{"id":350,"date":"2013-10-14T12:26:18","date_gmt":"2013-10-14T12:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/?page_id=350"},"modified":"2013-10-14T20:37:27","modified_gmt":"2013-10-14T20:37:27","slug":"350-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/?page_id=350","title":{"rendered":"Two Friends, A Jeep and A Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n


We just seem to love “road trips.” The excitement of laying out the maps, loading up the Jeep, and heading out to discover something new has brought us together before… <\/strong><\/h6>\n
\n
THE GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP<\/h5>\n


In 2010 we criss-crossed the United States in a marathon drive that covered over 10,000 miles and encompassed 25 states in 46 days. We called it our \u201cGreat American Roadtrip\u201d \u2014- a multi-faceted nomad adventure to re-discover the mythical \u201creal America\u201d we\u2019d always heard about.

\nIt started out simple enough \u2014- the old \u201cwouldn\u2019t it be fun to\u2026\u201d kind of idle chat between two friends on a lazy summer afternoon.

\n\u201cWouldn\u2019t it be fun to take the Jeep and drive Route 66 to California\u2026\u201d

\nBetween us, we had a lot of travel experience and after years of working in conflict zones around the globe, a simple old-fashioned \u201croad trip\u201d across the U.S. would be easy. Or not\u2026

\n

\nIn fact, the project grew way beyond Route 66, and took almost a year of planning and preparation. But it was worth it! Living out of the Jeep for six weeks, we traversed history and culture, immersing ourselves in the legends and realities of the ephemeral “American dream.” We delighted in the iconic natural beauty that defines different regions of this country. We got silly and had fun\u2026

\nIt was inspirational. Then it was over. But a seed was sown…
\n
<\/p>\n

DREAMING OF THE DESERT<\/h5>\n


My introduction to the Sahara came through my work as a photojournalist and filmmaker in 2003, when I visited a small corner of this massive desert. I would return several times, and eventually we both made the journey as a team.

\nIt\u2019s challenges are primal. It tests us and it proves us at the same time. It\u2019s harsh beauty has the power to inspire, to motivate, to push us forward. And it draws us back.

\n

\nOne day while driving through a sand storm in Arizona it became acute. The searing sand revealed visceral memories of the Sahara. And then I learned about the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles.

\nIn 2013, we decided to come together as Team USnomads to take part in this incredible challenge. Though neither of us had any professional racing experience, we were confident we could learn how to drive the jeep across the Sahara using only a map and a compass for guidance. And so a year later, in March 2014, we will be there in Morocco as Team 171, ready to \u201crun with the Gazelles.\u201d (Wish us “Luck”…)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We just seem to love “road trips.” The excitement of laying out the maps, loading up the Jeep, and heading out to discover something new has brought us together before… THE GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP In 2010 we criss-crossed the United States in a marathon drive that covered over 10,000 miles and encompassed 25 states in 46 days. We called it our \u201cGreat American Roadtrip\u201d \u2014- a multi-faceted nomad adventure to re-discover the mythical \u201creal America\u201d we\u2019d always heard about. It started out simple enough \u2014- the old \u201cwouldn\u2019t it be fun to\u2026\u201d kind of idle chat between two friends on a lazy summer afternoon. \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be fun to take the Jeep and drive Route 66 to California\u2026\u201d Between us, we had a lot of travel experience and after years of working in conflict zones around the globe, a simple old-fashioned \u201croad trip\u201d across the U.S. would be easy. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":267,"parent":409,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"sidebar_right.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/350"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=350"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":406,"href":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/350\/revisions\/406"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/usnomadstudio.com\/usnomads\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}