WEBVTT - Journey Beyond Borders: Kym Bolton's Overlanding Adventures 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.080 Kim, Thank you so much for being on the podcast 0:00:02.120 --> 0:00:02.639 this morning. 0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:03.000 Thanks. 0:00:04.040 --> 0:00:07.160 It's an honor to finally get the chance to interview you. 0:00:07.160 --> 0:00:10.600 Your travels around the world were some of the earliest 0:00:10.720 --> 0:00:15.040 inspirations to me. I remember seeing some of the photos 0:00:15.080 --> 0:00:18.119 of you guys crossing the Road of Bones in Russia 0:00:18.640 --> 0:00:20.320 with these BC fusos. 0:00:20.400 --> 0:00:26.000 Yeah's, but I remember, I mean, this is back when 0:00:26.000 --> 0:00:29.760 people had blogs and they had their own websites, and 0:00:29.800 --> 0:00:33.080 you guys had this anthology, this story of what you 0:00:33.120 --> 0:00:36.360 guys were going through going across there, and you know, 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:42.040 truly incredible images, very challenging terrain, and I just remember thinking, 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:43.879 that's what I wanted, you know. 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:46.239 That's what I want to be inspirational. Thank you, of 0:00:46.280 --> 0:00:49.199 course absolutely. But you know, if you look at the 0:00:49.240 --> 0:00:52.760 map on your fuso outside here on the side of 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:55.480 the camper, it's incredible what you've done. 0:00:57.160 --> 0:01:00.680 And a special thanks to Nitto Tire for support this 0:01:00.720 --> 0:01:05.479 week's podcast. The Terrain Grappler G three is the third 0:01:05.560 --> 0:01:09.640 generation of one of Overlanding's most trusted all terrain tires. 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:14.880 A new compound and tread pattern delivers improved wet traction 0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:21.000 and a three peak mountain snowflake certification, improved uniformity reduces 0:01:21.120 --> 0:01:24.880 road noise while still ensuring performance on the road and 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:29.120 in the backcountry. And for even bigger news. 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Thanks nidto. 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:12.720 You know, let's start off a little bit by giving 0:02:12.760 --> 0:02:16.680 the listeners some context around where you've traveled around the world. 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:18.919 I know you've done it in multiple phases, but let's 0:02:19.000 --> 0:02:20.840 kind of give them the we know we do. 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:22.920 Three months on, three months off. It's always been my 0:02:23.040 --> 0:02:26.480 family a rate with arrangement with my wife, kids, grandkids 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:29.320 are now great d and kids, so go ahead every 0:02:29.360 --> 0:02:31.720 three months. But Russia was the first one and it 0:02:31.760 --> 0:02:35.240 was about four months across there. During that period of 0:02:35.240 --> 0:02:38.399 time I designed another product which finish up becoming Earth 0:02:38.440 --> 0:02:43.600 Cruiser twenty ten. When I sold an earth Cruiser, we 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:47.720 shipped it to Malaysia, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodi allow China 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:49.600 to bet back into Russia. 0:02:49.720 --> 0:02:50.120 Wow. 0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:55.760 Across the States Alaska to South America, then to Africa, 0:02:56.680 --> 0:02:58.640 from Southern Africa to northern. 0:02:58.360 --> 0:02:59.840 And he did up the East coast for that. 0:03:00.240 --> 0:03:05.160 No, we've went at the center was problematical. Africa is 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:07.280 from part of the time. Sure, I went up through 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:14.040 Sa'dan and a non Sa'dan's problematical too, then Europe, Iceland 0:03:14.080 --> 0:03:18.680 and Scandadavia and back into the strip. Yeah. Look and 0:03:18.680 --> 0:03:22.840 that's where they Yeah we want to go, we go. 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:26.400 Well and that and that's excluding the I mean, I'm 0:03:26.480 --> 0:03:29.880 sure hundreds of thousands of kilometers you've traveled around Australia. 0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:32.680 Yeah, I mean externally, I know I've done a number, 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:37.160 it's about half a million kilometers fuss. Externally of Australia 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:40.160 and then Australia. We've obviously done lots of the desert 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:42.800 tracks GPS. A couple of years ago we went out 0:03:42.800 --> 0:03:45.520 looking for mediae craters in the in the Simpson Desert 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:47.560 and that was all GPS. 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:49.800 No roads, no tracks. There they are on Google Maps. 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:52.240 That looks interesting. Let's go there and find out what 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:54.440 it's all about. Yeah, so yeah cool. 0:03:55.080 --> 0:03:58.080 And you know, just to give some context to the listener, 0:03:58.480 --> 0:04:02.240 what brought you to that decision of using the Mitsubishi Fuso. 0:04:02.440 --> 0:04:06.480 I think they're awesome, but let's let the listener understand, well, 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:07.640 why you choose those. 0:04:07.640 --> 0:04:10.480 Cross road challenges with it. 0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:13.400 We were ten years and the Outback Challenge, I did 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:16.240 three rain Forest Challenge in Malaysia, a couple of New 0:04:16.360 --> 0:04:19.240 Zealand Wins Challenge series that was all on this and 0:04:19.320 --> 0:04:22.679 patrol and we went through the stage of as everyone 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:26.359 does swags and then a pop up trailer camper and 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:28.160 then a a couple of truth. 0:04:27.960 --> 0:04:32.360 Carries with popped up roofs. Sure just and it evolves 0:04:32.440 --> 0:04:33.800 what is. 0:04:33.800 --> 0:04:38.599 Ideal for you and to do true international travel you 0:04:38.640 --> 0:04:41.000 already have to have. Well, I have a say, you 0:04:41.000 --> 0:04:43.080 don't want to buy the biggest one that you can afford, 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:45.200 you want to live in the smallest. 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:49.560 Get the smallest one you can live here, and I guess. 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:52.919 The Fuso and I suz four x four NPS series 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:57.039 is appropriate for that. It's fifty mil wider or two 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:59.400 inches wider than a land cruise. It's about one hundred 0:04:59.440 --> 0:05:02.320 mil longer than a land cruiser, so it goes down 0:05:02.400 --> 0:05:04.360 every track in the world's made by a land cruiser 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:06.200 or a land rover, so you need to be able 0:05:06.240 --> 0:05:07.480 to drive down those roads. 0:05:07.680 --> 0:05:10.320 And that's so true. And the fact that it's built 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:13.560 on a medium to heavy duty chassis, so you've got 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:15.719 the payload now to support. 0:05:15.320 --> 0:05:16.120 It correct well. 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:20.080 This need is actually one on one point three one 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:23.560 three hundred ko below the GVM of the vehicle, So 0:05:23.600 --> 0:05:26.120 your power to weight ratio is important as well too. 0:05:26.680 --> 0:05:29.000 You have a heavy vehicle, you're deeper in the bulk, 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:34.200 you're slower uphill, you're breaking distances longer. There's lots of 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:38.760 consideration to collect to select the right vehicle for the application. 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:41.560 And I think universally, no matter what you end up driving, 0:05:41.560 --> 0:05:42.880 you want it to be as late as you can 0:05:42.920 --> 0:05:45.800 make it. It's just going to perform so much better. 0:05:45.800 --> 0:05:48.800 It has to perform better, Yeah, that's right, and push 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:52.279 it to long distances and you're remote it needs to 0:05:52.279 --> 0:05:53.720 be yeah, yeah, And. 0:05:53.640 --> 0:05:56.120 You can only carry so much fuel. And when you 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:59.840 do get stuck, you know, a vehicle that's larger like this, 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:02.640 the heavier it gets, the more unlikely it is that 0:06:02.680 --> 0:06:05.560 a passer by can get you out. So you want 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:07.760 to be as you know, as light as you can get. 0:06:07.800 --> 0:06:10.080 I mean, although there's plenty of land cruisers that get 0:06:10.360 --> 0:06:12.800 you know, that get up that you know, Yeah, they 0:06:12.800 --> 0:06:16.240 get up to almost five thousand kilograms for sure, but 0:06:16.880 --> 0:06:19.760 there they do get heavy. But it's it's important to 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:21.720 not be so heavy that you can't get pulled out. 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:24.560 That's why I've always stayed away from things like a 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:27.280 man truck or whatever. Is that you've got to get 0:06:27.320 --> 0:06:28.880 some kind of a commercial recovery. 0:06:28.960 --> 0:06:32.760 Yeah, a fuel remind it's very difficult, very difficult, and 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:33.760 big dulls if you do. 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:37.480 Yeah, you read about these guys that get stuck out 0:06:37.520 --> 0:06:40.279 on these salt salt pans and they're out there for weeks, 0:06:40.800 --> 0:06:42.560 you know, and they bring out the first tractor and 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:44.000 that's on and off, and then they bring out the 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:47.360 second tractor and then it takes it takes the whole village. Yeah, 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:49.680 that's a whole bunch of money to make that happen, 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:51.479 you know, The other thing that I really like about 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:55.120 the MIDSPEECHIFUSO is that they're sold all around the world 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:58.640 as a delivery vehicle. So when you're in countries that 0:06:58.640 --> 0:07:02.760 that have poor road can do commercial entities use these 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:05.160 trucks to get goods and services. 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:08.920 It's a commercial truck that's half a meting kilometers standard lifespan. 0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:11.120 That's right, well, of course, yeah, yes. 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:15.800 So it's designed to do that. I mean these vehicles oftentimes, 0:07:15.840 --> 0:07:18.679 you know, when you're coming into a little village somewhere 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:21.800 in Morocco, they probably have fusos that are coming in 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:25.240 delivering goods. So you know, the power lines are just the. 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:28.320 Right right, the engines is pretty much the siety. 0:07:29.120 --> 0:07:32.440 Yeah, and that makes a huge difference around serviceability. Although 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:34.880 with the Mitsubishi you don't tend to need a lot 0:07:34.920 --> 0:07:37.600 of service and repair. They tend to be incredibly reliable, 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:40.120 but you know, things can still go wrong. 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:42.920 They do, Yeah, things absolutely. I mean we look after that. 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:46.680 I a graze this every five thousand cases, religiously. I 0:07:46.800 --> 0:07:50.480 changed the oil in half the time. Stand that it's recommended. Yeah, 0:07:50.480 --> 0:07:51.480 you're going to look after it. 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:55.080 And what have you found on this platform that generally 0:07:55.120 --> 0:07:58.520 needs to be upgraded or improved, or there are things 0:07:58.520 --> 0:08:01.000 that you do need to modify on the beast Chausis 0:08:01.120 --> 0:08:02.760 or what do you find? 0:08:03.440 --> 0:08:05.040 First thing issues wheels. 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:07.320 It comes with thirty two inch steels on the back 0:08:07.320 --> 0:08:11.280 which are useless off road. So we've designed thirty seven 0:08:11.320 --> 0:08:14.720 inch and thirty five inch super singles to do that. 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:17.920 That changed the dynamics of the vehicle. This ride high. 0:08:18.080 --> 0:08:21.960 Obviously tracking front to rear is important. Improves the ride, 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:26.120 which is seriously important. Then suspension lifted up the bump 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:32.000 stop something like Yeah, so just a couple couple everything 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:35.040 it hits the bump stop. Add another two inches of 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:38.320 fifty mil to that. That improves the ride. A couple 0:08:38.320 --> 0:08:40.720 of nice suspension seats that it keeps the wife happy 0:08:40.720 --> 0:08:43.559 on the left hand side. Yeah, sure, that's the. 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:45.360 Main thing from that side. 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:48.680 Yeah, that makes sense. I remember in I think it 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:51.800 was around twenty and twelve or so, I had the 0:08:51.840 --> 0:08:55.720 opportunity to borrow an earth Cruiser. This would have been 0:08:55.720 --> 0:08:58.360 shortly after you saw the business and I was able 0:08:58.360 --> 0:09:00.600 to borrow a earth Cruiser ticket to free your island, 0:09:00.840 --> 0:09:03.480 getting off the ferry and all that. To have high 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:07.200 floatation tires makes such a huge difference. So while I 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:09.080 was on the ferry, I mean, nobody tells you, but 0:09:09.120 --> 0:09:10.000 I knew what was coming. 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:10.600 You know. 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:13.360 You hear those tires down to about twenty PSI, even 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:14.160 on a heavy number. 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:15.719 Even on a heavy. 0:09:15.440 --> 0:09:17.719 Truck like that, you know, and a jeep, you'd air 0:09:17.760 --> 0:09:19.760 it down to twelve or whatever. But on a heavy 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:22.880 truck you can only go solo. So being able to 0:09:22.880 --> 0:09:24.520 air down like that and then. 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:29.560 It just crawled right off, did you just keep going? Yeah, 0:09:29.640 --> 0:09:30.920 it did fine. 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:33.560 Of course the land cruiser right behind me got bogged 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:35.440 because they'd had an air down. It was still a 0:09:35.480 --> 0:09:37.280 stock yeah. 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:37.720 Yeah. 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:40.680 But you know, it's being able to drive around that island, 0:09:40.720 --> 0:09:43.720 which is it's one of the most incredible places on 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:46.120 the planet to overland because it seems like you're in 0:09:46.160 --> 0:09:49.640 another world. I mean, you got dingos running down the beach, 0:09:49.760 --> 0:09:54.600 You've got these crystal clear water lakes, heavy for it's 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:58.000 just it and the bird life is incredible. And to 0:09:58.040 --> 0:10:01.080 be able to drive on the beach and the camp 0:10:01.120 --> 0:10:02.680 on the beach is just awesome. 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:05.880 And it's one hundred and sixty k along that bach. 0:10:05.960 --> 0:10:08.680 Yeah, it's a long way. Yeah, you gotta got a 0:10:08.679 --> 0:10:10.760 couple of headlands in the locks. Yeah, no, it's a 0:10:10.840 --> 0:10:11.680 spectacular round. 0:10:11.760 --> 0:10:15.520 It's super cool, and I was impressed by the overall 0:10:15.760 --> 0:10:18.800 performance of the Mitsubishi. One of the things I think 0:10:18.840 --> 0:10:22.880 that's really nice about Australia. Nobody likes regulations, but because 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:26.640 Australia has regulations on tire height and lift height, all 0:10:26.679 --> 0:10:28.640 of the vehicles are kind of built to the same 0:10:28.720 --> 0:10:32.079 level of capability. Whereas in the US you can put 0:10:32.160 --> 0:10:34.600 a thirty seven or a forty inch tire on something, 0:10:34.920 --> 0:10:37.120 so if they if that vehicle goes through a trail 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:40.360 and creates a rut, every other vehicle behind them is 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:43.640 in trouble, right, Whereas in Australia, everybody's got pretty much 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:45.920 the same size tire, They got pretty much the same 0:10:46.040 --> 0:10:46.840 list on them. 0:10:46.880 --> 0:10:50.040 Nothing much bigger than the thirty seven inch tie. 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:51.800 Exactly, and that would be on a vehicle like this, 0:10:51.920 --> 0:10:55.240 which is much larger. So I what I loved about 0:10:55.280 --> 0:10:58.000 that is that I could take that Mitsubishi fu so 0:10:58.080 --> 0:11:00.800 everywhere that everybody was going with the land cruisers because 0:11:00.840 --> 0:11:03.720 nothing was over built correct. And that isn't to say 0:11:03.720 --> 0:11:06.959 that there aren't technically challenging trails in Australia, but they're 0:11:07.000 --> 0:11:10.480 just less common, correct, Like all the main overland routes 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:13.760 are all driven by basically the same kind of way. 0:11:13.760 --> 0:11:17.480 You desert trial fritude. 0:11:17.720 --> 0:11:19.840 Yeah, even if you're if you're doing the you know, 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:22.920 the canning Stock route. You we drove them in seventy 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:26.200 series land cruisers with thirty three by ten inch tall 0:11:26.320 --> 0:11:29.840 tires and the track with with with this perfect and 0:11:29.880 --> 0:11:32.960 we never encountered obstacles that had been really chewed up 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:37.559 by a huge overland with the exactly which makes it 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:39.880 impossible to get through. That's something that I really like 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:43.320 about Australia. And then you have to be a better driver, Yes, 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:43.640 you know. 0:11:43.559 --> 0:11:44.880 You got to learn how to drive the thing. You 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:48.640 got to pay, you've got up tackle it correctly. 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:51.440 Yeah, get a good marshal out there to spot you through. 0:11:51.600 --> 0:11:53.680 Maybe you got to pull some winch cable. But I 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:59.200 think that adds to the fund, it adds to the fun. Well, 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:01.040 and you've done a lot of winching in your life. 0:12:01.080 --> 0:12:03.160 I mean, let's pivot a little bit towards some of 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:06.080 the competition that you've done. And I think that all 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:08.000 of this kind of comes back to the fact that 0:12:08.040 --> 0:12:12.079 you've learned so much about building overland vehicles and campers 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:15.839 because of the fact that you've pushed yourself personally, not 0:12:15.880 --> 0:12:19.480 only in competition but in international travel. So you've learnt 0:12:19.559 --> 0:12:20.840 you've made a bunch of mistakes. 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:21.440 I know I have. 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:24.160 I've made a ton of mistakes that now inform the 0:12:24.160 --> 0:12:25.079 decisions that I make. 0:12:25.480 --> 0:12:29.000 But now build this based on one of the off 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:35.400 road Winch Challenge competitions where powder White's critical. I mean 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:39.480 a competition truck. We stripped the inside lines out, the 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:41.400 air condition went out. I used to joke with it 0:12:41.400 --> 0:12:43.400 one we used to kind of precious enough to say 0:12:44.200 --> 0:12:47.199 true story. But that relates back to exactly what we're 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:49.120 doing now. And then of course you've got your rave 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:52.360 land and travel backing that up. So the straight at 0:12:52.360 --> 0:12:54.120 adventure of vehicles, which is a cap that I have 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:56.880 now is in conjunction with my son, we can build 0:12:56.880 --> 0:13:00.839 a vehicle that's built on the reliability and the structure 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:04.880 and the learning curve put in what last thirty years, I. 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:07.520 Get exactly the things the mistakes that you make along 0:13:07.559 --> 0:13:10.760 the way really help us. And you'll see that the people, 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:13.920 the more traveled someone is, the less things that they 0:13:13.960 --> 0:13:16.200 have on their vehicle. The lighter that they keep them, 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:19.560 the more closely they keep them to stock, especially the 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:23.440 drive train. You know, it's that idea of that wild supercharger. 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:25.800 Sounds cool. Yeah, but where are you going to find 0:13:25.800 --> 0:13:28.199 the pulley for that thing in the middle of Tajikistan. 0:13:28.400 --> 0:13:30.640 You're just not you're not. And maybe they can. 0:13:30.520 --> 0:13:31.360 Machine one up for you. 0:13:31.440 --> 0:13:33.319 But yeah, you've got to do it. You've probably heard 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:36.280 of the Caisse principal. Yeah, keep it simple, stupid, that's 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:37.520 exactly what you've got to do. 0:13:38.000 --> 0:13:42.600 And Australians get that because Australians get infinitely more remote 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:44.800 than we can ever get in the US. We have 0:13:44.880 --> 0:13:47.400 similar terrain here. Yes, it's just very difficult. 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:50.840 It's just stay on the rug where you've got help, that's. 0:13:50.120 --> 0:13:52.480 Right, or you've got even got cell coverage or and 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:55.280 of course with starlink now and there are there are 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:57.160 people that have a business to go get you in 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:58.240 the middle of the back country. 0:13:58.400 --> 0:13:58.560 You know. 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:00.160 In Australia, if you're a middle in the middle of 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:02.800 the Simpson you're on your own, you really are. I 0:14:02.800 --> 0:14:06.360 mean the longest you know, if you if you don't 0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:09.640 cross pavement. In the United States, about the longest that 0:14:09.679 --> 0:14:11.600 you can go from point to point is one hundred 0:14:11.640 --> 0:14:15.680 and sixty miles, so call it three hundred kilometers, which 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:20.240 isn't that long, whereas the canning Stock route is eighteen 0:14:20.320 --> 0:14:22.200 hundred kilometers. 0:14:21.920 --> 0:14:23.840 That's right. And there's nothing in between. 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:27.760 Yeah, I mean there's a tiny little village. Yeah, yeah, 0:14:27.880 --> 0:14:31.480 tiny little Yeah, there's not much there. 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:32.200 Yeah. 0:14:32.680 --> 0:14:35.760 Fortunately you can now get fuel there, but I mean 0:14:35.760 --> 0:14:37.920 you used to have to order your fuel well in 0:14:37.960 --> 0:14:41.160 advanced to have it staged in drums and stuff. 0:14:40.920 --> 0:14:42.200 Like four down on drums. 0:14:42.480 --> 0:14:47.120 That's right, exactly, Yeah, unbelievable. So let's talk a little 0:14:47.160 --> 0:14:51.120 bit about your competition. So where did what was the 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:53.600 competition series that you started in and then you ended 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:55.920 up going and doing the Rainforest Challenge and. 0:14:56.320 --> 0:15:00.000 I did like a four drive competitions with things like. 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:04.760 And then in nineteen ninety nine the Outback Challenge started 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:08.640 and we added that first challenge and we competed in 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:11.520 that for the ten years that it ran full. I 0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:13.040 think it ran for a couple of years after that, 0:15:13.080 --> 0:15:15.960 but we're on the podium a reasonable number of times 0:15:15.960 --> 0:15:18.760 out of that, which was rather great. 0:15:18.880 --> 0:15:21.240 Yeah, of course, Yeah, that was quite the challenge. 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:24.840 Yeah, I did Malaysia Rainforest Challenge three times and New 0:15:24.920 --> 0:15:27.240 Zealand Wins Challenge. I won the first one over there 0:15:27.520 --> 0:15:29.640 and got up on stage and said, well, this is 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:31.440 really great guys, and this is how you do it. 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:33.760 This is why we won. And of course went over 0:15:33.800 --> 0:15:35.320 there the next year and they beat We didn't know 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:37.360 because they learned really well. 0:15:37.480 --> 0:15:41.080 But isn't that good for It's wonderful. 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:43.360 For I love that hit and it's nice. 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:45.840 I mean, the Outback Challenge was a great event, and 0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:49.200 I had pleased to say that after twenty years we're 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:50.960 still mates. You know, a lot of those people who 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:55.160 you camped with and competed with and against are some 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:56.280 of the best mate forgots. 0:15:56.600 --> 0:15:58.080 It's a great fraternity. 0:15:58.240 --> 0:15:59.960 You and I have a little bit of shared history 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:03.040 in that I was invited over to compete in the 0:16:03.040 --> 0:16:05.920 Outback Challenge that was held in Northern Africa. So I 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:08.560 actually reced in that event in two thousand and six. 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:10.240 So we both reached them. 0:16:10.240 --> 0:16:11.560 Yeah, Jim sort of thing. 0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:13.880 Yeah, which was fun. I mean, of course being able 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:16.560 to rese the anchrews Er in Morocco. 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:20.880 Was yeah, definitely, you were learning from that, which is 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:23.520 effectively a winch challenge type series where they put you 0:16:23.560 --> 0:16:26.840 through bog holes and vertical cliff faces gets us out 0:16:26.880 --> 0:16:29.720 of problems that we feel comfortable traveling in our own right. 0:16:29.880 --> 0:16:32.320 Obviously on the Road of Bones, we winched a significant 0:16:32.400 --> 0:16:36.440 number of times. We've been bogged in our sand hollow 0:16:36.720 --> 0:16:39.960 in the Gobi Desert recovered self recovered. 0:16:39.560 --> 0:16:41.760 Out of that by burying the tire and winching. 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:44.080 I guess the other time of wife and I were 0:16:44.160 --> 0:16:46.800 in Kenya and the Kufui National Park in Kenya in 0:16:46.800 --> 0:16:51.360 a swamp and finished up buried there and not movable, 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:54.000 so there was nothing in front of us around the 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:56.640 winch cable underneath the vehicle using a set of d 0:16:56.720 --> 0:16:59.600 shackles and the extension back to a tree, and self 0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:03.440 recovered from that. So it gives you certainly make confidence 0:17:03.480 --> 0:17:05.280 be able to say yep, we can do that track, 0:17:05.800 --> 0:17:07.600 but also confidence to be out to look at that 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:10.359 track and say, no, that's beyond where I'm going to 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:12.600 take the module which we're going to live in for 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:13.440 the next six. 0:17:13.359 --> 0:17:14.560 Number of months or years. 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:18.080 Do I really want to expose my house to that obstacle? 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:18.879 Do I need that? 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:22.439 And my wife's singer for fingernails are my thigh normally 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:24.760 says enough enough. 0:17:25.440 --> 0:17:27.520 Yeah, and she's probably learned a lot through the years. 0:17:27.560 --> 0:17:30.760 So if she says, if she says enough is enough. 0:17:30.760 --> 0:17:33.280 Regie gets out and takes a photograph. That's her way 0:17:33.359 --> 0:17:35.200 of saying, well, I'm not in here that you are. 0:17:36.200 --> 0:17:38.240 But there is a limit after that as. 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:41.000 Well too, So we respect by side for sure. 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:42.800 All you have to if you want to travel well 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:45.800 with your partner, that's right. Not a week goes by 0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:49.320 that someone doesn't reach out to ask how they can 0:17:49.359 --> 0:17:54.680 help support the podcast. We are supported entirely by Overland 0:17:54.720 --> 0:17:58.480 Journal the magazine. So when you become a subscriber to 0:17:58.680 --> 0:18:01.560 the Overland Journal print Magaze, you get this beautiful book 0:18:01.840 --> 0:18:04.200 that comes in five times a year. It also gives 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:07.800 you access to our digital archive, and it's well over 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:11.800 one hundred pages of gorgeous images and detailed testing and 0:18:11.880 --> 0:18:14.560 adventures from around the globe. So if you go to. 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:17.760 Overland Journal dot com and you subscribe to the magazine, 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:21.840 use the code Overland Podcast and that'll get you twenty 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:24.879 percent off. It's only available to our podcast listeners. We 0:18:24.920 --> 0:18:28.040 don't advertise it anywhere else, and then you help us 0:18:28.080 --> 0:18:33.399 to maintain that independent employee owned journalism that we have 0:18:33.480 --> 0:18:36.160 been famous for, so it allows us to conduct those 0:18:36.600 --> 0:18:40.400 tests without any advertorial Another way you can help out too, 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:43.639 I produced a book last year with Simon and Schuster 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:45.959 called Overlanding One oh One. You can find it on 0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:49.439 Amazon or Barnes and Noble or even your local bookstore, 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:53.200 and that encompasses my decades of travel around the world, 0:18:53.200 --> 0:18:56.680 all my mistakes and failures and the lessons that I've 0:18:56.760 --> 0:19:00.520 learned in traveling around the globe. Many of those that 0:19:00.600 --> 0:19:03.160 you hear on the podcast have been distilled down into 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:06.600 print form with great lists and beautiful imagery, so you 0:19:06.600 --> 0:19:10.119 can find that at your local bookstore. Overlanding One on one. 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:13.080 And thank you all for listening and for supporting us 0:19:13.080 --> 0:19:14.919 so much throughout these years. 0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:19.919 Well, let's talk a little bit about how you the 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:23.000 mindset that you have towards recovery. So you've had to 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:26.840 do expedient recoveries, of course under competition conditions, and then 0:19:26.880 --> 0:19:29.359 you've been able to take your time and be methought, 0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:30.960 you can come in here and make a cup of tea. 0:19:32.480 --> 0:19:36.800 So we're trying to If we stuff up, let's say, yeah, 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:42.119 stop everything, make a coffee, sit down, analyze the situation 0:19:42.359 --> 0:19:46.520 and methodically work through it. Yeah, and analyze what's going 0:19:46.560 --> 0:19:49.760 to go wrong. Yeah, yeah, and try and eliminate the issues. 0:19:49.840 --> 0:19:51.959 I think that's one of the most important things is 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:55.480 to slow down. You know, in competition, you've practiced so 0:19:55.560 --> 0:19:59.040 much with your travel partner, with your co driver that 0:19:59.080 --> 0:20:01.679 you know what to do, and oftentimes the cable is 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:06.280 already positioned on the front of the bumper. But when 0:20:06.280 --> 0:20:09.840 we're traveling, in my mind, the thing that's the biggest 0:20:09.920 --> 0:20:12.840 risk is to rush. Like the number of times that 0:20:12.920 --> 0:20:16.760 people the vehicle stuck, they forget to put it, or 0:20:16.800 --> 0:20:19.959 they forget when they're pulling it out. They forget that 0:20:20.000 --> 0:20:21.919 all it could run out, it could run away from you. 0:20:22.080 --> 0:20:22.320 Yeah. 0:20:22.359 --> 0:20:25.400 People they tip their car over and it's in neutral when. 0:20:25.320 --> 0:20:26.560 They get it righted back on. 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:30.359 The wheels, it's not in park or it's not in gear. 0:20:30.880 --> 0:20:33.560 So when it comes back onto the wheels, off it goes. 0:20:34.040 --> 0:20:36.919 So taking the time to say is the vehicle in 0:20:37.000 --> 0:20:40.120 the right condition when it gets out, which, of course, 0:20:40.160 --> 0:20:42.600 if you're winching forward you're going to most likely have 0:20:42.640 --> 0:20:45.760 a driver in the driver's seat regardless, But a lot 0:20:45.760 --> 0:20:48.159 of times when the vehicle's on its side, there's nobody 0:20:48.160 --> 0:20:50.560 in the vehicle and you here you go, you write 0:20:50.600 --> 0:20:52.160 the vehicle and the next thing you know that things 0:20:52.240 --> 0:20:56.480 running down the trail. So taking that extra few minutes 0:20:56.520 --> 0:21:00.240 to come up with a plan assess the situation. I 0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:02.200 don't know if you've experienced this, but the number of 0:21:02.280 --> 0:21:05.600 times it's actually just been a log in the bog, yeah, 0:21:05.680 --> 0:21:07.520 because a lot of times people will stuff logs in 0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:09.240 there because somebody got stuck before you. 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:12.200 Yeah, I'd like to do that. But if somebody's natural 0:21:12.320 --> 0:21:15.879 process that a local place with. 0:21:17.680 --> 0:21:20.439 Junk, some local in Russia, they filled it full of 0:21:20.440 --> 0:21:22.720 a bunch of logs. And so now that log is 0:21:22.760 --> 0:21:25.480 just pushing against the front diff cover of your yeah, 0:21:25.480 --> 0:21:26.879 of your actual and oh. 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:29.879 You breathe, the tubes are electrical. Wise, you got there, 0:21:29.920 --> 0:21:31.240 and then you do more than good. 0:21:31.359 --> 0:21:33.040 Yeah, so take a look and you might find, oh wait, 0:21:33.080 --> 0:21:34.399 I just got to dig out the end of this 0:21:34.520 --> 0:21:37.119 log and I'll be able to get out. So really 0:21:37.160 --> 0:21:40.200 taking that time to do the assessment, I believe is critical, 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:44.640 and then using all of the safety and multiplication factors 0:21:44.640 --> 0:21:47.320 that you can in the recovery. People get they get 0:21:47.320 --> 0:21:49.800 in a rush because maybe they're embarrassed or maybe they're 0:21:49.800 --> 0:21:53.320 worried or whatever, or or there their partners worried about 0:21:53.320 --> 0:21:55.359 what's happening. So, you know, so they'll just pull a 0:21:55.400 --> 0:21:58.320 single line out straight to a tree strap. The winch 0:21:58.400 --> 0:22:02.960 line isn't even fully extend. Did so the winch is struggling. Yeah, 0:22:03.000 --> 0:22:05.080 so take the time, put in a pulley block, run 0:22:05.119 --> 0:22:08.399 it back, give a little bit of bridling to the 0:22:08.480 --> 0:22:12.160 recovery so the load is spread out over multiple points. Yeah, 0:22:12.200 --> 0:22:13.119 you're right, taking. 0:22:12.880 --> 0:22:15.439 That time, Yeah, think about it. Yeah, And the other 0:22:15.440 --> 0:22:17.520 thing you've got to do is obviously prep your vehicle 0:22:17.560 --> 0:22:20.520 before you start traveling to make sure your winch is 0:22:20.560 --> 0:22:24.040 actually still active. Many times you haven't used the winch 0:22:24.080 --> 0:22:25.720 for twelve months and then you finish up in a 0:22:25.760 --> 0:22:26.600 situation that. 0:22:27.119 --> 0:22:29.520 Yeah, the electrics are corona. You've been on a beach, 0:22:29.560 --> 0:22:30.400 you know, you sort of thing. 0:22:30.840 --> 0:22:33.240 Just pre check the vehicle before you're actually starting head 0:22:33.280 --> 0:22:35.719 out in the bush there and run the cable up. 0:22:35.960 --> 0:22:37.880 Make sure it's not bound up from the last time 0:22:37.920 --> 0:22:38.440 you wished. 0:22:38.600 --> 0:22:40.679 It makes sense, it's ready to go. That makes so 0:22:40.760 --> 0:22:44.359 much sense. And with these modern winches, a lot of 0:22:44.400 --> 0:22:47.680 them have remote controls, so it's not a wired remote. 0:22:47.800 --> 0:22:50.639 It is a wireless remote control. And those batteries go down, 0:22:50.800 --> 0:22:52.560 I do go down, you know, So you've got to 0:22:52.560 --> 0:22:54.000 make sure it has it. When's the last time I 0:22:54.080 --> 0:22:56.320 charge that thing? Do I have the cable to charge it? 0:22:56.680 --> 0:22:59.520 Some of them still come with older versions of USBC. 0:22:59.800 --> 0:23:02.480 You be chargers, and you may not have that cable 0:23:02.480 --> 0:23:03.040 in your car. 0:23:03.280 --> 0:23:05.800 Well, I've had something very simpler, just with the remote 0:23:06.080 --> 0:23:09.919 sitting in the console where you've jammed something else in 0:23:10.000 --> 0:23:11.919 and it's actually pushed the button and turned it on 0:23:12.000 --> 0:23:14.639 even though the winch is isolating. So do anything but 0:23:14.680 --> 0:23:17.880 the remote is actually active and flatten the battery of it. 0:23:19.359 --> 0:23:20.560 Hanging on. Nothing happens. 0:23:20.960 --> 0:23:23.480 But then we always carry a positive lad that you 0:23:23.480 --> 0:23:24.680 can plug in and make sure. 0:23:25.000 --> 0:23:26.960 Yeah, a backup system is always handed. 0:23:27.160 --> 0:23:30.600 I would agree, And fortunately companies like Warren and others 0:23:30.640 --> 0:23:33.760 have learned you can't just provide people with only a 0:23:33.800 --> 0:23:37.560 wireless you know, you know where it uses radio frequency 0:23:37.560 --> 0:23:40.080 to operate the winch. There needs to be a mechanical, 0:23:40.240 --> 0:23:43.520 a wired remote that you can also plug in. I 0:23:43.520 --> 0:23:47.320 would never consider even consider buying buying a winch that 0:23:47.400 --> 0:23:50.600 only had remote. Now, of course, those of US that 0:23:50.640 --> 0:23:54.240 are more mechanically inclined. If that thing totally stuffs up 0:23:54.280 --> 0:23:56.439 and you can't get it to pair, there's ways around it. 0:23:57.119 --> 0:23:59.760 Pull that little solenoid box off. That's when you start 0:23:59.840 --> 0:24:01.439 using in a jumper. 0:24:02.280 --> 0:24:05.520 We're in the remote track on a track in Tasmania 0:24:05.560 --> 0:24:08.359 and had to use the winch and for some reason 0:24:08.720 --> 0:24:11.359 one of the solenoids it wouldn't pull in but would 0:24:11.359 --> 0:24:11.760 pull out. 0:24:11.840 --> 0:24:12.040 Yeah. 0:24:12.440 --> 0:24:14.119 Right, so you just get it, pull it all apart 0:24:14.200 --> 0:24:16.680 and sort the solenoids around and rewire it and. 0:24:16.800 --> 0:24:18.400 Yes, sort of pull in. I can pull it out 0:24:18.400 --> 0:24:19.959 manually myself. That's so. 0:24:20.359 --> 0:24:23.080 Yeah, a little bit of that outback challenge knowledge that 0:24:23.200 --> 0:24:24.200 it comes into play. 0:24:24.440 --> 0:24:25.159 Yeah, you made it. 0:24:25.280 --> 0:24:27.240 You made a plan that made it, that made it work. 0:24:27.800 --> 0:24:30.640 What were some other things that you learned in your competitions, 0:24:30.680 --> 0:24:34.360 like working with others, working with your teammate. What were 0:24:34.359 --> 0:24:36.399 some of the things that you did as a team 0:24:36.440 --> 0:24:37.920 to help you be so successful. 0:24:38.440 --> 0:24:42.200 I think being of the same mindset certainly is critically important. Yeah, 0:24:42.440 --> 0:24:43.159 and not sort. 0:24:43.040 --> 0:24:44.960 Of trying to You've got to have someone to make 0:24:45.000 --> 0:24:48.520 the decision and someone to lead the process. If you 0:24:48.600 --> 0:24:51.280 are in a situation, someone's got to call it, and 0:24:51.320 --> 0:24:53.600 you've got to trust the other side that if he's 0:24:53.640 --> 0:24:57.280 outside and says look stop, then that you got to 0:24:57.320 --> 0:24:58.720 take that lead from them as. 0:24:58.640 --> 0:24:59.840 Well for sure. Yeah. 0:25:00.080 --> 0:25:02.760 Yeah, once you get your spotter out of the vehicle, 0:25:03.200 --> 0:25:03.879 they're in charge. 0:25:04.119 --> 0:25:04.479 That's on. 0:25:04.600 --> 0:25:07.440 You're just you're there the monkey. You're the monkey operating 0:25:07.520 --> 0:25:11.520 the controls. Yeah, and you really have to trust your spotter. 0:25:11.600 --> 0:25:14.480 And when we can relate that back to travel for 0:25:14.560 --> 0:25:16.800 those that are listening, when's the last time you and 0:25:16.840 --> 0:25:20.720 your partner worked through a scenario together? So it's you know, 0:25:20.880 --> 0:25:23.960 husband and wife team. The wife is a great driver, 0:25:24.160 --> 0:25:26.399 she competes in the rebel rallies. She's got all of 0:25:26.440 --> 0:25:29.600 this experience with recovery, but her husband needs an accountant. 0:25:29.680 --> 0:25:32.119 He doesn't do that stuff. When's the last time that 0:25:32.160 --> 0:25:34.800 she taught him how to do that stuff? So you 0:25:34.880 --> 0:25:37.400 really want to make sure that whoever you're traveling with 0:25:37.920 --> 0:25:43.760 is comfortable marshaling you through obstacles, operating the winch. What 0:25:43.920 --> 0:25:46.800 happens if the primary driver ends up with a broken leg, 0:25:46.840 --> 0:25:50.199 they've had a fall and they can't operate the vehicle. 0:25:50.480 --> 0:25:53.920 Can your partner drive the truck? So those are things 0:25:53.920 --> 0:25:55.880 that I think people really need to be thinking about 0:25:56.040 --> 0:25:56.720 I do well. 0:25:56.720 --> 0:25:59.359 I may not have had the occasion. My wife was 0:25:59.400 --> 0:26:03.000 never involved than competition, but we've been in situations where 0:26:03.040 --> 0:26:04.120 we've had to winch and. 0:26:04.080 --> 0:26:05.600 Say, right, okay, this is what you're doing. 0:26:05.720 --> 0:26:08.040 He go through the learning process, you set it up, 0:26:08.040 --> 0:26:10.200 and you do a dummy run on all these sorts 0:26:10.200 --> 0:26:10.520 of things. 0:26:10.600 --> 0:26:11.080 Yeah. 0:26:11.280 --> 0:26:13.720 Yeah, And what a neat memory that you guys. I mean, 0:26:13.720 --> 0:26:16.040 how long have you and your wife been traveling together? 0:26:17.119 --> 0:26:19.680 Basically all our life, all our married life certainly, I 0:26:19.720 --> 0:26:22.560 mean we're all camping from from day one. We were 0:26:22.600 --> 0:26:24.320 married at twenty one on what seventy five? 0:26:24.400 --> 0:26:27.679 Now, that's yeah, that's so. 0:26:28.560 --> 0:26:30.719 Look, our honeymoon was camping. 0:26:31.080 --> 0:26:33.360 Yeah, I mean, yes, we had a couple of days 0:26:33.400 --> 0:26:35.560 in a nice barrier Refinling. But then we went to 0:26:35.600 --> 0:26:37.680 Canarvan Gorge and camp and we went out there with 0:26:37.720 --> 0:26:41.119 the v W and Bob the v W a campsite. 0:26:41.160 --> 0:26:44.760 So we spent a married night in the back of 0:26:44.800 --> 0:26:47.240 the backseat of the v W in a swamp. 0:26:48.000 --> 0:26:49.000 Yeah. But how cool is it? 0:26:49.200 --> 0:26:53.399 I mean it's just it's amazing memories and you know, like, 0:26:54.240 --> 0:26:56.760 how do what have you guys learned as a couple. 0:26:56.920 --> 0:26:59.639 I mean, that's an incredible feat to you know, to 0:26:59.680 --> 0:27:02.480 now being married for over fifty years and to have 0:27:02.600 --> 0:27:05.760 had so much time together. How did you guys learn 0:27:05.880 --> 0:27:09.040 to work together? And what advice would you give to 0:27:09.080 --> 0:27:10.879 a young couple that was about ready to do their 0:27:10.920 --> 0:27:12.040 own travels around the world. 0:27:12.160 --> 0:27:16.480 Probably listen to your partner and yeah, and and modify 0:27:16.600 --> 0:27:18.720 your desires to suit. 0:27:18.560 --> 0:27:20.080 The desires as well too. 0:27:20.280 --> 0:27:21.040 A little give and take. 0:27:21.160 --> 0:27:22.240 Yeah, lit'tle bit of give and take. 0:27:22.440 --> 0:27:24.480 I mean that's why we travel three months on, three 0:27:24.480 --> 0:27:27.920 months off, and then I've read yeah, Rock, just keep 0:27:27.960 --> 0:27:31.840 punching away. But we have made that arrangement and it works. 0:27:32.040 --> 0:27:32.280 Yeah. 0:27:32.400 --> 0:27:34.280 So you guys found a compromise. 0:27:34.560 --> 0:27:37.239 Compromise and to compromise. It works for both of us. 0:27:37.320 --> 0:27:40.040 I do like that strategy though, of I mean, I 0:27:40.080 --> 0:27:42.119 think a lot of times people will say, Okay, I'm 0:27:42.119 --> 0:27:44.280 going to go take the trip of a lifetime, and 0:27:44.320 --> 0:27:46.840 they pack it all into a year or two or whatever, 0:27:46.880 --> 0:27:49.120 and they're just so exhausted by the end of it. 0:27:49.720 --> 0:27:52.639 I have found for myself personally that I don't really 0:27:52.800 --> 0:27:55.119 like to be out for more than about three months. 0:27:55.560 --> 0:27:57.720 I like to come back and spend time with my 0:27:57.840 --> 0:28:02.000 dad partner, and you know, spend time working on the 0:28:02.040 --> 0:28:05.040 content that I pulled in, spend time with the team. 0:28:05.200 --> 0:28:06.200 I love my business. 0:28:06.600 --> 0:28:09.920 In the next for too. 0:28:10.080 --> 0:28:12.760 Yeah, yeah, go to the doctor, you know, get go 0:28:12.880 --> 0:28:14.960 do something fun, you know, go out and have. 0:28:17.040 --> 0:28:18.560 That's good. It's good to stay on top of it 0:28:19.600 --> 0:28:21.760 to be healthy, that's right, exactly. Yeah. 0:28:21.880 --> 0:28:25.000 I like that tempo of of those couple months off, 0:28:25.200 --> 0:28:27.600 a couple of months on, and I think more people 0:28:27.640 --> 0:28:30.360 should consider that. I think that would help them travel 0:28:30.440 --> 0:28:33.280 for longer. Sometimes you can work out an arrangement with 0:28:33.359 --> 0:28:35.119 your employer where you can come in and out of 0:28:35.119 --> 0:28:38.160 projects and do those kinds of things that I first 0:28:38.160 --> 0:28:40.120 started to be able to do that because I was 0:28:40.160 --> 0:28:42.760 a I was a consultant. I was a software consultant. 0:28:42.800 --> 0:28:45.320 So I would do a big project and then the 0:28:45.320 --> 0:28:47.760 project would finish and I could go travel, and then 0:28:47.800 --> 0:28:50.240 I would travel until the next big project started, which 0:28:50.280 --> 0:28:52.040 sometimes it was a couple of weeks, sometimes it was 0:28:52.080 --> 0:28:54.680 a month, And that really gave me the opportunity to 0:28:54.760 --> 0:28:57.080 get out and start to explore. So you can oftentimes 0:28:57.120 --> 0:29:01.600 find work that supports that. And you're case because you 0:29:02.000 --> 0:29:05.720 founded several businesses yourself. You and your family, your son 0:29:05.800 --> 0:29:09.120 and your team can operate the business while you're away. 0:29:08.960 --> 0:29:11.360 That's right. Yeah. The other thing people ask, what do 0:29:11.360 --> 0:29:13.920 you do with the vehicle when your fly back home? 0:29:14.600 --> 0:29:16.680 Well, I sort of think I sort of say, okay, look, 0:29:16.720 --> 0:29:18.960 you can pay for storage, which I'm doing next week. 0:29:20.080 --> 0:29:24.440 Making create a friend someone's got a barn somewhere. I 0:29:24.520 --> 0:29:27.000 found up quite often to a FUSO dealer in the 0:29:27.000 --> 0:29:30.960 States when they were operating through time Back and Seek. 0:29:30.960 --> 0:29:32.920 Can I steward here? And they were delighted to have 0:29:32.960 --> 0:29:35.959 a truck sitting in their yard. They do a service 0:29:36.000 --> 0:29:39.040 for me gratus, which was wonderful, but they got a 0:29:39.080 --> 0:29:40.720 benefit and say did I out of it too? 0:29:40.880 --> 0:29:41.440 Yeah? 0:29:41.560 --> 0:29:44.360 Yeah, And I think it's getting more and more possible 0:29:44.440 --> 0:29:47.280 to do that. I mean, you know, in Panama there's 0:29:48.560 --> 0:29:52.040 the Overland I can't remember when everything's overland something, but 0:29:52.280 --> 0:29:55.920 you know there's a there's basically like a hostel that 0:29:56.000 --> 0:29:59.920 also will store the vehicles down there. You know, even 0:30:00.360 --> 0:30:03.360 in Prescott, you know Matt Scott who's my co host 0:30:03.440 --> 0:30:05.720 on the podcast, and I you know, we occupy this 0:30:06.160 --> 0:30:10.040 commercial space. We offer up spaces for people to be 0:30:10.080 --> 0:30:12.160 able to store their truck because it's all locked up 0:30:13.160 --> 0:30:15.280 and they people want to come to Prescott anyways, it's 0:30:15.280 --> 0:30:18.400 a nice, nice spot along the journey. So we're finding 0:30:18.440 --> 0:30:21.600 more and more people are starting to offer that kind 0:30:21.640 --> 0:30:25.080 of storage of vehicles around the world. Yeah, yeah, makes 0:30:25.120 --> 0:30:26.920 a big difference. And yeah, don't be afraid to leave it. 0:30:26.960 --> 0:30:30.080 I remember one time when I was doing Expedition seven, 0:30:30.160 --> 0:30:32.280 that trip where we took the land cruisers to all 0:30:32.360 --> 0:30:35.840 seven continents. We needed to leave them in Mendoza, and 0:30:35.880 --> 0:30:37.720 I did a bunch of research and there was no 0:30:37.840 --> 0:30:39.840 limit on how long you could leave it at the airport, 0:30:39.880 --> 0:30:41.200 and there was no daily fee. 0:30:41.600 --> 0:30:42.440 Wow. Perfect. 0:30:42.600 --> 0:30:45.680 So I pulled it into the airport, tucked it up 0:30:45.760 --> 0:30:49.680 underneath a sunshade, you know, shut it off, just connected 0:30:49.680 --> 0:30:52.760 the batteries, left on, left to go home for a 0:30:52.800 --> 0:30:55.200 month or two, came back and there nected the batteries 0:30:55.240 --> 0:30:56.520 back up again, fired right up. 0:30:57.840 --> 0:30:58.640 It was fantastic. 0:30:58.680 --> 0:31:00.600 I don't know if that's still the case, but but 0:31:01.040 --> 0:31:04.400 you can definitely find places to leave cars. Yeah, and 0:31:04.440 --> 0:31:06.400 don't be afraid to do that. The only limitations, and 0:31:06.440 --> 0:31:08.600 you got to know where you're traveling in the world. 0:31:08.640 --> 0:31:12.480 Sometimes temporary your tip, your temporary import process won't allow 0:31:12.560 --> 0:31:15.800 you to leave the country without without some other process, 0:31:16.640 --> 0:31:18.479 or there's a limited amount of time that you can 0:31:18.560 --> 0:31:21.800 leave the vehicle in the country, or you're sometimes limited 0:31:21.800 --> 0:31:24.240 by the length of your carney. So you want to 0:31:24.280 --> 0:31:27.920 make sure that you're paying attention to coming to playing. 0:31:28.800 --> 0:31:30.680 So make sure you're paying attention to that. Don't get 0:31:30.720 --> 0:31:32.920 yourself in trouble. You know, there's people that have gotten 0:31:33.000 --> 0:31:35.040 turned back at the airport that show up to leave, 0:31:35.080 --> 0:31:38.200 and the and the customs places. Hey you still have 0:31:38.200 --> 0:31:39.160 where's your vehicle at? 0:31:39.320 --> 0:31:39.560 Yeah? 0:31:39.600 --> 0:31:41.360 You know, why are you flying out? Did you sell it? 0:31:41.520 --> 0:31:41.720 You know? 0:31:42.160 --> 0:31:46.440 So, yeah, that can make it complicated for sure. Of 0:31:46.480 --> 0:31:48.560 all the places that you've been around the world, I 0:31:48.600 --> 0:31:51.360 mean you've literally driven around the world many times. What's 0:31:51.400 --> 0:31:52.440 one of your most favorites? 0:31:53.600 --> 0:31:55.520 Sorry sorry, Mongolia? 0:31:55.680 --> 0:31:59.800 Okay, Mongolia is the size of the sort of lesson 0:31:59.840 --> 0:32:01.920 the US. Yeah, when we were there, there were one 0:32:01.960 --> 0:32:05.360 hundred kilometers of gazette roads. Everything else is by direction. 0:32:06.000 --> 0:32:07.800 If you want to you're a noltavatar, I want to 0:32:07.840 --> 0:32:10.640 go to the next town, you log in the GPS 0:32:10.680 --> 0:32:13.480 direct coordinates, Yeah. 0:32:13.040 --> 0:32:14.960 And you drive it down that river valley or I 0:32:15.120 --> 0:32:17.920 with that mount Ryan Durrett through the forest. They there's 0:32:17.960 --> 0:32:21.560 no fences in Mongoli. Yes, so it's true over landing 0:32:21.560 --> 0:32:23.640 because you are across country. 0:32:23.720 --> 0:32:24.440 Yeah, it's Brett. 0:32:24.520 --> 0:32:28.040 The people are beautiful, yeah yeah, and the little families 0:32:28.040 --> 0:32:29.400 that you know in the yur It's one of my 0:32:29.440 --> 0:32:31.920 favorite stories. I was when I was driving across the 0:32:31.960 --> 0:32:37.040 northern end of Mongolia to Lumba Tar from Russia. I 0:32:37.080 --> 0:32:38.920 had stopped and camped out for the night. I was 0:32:38.960 --> 0:32:41.720 in this little nemo tent and I was getting ready 0:32:41.720 --> 0:32:44.160 in the morning, and this little little boy just like 0:32:44.240 --> 0:32:46.440 crawls into my tent and just sits there and watches it. 0:32:46.480 --> 0:32:50.040 Because it's totally normal, yes, for him to be able 0:32:50.120 --> 0:32:52.400 to because his whole fam his whole family is in 0:32:52.440 --> 0:32:52.880 one tent. 0:32:53.120 --> 0:32:54.640 Yep, so it'd feel totally normal. 0:32:54.720 --> 0:32:56.160 This little kid just out of there and he was 0:32:56.240 --> 0:32:59.680 just adorable and look, yeah, he just that ended it up. 0:32:59.720 --> 0:33:02.200 I just he was very respectful, but he was very 0:33:02.200 --> 0:33:04.520 curious what I was up to. So I'm rolling up 0:33:04.520 --> 0:33:06.840 my sleeping pad and all that stuff, you know, And 0:33:06.840 --> 0:33:08.760 then I get to meet his father and then then 0:33:08.880 --> 0:33:11.640 and we had a fresh apple. I don't remember where 0:33:11.640 --> 0:33:13.760 we got it, but we had an apple, and I 0:33:13.840 --> 0:33:15.840 gave him the apple, and next thing, you know, his 0:33:15.920 --> 0:33:18.360 other sons coming down with a camel, had to ride 0:33:18.360 --> 0:33:18.800 a camera. 0:33:19.240 --> 0:33:19.440 You know. 0:33:19.520 --> 0:33:21.720 He was just, yeah, wonderful. I got stories like that. 0:33:21.760 --> 0:33:24.760 So we're in a June valley and the guy comes 0:33:24.800 --> 0:33:27.000 down and he's on his jack and all these goats 0:33:27.000 --> 0:33:31.000 and heard of animals, and we're sitting there where your 0:33:31.040 --> 0:33:33.959 wife still drawing pictures of animals and asking him how 0:33:34.000 --> 0:33:34.720 many he's got. 0:33:34.880 --> 0:33:37.280 Yeah, And then he brings out the vodka. 0:33:37.440 --> 0:33:39.760 We have a few drinks, and then he invites us 0:33:39.760 --> 0:33:43.200 back to his family the next morning. And you invited 0:33:43.280 --> 0:33:45.600 us for breakfast, which was wonderful experience. 0:33:46.000 --> 0:33:49.000 I just couldn't quite heck the vodka breakfast breakfast. 0:33:49.040 --> 0:33:51.960 Say, they do wash most of the things down with 0:33:52.040 --> 0:33:56.640 bode that or the ferment the water fermented Mary's milk. Yeah, 0:33:57.520 --> 0:33:58.840 they have in the doorway. 0:33:58.920 --> 0:34:02.280 Yeah that's that. Stuff is rough, Yeah, stuff is rough. 0:34:02.440 --> 0:34:07.600 Quite Yeah, I was grateful for the vodka wash that down. 0:34:07.760 --> 0:34:12.640 Yeah. Well yeah, the people in your meet traveling, it's 0:34:12.800 --> 0:34:13.640 just yeah. 0:34:14.200 --> 0:34:16.239 So Mongolia is one of your favorites. What would be 0:34:16.360 --> 0:34:17.520 the next one that comes to mind? 0:34:17.800 --> 0:34:20.040 I think you'd have to say just South America. 0:34:20.200 --> 0:34:23.919 Generally Australia doesn't have the mountains that South America has, 0:34:24.600 --> 0:34:28.239 and the scenery is just spectacular diversity of scenery from 0:34:28.280 --> 0:34:33.239 your your deserts and Bolivia and the rainforests of the 0:34:33.360 --> 0:34:36.040 br three y nine sugar back into the Amazon jungle 0:34:36.040 --> 0:34:37.520 which we drove was Britain. 0:34:37.560 --> 0:34:41.160 When did you drive that twenty fourteen that. 0:34:41.320 --> 0:34:43.560 I thought about doing. That's one of the trips in 0:34:43.640 --> 0:34:46.160 South America I'd love to do because I've never been 0:34:46.520 --> 0:34:47.080 to Brazil. 0:34:47.239 --> 0:34:50.719 Yeah, bridgiant plate the bridges for my wife wouldn't sit 0:34:50.800 --> 0:34:52.799 the vehicle where you drove across the bridges because when 0:34:52.800 --> 0:34:56.120 you drive on them, apart from us putting stumps underneath 0:34:56.200 --> 0:34:59.320 and more logs and more rocks, the bridge still sways 0:34:59.480 --> 0:35:04.080 like this vehicle a cross that's like take a breath 0:35:04.160 --> 0:35:05.040 and take up religion. 0:35:05.120 --> 0:35:06.839 What do yeah? 0:35:07.840 --> 0:35:10.200 Oh yeah, that that's supposed to be a really great round. 0:35:10.239 --> 0:35:14.000 I know that they're actively improving it to make it 0:35:14.120 --> 0:35:17.359 easier to get into the into the jungle and into 0:35:17.400 --> 0:35:19.879 the rainforest, so I know I need to go sooner 0:35:19.920 --> 0:35:22.200 than later before it becomes paved. 0:35:22.320 --> 0:35:25.600 So we met a bike rider coming going south. 0:35:25.719 --> 0:35:29.040 We passed him, and he was proudly saying, I'm going 0:35:29.080 --> 0:35:31.680 to be the first bike rider to ever do this 0:35:32.280 --> 0:35:36.360 three one nine trip thirty ks. Further on in that travels, 0:35:36.440 --> 0:35:38.920 we met a bike rider coming north, yeah, saying I'm 0:35:38.920 --> 0:35:42.000 going to be the first one I really would love 0:35:42.040 --> 0:35:42.480 to feed on. 0:35:44.680 --> 0:35:48.760 Because I guarantee their speed and no question. How funny 0:35:48.840 --> 0:35:49.000 is that? 0:35:49.560 --> 0:35:51.800 How funny is that? Yeah, it's it's really easy to 0:35:51.880 --> 0:35:56.440 try to attach ourselves. So those those competitive components of travel, 0:35:57.080 --> 0:35:59.719 you know. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, I think I think 0:35:59.800 --> 0:36:03.239 So America is really special. The food's great roads or 0:36:03.280 --> 0:36:04.480 grade mountains are beautiful. 0:36:04.520 --> 0:36:07.719 I mean we're preying while camping and people friendly and 0:36:07.840 --> 0:36:09.880 not worried about you. No, they're really aren't. 0:36:10.000 --> 0:36:12.759 Their territory and camping is quite it's a part of 0:36:12.920 --> 0:36:16.800 the Argentine culture and they do camp down there, so 0:36:16.880 --> 0:36:19.160 they used to seeing people out camping out, you know. 0:36:19.280 --> 0:36:21.680 And you think about even where we're sitting right now. 0:36:21.760 --> 0:36:25.040 We're at over seven thousand feet here in Flagstaff, the 0:36:25.120 --> 0:36:29.640 Overland Expo, which is already two thousand feet higher than Costkiasco. 0:36:30.120 --> 0:36:32.279 Well you looking like that, and you and I are 0:36:32.320 --> 0:36:34.879 just sitting here having a chat. Yeah, and we're we're 0:36:35.160 --> 0:36:38.560 you know what would that be five six hundred meters 0:36:38.719 --> 0:36:40.720 higher than Costkiasco. 0:36:40.160 --> 0:36:42.880 Which at the highest mountain of the STrenD. Yeah, that's incredible. 0:36:43.800 --> 0:36:45.880 Yes, so the world is highly varied. 0:36:46.719 --> 0:36:49.440 I continue a quick story that believe you're in South America. Yeah, 0:36:49.440 --> 0:36:49.759 please do. 0:36:50.040 --> 0:36:54.239 We were Ife and I alone, traveling into Thursday. We 0:36:54.360 --> 0:36:57.080 went looking for puts casting in the sun Dance kids. 0:36:57.120 --> 0:36:59.400 They have grave site because he used to rob coaches 0:37:00.120 --> 0:37:02.800 down there, so we're looking. 0:37:02.680 --> 0:37:04.120 For their burial. 0:37:04.280 --> 0:37:10.719 Side overnight went minus fifteen. Diesel froze, water froze. We 0:37:10.840 --> 0:37:13.759 actually had a flat tire at the same time, and 0:37:13.880 --> 0:37:15.520 I wouldn't say we were lost in the desert, but 0:37:15.640 --> 0:37:19.360 we were certainly remote and not a soul around. The 0:37:19.480 --> 0:37:24.080 next morning, it was cold right, wouldn't start because the 0:37:24.120 --> 0:37:26.560 diesel had turned to us like a slushy bit of 0:37:26.640 --> 0:37:29.400 a gel a gel. So I finished up taking the 0:37:29.440 --> 0:37:33.400 exhaust pipe out of the diesel. Heater ran that into 0:37:33.440 --> 0:37:36.359 the fuel tank, melted the fuel, which managed to get 0:37:36.400 --> 0:37:39.279 us started, which then managed to we managed to push 0:37:39.320 --> 0:37:41.640 the vehicle around so the sunshine was also on the 0:37:42.000 --> 0:37:45.560 fuel tank side and that managed to self recover out 0:37:45.560 --> 0:37:46.400 of that experience. 0:37:46.800 --> 0:37:49.680 Well, that's a great story. And then when it was running, 0:37:49.680 --> 0:37:54.399 you could run the air compressor and yeah, changed the tire. 0:37:54.480 --> 0:37:58.560 But we ever got out of there just logically thinking well, 0:37:58.600 --> 0:38:00.360 what's the next move you want should do? 0:38:00.600 --> 0:38:02.799 And then did you end up finding which Cassidy's grave? 0:38:02.920 --> 0:38:06.520 No, we didn't know it was to you said, enough 0:38:06.560 --> 0:38:08.560 of that enough if people. 0:38:08.400 --> 0:38:11.160 Don't realize how high that Altiplano is, I mean that 0:38:11.360 --> 0:38:14.720 is such fine co is you're driving around at fourteen 0:38:14.760 --> 0:38:15.319 thousand feet. 0:38:15.360 --> 0:38:18.799 Yeah, there very high. But you made it to solardi Us. 0:38:19.239 --> 0:38:22.399 Oh yes, yeah, we've never been there. What'd you think 0:38:22.400 --> 0:38:23.080 of the salar? 0:38:23.280 --> 0:38:24.320 Oh fantastic. 0:38:24.400 --> 0:38:25.360 Yeah, it looks beautiful. 0:38:25.440 --> 0:38:25.640 Yeah. 0:38:26.760 --> 0:38:30.520 And a special thanks to Hankook Tire for supporting this 0:38:30.640 --> 0:38:36.080 week's podcast. With Summer Underway, head over to Expedition Portal 0:38:36.120 --> 0:38:40.959 dot com for jeep Beach Vibe inspiration. Our team spent 0:38:41.080 --> 0:38:44.920 the weekend with Handcook Dinapro Tire at this year's twenty 0:38:45.000 --> 0:38:48.840 twenty six Jeep beachweak in Daytona, Florida, and took a 0:38:48.880 --> 0:38:52.839 look at their Wrangler three ninety two. Look for Jeep 0:38:52.920 --> 0:38:56.240 Beach twenty twenty six. When you go to Expedition portal 0:38:56.480 --> 0:38:56.960 dot com. 0:38:58.040 --> 0:38:59.960 It's a really impressive country. 0:39:00.360 --> 0:39:04.160 So what's what for your planning going forward? Is there 0:39:04.200 --> 0:39:05.799 a spot on the map you still want to make 0:39:05.840 --> 0:39:06.000 it to. 0:39:06.160 --> 0:39:08.680 When there's a couple of holes to fill in we 0:39:08.880 --> 0:39:11.080 haven't done when I fly Ham this time i'll come 0:39:11.160 --> 0:39:13.680 back and we'll do three months Florida Everglades. 0:39:13.880 --> 0:39:16.040 You haven't been in that area, then yes, I'd like 0:39:16.120 --> 0:39:18.960 to see one of the spaceships sort of God nor 0:39:19.680 --> 0:39:21.839 woued you. I'd like to tick that box. 0:39:22.320 --> 0:39:24.840 Even we spend another three months again in the eastern 0:39:24.920 --> 0:39:27.560 part the western parts of the US, or more than 0:39:27.640 --> 0:39:28.560 like people probably. 0:39:28.280 --> 0:39:30.520 Ship to the Europe. We haven't done. 0:39:30.560 --> 0:39:34.960 Eastern Europe is one other places on a map i'd 0:39:35.080 --> 0:39:37.440 like to do. We've I mean, as I said, seventy 0:39:37.520 --> 0:39:39.879 five of b another five years of healthy life. 0:39:39.880 --> 0:39:43.320 I'm hoping hopefully than right, but I mean that's what 0:39:43.400 --> 0:39:46.040 we're planning for in five years of travel on or. 0:39:46.040 --> 0:39:49.920 Off, and Eastern Europe would be fantastic in a vehicle 0:39:50.040 --> 0:39:52.759 like this. I mean, you know, just some of the 0:39:53.239 --> 0:39:57.600 back roads in Albania were just awesome for driving there, 0:39:57.920 --> 0:40:00.560 you know, through the Balkans in that eastern part of Europe, 0:40:00.600 --> 0:40:03.120 you could still overland for you know, days at a 0:40:03.200 --> 0:40:06.840 time on remote roads. That's much less the case unless 0:40:06.840 --> 0:40:10.760 you're in like Portugal there's some longer trips, or in Spain, 0:40:10.920 --> 0:40:12.920 but for the most part of Europe there's just not 0:40:13.000 --> 0:40:14.960 a lot of But there's so much to see there 0:40:15.080 --> 0:40:17.759 is that people will say I can't go in the 0:40:17.800 --> 0:40:20.640 back country in Europe. I'm like, well, but there's thousands 0:40:20.680 --> 0:40:21.919 of years of history to enjoy. 0:40:21.960 --> 0:40:27.320 It's history and off Friday and the people and the 0:40:27.400 --> 0:40:29.840 great food museums. 0:40:30.000 --> 0:40:32.600 Just go enjoy a different kind of trip, Yeah, for sure. 0:40:33.120 --> 0:40:36.400 Society, different culture. Yeah, that's what traveling is. All of that. 0:40:36.640 --> 0:40:39.400 I would agree, I would agree. What advice would you 0:40:39.520 --> 0:40:42.319 give if you were to sit down and either chat 0:40:42.400 --> 0:40:45.560 with your younger self or with another couple that was 0:40:45.640 --> 0:40:48.520 just getting ready to start traveling, how would you help 0:40:48.600 --> 0:40:52.080 them make decisions around their vehicle? You know, what, what 0:40:52.200 --> 0:40:54.920 are the basics that they need to get started? What 0:40:55.000 --> 0:40:57.200 are some things that you think people need to be considering? 0:40:57.719 --> 0:41:01.120 Certainly have touched by some traveling light is critical. What 0:41:01.320 --> 0:41:03.279 you don't need in two weeks you don't need in 0:41:03.360 --> 0:41:07.279 two months or two years. Apart from medical and recovery gear. 0:41:07.960 --> 0:41:10.400 So maybe a couple of spars, yeah, I. 0:41:10.480 --> 0:41:12.719 Mean your spas, yes, But I mean as far as 0:41:13.640 --> 0:41:16.759 taking stuff, and I've got the biggest problem is people 0:41:16.760 --> 0:41:19.239 have got space and they will oh, what can I 0:41:19.320 --> 0:41:21.360 put in there? And they walk around the house that 0:41:21.520 --> 0:41:24.440 I might need that and fill that hole if you 0:41:24.520 --> 0:41:27.160 don't need it. I mean i'd even when we ship 0:41:27.280 --> 0:41:30.640 the first time, as we're going back each time, I 0:41:30.719 --> 0:41:33.000 always took stuff back I wasn't using it. 0:41:33.280 --> 0:41:36.040 Don't carry it, yeah, fly back with it, fly back 0:41:36.080 --> 0:41:37.800 with it, take it back home again. 0:41:37.600 --> 0:41:40.239 Get it out of there, give it or donate it away. 0:41:40.400 --> 0:41:44.400 Give it away absolutely no. I think that's important advice. 0:41:44.800 --> 0:41:47.799 Keep it late. And also if you buy a fewer things, 0:41:47.880 --> 0:41:50.359 you have more money for diesel, or you have more 0:41:50.400 --> 0:41:52.759 money for visas, or you can stay out a little 0:41:52.800 --> 0:41:57.400 bit longer, maybe continue your journeys. Being able to budget 0:41:57.480 --> 0:41:58.560 for that is really important. 0:41:58.840 --> 0:42:01.480 We tend not to buy souvenirs per se. 0:42:02.400 --> 0:42:05.440 Something nice from each country is always nice, but we 0:42:05.600 --> 0:42:09.000 try and sort of take back home what is important 0:42:09.040 --> 0:42:11.840 to us. If you find something on the beach just 0:42:12.160 --> 0:42:14.400 means something and reflects back to that. 0:42:15.600 --> 0:42:18.120 A shell or yeah, something like that. Yeah, I do 0:42:18.239 --> 0:42:21.000 the same thing. They're not much for the trinkets and 0:42:21.080 --> 0:42:23.560 stuff like that, but yeah, certainly the. 0:42:23.560 --> 0:42:26.720 Foota they're not made in the country of origin Fortunes. 0:42:26.800 --> 0:42:29.800 Unfortunately, that's very much the case. Well, let's talk a 0:42:29.840 --> 0:42:33.279 little bit about your camper business. We're sitting in your 0:42:33.360 --> 0:42:36.440 personal camper right now, built on a FUSO chassis. What's 0:42:36.480 --> 0:42:37.280 the name of your business. 0:42:37.440 --> 0:42:39.160 It's Australian Adventure Vehicles. 0:42:39.560 --> 0:42:42.160 The name of the product is a Global Explorer. Obviously, 0:42:42.239 --> 0:42:44.080 it comes from the background of where we are at. 0:42:44.880 --> 0:42:48.640 Built for primarily around Australia, because I guess you'd say 0:42:48.760 --> 0:42:52.480 ninety five percent of my clients of these vehicles are 0:42:52.560 --> 0:42:56.040 doing around Australia. Look, yeah, there's probably six or seven 0:42:56.440 --> 0:42:58.680 trucks that are international, which. 0:42:58.960 --> 0:43:01.480 I try and encourage. Yeah, be proud of that. 0:43:01.880 --> 0:43:04.840 Yeah, it's good and I'm proud also that two or 0:43:04.880 --> 0:43:08.319 three people have come here over the Overland Expose show 0:43:08.360 --> 0:43:10.400 and sort of said, well, I bought a different vehicle, 0:43:10.440 --> 0:43:12.240 but it was you who encouraged. 0:43:11.840 --> 0:43:14.799 Me to travel the world. So yeah, I think that's 0:43:14.800 --> 0:43:15.719 a nice box to tick. 0:43:15.760 --> 0:43:18.600 I'm sort of rather proud that I've encouraged others to 0:43:19.239 --> 0:43:22.240 get out there and explore more than just their backyard. 0:43:22.360 --> 0:43:23.239 You absolutely have. 0:43:23.440 --> 0:43:25.960 I mean they shared the story of you inspiring me, 0:43:26.440 --> 0:43:28.840 you know, almost twenty years ago. Now I read that 0:43:29.000 --> 0:43:32.080 first trip of you doing Russia, so you know that 0:43:32.280 --> 0:43:34.640 obviously the work that you did with Earth Cruiser built 0:43:34.680 --> 0:43:37.520 a great brand there. Still that's still going in Australia. 0:43:38.600 --> 0:43:41.000 And then there's another company after that called Travel Trucks, 0:43:41.000 --> 0:43:44.360 which I built up with based on the Vecco Daily. 0:43:44.800 --> 0:43:47.919 Sure again I got ischy feet and saw that onto 0:43:48.000 --> 0:43:48.880 my business partner. 0:43:49.000 --> 0:43:53.160 Yes, yes, and now I couldn't help myself again, very 0:43:53.280 --> 0:43:55.839 tired five times and back again. 0:43:55.960 --> 0:43:58.480 But now your son gets gray Soun's great. How cool 0:43:58.600 --> 0:44:00.400 is that? Great ideas? 0:44:00.440 --> 0:44:03.120 So I come back and say, well, we'll tweak this 0:44:03.200 --> 0:44:05.520 a little bit here and tweak that there, and we've 0:44:05.560 --> 0:44:08.600 got a new product in production at the moment along 0:44:08.640 --> 0:44:11.400 the same almost exactly the same layout, but just tweak 0:44:11.840 --> 0:44:16.400 or ems in there. Clients want more and more of 0:44:16.520 --> 0:44:19.719 everything these days, and everything a thousand wats of sol 0:44:19.840 --> 0:44:21.640 or an eight hundred or twelve hundred wats of amp 0:44:22.239 --> 0:44:23.480 pounds of lithium. 0:44:23.160 --> 0:44:27.799 Batteries and just improved again from my experience out there 0:44:27.880 --> 0:44:29.320 and playing with the product. 0:44:29.360 --> 0:44:32.200 Do you still have that website going that has all 0:44:32.320 --> 0:44:33.520 the story go AA tracks? 0:44:33.600 --> 0:44:35.960 Yes, yeah, so spell that spell that out for the 0:44:36.800 --> 0:44:37.800 is it a straighted lizard? 0:44:37.880 --> 0:44:40.719 So g O A W N A one word t 0:44:40.960 --> 0:44:44.400 R A c k S dot com Yeah, yeah, not 0:44:44.560 --> 0:44:45.719 au just dot com. 0:44:45.920 --> 0:44:50.560 Those stories are awesome, those photos are incredible seeing seeing 0:44:50.600 --> 0:44:53.560 a fosol just like crashing out of this hole on 0:44:53.680 --> 0:44:57.560 the road of bone. I mean I saw that when 0:44:57.600 --> 0:44:59.840 I was eyes wide like that is that it was 0:45:00.120 --> 0:45:02.760 so incredible that that kind. 0:45:02.600 --> 0:45:05.480 Of crop wheels off, which is a little bit beyond 0:45:05.560 --> 0:45:08.680 but sometimes you got to meet to do it. 0:45:09.480 --> 0:45:11.720 Was land Rover says, you know, as slow as possible, 0:45:11.760 --> 0:45:14.400 but as fast as necessary. In that case, that was 0:45:14.440 --> 0:45:17.240 as fast as what it is. Yeah, that's right exactly. 0:45:17.440 --> 0:45:21.000 And then do you guys have any social media accounts 0:45:21.000 --> 0:45:23.720 that you can point people to really up for the business. 0:45:24.280 --> 0:45:28.480 So the business yes, ww dot I V four x 0:45:28.560 --> 0:45:32.160 four dot com is a straight at adventure vehicles. Okay, 0:45:32.280 --> 0:45:34.560 that's got a lot of product on there, based for 0:45:34.719 --> 0:45:38.240 either the FUSA Canada or the Iuzu NPS. 0:45:38.000 --> 0:45:41.440 Four by four as well too. We build on both platforms. 0:45:41.640 --> 0:45:44.440 Yeah, Kim, it's been such an honor for me to 0:45:44.560 --> 0:45:48.279 interview you. You're an inspiration so to so many people. 0:45:48.880 --> 0:45:51.680 I'm incredibly proud of what you've accomplished in all of 0:45:51.760 --> 0:45:54.600 your travels. Just looking at that map out there on 0:45:54.719 --> 0:45:57.200 the side of your camper is just it's so humbling 0:45:57.280 --> 0:45:59.920 to see what you guys have done, and I just 0:46:00.080 --> 0:46:02.359 I'm really grateful that I had the chance to sit 0:46:02.440 --> 0:46:04.520 down with you ask you about your life and your 0:46:04.600 --> 0:46:08.400 incredible journeys. So those that are listening, please take a 0:46:08.440 --> 0:46:11.560 look at Kim's travels. They're just out of this world. 0:46:11.640 --> 0:46:13.440 You think Camel Trophy was cool, Wait, do you see 0:46:13.480 --> 0:46:17.040 what Kim did? Yeah, thank you, thank you, and thank 0:46:17.080 --> 0:46:18.359 you for your for the book. 0:46:18.480 --> 0:46:20.160 I appreciate it. 0:46:20.280 --> 0:46:24.840 Yeah no, well again, like, well, you can give me 0:46:24.920 --> 0:46:26.680 some updates so I can add it to the next 0:46:26.800 --> 0:46:29.440 version of it. So thank you so much, Kim, absolutely, 0:46:29.800 --> 0:46:31.839 and we thank you all for listening, and we'll talk 0:46:31.920 --> 0:46:33.000 to you next time.