< more recent | 19-23 December 2021 | older >
23 December 2021: There was a layer of fog engulfing the prairie this morning that gave it a really otherworldly appearance, but it burned off early and I prepped everything at camp so it would be ready for the holiday tomorrow, then zipped up my tent and headed east towards St. Augustine and the coast, where I would be picking up Chris and Khalifa to start the real adventure. I did a final holiday supply run to get some goodies for the celebration, then continued on to a favorite little motel right across from an empty beach. I got there late in the afternoon but had time to at least go take a walk along the water’s edge, though it was a bit windy and the water wasn’t very calm. I watched the sunset behind the palm trees then went to meet up with Chris and Khalifa for dinner at Aunt Kate’s where for some reason we took a silly selfie with one of those plastic owls that are supposed to deter pigeons. We made a rough plan for tomorrow and called it an early night …
21 December 2021: There was no sunrise to speak of, just grey skies and rain in the morning as predicted, and so I had no regrets about sleeping past 7am. Made some supply runs in Jacksonville to stock up with some key items for camp, then headed directly to Hopkins Prairie in hopes that I would be able to get my favorite camp spot — site 17. The rain was still falling as I approached the Ocala National Forest from the north, and there was mud on the sandy trails leading in towards the prairie. But my strategy was successful, and there were only a few other campers who had already been set up for some days with big RVs that couldn’t fit into site 17 in any case. My site was “open” and I quickly secured the spot, leaving a bunch of supplies and stuff covered with a tarp to indicate the site was “taken.” The rain was slowly easing up, but it hadn’t stopped and I decided to wait for it to at least stop coming down before setting up the tent. Instead I went out to buy some dry firewood and scout out a few places to glean wood from the forest once it dried up. By later afternoon it stopped, and I got the tent up and prepped dinner and generally settled in to camp …
20 December 2021: Was up early to go look for ponies at the Assateague National Seashore, and though it was an icy cold morning I had some luck, and also saw wild turkeys and deer. One group of ponies were grazing in the forest near the marsh, and a few were out on the marsh in the distance. There were no other people around and I took some time to photograph after walking out on the boardwalk that had patches of slippery ice. I had to be careful not to fall. There was a family of ponies on the edge of the forest in the sunlight that I observed for a while before getting a start on the drive day. My choice to spend the night here rather than going further south yesterday meant that I would have to drive straight through the rest of the way to Florida today. After leaving the ponies, I headed towards the I-95 to make up time, and only paused for a short stop at the beginning of the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel. The skies were clear and I could see the silhouettes of container ships far off on the horizon. I got back on the road and marathon drove through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia late into the night, and kept going for the Florida border. When I reached the state line there was a light rain falling, and it got a little heavier as I continued to Jacksonville. I stopped there for the night to sleep, and checked the forecast for St. Augustine to see if I should get up before dawn and drive the rest of the way to the beach for a solstice photo in the morning. Unfortunately, the weather report was for rain and clouds and I could see by the radar that there was a big front coming in. The “upside” was that I would be able to “sleep in” a little bit …
19 December 2021: Got a good start on the drive day today and made the decision to stop in Maryland so that I could go look for the wild ponies tomorrow morning. Traffic was not bad and I made it there early enough to have a relaxed evening…
THIS MONTH:
The Annual Holiday Roadtrip south takes on a slightly different twist this year, as we are joined by some friends from France here to experience a backcountry adventure with USnomads.org. We will be spending two weeks overlanding through the wilderness from the Ocala National Forest to the Okefenokee Swamp and on into the Apalachicola National Forest, camping, kayaking and exploring as we go…
COMING UP SOON:
Every Day Is a Clean Up Day in 2021. Ladies Offroad Network has partnered with TreadLightly! to create a year-long program that encourages members to pick up trash on the trails whenever they are out off-roading. Participants simply pick up the trash, weigh it, take a photo, and log the location and time it took, then upload the details. At the end of the year there will be a series of prizes based on pounds of trash removed from the trails as well as participation in other TreadLightly! initiatives. This is a great way to do some good on a local level and make a larger impact via the national program…
Advanced sand dune training with Barlow Adventures at the Imperial Sand Dunes in southern California. This three day driving and navigation program focuses on moving safely and effectively through large dunefields. Skills-building exercises are intended to improve pace, line choice and vehicle control, as well as developing precision map and compass navigation technique…
Trail Guiding for the California 4-Wheel Drive Association’s second annual Death Valley Experience fundraiser event running in March. Each day will feature a choice of runs to some famous, some infamous and some secretive points of interest within Death Valley National Park. The runs will depart from Furnace Creek and from Stovepipe Wells. Some of the points of interest we will visit during Death Valley Experience 2021 include Zabriskie Point (famous), Barker Ranch (infamous) and the Racetrack (learn the secret of the moving rocks). Other points of interest include Dante’s View, 20 Mule Team Canyon, Artists’ Drive, Chloride Cliffs, Aguereberry Point, Skidoo, Titus Canyon, and Darwin Falls. All of the trail runs are suitable for novice drivers and SUVs with high clearance and 4-wheel drive…
USnomads.org is very proud to be presenting a brand new kind of rally experience for 2022 — the Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally a ten week event that participants can do from anywhere within the continental U.S.A. Competitors design their own routes as part of the rally, then drive it in a points-based online competition that includes optional activity tasks, quests and weekly challenges. The rally will run from 6 June – 14 August and is open to any driver within the United States who has an off-road capable vehicle — stock or modified. Registration is now open and continues until 31 March or until the event is full, whichever comes first. For more information see the Rally website or Register Now …
ASSATEAGUE PONIES
Assateague’s wild ponies are actually feral animals, meaning that they are descendants of domestic animals that have reverted to a wild state. Horses tough enough to survive the scorching heat, abundant mosquitoes, stormy weather and poor quality food found on this remote, windswept barrier island have formed a unique wild horse society. Local folklore describes the Assateague horses as survivors of a shipwreck off the Virginia coast. While this dramatic tale of struggle and survival is popular, there are no records yet that confirm it. The most plausible explanation is that they are the descendants of horses that were brought to barrier islands like Assateague in the late 17th century by mainland owners to avoid fencing laws and taxation of livestock. The horses are split into two main herds, one on the Virginia side and one on the Maryland side of Assateague. They are separated by a fence at the Virginia/Maryland State line. These herds have divided themselves into bands of two to twelve animals and each band occupies a home range. The National Park Service manages the Maryland herd. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company owns and manages the Virginia herd, which is allowed to graze on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, through a special use permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The permit restricts the size of the herd to approximately 150 adult animals in order to protect the other natural resources of the wildlife refuge. It is the Virginia herd which is often referred to as the “Chincoteague” ponies…
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
10-18 December – Long Island
1-9 December – Paris
16-30 November – Paris
1-15 November – Roadtrip East
25-31 October – Roadtrip East
17-24 October – LON Top Ten
7-16 October – Rebelle Rally
1-6 October – Rebelle Training
24-30 September – Rebelle Training
16-23 September – Roadtrip West
1-15 September – CT Training
August – Paris
July – LI & CT
June – LI & VA
16-31 May – Long Island
8-15 May – Return to NY
1-7 May – Southeast Utah
23-30 April – LON Bogi’s & 5+
16-22 April – LON Navigation
8-15 April – Sedona
1-7 April – Nevada
16-31 March – New York
8-15 March – Death Valley
1-7 March – Arizona
22-28 Februay – Alabama Hills
15-21 Februay – Mojave Road
8-14 Februay – Death Valley
1-7 Februay – Glamis
15-31 January – Roadtrip Southwest
1-14 January – Long Island
Archive
SPECIAL REPORT
All about exploring ghost towns and abandoned places in the USA and beyond, with tips, and information on the many different types of sites to be found across the globe, including detailed guides for eight specific sites… [read]
RE-OPENING
Report from the first trail run with the Off Road Consulting group at Rausch Creek Off Road Park as the post-pandemic phased re-openings begin in Pennsylvania and some of our favorite local trails re-open to the public after the two-month shutdown… [read]
REFLECTIONS
EGYPT: CAIRO REFLECTIONS
A quick overview of impressions from a stop in Cairo during our recent scouting mission in Egypt and Sudan … [read]
SPECIAL REPORT
A look into south-eastern Algeria on the border with Libya and Niger: overlanding with the Tuareg in one of the most remote corners of the Sahara … [read]
