< more recent | 23-29 February 2024 | older >
29 February 2024: After a full day in the classroom, it was back out on the trail, and the group got a little bit larger as a few more teams joined the training for the second half which was now completely Rebelle Rally focused. Nena Barlow led the whole group out into the really BIG dunes, where she and the other instructors took some time to work with each driver, helping them gain confidence as they learned to maneuver across the terrain and how to “self-extract” when they bogged down. The participants were soon roosting arcs of sand as they sped across the steep slipfaces of intimidatingly tall dunes, learning to drive in cursive following the contours of the terrain to get where they wanted to go …
28 February 2024: Switching the focus a little bit today, the teams were given a set of maps and brought into the classroom for a full day of instruction in Rebelle navigation, maps, plotting, route planning and roadbook math. Most of this content is specific to the rally format, but the basics of understanding how to read a topo map, and to plan the “best” route for your vehicle and skill level is relevant to everyone. By the end of the day the teams were all given a set of “checkpoints” to plot, that the Barlow Adventures instructors will be using for the second half of the “field” training, as they continue to teach participants how to go out and locate a precise GPS coordinate in a sea of sand without actually using a GPS…
27 February 2024: Time to hit the “big” dunes today. The participants have practiced their skills over the last two days, and now they were ready to challenge themselves in some bigger dunes. It was also their first chance to really think about navigation in a sea of sand that has no “trails” to follow. The real nitty gritty of the Rebelle style navigation would start in the classroom tomorrow, but for today they were getting their first taste of the process of making their way across shifting sand safely. Lead instructor Nena Barlow explained how sand dunes form, and shift depending on the wind, and how drivers need to learn to “read” the terrain to know where they can cross more easily. The teams soaked it all in and learned to repeat the mantra, “Don’t drive where you can’t see” …
26 February 2024: Today the teams focused on driving techniques and overcoming obstacles, building up their confidence as they got more familiar with how their vehicles reacted in the sand. They learned the best way to approach different types of obstacles and various methods of getting “unstuck” when they got hung up on something. There was more sand and less “trail” as they began getting into the dunes where they started to understand the concept of driving the contours of the terrain. Under the watchful eye of the Barlow Adventures instructors, the participants were becoming more comfortable in this unfamiliar environment …
25 February 2024: The official training began today as teams got a taste of some different types of desert terrain, including rocky trails, dirt roads, hill climbs and descents. The Barlow Adventures team of instructors took the participants through the basics of when to use which gears, tire placement, safe speed for desert trails, and general off-road driving technique. The attendees were smiling by the end of the day when we all returned to camp for a nice evening around the campfire under the stars …
24 February 2024: A great day joining Nena and Nick from Barlow Adventures on a little bit of a scouting in the Cargo Muchachos, where they were pre-running a potential route for the first day of the Desert Driving and Dunes training that starts tomorrow. We went back into some of the old mining areas where piles of tailings and a few old artifacts attest to the historical mining that happened here, even as we can hear in the distance the machines of currently active mining not far away. We stopped to explore an ancient earthwork that can really only be “seen” from the sky, though it is “protected” as an archaelogical site on the ground. Not far from there someone had made a modern “earthwork” spiral, but we couldn’t take the time out to explore it further as we had to go check out the trails we came to scout. It was fun sharing the trail with Nena and Nick for this relaxed outing prior to the start of “class” and afterwards we headed to the camping area where many of the attendees had already arrived and set up their sites. I got my site set up and joined the group gathering around the campfire for a nice relaxed evening of introductions …
23 February 2024: The sky was pinkish when I woke up and the palm trees cut a postcard perfect silhouette against it. Time to resupply and connect up with the Barlow Adventures team as we get ready to hit the sea of sand dunes out in Glamis for a week of intensive training for Rebelles and future Rebelles. Am looking forward to playing with some maps and just getting back to one of my favorite places on the planet…
THIS MONTH:
It’s roadtrip time again, heading southwest for some adventures and some events, as well as a little bit of “just exploring”…
COMING UP SOON:
Joining the crew from Barlow Adventures as they present an intensive sand dune training at the Imperial Sand Dunes in southern California. This is a seven-day driving and navigation program that focuses on moving safely and effectively through large dunefields with skills-building exercises intended to improve pace, line choice and vehicle control. There is a full classroom day of navigation instruction focused on mapping and understanding the basics of plotting and route planning on paper maps, as well as increasingly challenging in-the-field practice to develop precision map and compass navigation skills. It all culminates in a final day of “chasing checkpoints” out in the big dunes…
Trail Guiding for the California 4-Wheel Drive Association’s fourth 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. Some of the points of interest we may visit during Death Valley Experience 2024 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 the third edition of the Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally in 2024. This is a unique kind of rally experience — 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 2024 rally will run from 3 June – 11 August and is open to any driver within the United States who has an off-road capable vehicle — stock or modified. Registration for 2024 is currently open. For more information see the Rally website …
ABOUT THE RED RIVER GORGE
The Red River Gorge is a unique, scenic natural area that attracts thousands of visitors each year. Spectacular rock features, including sandstone arches and towering cliffs, are just part of the attraction. Outdoor enthusiasts come to the gorge year-round to enjoy hiking, camping, canoeing, wildlife viewing and other recreation opportunities. Nestled in the lush Daniel Boone National Forest, the Red River Gorge has amazed visitors ever since Boone himself first set foot here in the late 1700s. Today, “The Red” consistently ranks among the top climbing and rappelling destinations in the world, with rock formations ranging from rugged cliffs to natural bridges to the largest collection of sandstone arches east of the Rockies. And you don’t have to be a climber to appreciate the natural beauty of Red River Gorge, you can explore the otherworldly terrain on hiking trails or by canoe or kayak. This intricate canyon system features an abundance of high sandstone cliffs, rock shelters, waterfalls, and natural bridges. There are more than 100 natural sandstone arches in the Red River Gorge Geological Area. The multitude of sandstone and cliff-lines helped this area become one of the world’s top rock climbing destinations. Rock shelters and other sites in the Red River Gorge Geological Area contain artifacts of prehistoric occupancy by indigenous people, beginning with the Paleoindian period. Rock shelters are particularly valuable as archeological sites because they are protected from weathering related to precipitation. Plant materials and other relics, such as woven mats and leather moccasins that would decompose in more typical sites are well-preserved in the dry, nitrate-rich soils found in rock shelters. Sites in the area yielded some of the earliest evidence of the domestication of plants found in the eastern United States. Within the Gorge, a scenic drive includes the Nada Tunnel, a 900-foot-long, 12-foot-wide, and 13-foot-high logging tunnel built between 1910 and 1912. The Red River Gorge is a federally-designated National Geological Area, National Natural Landmark, National Archaeological District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places….
Nesconset | Paris | Belgrade | Cumberland | West Liberty | Pine Ridge | Cave City | Jackson | Calico Rock | Yellville | Oklahoma City | Lawton | Amarillo | Yuma | Phoenix | Sedona | Las Vegas | Death Valley
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
16-22 February – Roadtrip SW
1-15 February – Roadtrip SW
January – Paris
22-31 December – Holiday Roadtrip
15-21 December – Holiday Roadtrip
1-14 December – Holiday Roadtrip
8-30 November – New Jersey
1-7 November – Cape Cod
27-31 October – Cape Cod
16-26 October – Long Island
1-15 October – Roadtrip East
23-30 September – Roadtrip East
16-22 September – Colorado
8-15 September – Moab LONCON
1-7 September – Roadtrip West
August – Long Island
July – Roadtrip North
June – Nomad Rally Start
23-31 May – Nomad Prep
16-22 May – Nomad Prep
8-15 May – Long Island
1-7 May – Long Island
16-30 April – East Coast
8-15 April – Long Island
1-7 April – Roadtrip Home
1-7 April – Roadtrip Home
22-31 March – DVE
15-21 March – Arizona
8-14 March – Joshua Tree
1-7 March – Glamis
20-28 February – Southwest Roadtrip
1-19 February – Woman and Machine
Archive
ROADTRIP
An epic journey crisscrossing the USA from east to west and back again, exploring some of the beautiful wild spaces that make up our “public lands.” The roadtrip covered almost 15,000 miles, much of it off-grid and off-pavement, focusing on the deserts of the American southwest. Some locations were truly “iconic” while others were little known, and the segments of independent exploration where punctuated with some fun events across the region… [read]
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]
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]
LOCATION
This installment of a series that focuses on locations around the USA takes a look at some favorite places near our home base in NY. We share a few places we like to explore, where you can experience something of the raw natural beauty of coastal beaches, pine barrens and a little bit of obscure military history… [read]
