dance, their regalia consisting of flowing shawls and elaborate moccasins. They danced into the night as we sat and enjoyed our last round of frybread. For the last dance of the evening, the ladies grabbed my father and me, along with Charlie Nordstrom, and pulled us into the powwow. With great style and rhythm, these beautiful people drew us further into their culture and I clumsily complied, all of us laughing at the contrast in coordination. They had shared so much with us over the three days we spent in the canyon: their history, their culture, their art and their dance. How could we ever repay such generosity—we can’t. Thank you Cynthia, and your wonderful family, for letting us into your world. Overland Journal Summer 2010

TRIP PLANNING

Requirements

Canyon de Chelly, Navajo Nation, Arizona

Vehicle The trip through Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto varies greatly throughout the seasons. It's frequently passable in a Honda Element in fall (I have seen it), to impassible in a Unimog in spring. It is essential that the vehicle entering the canyon be 4WD, and have quality all-terrain tires and a means of deflating and inflating the tire pressure to aid with flotation in the soft and deep sand. The vehicle can be larger than average, up to the size of an EarthRoamer XV-LT or Global Expedition Vehicle Unimog. Equipment Supplies should include a proper recovery kit with a recovery strap, shovel, shackles, and gloves. It is also critical that you do not bring dogs or alcohol into the canyon (alcohol is not permitted on the reservation).

Seasons

The best time to travel to Canyon de Chelly is in the early fall, when daytime temperatures are moderate and nighttime lows hover above freezing. Earlier fall will provide beautiful color as the trees change and begin dropping their leaves. Winter can be very cold given the elevation, with overnight lows below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Plan for these wide-ranging temps and pack good rain and cold weather gear. It is also recommended that participants have boots for wading in deep water.

Resources

Canyon de Chelly National Park: Open daily from 8am to 5pm. Chinle, AZ, 928-674-5500, nps.gov/cach Navajo Guide: Cynthia Hunter, 928-675-0403, cendo_24@yahoo.com

Overland Journal Summer 2010

amily Overlanding Mark D. Stephens

The quotable parent The aeonian quest by parents who want to take their children on trips always begins with one down-to-earth question:

“How do I retain my sanity?” It’s quite possible that we, as a collective, already have the answers—or at least a wisecrack. In other words, overlanding parents say the darnedest things.

“Call me old-fashioned, but I think that being bored is just part of the fun of being a kid. What would a road trip be without the incessant whining from the back seat? It would be unnatural, that’s what it would be.” Carolina of kidsgowest.com discussing how to keep children in the back seat entertained.

“We don’t go to get away, we go to get together.” Anonymous visitor at the 2010 Overland Expo about the benefits of traveling as a family.

“[We bussed] it from Kashgar up a rough steep canyon to Karakul Lake where we cycled to a local yurt and stayed with a nomad family. A somewhat exotic location for Mitchell’s first birthday.” Quinn family on their bicycle trip along the Karakoram Highway with two young children.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

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WELCOME

to Overland Journal's new Family Overlanding column, which will delve into all the ins and outs of traveling with children (and parents).

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Summer destination idea for families Overlanding Tip:

Break up camping nights with a stay at a child-friendly guest ranch

In the wheat-colored grasslands at 6,500 feet, flecked with twisted Middle-Earth-like juniper trees, Rancho Magdalena waits behind a barbed wire fence on the south side of Highway 60 at milepost 109, just left of center when looking at a map of New Mexico. We rolled into the ranch just as the sun set; a dog named Cheeto ran alongside our BFGs licking his chops and no doubt preparing to baptize the sidewalls. Lee Scholes stood, cowboy hat and all, silhouetted next to a wooden gate to wave us in. What brought us here was a simple conversation and a new idea. “On our trip next month, what do you say we find a bed-and-breakfast for just one night?” my wife, Brooke, posed to me back when we planned the 900-mile journey. I hung my head and groaned. Not because I disagreed, but because of our daughter, Chloe. I pictured myself on the phone for an entire afternoon with dozens of B&Bs, inquiring for a room, making a reservation, then feeling my palms sweat as I drop the bomb. “Say, we’ll have our two-year-old daughter with us. Is that okay?” “No children or pets allowed,” I imagined the host answering apologetically. Translation: “Bring a tyrannical cracker-crumb-spewing child into my lovely home and let her swing from the rafters and break my dishes? Not a chance.” Brooke calmed me. “I’ll find one that won’t mind kids. Just watch.” Naturally, she loaded Google and fired off a simple query. Immediately she found Rancho Magdalena, which is located right along our broadly stroked route plan outside the village of Magdalena. When Brooke called she shot straight for the important matter and Lori Scholes, the hostess on the other end of the phone, put the issue to rest. “Sure, Chloe will be no problem at all.” And with the air of a cheerful grandmother who, of course, keeps a delectable recipe for chocolate chip cookies memorized, yet doesn’t get to see her grandkids nearly as often as she’d like, Lori added, “I’ll bring in a roll-away bed and fix up the room for a little girl.” Although we drove a scenic and long route through the Gila National Forest that day, and hiked to the ruins of a cliff dwelling, we concluded our shenanigans at this bed-and-breakfast

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Space-saving kid’s plates that store flat, weigh nothing, and cost little It’s unlikely we parents will ever lift the veil from the mystery of how to get our kids to eat, consistently, the good food we’ve worked hard to prepare. But we still try, right? And the old adage, “Presentation is everything,” remains one of the techniques—“presentation” having a loose definition, since I’m sure your children and mine share the same weakness for food they find on the ground while spurning the full plate in front of them. Try this. Fozzils is a company that makes plates, bowls, and cups that just might strike you as utterly absurd because they fold somewhat like plastic origami and snap together at the corners. They might seem absurd until you see that they

1 2 3

store totally flat are made from a magical BPA-free nonstick substance in lively vivid colors come in reusable packaging

Kids are suckers for them: My daughter now regularly falls for the dinner-in-a-special-just-forher-bowl trick. They’re definitely fun, and win a few conservation points in my mind for the reusable packaging. fozzils.com, 603-518-1600

ranch rather than at a secluded camp spot. What we found was a new experience, as we took a small dive into the culture of rural New Mexico. We spent the evening sharing a bottle of wine with two other guests, a veterinarian and a surgeon, who were leaving early in the morning on horseback for a fox hunt. Chloe, of course, flirted with the two gents and got along like we were at home. Lee shared stories about the area: UFO crashes of the 1940s; a horse with the wherewithal to carry his deceased owner back to town after an accident on the trail; a rancher who mistook a Mexican gray wolf for a coyote, shot it dead, realized his mistake and turned himself in. To be honest, no freshly baked cookies presented themselves, but I still thought it a great ending to a great day. We woke up in the morning to a kettle of fresh coffee outside our door and an open invite—in the form of a bucketful of dinner scraps—to take our daughter to feed some of the animals: the chickens, a few goats, and a handsome white turkey affectionately named LBJ (I wonder now if they intended a pun, something like “that turkey, Johnson”). The Scholes also keep a number of horses, a modest herd of Texas Longhorn cattle, and one beloved burro out back, named Sarah. While our child does just fine at any dispersed campsite digging in the dirt with her shovels, or climbing rocks and tree stumps, this experience at the ranch introduced a fantastic new thing-to-do on our overland trips. Magdalena, New Mexico, is a village of merely six square miles and fewer than 1,000 residents. Lee and Lori’s Rancho Magdalena is just west of there. With the Cibola National Forest to the immediate south, and the Gila National Forest to the southwest, plus a connection to the Continental Divide Trail just down the road, the location of the ranch proves worthy for the backroad traveler looking for a break from camping. ranchomagdalena.com, 575-854-3091

Overland Journal Summer 2010

In Colorado, We Stay the Trail Overland Journal Summer 2010

Free downloadable OHV maps available online.

www.staythetrail.org

OVERLAND CONSERVATION

Roseann Hanson

Digital cures for a lead foot Everyone knows that by lightening up your touch on the gas (and brakes), you lighten up both the load on your wallet and the environment. But if trundling along at 55 mph seems just too painful and too retro (unless you’re a Series II owner), a more modern solution presents itself in some suitably digital products—one for your iPhone and one for your Garmin nüvi navigation unit, both utilizing the OBDII port on most post-1996 vehicles. Each small unit plugs into the port and wirelessly sends data to the phone or GPS, displaying real-time information on fuel consumption, engine load, coolant temperature, and more. You can learn what the optimum acceleration and braking rates are to maximize fuel economy, or test your fuel economy scores with or without a roof rack, or if you shed 200 pounds from your GVW. Ben Johnson, product development manager for Garmin and a JK owner, reported a 10 percent gain in MPG without his roof rack—significant over a long trip. The Garmin ecoRoute HD ($149) works with at least half a dozen different nüvi GPS units (software is downloadable free from the Garmin website). A simple dashboard-like display indicates your overall driving score on a scale of 1-100, with 100 being best economy; it also scores your braking, acceleration, and speed. Another interface reads the engine’s load, intake manifold pressure, timing advance, coolant temperature, and RPM. It will also calculate cost of fuel used as well as your carbon footprint (measured in pounds/time interval), and will display engine codes or run simple diagnostic tests.

The Kiwi WIFI sends similar information to your iPhone or iPod Touch, presented through one of several apps. The basic Kiwi WIFI costs $150, and its usefulness depends on the quality of the app you download (from the free GOLink to the $40 Rev2). DevToaster’s Rev2 has the most useful interface for fuel-consumption monitoring, and it will log data over time, or graph your cornering, braking, and acceleration G-forces (which should be interesting in a Series II). Several of these apps will read and reset your engine codes—useful for home mechanics. PLX Devices also offers several other models of port readers that do not work with an i-product. Not all vehicles will be compatible with the OBDII port readers, so check the websites and contact the companies first to make sure your vehicle is compatible. plxkiwi.com, 408-745-7591; garmin.com, 800-800-1020 97

Photo courtsey of Google Maps

Eco-Overlanding Noteworthy efforts around the globe

Washington Backcountry Discovery project: Sometimes keeping secrets is not the best way to protect our most precious places. Without advocates, beautiful or historically significant landscapes can be sold and turned into housing tracts in the blink of an eye. One such treasure lies along the eastern Cascades in Washington, where adventurers Bryce Stevens and Andrew Cull are hoping to establish

a new Washington Backcountry Discovery Route, traversing the state north to south some 630 miles. The route is almost entirely off paved roads, following river valleys, rounding the base of a volcano, and crossing 10 mountain ranges. The project was chosen as the Overland Flag Expedition at the 2010 Overland Expo. You’ll find reports of their journey later this summer at overlandsociety.org.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

OVERLAND MEDICINE

Jonathan Hanson

Venomous Snake Bites Our substitute medical columnist debunks myths about a scenario that gives many people nightmares

erceptive readers will note a change in authors for this issue’s medical column. Yep, it’s me, the editor. Our regular medical columnist, the suitably qualified Dr. Ed Beggy, has had some pressing matters to deal with recently, at least partially involving the construction of his new cabin in New Mexico. More to the point, it was suggested that I’d be the ideal choice to write about the treatment of venomous snake bites, the argument being that I’m statistically more likely to be able to benefit from the information than anyone else on the staff. Last issue’s Tail Lamp was cited for evidence. Nonsense. However, I do try to keep abreast of the current protocols for treatment, especially given that my wife and I live in a rattlesnake-friendly environment an hour’s drive from the nearest hospital. We and the snakes coexist peacefully; nevertheless there’s the remote chance one of us will get careless or very unlucky. One evening a few years ago Roseann just happened to spot the tail of a western diamondback disappearing under our barbecue as she was walking out in sandals to grill something.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

There are about 3,200 species of snake in the world; of these, roughly 750 are venomous. Of that number, about 250 species pose a real threat to humans. Yet fatalities from snakebite are uncommon, even on a worldwide basis. In Australia, the only continent with more venomous than non-venomous snakes, only two people on average die from snake bite annually. Compare that with India, where the fatality rate is 10,000 per year—a shocking number until you realize it represents about .001 percent of all deaths in a country of over a billion. More than twice as many Indians die from rabies than snake bite. Research venomous snake bites in the U.S. and you’ll read that there are 7,000 to 8,000 such bites per year in this country. It’s a number that’s been repeated so often it’s taken as gospel even by health professionals, but it’s almost certainly too high. The actual average is probably under 4,000. A comprehensive 1994 report documented 1,328 for that year, with two deaths, representing a mortality rate of less than .002 percent. Of equal importance is the fact that about half of all bites in the U.S. occur when someone attempts to handle the snake (okay, okay:

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Overland Journal Summer 2010

mea culpa). Physicians who specialize in treating snake bites in the U.S. note there are two factors common to a large percentage of cases they see: males and alcohol (how male snakes are getting this alcohol, no one knows). Your chances of being bitten by a venomous snake drop to nearly zero if you, a) don’t handle them, and, b) watch where you put your feet and hands, all the time, when in snake habitat. However, bites do happen, even to the aware. A friend of mine, a Ph.D. herpetologist, was bitten by a black-tailed rattlesnake after she stepped out of a car on the grassy verge of a road to look for rattlesnakes. What happens then? Those who’ve read a bit about snake venom know there are two types: neurotoxic and hemotoxic—but this is somewhat of an oversimplification. Snake venom, which is produced by highly modified saliva glands, comprises a suite of enzymes and other proteins that can have effects referred to as cytotoxic, hemotoxic, mytotoxic, neurotoxic, and proteolytic, among others. About two dozen such toxins have been identified in snake venom worldwide, and most venoms contain several of them. Nevertheless, in general: • Neurotoxic venom affects the central nervous system and can cause respiratory paralysis and heart failure if the dose is potent and large enough. It is normally the dominant component within the family elapidae, which includes cobras, mambas, kraits, coral snakes, tiger snakes, and sea snakes, among others. • Hemotoxic venom affects red blood cells and tissue, causing swelling, hemorrhaging, clotting disruption, and necrosis. It’s found in the family viperidae, which includes bushmasters, true vipers, adders, and asps, and the subfamily crotalinae, the pit vipers—rattlesnakes, copperheads, and water moccasins.

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Remember, however, that venom can display multiple effects. Venom from certain populations of the Mojave rattlesnake in the southwestern U.S. is well-known for strong neurotoxic tendencies in addition to its hemotoxic component. Note the extremely low mortality rate in the U.S., which on average hovers around one tenth of one percent with hospital treatment, and climbs to only around two percent with no treatment whatsoever. Several factors account for this. First, a large percentage of venomous snake bites in this country are from the very common copperhead of the eastern states—in fact, North Carolina reports more venomous snake bites than any other state. Copperhead venom tends to be very mild (relatively speaking, of course), and fatalities almost non-existent. Ninety five percent of deaths from venomous snakes in the U.S. are from rattlesnakes—however, even that number is very, very low. If you’re bitten by a rattlesnake and simply sit down and do nothing, your odds of survival are quite high. Remember that, because keeping the victim calm is a vital facet of first-aid treatment. Another factor in the low mortality rate is the simple fact that rattlesnake venom evolved as a mechanism to kill food, not overlanders, and as such is much more effective at offing mice than you. And since injection of venom is a conscious action on the part of the snake, a percentage of defensive bites on humans are dry, resulting in little or no envenomation. Nevertheless, all bites from venomous species should be treated as medical emergencies. Truly effective treatment for virtually any venomous snake bite in the world comprises exactly one procedure: the administration of anOverland Journal Summer 2010

tivenom (also referred to as antivenin, but the World Health Organization has adopted the more straightforward term). Antivenom, first developed in 1895, is in effect a form of immunization, except that the immunity is developed in a host animal via low-level injections of venom, and the resulting serum used to treat the bite victim. Originally horses were used to produce antivenom, but the product resulted in life-threatening allergic reactions in a large percentage of patients. The current approved antivenom for all North American viper bites is a product called Crofab, derived from sheep. Crofab’s allergic reaction rate is much lower and easier to control, although it’s still a medical issue. Also, a post-treatment reaction known as serum sickness is possible and should be noted. Crofab is known as a polyvalent antivenom due to its efficacy on multiple species, even the neurotoxic Mojave. Other antivenoms have been developed for more predominantly neurotoxic venoms—especially useful elsewhere in the world, since our only elapid snakes are the western and eastern coral snakes, and the last known fatality from an eastern coral snake bite was over 40 years ago, due in part to the very small amount of venom injected by these species. Many first-aid treatments have been suggested over the years for the treatment of snake bite; virtually all have been proven either ineffective or downright dangerous. These include incision and suction, the use of tourniquets, the application of ice packs, and the employment of electric shock. Even the much-touted Extractor pump has failed to show its worth in clinical trials. Astonishingly, I note the ancient rubber suction-cup “snake bite kits” are still sold, complete with incising blade and tourniquet. Don’t buy one; if you have one throw it away. One first-aid treatment generally accepted as efficacious to attenuate the effects of neurotoxic venom is known as pressure immobilization, which involves wrapping the bitten limb very snugly with an Ace bandage or a similar wide strip of cloth that can’t dangerously restrict blood circulation. This delays the spread of the venom through the lymphatic system, slowing its effects on the central nervous system. Recent studies have suggested the technique might slow the effects of hemotoxic venom as well, but at greatly increased risk of local tissue damage. Thus, if further research supports it, pressure immobilization for viper bites would only be recommended in a life-threatening situation when medical help was many hours away. To sum up, when you or someone with you is bitten by a venomous snake: • Keep the victim calm. Do not attempt to kill the snake and take it with you. • Do not incise the bite, do not apply suction, a tourniquet, or ice, do not employ electric shock. • Get the victim to a hospital as quickly as possible. • Be ready for a large hospital bill. Crofab runs up to $2,500 per vial, and up to two dozen vials might be needed for a severe bite. You can do the math.

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Going Paperless

part 1

Mapping software for 21st-century explorers

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The next time you want to get lost, you might as well have a map library with you. Story and photography by Chris Marzonie

Overland Journal Summer 2010

There are good reasons why Eezi-Awn is one of the most respected manufacturers of overland equipment. Since its inception 25 years ago, the name Eezi-Awn has been synonymous with quality. From rooftop tents to retractable awnings, Eezi-Awn’s dedication to exceptional service is evident in all the equipment we produce, sell locally, or export to many countries around the world. Eezi-Awn is beyond comparison. Remember that long after the sweetness of price is gone, quality prevails.

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ot long ago I was in the middle of nowhere in Sonora, Mexico, with a couple of guys looking at a map. It was a Mexican topographic of a little-visited mountain range, a place way off the radar, and I thought for sure they must have had some kind of government hookup to have obtained it. To my surprise, they told me it had been thrown out by someone at a university in the U.S., and they had simply been lucky enough to spot it before the trash was picked up. We studied the tattered piece of paper, looking for the road we would use to make our way out of the mountains on our route north. But it just wasn’t there. “It was only cut in recently, so that’s probably why it’s not showing up,” said Marc. I said, “No problem—I’ll pull it up on Google Earth.” They looked at me like I’d said Domino’s would be delivering a pizza in 30 minutes or less. Of course they knew all about Google Earth, but they also knew we were miles and miles from any hope of an internet connection. They trailed me to my truck, where I pushed a few buttons on the laptop mounted over the console—and there it was: the road we needed, in full-color satellite-detailed glory. As part of a volunteer project for the Overland Society, I was assisting a group of scientists from the Sky Island Alliance who were doing a biological survey in mountainous jaguar habitat. We were in an area I hadn’t visited before, and I wanted to track our progress on a map and note waypoints. I’ve used handheld proprietary GPS units with Mexico maps before, and they’re okay, but I wanted a higher level of detail and accuracy, not to mention a larger screen. So that’s what I brought with me. Nothing fancy, just a GPS and a four-year-old laptop—plus a bit of software.

A mobile electronic map library The only detailed topo maps available for Mexico come from INEGI, the cartography segment of the Mexican government, and are not freely downloadable like U.S. topo maps. I don’t own a set of the Mexican topos, but I do have Google Earth (free), and the detail it provides keeps getting better and better. Many mountainous areas in Sonora have been updated to high-resolution detail, and the best thing about Google Earth for Mexico is much of the aerial imagery is from recent INEGI data. No more worries about accuracy, because if there is a road or ranch on the ground, there’s a good chance I can see it on the map. But how could I use Google Earth on the trip, away from home and without an internet connection? How would I even know where I was on Google Earth if I did have a connection? The answer was a GPS-enabled mapping program. There are many choices for vehicle-based GPS equipment. Most familiar are the all-in-one units offered by companies such as DeLorme, Garmin, Lowrance, and Magellan. But an increasingly popular alternative comprises a mobile computer with mapping software and an external GPS receiver. Each approach has pros and cons. It once held true that handheld or in-vehicle units offered plug-and-play operation, with pre-loaded proprietary software and maps that relieved the user of a steep learning curve. But given expanded product lines, increased functions, turn-by-turn directions, detailed route planning, database management, and plethoric map products and accessories to buy separately, end users now must spend time schooling themselves to take full advantage of the product. While proprietary GPS products have become more complex, computer- and internet-based mapping trends have brought near-miraculous amounts of mapping data to computer screens all over the globe, sometimes in astonishingly simple formats. Examples include

Bing Maps, Google Earth, Google Maps, and NASA World Wind. Additionally, many mobile mapping software applications have become available, and can be used in the field by connecting a GPS to a portable computer. This offers freedom of choice to select the best program for any given situation. For example, I can use a program with turn-byturn directions to get from my house to an unfamiliar rural town, then switch to a topo map and follow dirt roads into the backcountry. Once there, I might switch to aerial imagery to look for an area of rocky outcroppings a friend suggested for a hike. You don’t have to be a computer whiz or have a fat wallet to put these offerings to work. Assuming you already have a portable computer or can obtain one, the investment is reduced to the purchase of a simple GPS receiver “puck” (under $50) and perhaps some software, although some applications can be had free. You’ll also need a way to mount or store the computer in the vehicle so the information can be accessed when stopped or moving slowly on back roads. Digital map data for your trip is now widely available online, much of it at no cost, so I encourage anyone who hasn’t tried a mobile-computer-based navigation system to give it a go. I think you’ll be amazed. Disclaimer: While moving maps are useful for mobile navigation, you should never divert your attention from the road in any way that creates an unsafe situation. The primary usefulness of a moving map is for periodically checking progress or conducting research while stopped or driving at very slow speeds on low-traffic backcountry dirt roads. If you must use moving maps for high speed and/or urban driving, stick with a product that provides voice prompts so you can keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. Editor’s note: We’ll cover Mac-compatible programs in the next issue. Overland Journal Summer 2010

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OziExplorer screen capture showing aerial imagery.

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OziExplorer screen capture showing USGS topo map.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

OziExplorer

(Windows, Windows CE) $95

he same guys who introduced me to mobile VHF radio many years ago also showed me OziExplorer, before I even owned a laptop computer. I was impressed with the quality of the electronic maps they could access in their vehicles, which put to shame the little grayscale handheld GPS screen I had at the time. OziExplorer has been around for well over a decade, and was developed in Australia by Des Newman, who actively supports the product with regular updates. Owners are entitled to free upgrades whenever they become available. OziExplorer is sold without any maps; the user must provide them. This isn’t a bad thing once you understand the concept behind Ozi. The beauty of the program is that you can use any map, be it an image you downloaded from the Internet or an old paper relic from your grandfather’s attic. If you need maps for an area such as the U.S. or Australia, they are often available free. For regions where where digital data isn’t available, you can simply make your own by scanning or even photographing a paper map. This has been useful for people traveling in places such as the former Soviet countries, Russia, Africa, and the Middle East, or anywhere digital maps are not available or difficult to obtain. To use a scanned map image, OziExplorer calibrates the map using at least two known points with latitude and longitude coordinates. This is easy to do if the map has a grid or collar. If not, you can use a program such as Google Earth and compare features on both maps to locate known points, then use Google Earth to display the coordinate information. You can also use tools in Ozi to trim your map image so a paper border, map collar, or extraneous space is excluded from the saved file. The most common types of maps used with Ozi are topographical (topos) and aerial imagery (aerials). The topos are known as Digital Raster Graphics (DRGs) and the aerials are Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQs). When using maps while underway, Ozi can be configured to move from one map image to the next if your position goes beyond the edge of a given map file. I appreciate the ability to switch back and

forth between topos and aerials for the same location. The topos provide symbols, boundaries, and written information, while sometimes a realistic view from an aerial will show features on the ground that you just wouldn’t recognize looking at a topo. Ozi is compatible with many popular GPS units, and supports twoway communication with them for transfer of waypoints, tracks, and routes. You can also add custom notes, specify permanent map features, and associate a picture or file with those features. This allows the creation of rich, personalized map projects with a high level of detail. The latest versions are beginning to integrate Google Maps, Google Earth, and Virtual Earth with the Ozi interface, but more development is needed to work out a few bugs. Ozi offers an API (application programming interface) allowing others to develop third-party software or add-ons for the program. For example, our friend Uwe Luettringhaus developed a mine utility that allows the user to see information on-screen for any mines on the map. From Uwe’s website: “Exploring the deserts and mountains of the southwest USA we come across lots of mines and prospects. Most are abandoned. Some are nothing more than a little hole in a hillside; others have some sizable head frames still in place. They all have one thing in common, however: The mystery of what the miners were looking for, whether they found anything and when it was active. So when I came across the Mineral Resources Data System by the USGS I knew I had to have that information available on our exploring trips.” OziExplorer is a powerful program, with many features available to those willing to spend the time learning, but the basic functions for mobile navigation are straightforward. Once you have some maps loaded, getting out on the trail with the essentials is easy. For starters, you can display your current position, tracks, routes, and waypoints, and go from there. You can download a free test version of the program to verify it works with your system. Considering what the program is capable of, and the sub-$100 price, it’s truly a bargain. oziexplorer.com

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Overland Navigator screen capture showing USGS topo map and control buttons.

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Overland Navigator screen capture with control buttons hidden.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Overland Navigator

(Windows, Windows CE) $75 and up

verland Navigator is the brainchild of Craig Miller, an avid overlander and founder of the Northwest Overland Society. Craig was determined to shed some of the bulk common in navigation software, such as commands and prompts most people rarely use. As a result, the product is truly plug-and-play, meaning you can install the program and maps very easily and be on your way. There isn’t much to study in the manual, as the controls are intuitive and easy to use. For example, when closing a typical mapping program the user is asked questions and prompted to name and save files, etc. With Overland Navigator this becomes unnecessary—all data is automatically saved to a file for each day of your trip. With each new day, your tracks and waypoints are saved to the hard drive without any fuss or file dialogues required. Unless you move the files out of the directory, the information automatically shows up in Overland Navigator any time it runs. You can access these files easily for sharing with other applications or friends. The software is designed to be tablet and touch-screen friendly, with a simple collection of large control buttons that disappear shortly after the cursor becomes inactive, leaving the screen uncluttered and maximizing available space for the map. As soon as you touch the screen or move the cursor, the buttons reappear. There is a full-screen mode with no window border or taskbar, further increasing the size of the maps. If you prefer to use a keyboard, there are plenty of shortcut keys available for easily moving around the maps and entering waypoints. As of this printing, USGS topo map sets in 1:100,000 and 1:250,000 are available for the entire U.S., and 1:24,000 for many individual states, with new states being added periodically. A color satellite map of the globe is offered for high-level orientation (not to be confused with the higher-resolution, black-and-white DOQ aerials). The maps are precalibrated and seamless, switching from satellite imagery to 1:250K to 1:100K to 1:24K topos depending on the zoom level selected. The seamless topo maps show no interruptions while the map is moving. Map zooming and panning is very smooth, and can be done

with keyboard shortcuts, dragging a finger on a touch screen, or penflicks on a tablet. The images on the screen are exactly what you’d see on a USGS paper topo map. This is a distinct advantage when looking for old roads, landmarks, and place names that you won’t see on newer vector (GIS-based) maps that come with proprietary GPS units, and which use simplified geometric shapes and lines for many features. Believe me, this is a huge deal. I used Overland Navigator last year while researching a way into a remote area of Arizona that is hemmed in by large ranches on one side and a deep, impassable canyon on the other (I was trying to get to the canyon, of course). The old roads do not show up on the newer vector maps, but were on the USGS topos. Some of these roads I could not even see from certain vantage points while driving, and would have overlooked if it weren’t for the maps. Some improvements I’d like to see: the ability to edit the coordinates for waypoints (you can only create them at your current GPS position, and if you want to edit them, you must use another program), adjustable icon sizes (on my particular screen, they are a bit large for my taste), and last but not least, aerial DOQs (but I know this last one is asking a lot). Note: Just before this article went to print, Spatial Minds began testing a new version that addresses the adjustable icon-sizing, which will be included with the next release. They have also added APRS capabilities for use with mobile amateur radios, and an improved status bar at the bottom of the screen that shows position, elevation, and sunrise/ sunset times. I am on the beta-testing team and have used Overland Navigator for some time, so I’ve given it a thorough workout. Even with a small arsenal of mapping software at my disposal, I find myself using it often. For many of my trips to the backcountry, I don’t need the bells and whistles that come with most programs, just tracks and waypoints to navigate and record my trip. It’s closer to how I used to travel before I owned a computer, with paper maps, a pencil, and an eye on the ground, and I like that. It’s very comfortable. spatialminds.com

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USAPhotoMaps screen capture showing aerial imagery.

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USAPhotoMaps screen capture showing USGS topo map.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

USAPhotoMaps

(Windows) Free; donations accepted

n obvious bargain for those traveling in the U.S., USAPhotoMaps is available free of charge, although if you find it useful you should make a donation to the developer, Doug Cox. I can’t imagine the countless hours he’s spent working on this useful tool, continually developing and improving it over the years. At the heart of USAPhotoMaps is an internet connection and the MSR map database from Microsoft. The majority of the data consists of two of the most useful types for travel in the United States: USGS topo and aerial maps. The program retrieves this free map data from the MSR server (based on a grid of tiled images for the area you specify), stores it on your hard drive, and creates seamless, perfectly calibrated GPS maps from it. Once the maps are downloaded, they will operate independently of an internet connection (so you can use them on a trip). The available maps include USGS 1:24K (7.5 minute) topo maps (DRGs), and high-resolution aerial imagery (black-and-white DOQs) for the continental U.S. and Alaska. The amount of map data you can take with you is only limited by the size of your hard drive. This is a good program for pre-trip planning to quickly view and compare topos with aerials, and maybe place a few waypoints or a simple route. By default, it uses the highest-resolution topo and aerial map data, and you can easily switch back and forth between the two with a single keystroke. Placement of waypoints with text is easy, and there is a route-building tool that allows manual drawing on the maps. However, if you want to do more detailed work the interface is a bit cumbersome. You can only display one track file at a time, and in order to add segments to routes you must first convert them to tracks, and then append the new segments to the original route (which is now a track file). There is built-in support for many Garmin GPS models and the Magellan eXplorist series, but any GPS with an NMEA data stream can be used for moving map capability. The moving map functions are less than ideal, but I doubt a picky user will get very far asking for a refund. With a GPS signal connected,

the program displays your current position on the map and shows a track of your movement. Unfortunately, the position icon is a dot rather than a directional arrow, so unless you are moving or can infer from the track, you can’t discern the direction of travel. The behavior of the track display can be a little odd, but the data collected is good and can be saved to a .CSV or .GPX file to be used with other programs or viewed in USAPhotoMaps. Another quirk is that once you begin tracking your position with the moving map, the menu functions disappear from the screen and aren’t available until you command the program to stop showing your current position. That can be disconcerting if you’re trying to document an important trip. On the plus side, tracks may be combined into one large track, which is handy for viewing where you’ve been during a trip all in one shot. Some nice surprises you’ll find with this program are color-coded topographic elevation contours and Tiger streets data. The topo elevation data is used while viewing the black-and-white DOQs, and lays colored contour lines over the aerial photo view. Rather than showing textual numbers, the color-coding of the contours allows you tell at a glance if elevation is increasing or decreasing. Aerial photos obviously show roads, but unfortunately no names. Topo maps will sometimes show street names, but not always. The Tiger streets data is a collection of digital street information by county and state. Once downloaded, the Tiger data shows a thin line over roads, and you can see street names by hovering the cursor over any of the Tiger data points (otherwise the names aren’t visible, keeping the screen uncluttered). This is helpful when you’re using DRGs and DOQs in populated areas. The data for these functions is downloaded using a utility that pulls information from the USGS database and, like the maps, once you have it there is no web connection needed. Overall, USAPhotoMaps is a useful and impressive piece of mapping software, especially when you consider the donation-based cost. jdmcox.com

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GooPs with Google Earth screen capture showing 3D tilted view.

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GooPs with Google Earth screen capture showing 2D view.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

GooPs

(Windows) $15 (Plus version), free version available

magine being able to use Google Earth as a moving map, showing your current position and track along with waypoints and data layers, all in full-color 3D with a tilt-able view, and in real time while underway. Yeah, that’s what I thought too—very cool. Google Earth is justifiably one of the most popular mapping programs around. However, until GooPs came along, everyone reluctantly closed the program once it was time to unplug the web connection and go on a trip. Now you can take it with you. GooPs is not a stand-alone program. When opened, it automatically starts and works within Google Earth to show your GPS data in real time as a moving map. The secret to using GooPs and Google Earth on a trip without an internet connection lies in the Google Earth disk cache. By “flying” over the desired area in Google Earth while a connection is available, the data is downloaded to the cache and can be retrieved on demand, much like web pages are cached in a web browser for faster page rendering. Currently the cache is limited to two gigabytes (2GB) of data—but that can cover a surprisingly large area of highresolution imagery (about one hundred square miles on average). Even better: I found a free program called Google Earth Voyager that makes caching easy. Using this program, you can specify a latitude/ longitude coordinate and define a distance to the east and south of the coordinate to create a square or rectangular area on the globe, along with a specified altitude. The program opens Google Earth and uses these parameters to “fly” over the specified area, collecting and caching the imagery. Once this information is on your hard disk, you can copy and rename it in another directory to be saved for later. Using this method it’s possible to cache an unlimited amount of data for a given trip. There are a couple of downsides: If you travel outside the area of a given cache, you have to close the program, insert the correct cache file, and restart everything. Something I didn’t realize until using it in the field is that, unlike topo maps or vector maps, Google Earth imagery sometimes displays dark color tones that can be hard to see on the screen during the day. GooPs has an option for “auto-view,” which automatically changes the zoom level, based on driving speed, and automatically rotates the

map for direction-up (as opposed to north-up). This is handy if you’re traveling with a passenger/navigator in a populated area. When you slow down at an intersection or for a turn, the view automatically zooms in for closer detail and a clear view of the street names for immediate decision-making. A nice bonus is being able to see physical landmarks such as buildings, parking lots, etc. You just don’t get that on a vector map. Once you pick up speed, the view automatically zooms out to a higher level, allowing an overview of surroundings and streets. Additionally, the map will always show your direction of travel toward the top of the screen, so turns on the map match your actual position (left or right). This function is also useful in the backcountry if you have highresolution data available. When slowing down for a trail junction, the close zoom helps determine which way to point your vehicle. I’m used to navigating north-up, so I don’t use auto-view that often. It used to be included with the free version but recently is only available with a licensed copy. If you’re lucky enough to have an internet connection in your vehicle, and reception that supports it, GooPs will allow you to create a “server” that will broadcast the position of you and your friends to several mobile computers, allowing everyone to see where their buddies are traveling in real-time. Obviously, this doesn’t work in the backcountry where no data connection is available (although it would be fun to see a group of explorers with satellite connectivity try it). An idea for the developer would be to integrate APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) capability. The latest free version of GooPs doesn’t allow more than 10 minutes of tracking at a time, so you’ll need to save the data often—or cough up the stiff $15 tariff for the Plus version, which will record up to 40 hours. Overall, this is one of my my favorite programs. It allows you to take all your Google Earth research and notes with you on the road, and often shows up-to-date high-resolution imagery, in 3D and color, no less. It’s tough to beat GooPs for a bargain. goopstechnologies.com

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DeLorme Topo USA screen capture showing 2D vector map.

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DeLorme Topo USA screen capture showing 3D tilted vector map with partial USGS topo overlay.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

DeLorme Topo USA

(Windows, Mac [Intel-based running Bootcamp]) $100

eLorme Topo USA is a perfect tool for planning a trip that will combine paved-road and city driving with backcountry detours and exploration. As the name implies, the focus of the product is on U.S. mapping; while there’s some information for Canada and Mexico, it’s limited. The software uses vector-based mapping data, but additional calibrated raster maps (USGS topos and aerials, and color satellite imagery) can be downloaded at additional cost ($30/year for unlimited downloads). The vector maps are based on USGS topo maps and show terrain elevation data, contours, land features, place names, and points of interest. It’s interesting to note, however, that the information doesn’t always match. The vector maps tend to omit many of the older map features, while adding some newer data such as updated forest road numbers. For this reason, it’s best to have access to the original USGS topo maps and/ or aerial images when traveling in the backcountry. DeLorme’s vector maps can be displayed with relief shading, tilted for a 3D view, or switched to high-contrast colors for easier viewing at night. If you’re familiar with using pre-programmed points of interest (POIs) and seeing elevation data and place-names on a hand-held GPS, then you’re familiar with vector data. One advantage to vector maps is the digital information associated with the lines, shapes, symbols, and text. As opposed to raster maps, which are essentially “pictures” of a paper map or a copy of a photograph, a vector map is entirely computer-generated, so what you see on the map is dynamic and can be updated, manipulated, or called upon for information. Things like elevation data, property boundaries, road names, points of interest, etc. can all be incorporated into the function of the software. So, just like a hand-held GPS, Topo USA can display all of these attributes at a glance. DeLorme’s maps include street names, and the latest version is capable of turn-by-turn directions with voice prompts. Maps may be customized with a set of drawing tools that allows placement of waypoints, symbols, notes, file associations, and shapes with color overlays. This last item comes in handy if you want to plot land boundaries that don’t already exist on the map. As an example, I used this function to draw the boundary line for an old Spanish land grant that is now a pri-

vate ranch holding and isn’t shown on DeLorme’s vector data. You can also draw your own roads on the map. By clicking on intersections with the vector data roads, these custom roads become routable and can be used in turn-by-turn navigation. While the vector data is impressive, it still lacks much of the information you will find on USGS topo quads and aerial DOQ images, so for backcountry travel, it’s best to use it in conjunction with those options. The DeLorme map screen is rich with color and relief shading, and capable of switching to USGS raster maps as with OziExplorer and USAPhotoMaps. A bonus is the ability to overlay some of the vector data (streets and street names for example) onto the raster maps. You can also display a variety of information such as compass headings and bearings, elevation, speed, and distance to the next waypoint in large, bold, gauge-like graphics for easy reference while underway. If you repeatedly travel to a particular region and record data on your trips, the Project feature allows you to save the settings of the map screen (location and zoom level) and display data from multiple files such as tracks, waypoints, notes, and routes. In this way, you can compile all your ongoing data and see it all on the screen for planning return trips or recalling information from past trips. The individual files are shown in a console that allows you to pick any of them to export or upload to your GPS. For people who like to document their trips in photographs, Topo USA includes a Geotagger utility that is a great way to combine images with a track. By synchronizing the date/time stamp on the camera with that of the GPS, you can easily associate pictures with their location and time on the map (provided you have the GPS near the camera when you shoot). This actually allows the camera to be used as a method of recording waypoints instead of having to enter them into the program or GPS. Like OziExplorer, DeLorme Topo USA boasts too many bells and whistles to cover here in detail, but in a nutshell it’s a powerful tool and, if used with the optional raster maps, comprises a comprehensive package for any overland trip in the United States. delorme.com

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Memory Map screen capture showing USGS 2D topo map.

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Memory Map screen capture showing USGS 3D topo map.

Overland Journal Summer 2010

Memory Map Navigator

emory Map is a unique product incorporated into the new Hema Navigator 5” touch screen GPS unit (featured in this issue’s News from the Trade), which also features OziExplorer and Route 66 mapping tools, all in one unit. However, Memory Map can also be used as a stand-alone program on a portable computer. If you do much traveling in the backcountry, whether in the U.S. or abroad, it makes sense to take advantage of raster maps due to limitations or lack of availability often found with vector map products for sparsely populated areas. In this case, Memory Map Navigator, along with software from GoTrekkers, is a perfect choice because it will work with any scanned map image, but also offers a large selection of pre-formatted maps for different countries available for purchase on DVD (most are priced at $75). GoTrekkers currently offers maps for the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The map detail (scale) varies depending on the location, so be sure to check before you make a selection, to verify that the level of detail will be sufficient for your needs. A nice feature is the ability to add custom text labels to maps, which is handy for places such as Mongolia, where all the place names are shown in Russian. The text command allows the user to add notes and place names in custom colors and fonts, along with a solid-color, rectangular background label, or transparent version (text only, over the map image). Elevation data is included with the map products, allowing them to be viewed in 3D mode with a tilted aspect showing terrain elevation. Vertical exaggeration and sun position (shadowing) are customizable. This works well with high-resolution maps such as the USGS 1:24K topos, but not as well with smaller scale maps such as the Mexico 1:250K topo, where vertical exaggeration must be set higher to discern peaks and valleys. Common functions are available, such as placement or import of waypoints, tracks, and routes. All of these user-defined map elements are called “overlay” information and have an entire menu list of commands to manipulate and edit their use, including 3D flyovers and custom appearance settings. Waypoints can use custom symbols and be

(Windows) $100 and up associated with external files. Tracks can be split, joined, or have their points reduced for faster rendering. An option to quickly remove velocity spikes makes it a snap to rid a track file of spurious GPS signal errors caused by temporarily poor reception. A unique file type is used for tracks and waypoints, and I had trouble using the program’s import function to bring in files from previous trips. I ended up using a 2010 beta version of GPSBabel (freeware) to convert the files to the Memory Map format. Profiling is available for routes and tracks, allowing the user to see a graph chart of elevation or speed. Routes are easily edited using a console-style editor that shows a list of waypoints and route properties. The routes can be reversed or converted to tracks (and tracks can be converted to routes). A couple features I find useful are an option to show labels on the route legs (small text labels on the map indicating the length of the leg and direction of travel in degrees) and the “route card” which is an HTML file automatically generated by the program, showing all the pertinent route information including mileage, travel time, total ascent and descent elevations, a graphical elevation profile, a list of waypoints (with comments and photos, if included), and an overview map image showing the route. This would be particularly helpful for sharing the information on a website or with travel companions. When using moving maps with a GPS connected, there are options to see status information such as speed, elevation, and heading. If following a route, a list of various parameters can be monitored, such as distance to next waypoint, angle of turn, ETA, etc. Overall, this is a useful and convenient program if you need to access raster map data and want to get it quickly without researching, piecing things together, and doing your own map calibration. I can see this being a fantastic combination with the new Hema Navigator 5” touch screen GPS unit (hemanavigator.com.au). You could use the Memory Map software on a portable computer when traveling solo or in a vehicle with plenty of room for a large screen, and alternatively use the same maps on the small unit when space is at a premium (traveling with passengers, or on a motorcycle). gotrekkers.com; memory-map.com

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Summary

GPS Glossary

APRS Automatic Packet Reporting System: An amateur-radio-based system for data reporting, using a mobile radio and GPS to provide real-time position data to other radios or internet-based devices. The data is broadcast on a radio frequency to other similarly equipped vehicles, or translated to the Internet for viewing on remote computer devices. Collar A border or frame around the margins of a map. The collar contains information relevant to the map, such as production date, scale, declination, coordinate system, quadrangle information, etc. DEM Digital Elevation Model DOQ Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle (typically black and white aerial photos). These may contain large amounts of data, so are often quartered into DOQQs (Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangles). DRG Digital Raster Graphic (typically illustrated topographic maps).

hile there are many more mobile mapping software products available than those shown here, the selections I’ve presented represent products I’m familiar with or use personally. The most important thing is to get motivated and try computer-based mapping if you haven’t already, or if you have, to further explore the options available in the current market and keep an eye on new developments. The quality of mapping data is better than ever, and it has become so simple to take these tools along on a trip that it’s worth looking into even if you’re on a budget. Freedom of choice—it’s what overlanding is all about.

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Useful tools (mostly free)

Franson GPS Gate Allows a single GPS to be used with multiple programs simultaneously. gpsgate.com GPSBabel Allows the free exchange and conversion of many different GPS file formats. gpsbabel.org Google Earth Voyager Automates Google Earth fly-overs for easy map caching. (no website – just Google the name for various download sites) GlobalSat BU-353 GPS receiver ($39) An inexpensive, waterproof unit with a SiRF Star III receiver. spatialminds.com

Example of a GPS receiver puck with USB connector, available from spatialminds.com Top: A 14-inch convertible notebook on a RAM universal tray mount.

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Geotagging Associating a file (typically a photograph) with a time and geographic location. This can be used to document when and where an image was recorded during a trip, and is achieved by matching the timestamp of the camera (or device) with a recorded GPS track point or waypoint. GIS Geographic Information System. GPS Global Positioning System. GPS Puck A GPS receiver with no screen or user-interface; designed to receive position data for an external device such as a computer. GPX GPS eXchange Format: A common data format for GPS that defines and contains any combination or singular record of waypoints, routes, and tracks. Raster map A scanned map image that is resolution-dependent, similar to a digital photograph; typically a scanned image of a paper topographic map or a copy of an aerial photograph. The image is geo-referenced for use with a GPS program by associating points on the map image with known geographic coordinates. Route A list of waypoints that when compiled will provide an organized route of travel for the GPS user. The straight-line distance between waypoints is a route segment or route leg and can contain information such as distance, estimated travel time based on rate of speed, elevation data, and the direction to turn when arriving at the next waypoint on the list. Topography The study and mapping of features on the surface of land, including natural features such as mountains and rivers, and constructed features such as highways and railroads. Track A list of latitude and longitude coordinates that when compiled on a computer screen will illustrate a path of movement that is a record of the GPS position. Track data can contain information such as rate of speed and elevation. Vector map A map image created using computer software. The image is not resolution dependent and is easily scaled; the map information consists of geometric shapes and lines that can be manipulated, organized on different layers, and associated with software functions and various information by the developer. Waypoint A named coordinate providing latitude and longitude information for GPS purposes; typically used to name and organize the location of significant points on the map for a GPS user. A waypoint is usually depicted on the map with a visual symbol and associated with textual information pertinent to the location.

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OVERLAND CHEF

Connie Rodman

Hearty Pork and Dumplings No one will say “I’m still hungry” after this meal If your state of hunger at the end of the day could be described as “famished,” this pork and dumpling recipe fits the bill. Whether I use homemade stock or bouillon cubes, cook it on the trail or take it mostly prepared from home* (shhh, don’t tell), from Namibia to the Baja peninsula it has always been a hit. The dumplings work well with almost any stew-type recipe, and can turn runny soup into a hearty meal. It can be made in a Dutch oven over a fire, or in any large lidded pot on the stove. This recipe is based on a southern African Potjie recipe. It has been and can be further adapted, altered, changed, and tweaked for ingredient availability, ease of cooking, and flavor preference.

Starter ~ Green salad, a hearty, crusty bread Dinner ~ Pork and dumplings Wine ~ Any full bodied red wine, such as a Pino Noir

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Pork and Dumplings Serves: 6 | Time: 2 1/2 hours | Equipment: Medium Dutch oven Approximately two pounds pork (shank, shoulder, chop, whatever) 3-5 tbsp cooking oil 1 tsp pepper 3-4 cloves garlic sliced Approx. 2 cubic inches ginger root peeled and cut into small pieces 2 cups dry white wine 4 cups water 5 bouillon cubes (chicken or beef) (There is almost no such thing as too much liquid in this so if you want to add more broth or wine, go for it.) 2 medium red potatoes cut into ½-inch pieces A handful of baby carrots 2 medium onions sliced Whatever other vegetable you would like (parsnips are especially tasty) Salt to taste

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Dumplings: 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt ½ tsp onion powder 2 tsp dried parsley 1 cup milk 1 egg (If you are halving the recipe for a smaller group, still use one egg.)

1) Heat oil in Dutch oven, add meat and turn to sear, browning on all sides. Season with the pepper, add ginger and garlic. Add wine, water, and bouillon cubes. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 2 hours until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally. 2) Prepare dumplings 30 minutes prior to serving: stir all dry ingredients together well. Beat milk and egg together; add to dry ingredients

and mix well. Cover loosely and allow to stand for about 20 minutes before cooking. 3) Add vegetables to pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Add dumplings by the spoonful spaced evenly around the top, replace lid and simmer for 12 minutes. Once the dumplings are added do not remove lid until cooking is complete—if you lift the lid the dumplings will be flat and chewy. *If you want to prepare this dish ahead, or even freeze it for much later use, add only half as much liquid and stop after step 1. When you are ready to cook, add the rest of the liquid. Make sure to bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and continue on with step 2. Share your menus, recipes, and overland cooking tips with us at editor@overlandjournal.com.

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CLASSIC KIT

Christophe Noel

The Pith Helmet Photo by Jonathan Hanson

Christophe Noel delves into the history of the most iconic of expedition headgear

ome, they say, is where you hang your hat. If that hat happened to be the legendary pith helmet, and got hung at all, it might have been over the arm of a campaign chair, while on campaign, or off the thorny branch of an acacia tree while you shaved with your bush knife. There is no more powerful visual symbol of adventure, and to retrace its storied 150-year history is to revisit the age of empire and walk in the footsteps of countless soldiers, big game hunters, and explorers on the leading edge of discovery. Conjure up the image of a British explorer pushing through the tall grass of the Savannah, or hacking through the dense jungle with a line of porters in tow, and most certainly that image will include a pith helmet. It’s difficult to pin down the exact genesis of the pith helmet. Historians agree the first rudimentary versions began to appear in British Colonial India in the mid 1800s. Born of the need to protect fair-skinned British soldiers from the fierce sun of the Indian sub-continent, the first pith helmets were likely a collaborative effort between British and Indian hatters. The name of the helmet, unimaginative as it is, refers to the material from which it is made. Molded from the dried cork-like pith of the sola plant, the helmet is then covered with a thin layer of cotton and fitted with a leather chin strap. Variations on the design often include decorative headbands, distinguishing insignia, and a narrow range of colors from white to olive drab. It’s been suggested the hard form of the pith helmet initially appealed to the tidy nature of the British military as it kept its shape in the most challenging of conditions, even after being soaked in water for the evaporative cooling effects (other reports claim the genuine article turns to mush if soaked).

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Soon after its inception, the British issued pith helmets to their troops around the globe, making it part of the lasting imagery of the Anglo-Zulu and Boer wars, among other British military exploits. It must have been dear to the troops in those early years, as they sacrificed their beloved tea as a means of dyeing their white pith helmets a more camouflageappropriate khaki. Before you read any further in your best British accent, it must be pointed out that the pith helmet took but a few years to become the adopted headwear of nearly every fair-skinned military force serving in regions of the globe sunny enough to bronze a nose. It wasn’t long before Dutch, German, and American forces were wearing their own pith helmets, sometimes introducing new shapes to the original design. There are as many shapes of pith helmets as there are nationalities who use them. During the second French colonial period, most French forces in southeast asia were issued pith helmets. It was the reach of the colonial era in the late 1800s that gave the pith helmet such widespread acceptance. Nearly every corner of every colony

with the arrival of each troop transport, making pith helmets of that era scarce and highly sought by collectors. American servicemen in warm war theaters also used pith helmets. It was just as likely to see one on the head of a shovel-wielding Navy Seabee building a landing strip on the Solomon Islands as it was to see Admiral “Bull” Halsey wearing one as he addressed his landing parties. As is the case with most quintessential pieces of military kit, the pith helmet was equally well received by civilian users. Many of the early colonial officers exited the rank and file of armed service and slipped into the bush to explore the uncharted corners of the globe, and they often took their pith helmets with them. The list of aficionados is essentially a who’s who of adventure and exploration. In 1871, when Henry Morton Stanley finally found Dr. David Livingstone in the heart of the dark continent, he was wearing a pith helmet made on Savile Row. That very helmet is on display at the Royal Geographical Society in London. One of the finest photos of Stanley, albeit staged, is of him wearing his helmet, gun at the ready, steely eyes peering off into

There are as many shapes of pith helmets as there are nationalities who use them. 124

was either a place where pith helmets could be manufactured, deployed, or both. Pith could be grown in French Indochina and the helmets sent to troops in Algeria. By the onset of WWI, the pith helmet had become standard issue for nearly every serviceman in warmer theaters. At the Battle of Ngomano in East Africa in 1917, German infantry defeated Portuguese forces and in the aftermath claimed uniforms—and specifically the superior Portuguese pith helmets— as spoils of war. Years later, as Hitler’s Afrika Korps rolled into North Africa, production of pith helmets had to be quickly ramped up to meet the demand. With mass production came alternative, and inferior, materials to natural pith. British helmets during World War Two were so disliked by the troops that upon first sight of the British coastline on their return home, most British servicemen threw their helmets into the sea. It was reported that thousands of them floated ashore Overland Journal Summer 2010

the “bush.” The U.S. Library of Congress has fascinating film footage documenting Teddy Roosevelt’s 1910 hunting excursion in East Africa, showing every member of his party wearing a different variation of the pith helmet. Teddy looks magnificent in his jodhpur pants, tall boots, and infantry-style pith helmet shading his round spectacles. Other photos of that same trip reveal that Teddy must have packed several helmets—perhaps one for hunting big cats, another for spectating native dances, and so on. In the early 1920s, renowned big cat hunter turned conserva-

tionist, Lieutenant Colonel James Corbett, was photographed relaxing in his Roorkhee campaign chair, wearing his Indian-style pith helmet after a day on the hunt. As the cliché goes, the hat doesn’t make the man: Corbett, the author of Man Eaters of Kumaon and several other best-sellers, was heralded as having saved 1,200 human lives by killing as many as 33 confirmed man-eating tigers and leopards. With the age of empire behind us, the source of the Nile found, and Jim Corbett now the namesake of a national park in India, where does that leave the pith helmet today? Surprisingly, it’s alive and well. Vietnam inherited an affinity for the pith helmet from their now absent French colonizers, and it remains popular wear there for authorities and civilians alike. Vietnam is one of the largest manufacturers of authentic, hand-made, sola pith helmets in the world, at very reasonable prices. Other manufacturers are still producing fine-quality helmets worthy of the most forward-serving officers of the British Empire. James Lock & Co. of London has been making a variety of hats since 1676 for the likes of Lord Nelson, Winston Churchill, and other historic notables. Their authentic pith helmet can be yours for a paltry $325. Hobson & Sons, also of London, has been manufacturing pith helmets for the British military for over 100 years, and continues to provide the Home Service pith helmet for the British Royal Marines. The pith helmet is far from obsolete. It’s possible your postman might deliver your mail in the comfort of a pith helmet (albeit an ersatz mesh or styrofoam version) if you live in the-sun soaked regions of the U.S. The pith helmet is very much alive, and as practical today as it was in those early years during the British Raj. No one says you have to take down a man-eater or discover the headwaters of the Nile to wear a pith helmet, but to rest one atop your head is to ready yourself for a grand expedition, even if it’s just to the far corners of your back yard.

RESOURCES villagehatshop.com, 888-847-4287 (Vietnamese pith helmets) lockhatters.co.uk, 44-20-7930-8874 www.hobsonuniforms.co.uk, 44-0-1268-793097

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Continued from page 128

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My sisters and I visited the agency that sounded the best on the phone: Oscar Maurice Crespo. They had a large lot with various old Land Cruisers and other 4x4s that appeared to be in good shape. There was a large workshop for overhauling the cars, and a number of mechanics were at work. One of the lifts was occupied by the owner’s Toyota rally car, a gleaming piece of high-tech equipment that contrasted with the battered vehicles we had seen in Bolivia so far. (We later rooted for Señor Crespo in the Rallye of Bolivia, in which he finished fifth or so.) However, my parents were not ready to change their plan, and decided that the the Lada was the way to go. After noting every dent, scratch, and missing part, to avoid paying for repairs of pre-existing damage later, my father took the wheel—and almost overturned the car at the first corner we came to. A brief investigation revealed that only the rear brakes were working, so the Lada swerved wildly whenever my father touched the pedal. We returned the car to the rental agency. Suddenly my suggestion was viewed with more enthusiasm, and an hour later we found ourselves at the wheel of a blue FJ40. And, somehow, my success with the car rental convinced my parents to accept me as an equal member of the team. I was allowed to do most of the driving, so my father could focus on landforms and geology. My first challenge was learning to drive in Bolivia. There were few road signs in La Paz, and I was unclear who had the right of way. Finally, somebody explained it to me: The bigger car had the right of way—unless the other car was coming down a steep hill. In that case, the downhiller had the right of way, because his brakes probably were not up to stopping on a steep grade. Fortunately, the massive front bumper of our Toyota assured us priority treatment in most ambiguous situations. Leaving town, the mountain roads posed another challenge. They were narrow, winding, and often faced precipitous drop-offs that left no room for error. Traffic was frequent, and we had a number of near-collisions when we moved to our right to let an oncoming truck pass, only to have the truck move to its left and face us head-on. Why were some trucks driving on the left, and others on the right? Even in a country as chaotic as Bolivia, this made no sense. After following another Land Cruiser for a while, I figured it out: The uphill vehicle took the mountain side, while the downhill vehicle drove close to the precipice. That way, if the downhiller’s brakes failed, it could plunge freely into the abyss without taking out the oncoming vehicle too. The FJ40 proved to be most capable, exceeding my high expectations. With its big, torquey engine, short wheelbase, and relatively supple suspension, it seemed to be able to go anywhere. Once, while fording a river, the FJ dove into an invisible hole and water poured over the hood. I feared the worst, but fortunately the hole wasn’t very long and the Land Cruiser calmly churned out the other side. Still, this reminded me that it’s best to explore water crossings on foot before driving a vehicle through them—even glacier-fed rivers at 14,000 feet. A few days later, my father decided to explore a roadless valley. I suggested driving over a railroad line shown on the map, which turned out to be abandoned. The tracks had been lifted, leaving depressions where the cross-ties had lain. It made for a bumpy ride, but the Toyota

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handled it fine. Then we reached a small bridge, barely wider than the vehicle’s track. By now, I had figured out that I could drive the FJ standing up, allowing me to see exactly where the left front wheel was placed. This allowed me to cross the bridge safely, keeping the left wheels on the edge of the bridge deck, and knowing that the right wheels were a few inches from the other edge. Standing at the wheel also was useful when reversing, as it allowed me to see where the road ended—sometimes vertically—behind us. Even so, U-turns on narrow mountain paths, with a rock wall on one side and a sheer 600-foot drop on the other, required careful maneuvering—always without my family on board. On another day, as we reached a pass high in the Andes, a huge racket of misfiring engines exploded in front of us. It wasn’t the Toyota, which just had had its weekly service, but an ancient DC3 flying toward us. These planes mostly carried meat from the Amazon lowlands to La Paz. Their old engines suffered in the thin air, so the pilots flew through the valleys to keep them at the lowest altitude possible. In that reliable blue Land Cruiser we explored the shores of blue Lake Titicaca, where an ancient steam locomotive was switching freight cars on to the ferry to Peru. At the ruins of Tiahuanacu, we saw the statue that cries tears of gold, and the famous gate hewn from stone. We braved the treacherous road to the lovely colonial town of Sorata, gateway to the Amazon basin. The FJ’s power was sufficient to achieve good average speeds when the roads allowed, but these longer trips revealed one drawback of the short wheelbase: The rear passengers sat sideways over the rear wheels, and were thrown in the air with every bump, which eventually resulted in chronic back pains. So, before a long trip to Sucre and Cochabamba, we reluctantly swapped the Land Cruiser for a Nissan Patrol station wagon, which was slower and less capable in the backcountry, but more comfortable on the bumpy gravel roads that linked Bolivia’s cities. But that blue FJ40 remains dear to my heart, as the car that persuaded my parents I had grown up.

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TAIL LAMP

Jan Heine

An Adult Decision

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Renting an Andean-capable 4WD is no child’s play

classic theme in literature is the coming-of-age story, wrapped around that critical period or event that turns a youth into an adult. It’s a tale of asserting one’s maturity and of being accepted into society. Historically, such tales centered around sea voyages, military campaigns, or a pivotal choice of one’s future. My coming-of-age story centers around a blue Toyota Land Cruiser. In 1990, I returned from a year of study in Austin, Texas, to my home in Germany, and immediately embarked on a family trip to Bolivia. My father is a geologist who studies paleoclimates, so our family had traveled exOverland Journal Summer 2010

tensively in Mexico and southern Africa, but this was our first foray into South America. After adjusting to the 12,000-foot elevation of La Paz, my parents set on their usual rou-

My coming-of-age story centers around a blue Toyota Land Cruiser. tine: finding a house or apartment to lease and a car to rent. The house was easy, and we soon moved into a colonial relic complete

with tile floors, high ceilings, and a courtyard, but neither heat nor hot water. The car proved more difficult. The embassy recommended a one-man car rental agency that had a Lada Niva. I had doubts about both the agency and the car, but on this trip, my parents had reverted to their old habits: They led the way, and the three children were expected to follow. At age 22, I certainly did not feel like a child any longer. In Texas, I had managed very well on my own, and I was eager to take on more responsibility on this trip. So, while my parents arranged the Lada, I called every car rental agency in the phone book. I knew Toyota Land Cruisers from Africa, and I had seen a few driving around La Paz. Continued on page 126

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