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 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.

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.