We stayed at a nice campground on the U.S. side of the border called Casa Blanca in Laredo Texas. We took two nights to get prepared for the crossing, getting vehicles worked on, supplies purchased, valuables secured, etc.
While checking all of the compartments, I found something strange. My power strip and flashlight had been melted! And the compartment door was blackened. Was there a fire? A battery explosion?
We planned a launch for our one year + overland trip to take off from Asheville North Carolina. For those instagram followers, we created the hashtag #ashevilletoargentina. This represents the full length of the trip from top to bottom.
October 7th-9th 2016 was the Overland Expo East, held on the grounds of the prestigious Biltmore Estate in Asheville North Carolina. Funny to think of all the tents and campers sleeping along the banks of the French Broad river, of the largest private home in the U.S.
We had agreed to show our new vehicle at the expo and give a 1 hour presentation of our travels to Belize. This is a wonderful event drawing thousands of fellow overland enthusiasts. There are some pretty amazing vehicles that come to the show. We were honored to have been one of them. It was great to see so many people and new products on display.
We met up with our fellow travel partners at the expo. It takes a special family to want to travel for this length of time, but they claim they are up for it! Their names (as you will hear more about them), are Adam, Ashley, Cayen (9) and Ellie (5). We really enjoy their company.
Our trip will take us from Asheville North Carolina, and through all of Mexico, Central and South America. Ultimately we plan to reach the furthest point South in Argentina, and put our toes in the sand. We may even have a special trip, that will take us to the next continent (more on that later).
The expo was a success and FINALLY we are Off!
Next entry will be the Mexico border crossing!
It has been a long time coming, and I am behind on the blog. We have already started traveling, and will get updated soon. I wanted to share pics and details on our new overland vehicle. After traveling thousands of miles and visiting numerous countries in our roof top tent on the Land Rover, we now have premium accommodations!
We chose a 2002 Ford F250 with the 7.3 L diesel. Mostly in part to the fact that they are a proven engine, being dubbed the “Million mile motor”. Plus being that its a pre 2007 Diesel, it does not require the ultra low sulfur Diesel that the new ones do.
We found the perfect truck in El Paso Texas and drove out to get it. It wasn’t the exact color I wanted, but it had all the rest of the requirements, including lots of extra goodies the seller had installed. It came with after market tires and wheels, New Fox shocks all around, a diesel tuner, and lots more. Money saved on items I would add any way.
We decided to have the truck painted. It was done professionally, with all doors, hood, and molding removed. This allowed for a complete color change, as good or better than a factory paint job. Next we had a custom camper built to our specs. This was a culmination of many miles on the road and deciding what we wanted vs. what would fit, and still make it down the Central and South American roads.
A company out of Denver Colorado accepted the challenge and began building the one of a kind camper. The amenities and features are endless!
It was a bit challenging trying to coordinate all of the special requirements we wanted built into our rig, being 1500 miles away from the build. It took about 6 weeks to complete, but what turned out was pretty amazing! Ill share more interior pictures and specs in a later post. Next entry will be our launch from Asheville North Carolina!
And Here it is!!!
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