Building a Overland Vehicle Series Part 1. ( determining what's best for you)

 

"A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow." ~ Unknown Proverb 

            With a happy heart, a rusty Jeep and a mind full of ideas we set off in what had been a hope filled project of building our overland vehicle. A few months went by, then that few months turned into a couple of years and we still haven't finished it or even close to it. 

What happened ? 

    Well some of it was our fault, while some of it was the fault of others actions, others we trusted to do the work and wound up being gatekept. Reflecting back now I see some things I would have done differently and hopefully you can learn this a little less painfully than we had to.

What type of vehicle do you want?

    Do you want a trail only rig or do you want a daily driver that also doubles as a trail rig? Sometimes this is a major factor especially if you have a growing family like ours. Our oldest is in college but we now have grandbabies to think about and my short Jeep TJ is going to be difficult to even hold just 2 of them so it eventually will be retired from daily use as we look to get a 4 door Jeep or Gladiator. factoring in the family is one of the most important steps to look at. I wanted a daily driver that doubled as a trail rig and still do, its just that I did not factor in the growth of the family and wound up needing a bigger Jeep which will leave me with 2+ Jeeps. (although not a bad thing either) 

What are your needs? 

            It's easy to think of the basic needs for overlanding such as food, cooking and camp gear. However do you plan for other things such as medical devices? Maybe you are like some of us and are getting older and a rooftop or ground tent is not a wise option anymore. Maybe you live in a cold weather area and want to do winter camping safely, can you do that with your vehicle currently or the one you choose? Do you or family members have issues with walking after long rides or rough rides? This is something also to consider, (we certainly have learned this one as a 2 hour trip in our TJ wasn't bad it sure could have been better with the right suspension and room for gear). Once you get the basics down pat, think about others, those who may want to go or you may ask to accompany you, make it nice for them as well, so it becomes a wonderful experience for everyone.

        Do you want to do the work? 

    Sometimes it's easy to think that you can build it, a lot of things you have to take into consideration is some of the following.......

    1. Do you have the time ? This is a very important, building a overland rig is a massive undertaking and especially if it's your daily driver. Even if you have the time time management is crucial to keep tasks on time and make sure you can finish things on time.

    2. Set a budget!!!  Just as important as time, money is the breaking point of any overland vehicle. Make sure you have enough money to accomplish the build and some extra for unforeseen problems that can crop up.  

    3. Be Realistic and truthful with yourself!!!!  This is the most important, do you have the time, tools, and skills to take on the tasks of building a overland rig? Do you have the time to learn the skills if you don't have them? Maybe if you don't the it maybe then the best option is to have it built for you. 

    4. Do your Research!!!   Our Jeep was so bad that it needed a new frame, axles, and tub. We sent the Jeep off to a regional shop recommended by our local off-road shop only for the Jeep not to be fully completed, but all of the suspension was done wrong along with a complete myriad of things also done wrong. 

 Morning Trackside coffee 

Before you decide to build or even think of that overland life, one thing  I would like to mention as well is your family, if your a single person with no kids or responsibilities the by all means have at it. 

However if you have kids, a wife/husband or a big family that loves you (I have both) then maybe consider either doing this life minimally or include them. Make sure you have that support because if you don't you will be highly miserable and not happy either way. 

The point I am trying to make with this  post is consider others and the other factors that you may not think of and in part 2 we will begin to cover vehicle types, pros and cons of those vehicles, and setting a basic budget. 

Until Next time Remember God is still in control ~Stay Healthy and Stay Blessed 

Labor day trip 2025

 

"It's Never too late to be what you might have been" ~ George Elliot 

        Labor Day is usually a time of gathering and a joyful event to unofficially end the summer. Mine was spent alone trackside and while I do not want to go fully into the reasons it was that everyone needed a break from.....you guessed it ME!!!!!!!  Early on that day I realized it and honestly I needed some alone time as well. (at the time I didn't realize it.) I packed up my water bottle with ice, topped off my coffee cup and threw my day bag in without the thought that I might wind up trackside. I got into the Jeep and drove and as I drove I noticed I was heading up towards one of the spots I used to railfan in a nearby town called Hudson. At that moment I figured why not? Most likely being a holiday no one would be up there so I could have my alone time and as I drove to my destination, I realized the rest of the day was set for me to spend trackside and I only had the minimum equipment and, things needed for a day trackside. 

The first NS train rolling by 

                As I pulled into the spot there was two gentlemen already watching trains and while I thought I would be alone it was opposite the case. Being in the mood I was in I didn't really feel like talking and the one railfan just stayed in his truck, ( my guess is he was like me and just wanted to be alone to) the other one really didn't talk either, however he did keep me abreast of the trains coming. I turned my Ham radio to 161.070 to listen for the trains and while I had my phone for recording, I had put it on DND, and I  kept in contact with my buddy Dave who was fanning the same line almost 320 miles West of where I was. 

My View from the Jeep 

        As you can see from the picture above what my day mostly seemed like, reading the Bible, drinking coffee and watching trains.  Weather wise you couldn't top it with mostly clear skies and temps in the mid 70's it was perfect, however there was a few things missing.........

    My Family and Food.......

        I turned the Jeep around and opened the tailgate and dropped the table down to set my coffee cup and water bottle down. Next pulled out one of our chairs (1of the 3) and sat down and began to think about how it used to be trackside, alone, nothing but my Bible, my thoughts, the trains and God. I poured over the past couple of years as I hadn't been able to do this in this capacity for about 5 years and my mind went back to the most recent trip we shared the Toledo Jeep Fest. As I sat there thinking about the trip and everything another Eastbound rolled by.

The Eastbound train and the set up for the day.

        The more I thought about it the more I wanted my family up there with me but I knew my solitude was for a reason, to get back to God and what I was meant to do. 

Hours went by and the coffee was depleted and the water was slowly going empty and so was my stomach, I was trying to hold out when my older sibling called me and said come on home and get something to eat. I was hot and tired but I reluctantly made it back and grabbed some hot dogs and burgers. My other part of my family still needed a break but I did stop in and check in with them and made my way back home where I went to bed in preparation for my workday the next day.

        Sometimes we all need a break and this provided a much needed rest for all of us and gave me a chance to get back into the rhythm of what I was meant to do and that was getting some trackside overlanding in. 

I hope you enjoyed this blog and as always remember God is still in control  

until next time stay healthy and stay blessed 

Railfanning and Overlanding A Common bond

 

    "Life has no limitations, except the ones you make."

 ~Les Brown 

                

                    Nothing has a stronger bond between contrasting vehicles than Jeep's and Trains. 

            Yes I said that and yes it's true ( I will go into this a little later on in a separate blog post.)    Another common bond is the shared hobbies of overlanding, railfanning and even some off-roading. There are a lot of similarities that one would never think of and today hopefully I can shed some light on the cool things that bring these hobbies together. 

Serous Business and the local switcher 

 What they have in common: 

        Before I even thought of becoming a overlander or even a Jeep owner I was a railfan and for many days I would camp next to the railroad tracks for the entire day. Armed with only my camera, some snacks and a strong will and ambition to accomplish a challenge (sound familiar? ) I would spend many hours trackside in all sorts of weather to capture the drama of the high iron. When I became the owner of a Jeep I would find another community that shared the same strong will and ambition to conquer challenges and that was..... Overlanding. 

Notice the similarities? Me in my younger days trackside!! 

    For many years I would watch trains and when my longtime friend Dave (IG: @nomadpig) would get together and travel to different places to set up and in a sense day camp for sometimes up to 16 hours trackside it only became natural that what would now be known as the base for Crooked River Overland be formed. A lot of railfanning is just day camping and Urban Overlanding however there are some parks and areas that do allow you to spent the night and even a couple of days watching trains and enjoying the outdoors. 

The Challenges:


    Each hobby has similarities when it comes to challenges, in both hobbies you are at the mercy of the weather and temperature extremes. Other times you are at the mercy of your gear failing both vehicle and digital. When it comes to other challenges there are major differences, but never the less they can still threaten your life and property, let's dive into it a little bit. 

    In overlanding you risk rollovers, wild animals, temperature extremes, and sometimes people who want to do harm. In railfanning or Urban Overlanding one can  expect the same but with a high increase in the people factor!!!! Trackside bring its own challenges, derailments, miscreants (bad people) who the only goal they have is to take things by force and with that fancy rig, food, and camera gear really increases your exposure to these dangers.  Both also require due diligence to find a safe, legal campsite if you choose to bend the night. 

Trackside Sunrise. 

 Bringing it all together: 

    Whether you are a hard core overlander, a hard core railfan or like us, both there are a lot of similarities in both our hobbies. Our ultimate goal is to show the world of trains and the beauty of God's creation through our lens and have you come along on our journey.  I hope you enjoyed this blog and maybe found a new passion or opportunity to take into consideration. With the world being the way it is I just want to encourage you that God is still in control and until next time, 

Stay Healthy and Stay Blessed...

Back home

   

The only impossible journey is the one you never begin ~Tony Robbins

                        This past weekend I celebrated my 44th birthday and in between time of running errands and other family functions I took some time to take the Jeep and watch some trains. With everything that has been going on and changing careers I just haven't had the time to get trackside like I used to. For many years it wasn't uncommon for me to be trackside camped out for the day with food, my camera, and an ambition that only can be described as borderline insanity. It didn't matter if it was 90 degrees out or it was 20 below I was out there to capture the moment the iron giants roamed through my hometown or the country side. Life happened and I lost my ambition. So what happened? Well to tell the truth without pointing any fingers I just quit making the time to do what I loved. That changed this week and weekend.............

A Westbound auto-rack train passes the Jeep 

Thursday:  My love and I after a appointment decided to snag a few minutes trackside to get my feet wet. I was distracted replying to messages when a Westbound auto-rack snuck up on us and the only picture was the one above I was able to grab. This started a small fire back in my heart......

Friday: This was the only day that was good enough to be outside without being too cold, wet, or burning fuel to keep warm. we pulled off into a grassy area next to the tracks and backed into our spot. Where my love and me opened up our snacks and proceeded to wait for a train to roll by.  About 25 minutes later a local railfan named Fred came by and parked facing us and parallel to the tracks. 

A typical day in the railfan community 

            I spent a few minutes chatting with Fred and catching up (it had been a few years) and I got cold and went back to the Jeep,  Fred would let me know if the Westbound train was close. About 20 minutes later Fred blew his  car horn as the Westbound CSX train M369 (a mixed freight train) approached. I jumped out of the Jeep,  grabbed my camera and snagged the train as it passed the Jeep...

The Westbound 

            Having already spent more than the 2 hours planned for the day we decided to head home (even Fred found it to be too cold) but that would not be the end of the line............Figuratively speaking..

A cold rainy day 

Saturday: It was my birthday and we had errands to run, however we decided since that we had to wait  about 4 hours in between appointments we would steal sometime and visit a antique store where I found some books and a piece of vintage ham radio equipment.  After the store we grabbed some fast food and set up down at my usual spot I have laid claim to  (railfan wise) for more than 20 years and waited to see if any trains would come by and of course yes they did.... The first one was our same train from the day before (it runs almost daily) the CSX M369  it rolled by and I grabbed a video of it (posted below) as it rolled by. After it I had began to do my usual nodding off when my love alerted me to what would be the second train (no symbol symbol known) as I hurried to get a picture I slipped on some ice and accidentally got this shot right here.........

Perfect timing I 018 rolls by 

        

    After that it was time to go and of course our weather would even turn colder and not ideal for being outside. It was a weekend that honestly I found my way back home to the things I love. This year I look forward to the trips, the fun and of course the trains, Over-landing, and off-road fun we plan on having. 

Hope you enjoyed this, and remember God is still in control. Until Next time, take care ~ERT 

            

Safety and sense A guide to Urban Over-landing

 

 Common sense is a not so common commodity anymore 

In this blog I will go over some safety tips for Urban over-landing..........

Urban Over-landing can be dangerous going to a city to railfan or even stop overnight to get some rest can turn a otherwise a fun uneventful trip into a bad time. Railfanning and traveling to cities has taught me to be aware and with our upcoming  Blog  and YouTube Series I have developed a system to help you make the most of the trips we made this is part 1 of a 3 part series and in this blog I will go over what I call T.O.A.S.T or Total Overall Assessed Safe Trip scale. 

Urban over-landing can be dangerous, one must always be aware 

            I developed the scale based on factors such as, crime, facilities, food and entertainment,proximity to tracks and overall environment. One or more factors can get a rating escalated or de-escalated. Basically it is four color categories.... Red......Orange.....Yellow........Green. Almost always most places will be a yellow meaning you always have to be aware. Very rarely if at all, will be a Green. Lets Go over every color in detail starting with the worst.....Red!!!

RED: 

    This can be assigned if there is a high crime area or you are close to a track with no safety protocols or railings. This is one you may not want to take the  family,  stay overnight or even after the sun goes down. You must have your head on a swivel and a CCW might definitely be your friend in this case. Alot of Urban areas including my town will get this rating one-time or another. 

ORANGE: 

    This parallels Red closely still while it is a safer rating it still isn't a fully comfortable place to relax or even break out expensive gear. It can be escalated to Red quickly and later on  I will discuss this more in detail..

YELLOW: 

    Most places will get this as trains are still dangerous machines. Factors also include the ability  to take family with caution and of course most facilities will be minimal including food and bathroom. 

GREEN: 

    Some non train trips will get assigned this and some places where it's OK to spend the night but  always remember that crime and bad things still can happen anywhere.......Always be Alert 

    So with this out of the way let's go into how something is rated.........

    Our trip assessment begins with looking at the towns area does it have a lot of crime and drug use? Large homeless population? Are the tracks close by? Let's take a example from my favorite spot in the picture at the beginning of this blog. 

I rated this area ORANGE/RED why? One we have a high crime rate and while during daylight hours it is minimal it still exist with many bad people walking through. Second while in a public area the tracks are easily accessible to small children and also no food or bathroom facilities are available. This area also has large homeless camp under the bridge opposite of the tracks and behind the locomotives cab, At night this area goes to RED as it's not well lit, police patrols are minimal and calls for help may go unanswered for long periods of time if they have a high call volume. 

    

    Let's finish with when we give a area a rating that can change but do your homework and check out the area ahead with another person, maybe even leaving the family home in some cases. This rating will always be found on the beginning of a blog story containing a trip or a day trackside. As always though remember God is in control Stay Healty and Stay Blessed...... 

A chance encounter

 

We both have a drinking problem...... Me with coffee and my Jeep with gasoline 

                Not everyday do you get a chance to not only meet a movie star from one of your favorite movies but, it is even more rare to meet two of them and the same year to boot!!!!

This year started out with a trip to see my love's favorite actor William Shatner during a local photo op and autograph session. There were many there including Daisy from Dukes of Hazard and others but one really caught my attention and that was Ned from Unstoppable. For those who may have not seen the movie or not remember Ned was the crazy long haired welder that drove along the side of triple seven to help the conductor board and save the day. After a long conversation with him and him telling us that he really enjoyed the role we went on our way. 

Us chatting with Lew Templeton A.KA the Welder from Unstoppable 
You can see the Unstoppable  movie scene on the banner behind him 

 Fast Forward a couple of months.......... And we find this 

Serious Business with the 6353 or hero unit 

       

    During a local trip with my son to find a propane hose to a heater that I would wind up sending back anyhow (boy was I glad they didn't have one..) we decided to take the back roads home and see what locomotive was out at the gravel yard and maybe snag a few quick pics. As we turned off the main road and approached the unit my heart started racing..... Could it be?....... YES!!! The 6353 unit. Now for those who are not locomotive savvy the Wheeling and Lake Erie unit 6353 was none other than AVR 1206 in Unstoppable!!!!! This is the unit Denzel Washington operated and was the main focus of the film.....

The unit is still Identifiable by the large window on the side that has been modified for the camera crew and yes they did run the locomotive in the movie. 

Me with the 6353 and note the window above my hand 

        

        

    To say this locomotive has evaded me and my camera lens is an understatement, for years it was a trail of tears, anger, and frustration as either I would miss the locomotive because of work, family business, or it was tucked behind other units, never leading nor in good weather. But Finally!!!!! Not only in good weather, but sitting perfectly still and I was able to park our Jeep next to it and get as many pictures as I could while containing my zeal and excitement of finally crossing a bucket list item off my list. 

My son, me and the 6353 

            It was a day to remember for sure not only did we get to meet the welder but on this trip we got to see the main star of the movie, all 200 tons of her. This year coming up I hope to cross more off of my list and I can only hope that it is as awesome as this day was. I hope you enjoyed our story about  this chance encounter and as always, remember God is still in control, Stay Healthy and Stay Blessed...

Until Next time..........

 

Urban Overlanding: (a introduction to my blog)

 

Someone has to believe in something, I believe I have a Jeep problem...

        Welcome to my blog, today, I will explain what our journey is about and hopefully inspire you to come along with us as we explore the world of over-landing, off-roading, and trains.  

A Brief History.....

    For the most part of my life being outdoors  and trackside has been my staple, mostly in my city, however I have traveled to other cities and states to railfan. A few years ago I got rid of my Dodge Grand Caravan  (A.KA the tuna can) and picked up a 1998 Jeep Wrangler Sport. To say there was a lot wrong with was an understatement. We sent it out to be rebuilt and it spent the better part of a year getting a new tub, frame, and upgraded to Dana 44 axles both front and rear. Once we got her home we began making her our own. 

Me with some locomotives 

                    Insert idea here..... 

        

                One day I while I was awaiting our Jeeps return I was watching a over-landing video and saw in the background a Union Pacific train next to and crossing a trail. The gears started turning and I thought why not since I already had the train bug and the over-landing bug had a strong hold to me. There were a lot of similarities between railfanning and over landing . 

Here are some of the similarities:

Both require travel to sometimes remote destinations

Both require you to pack food and a small grill (eating out is pricey)

Both you set up a camp or spot to spend the day and in some places the night (where allowed and safe to do so) 

Both are off road and are dinosaur powered high horsepower beasts 

And finally nothing screams America more than Jeeps and trains (both helped win WW2) 

Our Jeep and a Caboose 

The Definition of over-landing from Google says: Over-Landing is a type of self reliant adventure that involves traveling to remote destinations with a vehicle, with the journey being the main focus. 

Sounds familiar right? Regardless of how off-road you are you have to find a road to get there......

That is  why I call it Urban Over-Landing, to us its the art of traveling both on and off-road to destinations where camping, trains, and the great outdoors, where the journey is the main focus. 

Serious Business and a movie star locomotive

            Follow along as we hit the open road, hit the trails and go to destinations such as fire towers, lighthouses, great railfanning locations, and of course some full scale over-landing. I hope you enjoyed my introduction and will come join us on our journey. Remember God is still in control, Stay Healthy and Stay Blessed, hope to see you out there sometime.