< more recent | 17 – 24 October 2021 | older >
24 October 2021: Closed out the Top Ten Weekend with some trail time in the Tonto National Forest enjoying a relaxed run on The Rolls to Saguaro Lake where we set up lunch and chilled out lakeside for an awesome final afternoon together…
23 October 2021: A very long day and an excursion in “the Beav.” This morning we headed to a Grand Opening event of a new 4 Wheel Parts store in Gilbert AZ, which turned out to be a lot more than the usual “ribbon cutting” ceremony — it was more like a big offroader block party. From there we headed north to Sedona to meet up with Nena Barlow and hear a bit more about her Rebelle Rally win. Later in the afternoon we went to Prescott Valley to learn about Enduro Cross, meet the organizer and spend some time visiting with the riders as they prepared for the evening’s competition. Topping off the night, we got to stay for the event. Watching the riders in action on the course was a real treat…
22 October 2021: A busy “hands on” learning day started out with a visit to SDHQ, where we got to check out the showroom and the warehouse operation. Then it was on to Letz Roll Offroad where a group of techs from all over the USA were taking part in a Yukon Gear and Axle training program to certify them as Master Installers. We were given a short impromptu lesson on gears, before heading into the garage where we got to install a new rear axle shaft on the LON Jeep under the watchful eyes of the Letz Roll Offroad team…
21 October 2021: The Ladies Offroad Network Top Ten Weekend got off to a great start this morning as founder Charlene Bower took us out to begin our first hands-on learning day at Red Mountain Tires, where we got to mount and balance tires on the LON Jeep. From there we continued the day at Arizona RV Salvage, learning about water and electrical systems, before returning to LON HQ for the evening…
20 October 2021: Checked out a very scenic drive between Sedona and Flagstaff that goes to a place known as the “Edge of the World” in the Coconino National Forest. What really makes this trip worthwhile is the feeling of discovering a “hidden” canyon in the middle of the woods, when after driving a series of easy dirt roads deep into the forest, the “edge” reveals itself in a dramatic view down across the canyons below …
19 October 2021: Mellow day of scenic drives around the Beaver Creek wilderness following a route that seemed to exist on the GPS but not on the ground. While the online maps showed it as a loop, the actual trails did not connect as there was a closed area in between. Still, it was a nice day for exploring and the fact that we couldn’t reach our supposed “destination” via the route we chose really didn’t matter …
18 October 2021: Made the drive south from Nevada into Arizona and paused to checkout a rock art site not far from Sedona. The site is on land that belonged to a ranch known as V-bar-V, and contains a major series of panels, in what is known as the Beaver Creek style …
THIS MONTH:
Taking part in the Ladies Offroad Network Top Ten Weekend, the “grand finale” of the Annual Ladies Offroad Challenge where ten ladies get to join Charlene Bower for a 4-day epic weekend experience. Participants earned their spot in the “Top Ten Weekend” by competing in a series of 11 Challenges over 10 weeks, and now get to enjoy a fun and action-packed weekend of learning and adventure …
COMING UP SOON:
Roadtrip time, again, as we turn around and start heading back east. The plan is to take the slow road from Arizona to New York with a few fun detours along the way…
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…
Return to Paris for a few weeks to connect with friends and favorite places, with a bit of urban exploration in between. Looking forward to familiar locales and fun times in the city of light once again…
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…
Stay tuned for a new kind of exciting adventure coming up in Summer 2022. Details will be released early next year…
V-BAR-V ROCK ART
The V-Bar-V Heritage Site is is the largest known petroglyph site in the Verde Valley. There are more than 1,000 images carved in the rocks across 13 panels. The petroglyphs were created by Southern Sinagua residents between about 1150 and 1400 AD. About 20% of the petroglyphs are zoomorphs, including snakes, turtles, coyotes, deer and antelope. The next most common types are anthropomorphs and geometric figures, such as spirals and grids. The site is unusual because all of the petroglyphs are of this one style, and almost all are well-spaced, without overlap or newer designs drawn over older. The site was known to early American settlers, and became part of the historic V Bar V ranch around 1907. The ranch headquarters were nearby, and the ranchers protected the rock art from vandalism. Some historic ranch buildings remain near the visitor center. The US Forest Service acquired the site in 1994. Rock art styles are defined for the prehistoric Southwest based on the kinds of elements, unique elements, relationships between elements, and manufacturing techniques. The documentation of the V Bar V Heritage Site has allowed researchers to determine a set of defining characteristics for what has come to be called the Beaver Creek Rock Art Style. The Beaver Creek style is found throughout the eastern half of the Verde Valley and is attributed to the Southern Sinagua between A.D. 1150 and 1400…
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
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
22-31 December – Holiday Roadtrip
15-21 December – Holiday Roadtrip
7-14 December – Holiday Roadtrip
1-6 December – Long Island
15-30 November – Long Island
1-14 November – Long Island
28-31 October – Roadtrip East
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]
