The Open Road Day 4, The Last Day

The Open Road-You're Made For Wild Adventure, Day 4 The Last Day

We are Overlanders.  We choose to leave the comfort of our homes and head out onto the dirt.  We head down trails that we have never been before searching for something beautiful, something pure and untouched.  It is often difficult and uncomfortable getting there, but as overlanders we love this part as much as we love the view at the end.  Most people don't get it. Many of my friends think what I do is crazy.  They can't image going through all of this "overlanding stuff" just to sleep outside.  You and I know why we do it.  We do it so that we can see all of the stars in the sky.  To hear the wind on a mountain top.  To feel the warm sun on a cold morning.  We know there is beauty to be found from the uncomfortable adventure.  This is much like when we as Christians step out of our comfortable life and do something uncomfortable that God has called us to do.  We know from our overlanding, and Gods promise, that good will come from stepping out, being bold, getting uncomfortable for God. 

The Open Road Day 3

The Open Road-You're Made For Wild Adventure, Day 3

What do you spend more time doing, watching YouTube videos about Overlanding or actual on the trail in the wild Overlanding?   What would you say your "watch to doing" ratio is for this question?  I think a lot of us might fall into the first category.  I know I do.  I spend so much time watching others do awesome things I sometimes feel like I've been there, or even feel like I know those people doing the awesome things in the videos.  This can be said for many things in our lives.  Being a dad, a husband, a friend, an adventurer, and even a devoted follower of Christ.  Most of us are all of those things, but we spend so much time watching others be doers and not near enough time doing.  Gods purpose for us is not to watch others.  He made us to be the star of our very own YouTube video called our life.   In fact when he dreamt of us long before we were here he dreamt of an exciting story than he cannot wait to share with us.

The plan today asks us to stop right now and pray to God that He would lead you into your story.  Be ready this could get fun.

So go play with your kids find out who they are becoming.  Take time to be with your wife and go help her, and listen to her.  Go visit a friend in person and ask them how they are doing.  Go out into the wild and soak up God's beauty.  Go be brave and bold in your walk with God.  This world needs men to step up and lead.  Just image what we could do if we all decided to star in the YouTube video that God has planned for us instead of just watching.  

The Open Road Day 2

What is adventure?  A hazardous action of uncertain outcome.  

We mainly think of a multi day Overland trip far from the city as an adventure, and it is.  But Adventure is also those things or times placed right in front of us that make us feel fearful of the outcome.  It took me over a year to post about God on my page.  Even though I had God in the description he always wanted me to be more bold  about my faith.  I was fearful of what people would say or if I would lose members.  This fear kept me from sharing.  Did you know excitement and fear are the same?  Some say the difference between the two is only 2 inches.  So I guess I decided to move it over 2 inches. 

Adventure is also defined as-An exciting experience that is typically a bold, sometimes risky undertaking.  Today go and be bold, be risky. 

The Open Road Day 1

The Open Road-You're Made For Wild Adventure, Day 1.

When I posted about sharing this plan on my All Over Overland page, I jumped in with both feet.  I pushed the post button and felt like God would be there with me.  It wasn't until I first opened Facebook again that I felt the "oh no" down in the pit of my stomach.  There were a few that challenged the post but God gave me the words and the patience needed.  Do what God is calling you to do and he will be there with you

God wants us to go on adventures with him.  For us adventure means being in the outdoors, a long dirt road, a camp fire, a view that few get to see.  God wants to take us to these places and show us the world he created for us.  We was Overlanders have it within us that we want to stop and look at nature.  To soak in all that is around us.  As we GO ALL OVER remember that God GOES ALL OVER with us.

A Challenge for All men.

All Over Overland is me and I am a Christian.  There are many Overland groups to choose from thank you for being a part of mine.  This one just happens to be run by a man that believes in God.  A man that is not perfect, that drinks beer and whiskey, camps in the woods, shoots guns, drives a 4x4, cusses, can get angry, messes up a lot, and this man loves his faith.  I am a Christian that Overlands. 

I am going to challenge all the men in this group to join me for a short 4 day Bible plan "The Open Road" on the Bible app (copy and paste the link below).  I know not everyone may be a Christian but I do know we all want more in our lives. Please join me in this Bible plan.  We will start Wednesday March 27 and I will post each day what I got out of the reading. 

https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/11373/together/3276390/invitation?token=azKqNWdCStQTsAMoWJL41A&source=share

I am not making this a full time religious page but this is a very important week for my Christian faith and it is who I am as a person. 

I am not and will not try and force my beliefs on anyone. If you would like to  join us for this Bible app please sign up if not simply scroll on.  

To all my Christian friends that want to comment if someone decides to argue or disagree with this blog please remember this-Most Christians at one time did not believe in God.  It is not our job to change their mind but simply to speak our truths and share our love, God will take care of the rest.  

If you are wondering God has been in this groups description from the beginning. 

Midwest Expedition Outfitters Adventure 2018

I was lucky enough to be asked to join the guys on the Midwest Expedition Outfitters (MEO) Adventure 2018 to document the trip.  It was a BLAST!

We met up at the MEO shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, right on Route 66.  There were a wide range of vehicles that would join us on the trip.  Jeeps, Toyotas, a Lexus, a Range Rover, and a Ford Ranger we call the Danger Ranger.  Only the MEO guys knew where we were going to be wheeling and camping during this trip.

Shortly after everyone arrived, drivers had their driver bags and we were ready to roll.  All we knew is that we were headed to Arkansas down the 412 highway.  The drive would go by fast as we all were excited to see where we would land for our first wheeling spot.  We first had to make a stop to eat.  The guys planned for us to stop at Rib Crib for lunch just past the Arkansas border to Oklahoma.  Once our belly's were full we headed out on the final stretch of highway.

We made it to the first stop, Wheelin' World Off Road Park, just 3 miles south of Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  Dale, the owner, met us as we rolled into the park.  He was awesome, handing out maps and letting us know he was there for us whatever we needed. He did not disappoint.  We all set up our camping spots and got ready for the first trails of the MEO Adventure.  We planned on sticking to the mild trails for the first day so no one would break anything.  Well that was the plan.

As we drew near to the end of the first day of wheeling, Jeff, in the white Land Cruiser 100, ended up with a broken, and I mean destroyed, rear drive shaft on the creek trail.  The tires were wet and he kept slipping off the long rock and just got hung up wrong.  On the way back he would kill the front differential and had to be towed the rest of the way to camp.  Jeff kept his spirits up and we settled around the camp fire to eat Nachos from the nacho bar set up around the MEO trailer.  It was awesome and we had a ton of "grind" meat, chips, cheese, and tons of other items.  Oh and yes, I said grind meat. That is what we ended up calling ground meet. I can't remember who started it, but he may be from Louisiana.

The night was cold but with a good sleeping bag and a wool blanket, I was nice and warm all night.  We all woke up to sunshine and a great breakfast of biscuits and gravy. As soon as I finished breakfast, the MEO guys where with Jeff figuring out how to get his Land Cruiser road worthy.  With some spare tubing, Dale had the guys cut and weld together a rear drive shaft.  Jeff tested it out and headed home.  We were sad to see him and his wife leave, but we were happy he was able to drive home.  We did hear he made it home safely and hit a top speed of 57 mph!

We would spend the entire second day wheeling and it was a blast.  We had some steep climbs, some frame twisters, and we even mastered the creek trail that gave the 100 so much trouble.  Lunch was "on your own" back at the campsite, and soon after lunch we hit the trails again.  In each driver bag was a radio to communicate with everyone. This came in super handy as we even had one for Dale to use.  If, and I mean when, we got lost on the trails, we would radio him and he would tell us how to get back on path.  Sometimes we still would take a wrong turn but that is all part of the fun.  The radios worked so well and Dale was so impressed with them that he bought four so the park would have a way to talk with the people out on the trails. Dinner that night was an awesome chili. Thanks Mike for being the cook again!

So we decided to end day 2 with some some night wheeling.  This was my first time to be on the trails at night.  It was super fun and super scary at the same time.  We made a "wrong" turn and ended up on Carolina's Crack.  I was with Freddie Fondren, President of MEO, in his awesomely built LJ which handled the trail like a champ.  At the bottom we knew there would be some rigs that might struggle a bit.  At one point we could see Dan's Tacoma headlights perpendicular with the ground, and some how he made it out without a scratch.  We found our way back up to the top in the open area near camp.  Freddie, Mike McGhee, COO at MEO, and Chris McCune, chief fabricator at MEO, were the drivers left.  So the Jeep LJ, the shop Tacoma (with a solid front axle swap), and the Range Rover with an LS and upgraded suspension decided one more trail would be good.  WELL going backwards down the creek trail at night might not have been the best idea as the Tacoma would end up on its side.  After checking on Mike and Devon we quickly got the Tacoma back on all fours, started it right up and finished the trail then headed back to camp.  That night we all slept like babies worn out from the full day of wheeling, and a nice glass of whiskey.

The morning of day 3 we would pack up and head out, well after breakfast.  This morning it was sausage egg burritos and they where good.  After we packed up, we said bye to Dale and thanked him for a great time at Wheelin' World Off Road Park and we promised him we would be back.  As we rolled out, we discovered the next stop would be Hot Springs Off Road Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This would be a long drive down the pig trail.  It really didn't seem bad because of how beautiful it was long the way.

We arrived at Hot Springs Off Road Park, set up camp and then hit some trails.  It would be a short trip so we could get back and make dinner, grilled chicken!  Once we filled our bellies, some of the guys decided to do some more night wheeling.  This time I stayed behind and sat round the camp fire with a few of the guys.  Phillip brought his awesome daughter Bailey on the trip and they went into town for some bowling and dinner. Bailey came back with Peanut Butter and Jelly soda and it was nasty!  I let Bailey use one of my video cameras for the the trip and she had a blast.  After hours around the camp fire getting to know each better, we headed for bed.  That night rain would come.  It was hard rain that lasted for hours. I slept like a baby. 

The next morning after breakfast we all hit the Rubicon Ridge Trail. This is a long scenic trail, well, long for an off road park.  The rain had stopped and crazy enough all of the rain didn't make the trails bad at all, just a little slippery but over all still in good shape.  All of the trails at Hot Springs Off Road Park are well marked and the map is also well put together.  There were several spots along this trail to get great footage of the rigs climbing up the trail.  The Rubicon Ridge Trail might have been my favorite trail of the entire trip.  After the trail, we went back to camp and ate lunch.  The next trail outing most of the vehicles went on were are cat-3 trails.  This was some awesome wheeling.  All of the vehicles that tagged along for this part of the adventure made it through without a scratch. Although we did have to figure out how to get some of the vehicles down and up some of the more technical parts of the trail. But with the awesome crew of MEO guys, we spotted and guided them through safely.  The scenic views along the trails at the Hot Springs Off Road Park were amazing.  I highly recommend everyone to try this spot out for the beauty alone.

This would be the last camping night of the trip.  We settled in at camp and we were treated to Freddie's gumbo and it was delicious.  As we sat around eating, we discussed the differences, bad points, and great points of each off road park.  At Wheelin' World, we all felt the trails could be marked better, but that Dale, the owner, made up for that.  Wheelin' World wanted us there and went out of their way to make us like it.  Hot Springs did not have the best customer service and we actually felt the woman working there kind of took advantage of the guys camping in the primitive spots.  After they were set up, she said this was not the place they should have camped but for $10 more in cash she would let them. That was a little shady.  Hot Springs did have great bathrooms and showers, an awesome map with well-marked trails, the place was well taken care of, and they had free WiFi available.  Over all, we all said we would go back to each one.

That morning we all packed up for the long drive back home.  I didn't want it to stop.  The crew at MEO, Freddie Fondren, Mike McGhee, Chris McCune, Rob Giger, and Sam Patton, were awesome hosts.  No one felt left out and in a group this large, that is amazing.  Each time I am with the guys at MEO I am more impressed with how real they all are.  They want to make sure you are completely taken care of and go out of their way to do so.  I have spoken with many people that have entrusted them to build their rigs and each person could only say nice things about them and about the quality of the builds they do.  I am very lucky to call theses guys friends and to be able to tag along on their journey in making MEO the place for adventurers.

Next year you really need to join us for the MEO Adventure 2019.  The trip will be different, but if I know anything, the guys will make it an awesome adventure.  Everyone that came with us has become a good friend and that is what it is about; meeting new people that love what you love.  Some of us are even talking about planning another adventure and inviting everyone to go with us.

Where will your next adventure take you?   I hope what ever you choose to do you GO ALL OVER!

Photo Credit to Michael Hyden and Dan Canfield

For more on the MEO Adventure 2018 please check out the YouTube page at
 https://youtu.be/FG2pZS2wnP8
We will have more videos coming out soon.  Thank you!

Contact Midwest Expedition Outfitters for all of your adventure needs in Tulsa,OK by phone 918-260-1771 on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/midwestexpeditionoutfitters/ or go by the shop located at 5508 E 11th St, Tulsa, OK 74112.  

The Absolute Best Overland/Off-road Camping Vehicle!

The best Overland/Off-road Camping Vehicle.

There are so many choices in so many price points for vehicles that can be used as an Overland vehicle on the market.  Some purchase an older vehicle because there are less electronic devices and they are much easier to work on while on the trail.  Others want some creature comforts the electronics and bring like heated seats and traction control just to name a few.  Of course most of us most likely fall somewhere in the middle of these thoughts.  But what vehicle makes the best Overlanding/Off-road camping vehicle? 

Toyota has a long lasting reputation of long lasting reliable products.  We have all heard "it has 250K miles,well then it is just broken in now."  They have been the vehicles of choice by most "overlanders" in the USA, well and around the world.  These vehicles are well built and the aftermarket products are easy to find.

Jeep has the best out of the package off-road vehicle available in the USA for sure.  Reliability has been questioned.  Although I do know of Jeeps that have well over 200K miles and are going strong.  Most of the time it all depends on how you take care of your vehicle, getting proper maintenance done is key for all vehicles.  We know that the Jeep Wrangler with the solid front axle is capable of more than what most people will ever put it through but it is nice to know it is there if we get into trouble on the trail.  Jeep does have some IFS vehicles out there.  These vehicles can be more comfortable that the Wrangler but there is very little aftermarket products available.  This can make it very hard to build up a vehicle.

These are the two most popular choices in the USA, but there are several more options out there.  Nissan, Range Rover, Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge......   You can go full-size rig or small pickup.  SUV or pickup trucks.  Even Subaru's are making their mark on the Overlanding/Off-road Camping world.  With so many choices how can someone ever know if they picked the best Overland/Off-road Camping vehicle?

Well the best Overland/Off-road Camping vehicle out there is......... DRUM ROLL.....  Its the one you use.  I know that's not the sexy choice always but it is true.  The point of Overlanding and Off-road Camping is to get out there, period.  I have never cared what vehicle someone is using.  In fact I love to see vehicles most would not think of, as long as they are safe and capable.  We as Overlanders and Off-road Campers do not really need a Rock Crawlers or Mud Bog Trucks.  We travel on backroads and trails just to get away from the masses.  Yes we love a challenge but we also don't want to jeopardize our vehicles in a way that would leave us stranded in the middle of no where.  So you don't need "the best" to Overland.  You just need something capable and safe. 

I drive a 2010 Jeep Liberty, this is not the choice vehicle for most to Overland with, it is not mine either.  It was simply the vehicle I already had when I discovered this passion of Overlanding/Off-road Camping.   Get out with what you have in the drive way and GO ALL OVER.

If you like these posts please take a moment and visit my Patreon page.  https://www.patreon.com/MichaelHyden   This helps me and other continue to bring you information about these passions we all have.  Thank you for reading and Thank you for your support.

Major news for 2018!

We are excited to announce that Midwest Expedition Outfitters out of Tulsa, OK is the new title sponsor for ALL OVER OVERLAND.   https://www.facebook.com/midwestexpeditionoutfitters/

What does this really mean?  It means I get to tag along on some really cool adventures with these guys.  We have several things coming up in 2018.  The first to share is the MEO Wednesdays Series we will be doing every 2 weeks on, you guess it Wednesday.  We will check out what is new at the shop, go eat some awesome food, watch new builds, talk about upcoming events, and you never know who might show up at the shop!  Check out our YouTube page to watch this new series, episode one has already been posted.  https://youtu.be/4XjVOERId3U

We also have the MEO Adventure 2018 event coming up January 24th-28th.  With the addition of Sam Patton to the crew they have decided to start an adventure series.  This will be an off-road camping event for every type of vehicle.  Sam has a ton of experience with these types of events and I cannot wait!  Only a couple of the trail leaders will know where we are going each day.  At each location we will have a full group trail ride and after that you can split up and wheel with whom ever you choose.  Dinner will be severed each night.  We will also be filming a short series of videos for this event to be released on our YouTube page, so be on the look out.

Other events will be our Camp and Meet, finishing the Oklahoma Adventure Trail, Natural State Overland's Bonfire Rendezvous 2018, and many other awesome events with different groups.  I am so excited about working with the guys at MEO Freddie Fondren, Mike McGhee, Sam Patton, and Chris McCune.  We will have several guys that will be there often Rob Giger is a guy that seems to know everyone and when I say everyone I mean famous people.  These guys have become really good friends and I cannot wait so see what kind of trouble we all get into this year. 

Thirst for More!

Thirst for More!

We all look back on our travels from the past year.  We look back on the adventure they brought us, the freedom we felt, and the escape we needed.  Last year you either continued your journeys in this overlanding lifestyle or you just began to embrace this wondering outdoor way of travel.  Where ever you are in your adventure we all long for the same thing, for adventure.  We want to see how far we can go, how far we can push ourselves, and how far we can get away. 

I hope this past year gave you a thirst for more.  For more knowledge, more adventure, more dirt, and more camp fires.  I hope that you gain more friends to learn from and to travel with.  I hope you will share the things you have learned to others so we can all can grow.  These are the reasons why I do all of this, for us. 

I will continue to do more.  My hope is that you will continue this journey with me.  We have a lot of new things coming up for 2018.  To start we will be partnering with Midwest Expedition Outfitters as our title sponsor for 2018.  We will be right there with them for the Midwest Expedition Outfitters Adventure 2018 that will be January 24th the 28th.  I look forward to an awesome year with these great guys.  I will also be getting out more.  Each month there will be new adventures, and I hope to go on with some of you.  We will be finishing the East Half of the Oklahoma Adventure Trail.  The OAT will be split into two quarter sections one in the spring and one in the fall.  The Camp and Meet last year was a huge success and we will have another one in 2018.  This time it will be in a more open space and not at a state park.  It will show people more of what to expect from an overlanding trip.  I also hope to see more of you post events on the our FaceBook page.  This page is for us and it is all of ours. 

You all have been awesome and I cannot thank you all enough.  GO ALL OVER in 2018! 
Thank you.

Day 4,and the last day, of the Oklahoma Adventure Trail the West Half

Day 4, and the last day, of the Oklahoma Adventure Trail the West Half

This would be the last day of our adventure on the West Half of the Oklahoma Adventure Trail.  We were not in a big hurry so we explored our camping area with a hike over to the dam.  Quartz Mountain is great place for families, they have things for everyone.  There is so much to do here for every age, this place is fun.  As we packed everything way we decided to drive around the park area for a while.  Quartz Mountain is also used for teaching.  They have schools come from all over to take part in classes ranging from painting to yearbook.  This place is truly magical, there is even a bat cave.

After we left the park it didn't take us long to get back on dirt roads.  These roads lead us to some single track trails.  We found some down trees on the trail, remember it is be to remove the trees rather than drive around them.  Driving around fallen trees and make a "trail" around them is not ideal, we want to make as little impact as we can off the normal trail. 

It might have been a couple hundred yards from the downed tree we when found our biggest water crossing on the trail.  We talked long and hard before we even sent DJ out to check the depth.  To be honest the depth wasn't bugging me as much as the sanding angles on each bank.  They were soft and steep.  We decided we would give it a try if Justin would go first.  He had the most capable vehicle and well built Jeep JK.  His 35in tires and lockers should make this an easy crossing for him.  He also has a winch and we knew if there was going to be trouble it would be trying to get up the other side. 
Justin crossed the with ease, after he took a better line the second attempt to climb out of the river.  It would now be my turn. 

My Liberty has 31in BFG All-Terrains, I had just replaced my Duratrac MTs, and no lockers.  I slid down into the river and the crossing was simple the ground was hard, well until I reached the far bank.  I could feel the river bed soften as my front tires hit the bank.  I tried to back up and get a better bump and angle on the steep bank, but was too soft and I was stuck.   The wheelbase was just too short to get back to the hard river bed.  It was a good thing we had planned before attempting this crossing.  Having Justin go first was awesome.  He winched me up with no issues.

Mark's long wheel base, 33 in MTs, and powerful V8 made short work of the crossing.  We found out it was the deepest crossing Mark and Justin had done and the first time Justin had used his winch.  We celebrated once Mark got out, it was a great moment for the group.  After catching our breathe we got back on the dirt roads.  Mark calls out "Wait" I think I'm suck.  I was trying to figure out how, we had only passed a 20ft long small mud puddle, yep it got him.  But a quick switch into 4 wheel drive and he was out on his own.  We laughed so hard that a small mud puddle got him after he had no issue with the river crossing. 

The rest of the day was easy.  Smooth dirt roads awaited us.  We drove for most of the morning and around lunch time we decided to head back home.  A couple of the guys had to get back home so we pulled up the map and found the fast way home, with a lunch break of course.  This was the first real adventure for All Over Overland and it was a blast.  I cannot thank the guys, and gal, that came and make it special for me.  Thank you for coming along.   And a big thank you to everyone that read about our first trip as All Over Overland, watched it on our YouTube page.  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=all+over+overland, and follows us on FaceBook. 

As always GO ALL OVER!

Molly's report of Spring Break to her school.  It was very full of adventure for her, horse camp and then camping with deer and bats!  LOL Love my sidekick.