The Overland Dream

Land Rover 109 - Overland Expedition Prepared

The Overland Dream, for me, needs nurturing and feeding.  The dream needs to grow... it needs to expand... to needs to be fulfilled.  It needs to be kept inspired, kept fresh and sometimes it needs to be shared.

One way I keep my overland dream alive is to admire photos from overland-related websites.  I first started searching independent overland expedition websites in the mid 1990's.  It was an extremely slow process of attemping to search via an internet dial-up connection.  The content was hard to find, and when I did, the photos were generally scanned using a low resolution.  However tedious the process seemed, each new website was inspirational and the photos I viewed made an impression on me.  I liked the grey sketched image (on the left) but have no idea where I found it.

I used the following quote on my first overland website...

The original websites have long vanished from web servers but a few remain... Here is one of my favourite websites:

In and Out of Africa - Derek Tearne

What inspires and keeps your overland dream alive?

21-Nov-12 Postscript:
Thanks to the wonders of the internet and image search features, I found the front of the Land Rover image (above).  The Land Rover turned out to be a Series II.  Unfortunately the person who took the photo is still anonymous.

An infectious dream...

Do you recall the moment when you first had the desire to do an overland adventure?  Can you recall scanning the pages looking for a 4wd vehicle within your budget and dreaming how it would explore those remote roads whilst travelling overland?

An infectious dream...
Some say that the vehicle you drive is simply a means of transport... others say your vehicle is part of you; You give her a name ; you listen to her heartbeat and can tell when joints are creaking; Some say Land Rover's have a soul (link).

I found these photos in my archives which Colin, the owner at the time (1999), took on a  short trip to test the vehicle and equipment -he was in the planning stages and preparing for an 18-month African overland adventure.   The Defender had already completed one full trans-Africa trip and in passing to new owners, inspired new dreams...

Perhaps it's true and testament in this 1991 Land Rover Defender...

Defender fitted with Brownchurch rooftop tent and awning