Calgarian On Route Alaska to Argentina

[Tom&Janet]

Great to see a Canadian Overland forum. We are ardent overlanders from Calgary. Although we no longer own a house in Calgary as last year we sold our home and contents although put a few items into storage and set off to see the world. We are currently on route from Calgary via Alaska to Argentina and have been on the road a year. Not our first big overland trip we completed 3 separate overland trip around Africa. Our first overland trip was in the 1970 when we traveled around Europe in a little Renault. Since then independent travel has been our passion.

[Jeremy]

Welcome!! Sounds like you are living a dream!! Really looking forward to hearing about your travels.

[CalgaryRider]

WOW sounds like an adventure!

[xkid]

Welcome and have fun.

[Lone Ranger]

I'm jealous! Do you guys have a website or blog where we can follow your travels? LR

[Tom&Janet]

I'm jealous! Do you guys have a website or blog where we can follow your travels? LR

Thanks for the comments. Yes we do have a website. We are actually in Italy right now for 2 weeks visiting our son and family who are here for 2 yrs. We are then heading to Calgary for 2 weeks and will be back in Colombia by the end of this month to continue our journey to Argentina. As we have been on the road a yr we felt it was time to take a break and see family and friends. Always the toughest part of extended overlanding is being away from family and friends.

We are traveling in a Nissan with a camper which we have in storage in Colombia until we get back.

Our blog website is http://www.adventurouspirits.com

Safe overlanding

Janet and Tom
:canadian:

[Lone Ranger]

Thank you!

I've driven truck longhaul since 2001 and I've been out on the road for months and months on end (I did 8 months away from home once, more by choice on my own behalf at the time) so I definitely know what its like. As much as I don't mind living in a shoebox it does get old after a while!!! My first truck was a flattop Volvo with a 42" sleeper, I couldn't even stand up to put my pants on in the morning and it was so compact that I could set the cruise control on long straight stretches and sit on the bed while steering with my foot and make lunch!! BTW, I don't recommend that though.

My eventual dream is to setup a truck that is compact enough to handle moderate 4wd use yet be versatile enough to travel for months on end in while being fully self contained. I've done over 2 months out of my little Ford Ranger, so I do know that it has to be at least larger than that to be comfortable! haha. LR

Edit: from your page, here's a couple of my own shots from Mile 0 and Buck Creek campground (I'm pretty certain the shot of your Titan is from there too). My trip report is in the 'Trip Report' forum under YK/AK 2004. That was a very long summer sleeping under a 7' canopy with mosquitoes the size of helicopters constantly trying to abduct me.

http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr235/LoneRanger1993/Mile0.jpg

http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr235/LoneRanger1993/Camping.jpg

Cheers!

[Tom&Janet]

Not going to try steering with my toes, that sounds too hairy!

Thanks for sharing your photos and vehicle. Yes living in a tiny space can be challenging especially if there are 2 persons. But we have a whole lot more space than we did in Africa when we lived out of a roof top tent for over 500 nights! So feel quite spoilt with space now.

Here we are in the same location as Matt

http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/1-41.jpg

Outfitter Pop Up Camper

http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/1-40.jpg

Safe overlanding all
Janet

[Lone Ranger]

I just finished reading through your guys' site, I really wish more people would have this sort of adventurous spirit. I love reading about stories like this because it's pure inspiration for me, just throwing caution to the wind and rolling with the punches where ever life takes you. Its tough and scary a bit at first giving up everything we have and know, but in time you realize that the 'security' of daily life is a drain. However, each unto their own as they say.

I inherited my lust for exploring from my dad who is now 56 (and acts about 15), and albeit I will admit that I've taken my domestic travels further than he has, his travels around Asia are downright amazing [there's not a whole lot of Asia that my parents haven't seen now]. He loaded the family up in '95 and decided to move to Vicente Guerrero, Baja Norte, Mexico [just north of San Quintin] to volunteer out of an orphanage there, and thats where I learned to love exploring. We travelled the entire extent of the Baja several times, concentrating on offroad trips through the desert out to remote fishing villages and to dig up dinosaur bones west of El Rosario. We spent 13 months living there and have visited close to a dozen times over the years.

These days have been a boring blur of life and work to save up for my next annual 'Going Broke Fast' trip, something that I've made a bit of a tradition of just starting out into BC's Interior completely at random and finishing whenever I eventually make it home. The joke of the title is that yeah, I'm usually flat broke by the end of it! I scored a job recently that unfortunately sucks up all of my free time and energy, but it pays the bills very well. Its a tough deal for me because I hate being nailed down by all of this, but at this point in my life I also need it and its a job that is worth hanging around for. I'm 31 years old and have nothing to show for my last nearly 15 years of adult life - no wife, girlfriend, family, house, nothing. My intense desire to explore BC has left my single for 7 or 8 years now because I've yet to find anyone who is willing to put up with it lol. So life's been a little bit of a conundrum for me as of late, its been a brutally tough winter on me (both emotionally and financially), and as much as I want to get out and hammer down in the 4x4 I think its also time to put the brakes on for a bit and start rebuilding my life. Heck.. I've even contemplated starting a family and thats just downright scary.

Thanks for sharing Tom and Janet, I look forward to keeping track of your guys' travels. Cheers

[Tom&Janet]

Matt, thanks for sharing what so many of us have felt at some time during our life time. The struggle between earning a living and doing what we love. You are however ahead of many 31 year olds you know what you want to pursue, you know your passions.

When we were 31 year, traveling/overlanding was also not an option as we had to work, pay the bills, raise a family and had no spare cash. But we never lost sight of what we loved and wanted to do when the time and resources were right.

We encourage you to continue exploring BC and the rest of Canada. Time will come when you can take longer and longer trips. You still have your whole life ahead of you, and never loose sight of your dream.

Take care and perhaps one day we will meet on the road.

[TheOtherSide]

Welcome to :olc:

Sounds like an amazing experience... enjoy it!!