Smartphone Apps for Overlanding

Just about every overlander planning a trip has the use of a smartphone, a tablet or a multimedia device like an iPod Touch.  The usefulness of the device does often depend on an internet connection and with data plans available in every country, it is worth taking a phone along that is unlocked and open to any GSM network.

Having a useful app on the phone makes it even more worthwhile...  here are a few that I use and have found useful - Road Trip, TapaTalk, Offline Maps and the generic GPS app:

The 1st 'Live' internet Overland blog... In Search of Lovedu*

Kevin Muggleton

1995: The internet was young (ave users 16million) and connectivity was limited. Live overland travel blogging was limited to posting floppy disk's home to a local webmaster who would upload the blog and photos to a very basic website.

1995 was also the year Ann Jones and Kevin Muggleton left the UK in search of the South African tribe 'Lovedu'.  The unique aspect was the live blogging Ann Jones did as she traveled overland in a Land Rover Series III.  This was the first website I had found whilst attempting to navigate around a very limited internet. In correspondence with Ann Jones, she described how she used to type up her blog and find a post office to send the updates back to the USA.  Her webmaster would then upload the monthly report of her trip.  She wrote a book detailing her trip (details below).

To Rove or Not to Rove

Land Rover vs Toyota: Which overland vehicle do you choose... Hennie Kotze writes an interesting poem on the topic... enjoy:


To Rove, or not to Rove!
There was a man from the darkest Continent,
who wished to explore it from end to end!
Before long he put deeds to his thought
and went to town where he diligently sought
for a means to rove the yonder land!

And thus the marketplace he carefully scoured,
mindful of the pitfall that he could be devoured
by a horse trader of such dubious disposition
that even his most vigilant premonition
would serve him to no end!

Congo Overland - Kinshasa to Lubumbashi

Into The World

No matter what the obstacle - closed borders, unknown routes - overlanders will always find a way around.  In this particular instance, the ability to be issued with a tourist Angolan visa is constantly proving to be difficult and time consuming.  This does present the opportunity to find an alternative route...

During the early 1990's, a well established route was known heading from West Africa across Central Africa and eventually into Uganda.  My post, The Lost Routes, goes into more detail and more recently the well published adventure of Frederik and Josephine inspired many with their daring adventure North.

Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

'A place where Noah left his ark' was our destination in November 2005.   Gorongosa National Park is located at the Southern end of the Great Rift Valley in Mozambique. I recently watched a film about the park which has prompted this post.

Entering the country from the North had been a relatively easy experience, and as the diary recalls, we were the only vehicle passing through the remote border.

The National Park was originally established as hunting reserve but after many years it's popularity turned to one of tourism.  Fauna and Flora were abundant in this secluded country until the difficult civil war broke out.  Thirteen years of war, often centered around the park, had a devastating effect on the wildlife.  In 2005, evidence of the war was still visible in the old tourist camp however the staff were very motivated after receiving a financial grant to begin the rebuild process.

Schrader spark plug air pump

Schrader spark plug air pump advert

"Always use metal dust caps as unlike the plastic tyre these will form an air seal"

The 1974 'a guide to Land Rover expeditions' has a few interesting paragraphs on tyres, as the quote above indicates.  Metal dust caps are still available (check your local ebay) however I don't think I know anyone who has metal dust caps fitted!

One item in particular caught my attention: 'Spark plug air pump (Petrol models only)'
The paragraph continues: 'The latter is extremely useful, as manually inflating large tyres in hot conditions can be very exhausting'.

A Guide to Land Rover Expeditions (1974)

"Exercise care in applying the accelerator pedal as sudden power surges may induce wheel spin"

A very useful tip from the 1974 "a guide to Land-Rover expeditions" in the section "Hints on cross-country driving".

The guide book was originally posted on Oval News and can be downloaded as a PDF from the following link: a guide to Land-Rover expedtions

Dichotomy

The Dichotomy of an Overlander... (source: Overlandia)

*no other words needed to define this Land Rover advert...

#Motochat

Twitter: Motochat

I have been watching with interest as the hashtag Motochat has gained popularity.  What is it?
It's a weekly twitter chat for people who ride motorcycles - hosted by the Motochat team. They are also using Facebook and Google Plus.  Each week a topic is promoted and then discussed in detail during the hour session.  I think it's a fab way to meet new people that follow a similar interest.

Here's the latest Twitter search feed on #motochat:

Be sure to join the conversation each Wednesday.

Gravel roads...

Gravel roads are diminishing as the black bitumen creeps over the old dusty back roads of Australia.  It is getting harder to find those original gravel roads that have been immune to the creep of tarmac - yet one website in Australia is encouraging people to list their 4x4 routes and share them.

I stumbled upon 4x4Earth Australia in an effort to find alternative routes between the major cities. I was after gravel - lots of gravel.  My destination for the excursion was based on the 4x4 Earth route: Canberra - Goulburn: for those who think tar sucks.  With a title like that, I just had to follow the suggested GPS track.

I departed Canberra close to 6am so as to allow myself time to explore before beginning the full commute to the office.  Sunrise was schedule for 0626 which was perfect as I had a few kilometers to cover before the detour.