Big Rigs and Back Roads: Inside the World of Overlanding

I used to be on a little bit of an overlanding quest myself, having pushed from my house in New York Metropolis to the expo, largely on again roads, with plans to proceed to L.A., the place I might meet my sister’s new child daughter. I’d finished this trek numerous occasions over time; I used to be retracing previous routes with up to date intentions, an up to date rig. Setting out from New York, I packed every kind of provisions: a fold-out desk, a fold-out chair, a sleeping bag, a tarp, a hatchet, a blanket, an umbrella, and a poncho. Boots, some sweatshirts, a headlamp. A type of disposable Styrofoam coolers. A single-burner camp range, the type you screw instantly right into a propane tank. On the spot oatmeal, an enormous water tank, water jugs, espresso, espresso filters, a pour over. Emergency canned items.

All this match into a home made camper shell I discovered on the last-minute, on Craigslist. I minimize a three-quarter-inch piece of plywood to dimension and lay it over the wheel wells as a makeshift sleeping platform. Like a coffin. As I drive I hearken to the last word overlanding novel, As I Lay Dying, during which the progeny of a deceased matriarch construct a coffin and, together with her corpse inside, hitch it to a wagon, and enterprise overland to her desired burial floor. They get knocked into the river and the wagon capsizes, however they maintain going.