< more recent | May 2022 | older >
20 May 2022: Been very busy these last few days preparing the packages for our Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally competitors. The packages ship next week, and there was a lot to be done assembling t-shirts, hats, books and other items that needed to be included. There were a few items that arrived a bit late, making the looming deadline for shipment a bit stressful, but we got it all done…
16 May 2022: Joined a group of friends from all over the country who met up at Windrock Offroad Park in Tennessee for a week of wheeling, camping and shenanigans. It was great to share the trails with such fun folks, and enjoy spending a little time together to reconnect and catch up …
14 May 2022: Rough time for camping on the Outer Banks this week, with gale-force winds and rain shutting down the road and preventing the ferries from running. Finally did make it to Ocracoke Island for a couple of nights of rain-soaked camping, but it was worth the struggle to experience some very ephemeral beauty on a wild deserted beach in between the storms…
THIS MONTH:
Heading south to Tennessee to explore some of the trails at Windrock Offroad Park with a group of friends who will be gathering there from all four corners of the USA to spend a week of wheeling fun together. Looking forward to some challenging trails and backcountry adventure…
COMING UP SOON:
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. Late Registration is still open. For more information see the Rally website …
ABOUT OCRACOKE
Ocracoke Island is a barrier island that is part of the Outer Banks and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. No bridges connect Ocracoke Island to the mainland, though the main road across the island is part of North Carolina Highway 12. It is one of the most remote islands in the Outer Banks, and it can only be reached by one of three public ferries, private boat, or private plane. Being so far out in the Atlantic Ocean, Ocracoke is frequently in the path of tropical cyclones and the land mass itself has changed significantly over the years. At various times the barrier island now known as Ocracoke has been attached to Hatteras Island by land. The “Old Hatteras Inlet” opened prior to 1657 south of the current inlet separating Ocracoke from Hatteras, but closed around 1764 causing the islands to be reconnected. Ocracoke remained connected to Hatteras until Wells Creek Inlet opened in the 1840s and later closed. The modern “Hatteras Inlet” that separates the two islands was formed on September 7, 1846 by a violent gale known as the Great Gale of 1846. Because of its remote location Ocracoke Island was not permanently settled until 1750, and it often served as a pirate haven before then. It was a favorite anchorage of Edward Teach, better known as the pirate Blackbeard. He was killed on the island in a fierce battle with troops from Virginia on November 22, 1718. The grounds of what is now the Springer’s Point Nature Preserve were said to be his hideout. Other than the village of Ocracoke and a few other areas (a ferry terminal, a pony pen, a small runway), the entire island is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The economy of the island is driven by tourism and commercial fishing. A unique dialect of English, known colloquially as the Hoi Toider accent, is spoken in Ocracoke, though among younger residents it is being replaced by more standard dialects of General American…
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
16-30 April – Long Island
7-15 April – Heading Back to NY
1-6 April – Heading Back to NY
27-31 March – Death Valley- DVE
21-26 March – LON Skills Camp
15-20 March – Death Valley
8-14 March – Nevada
1-7 March – Glamis Training
16-28 February – Roadtrip Southwest
1-15 February – Long Island
8-31 January – Long Island
1-7 January – Florida to NY
28-31 December – Okefenokee NWR
24-27 December – Ocala National Forest
19-23 December – Heading South
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
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]
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]
