We already knew we would need some sort of storage/sleeping solution before we purchased any vehicle and in true flightless fashion decided to restrict planning to an absolute minimum. We already had a rough idea of what we wanted from seeing other setups, researching online and from having half built one for our old Hilux.
Our flight arrived into Anchorage shortly after midnight. As we had flown north it had become gradually lighter and lighter, so that by the time we were coming in to land we could see the rugged snowcapped peaks receding into the twilight. The excitement was building—we were finally arriving in Alaska.
Not wanting to skip the key tourist spots while we were in Arizona, we stopped by the Grand Canyon and the Barringer Meteor Crater to look at two of the largest holes in the ground we are likely to see on our travels.
The main reason we stopped for 10 days in Arizona was so that we could drive up to Flagstaff to attend Overland Expo 2014. For those who haven’t heard of Overland Expo (we hadn’t until we started planning this trip). It is a gathering of people who like to go adventuring in their vehicles. Whether those be 4WDs, motorbikes, or massive post-apocolyptic survival vehicles.
The USA—it’s like New Zealand, only the junk food is cheaper and they drive on the right (wrong) side of the road. Also, for some reason they have these crazy four way stops where a roundabout would have been a good option. Although Ben seems to be warming to these after a few weeks of driving.
We’re making progress.
Flights booked. The Kiwis will be airborne on 10 May 2014.