lifestyles off the beaten path

SUMMER 2009 • Issue 2 • Volume 4

overland expo • area bfe • Wenger adventure race

paris to neW york expedition • Winch line repair
amazon adventure • jeep patriot photo essay
Departments
From the Editor .............................................................................................................. 5 Freek Garage: Synthetic winchline repair........................... 144

News, Events, & Stuff............................................................................................ 8 Off The Beaten Path: Area BFE........................................... 132

Freek Show: Jeep JK Overland Edition.....................................64 Freek Technique: Eco-Friendly Adventures ....................... 150

Industry Interview: Jeep Chief Designer Mark Allen..........82 Land Use & Access: View From the Locked Gate............. 152

Expedition Discussions: Removing & Fitting a Tire ...... 108 7 Bar Grille & Reviews:
Orvis Interview & Epicurean Cutting Board .............................. 154
Product News ........................................................................................................... 112

Overland Overviews ............................................................. 114

features
Trippin’ Round the World – Part III
Mattias Jeschke and Extrem Events trudge across Russia, through Mongolia, and back into Russia.................. 16

Overland Expo 2009

Adventure, Exploration, & Conservation in Arizona ............................................................................................ 26

Amazon Adventure
Kraig Becker takes us to the Amazon River in South America ............................................................................ 40

World of Wonder
A photo pictorial from the members of UKClimbing.com ................................................................................... 46

Amputee Adventures
Overcoming physical disabilities to explore the natural world............................................................................. 60

Mopar EJS Elite 2009 Pictorial

A photo review of Mopar’s latest creations at Easter Jeep Safari ......................................................................... 70

At the End of the World

Team Calleva competes in Chile at the Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race........................................................ 88

Patriotic Expressions
Celebrating the first generation of the Jeep Patriot ............................................................................................... 88

Energy Propelled by Nature - Part III

Seth Warren continues the Elements Tour…this time in the mountains ............................................................... 16

Adventures in China – Part III

Marco Santarsiere takes us to Guilin ................................................................................................................. 124

Crossroads of a Revolution
New Jersey is the setting for a Jeep Jamboree adventure .................................................................................. 136

Jeep Jamboree Photo Album

A collection of top photos from Jeep Jamboree participants ............................................................................. 136
Cover and Table of Contents Photos courtesy of Chysler Media Services
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 Lifestyles off the beaten path

From the Editor

Crew & Contributors
Editorial Lifestyles off the beaten path N 31°53.488’ W 104°51.646’
Have you ever had an experience that you knew was going to be life-altering at the
Editor-in-Chief / Publisher
time it happened but it didn’t fully meet your realization until afterwards?
Frank Ledwell
Copy Editor One such experience for me was while I was in the heart of Austria en route to
Andrea Ledwell Switzerland on a backpacking trip across eastern, western, and southern Europe. I
had taken a train from Salzburg to Innsbruck and had made it a point to use local
Senior Editor
Mark D. Stephens hostels and guest houses throughout my adventure. On the outer regions of
Innsbruck was a small guest house nestled in the mountains that I called my home for
Advemture Editor
Kraig Becker a mere two days. My first evening there was unforgettable because after my arrival –
which was in the early evening before sundown – I was hungry and opted to go into
Jeep Jamboree Correspondent
downtown to find a place to eat. The train I took turned out to be the wrong train and
Greg Machado
consequently I wound up about 6-8km further in the mountains than I was when I
7 Bar Grille Correspondent
had left. On top of this, the train I had taken had just completed its last run for the
Mark DeNittis
day so I was left with two options at the final stop: sleep in the one-room “train
Climbing Correspondent station” till the next day and then catch the train back, or hike back to where I had
Jeff Haley
come from by following the train tracks across, over, and through the mountains I
Contributing Writers had previously passed. I chose the latter even though it entailed a hike back in the
Alan Ellis
dark.
Mark Filonowich
Mike Fissel My excursion back to civilization required traversing a 200m high glacial river
Wil Kuhns crossing along a stretch of tracks that were maybe a meter in width minus guardrails
Will Morgan with ½ meter gaps between each railroad tie. In addition, there was a tunnel through
Zak Patel
a mountain that I bypassed by walking around the mountain as I was concerned that
Marco Santarsiere
a wild animal might have made the tunnel its home during this cold and almost eerily
quiet evening at altitude. I managed to circumnavigate this peak through densely
Photography & Design
forested and sloped terrain with the backlight of my Timex watch.
Creative Director Three hours later I had made it back to my starting point with nary an idea of what I
Richard Tinnell
had just travelled through. The next day, my father told me via telephone call that he
had dreamed I had an accident in the mountains and was beyond concerned for my
Marketing & Financial safety. There’s no doubt in my mind, after talking to my father, that somebody had
Business Development been watching over me and it made me realize that my life – really all of our lives –
Frank Ledwell are a sequence of events that sometimes
Contact transcend logic but are a book of stories
JPFreek Adventure Publications, LLC
P.O. Box 864 that impact not only ourselves but every
Houston, TX 77001
person and place we come in contact
info@jpfreek.com
with.
JPFreek Adventure Magazine and the JPFreek name/ Get out there and enjoy the grandeur
logo are property of JPFreek Adventure Publications,
LLC (“JPFreek”) and are protected by copyright. Any of life and our natural world. You never
use or reproduction in whole or in part without the
express written permission of JPFreek is strictly know what will be produced from a
prohibited. www.jpfreek.com misguided journey in the numerous
JPFreek is not affiliated with Chrysler LLC or
the Jeep® brand and no such association is chapters of your own life story.
expressed or implied. JPFreek, JPFreek Adventure
Magazine, JPFreek Adventure Publications, LLC and
www.jpfreek.com are not affiliated with, sponsored
or endorsed by, or in any way associated with
Source Interlink Companies, Inc., Source Interlink
Magazines LLC, Jp Magazine and its website
www.jpmagazine.com, and no such association is
Frank Ledwell
expressed or implied. Editor-in-Chief / Publisher
Copyright 2006 – 2009
JPFreek Adventure Publications, LLC
All Rights Reserved. Published in U.S.A.
JPFreek Adventure Magazine likes Jeep® vehicles. We also like trees and
responsible off-highway recreation. That’s why each issue of JPFreek Adventure
Magazine will be 100% earth friendly with a reduced carbon footprint. It’s the
least we can do to show the off-highway community that Jeep recreation and
protecting our planet in the digital age can work hand-in-hand.
Photo courtesy of Chrysler Media Group
 jeep® introduces all-new
NEWS
2011 grand cherokee
The all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee made its
world debut at the New York International Auto Show.
Jeep’s all-new premium SUV features an athletic
design, an all-new world-class interior, an all-new
engine and legendary Jeep capability.
The all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee delivers premium
on-road performance while maintaining the Jeep
brand’s legendary four-wheel-drive, torque-on-
demand two-speed transfer case and unsurpassed
towing capability. It also offers improved fuel economy
(up to 11 percent) and a world-class interior cabin.

“We listened carefully to our customers and the market,” said Scott
Kunselman, Vice President – Jeep/Truck Product Team, Chrysler LLC.
“Our all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee hits the sweet spot of premium
on-road performance and legendary class-leading Jeep capability.”
The all-new Quadra-Lift air suspension system delivers legendary Jeep off-road capability along with the
new Selec-Terrain system that allows the driver to choose the drive system that best matches on- or
off-road driving conditions. New front and rear independent suspension systems deliver premium on-road
handling and comfort.
The all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is built on a proven rear-wheel-drive unibody platform sharing
the same underpinnings as the Mercedes-Benz ML.
“Jeep invented the SUV segment and our all-new Grand Cherokee is the next step in the evolution of the
SUV,” said Mike Accavitti, Director – Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge Brands. “Jeep innovations including Quadra-
Lift air suspension and Selec-Terrain traction control separate us from
the crowd.”

To read the full press release on the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee, visit
the JPFreek News & Events blog at http://www.jpfreek.com/news_
events/?p=149
SUMMER 2009
 NEWS
new rocky mountain edition models add
excitement and value to 2009 jeep® lineup

New 2009 Jeep® Patriot, Jeep
Liberty and Jeep Grand Cherokee
Rocky Mountain Edition models
expand the fun, freedom, utility
and available best-in-class 4x4
capability that Jeep is known
for—now with even more
customer features at a great value.
The 2009 Rocky Mountain Edition
models offer approximately
$1,000 off popular bundled
customer features, including
innovative uConnect tunes,
power sun roof and aluminum
wheels. In total, the 2009 Rocky
Mountain Edition package adds
more than $2,300 in content for
“The new 2009 Jeep
Patriot, Jeep Liberty
and Jeep Grand
Cherokee Rocky
Mountain Editions
add more value and
features to our
iconic Jeep lineup,”
– Mike Accavitti,
Director, Chrysler,
Jeep and Dodge
Brands, Chrysler LLC.
adventure—from the snow-
covered mountain trails to sand
dunes at the beach—even more
fun.”
The 2009 Jeep Rocky Mountain
Edition models are available for
ordering now and will arrive at
Jeep dealerships in the United
States and Canada later this
month.
Standard Electronic Stability
Program (ESP) with Electronic Roll
Mitigation maintains vehicle
stability in a variety of road surface
and weather conditions. Hill
Descent Control, Hill Start Assist
SUMMER 2009

and Trailer Sway Control deliver

$1,595.
off-road and towing capability.
“The new 2009 Jeep Patriot, Jeep Liberty and Jeep
The 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain
Grand Cherokee Rocky Mountain Editions add more
Edition will be available in four exterior paint colors:
value and features to our iconic Jeep lineup,” said
new Inferno Red, Light Graystone, Bright Silver and
Mike Accavitti, Director—Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge
Brilliant Black.
Brands, Chrysler LLC. “And with Jeep’s best-in-class
legendary 4x4 capability, our new 2009 Jeep Rocky
Mountain Editions are ready to make any
 all things jeep
throws biggest and
best topless party in
NEWS
new england
Text by Lindsey Borreson of Allthingsjeep.com

Go-Topless-Day-Tom-Markum Go-Topless-Day-Tom-Markum

Jeep Nation Topless

Sure enough, spring is here. The crocus’s bloom,
ice cream shops re-open their windows, flip-flops
emerge from the bottom of the closet, and
hundreds of tops come off. Though, not necessarily
the kind of tops that first spring to mind upon
SUMMER 2009
their top off, everyone could enjoy the many
activities for Jeep lovers big and small.
Door prizes, over $4,000 in raffle prizes, family
games, catered cookout grub, and music by a

Boston DJ provided fun and entertainment for Jeep

hearing that phrase.
For Jeep owners around the world, May 9th
signified the true start of warmer weather as All
Things Jeep hosted their 2nd annual Worldwide Go
Topless Day. The company’s home base festival was
held at Oak Ridge Farm Stand in Lancaster,
Massachusetts and boasted more than 350 Jeeps in
attendance – a number that more than tripled from
the previous year. While not everyone could take
owners, family, and friends. Spectators and
participants alike were delighted by the
challenging off-highway obstacle course designed
by Mike White, Trails Director and President-Elect of
the New England Off Roading club, JonFund Inc.
Local Jeep clubs were also in attendance with
booths set up to provide information and
awareness regarding off-highway travel

Lancaster
All Ages
Topless
South Africa Chapman’s Peak Go Topless
Lancaster Jeeps Lined Up
The course included a water crossing of
considerable size, a narrow ridge, a rock garden that
grew longer and longer as the day went on, and a
number of obstacles with ruts that were plenty
deep. Affectionate names popped up for the
elements of the course – Snapper’s Pond (that turtle
was huge), The Great Wall of China, Stump Hill, and
Loom Mountain respectively. JonFund Inc. also
provided two 20-degree RTI ramps, and a daunting
30-degree ramp that only a few brave souls
attempted.
The good times stretched worldwide with many
clubs participating in their own Go Topless Day fun.
Jeep Nation, a club with chapters in Houston, Waco,
NEWS
Lancaster Mud Happy
Swamp Things First Picnic
and San Antonio Texas, went for a topless trail ride
and lined up to take some photos. The Swamp
Things 4X4 Club from Palm Beach County, Florida
held their very first annual club picnic to coincide
with Go Topless Day. Photo submissions have
SUMMER 2009
flooded in from as far as South Africa and the
Netherlands for the online Go Topless Day Photo
Contest.
From the mud-covered, hard-core trail rigs to the
shiny new stock babies, and even those who arrived
without the iconic seven-slot grille, all had a blast
taking part in the day that encompasses what Jeeps
are all about – fun without limits!
 a
american expedition
vehicles announces
v
NEWS
availability of j8 milispec
a
vehicle to consumers
v

The J8 is one of the toughest vehicles in the world and, until now, it was only
sold to foreign militaries and governments. A very limited number of 2010 J8’s
will be made available to enthusiasts in the United States exclusively from
American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) as the AEV J8 MILSPEC.

“Hardcore off-road enthusiasts have been asking
for a vehicle like this for years, no frills and setup
for a choice of diesel or V8 power and built with
extra heavy-duty components,” said Dave Harriton,
CEO of American Expedition Vehicles. “It’s certainly
not for everyone, but that’s all part of the appeal.
Being able to offer even limited quantities to the
American public is really a dream come true for
AEV. First, it’s a perfect match with our niche
manufacturing and distribution channels, and
second, the J8 is a unique part of history that we’re
proud to be part of.”
The AEV J8 MILSPEC will be sold as a component
rolling chassis. The vehicle is meant for off-road
use, and as typical for component vehicles the
engine and transmission will be installed by the
buyer or at the buyer’s direction by an
independent contractor. Although AEV does not
SUMMER 2009
Designed for military use, the J8 was designed to
pass one of the world’s toughest durability cycles,
which is three times more severe than what civilian
applications must endure. The axles are both
beefed up to a heavy duty Dana 44 front and a
Dana 60 rear axle equipped with Dodge Ram
brakes. The frame is built for severe use and the
rear suspension uses leaf springs to facilitate more
than a 2,500 lb. payload capacity and a 3,500 lb.
tow rating. The J8 MILSPEC will accept two
powertrain options, either a VM 2.8-liter diesel
engine rated at 174 hp and 339 lb.-ft. of torque or a
5.7-liter V-8 HEMI rated at 330 hp
and 375 lb.-ft. of torque. Both
engine choices will use a 5 speed
automatic transmission. The
vehicles also have a number of
military-specific components,
including tow loops that are rated
for helicopter use, an air filter
capable of running as long as five hours in zero
visibility dust storms and remote-mounted
batteries. Don’t look for satellite navigation or
leather seats; options are limited to paint color
(Desert Sand or Military Green), a choice of a three
door or five door body styles and air conditioning.

provide the powertrain, there are a number of

independent AEV dealers that can supply and
install either a 2.8-liter diesel engine or a 5.7-liter
V-8 HEMI® engine and transmission package.
The J8 MILSPEC will be assembled in Detroit by
AEV. The complete rolling chassis will be delivered
painted, upholstered, fully instrumented and will
include ABS brakes, heavy duty suspension and
axles, exhaust, wheels and tires.
The J8 MILSPEC will only be sold and warranted
through AEV and its authorized network.
Interested enthusiasts can contact American
Expedition Vehicles to learn more or to place an
order, www.aev-conversions.com / 248-926-0256.
Owners should expect to invest approximately
$50,000 for a complete running vehicle, chassis
plus powertrain.

For more information, please the AEV website at www.aev-conversions.com

Because Go Topless Day
is only once a year.

Introducing the JPFreek Apparel Line

Now available through Allthingsjeep.com
NEWS top adventure
stories for the second Quarter of the year:

Ed Viesturs Returns To Everest

ly the start of
The beginning of March is traditional
alaya, when
the spring climbing season in the Him
mandu to
hundreds of climbers descend on Kat
hest mountains
prepare for the challenge of the hig
familiar face in
in the world. This year, there was a
preeminent
that crowd as Ed Viesturs, America’s
of retirement
high altitude mountaineer, came out
nsored by
to join an all-star climbing team, spo
line of
Eddie Bauer, who are launching a new
label. It would
outdoor gear under the First Ascent
untain, with six
be Viesturs’ 11th attempt on the mo
belt.
successful summits already under his
-returns-to-everest
theadventureblog_ed-viesturs

Record Breaking Kayak Drops

rld was
Back in early March the kayaking wo
ced that
turned on its ear when it was announ
ord for the
Americans Go Solo and Unsu
pported Pedro Oliva had set a new world rec
to the North Pole entureblog_
biggest drop over a waterfall. (theadv
new-record-kayak-drop-set) The
falls in question
John Huston and Tyler Fish became
the first Rio Sacre
American team to go solo and unsupp were the 127-foot Salto Belo on the
orted to the watched in
North Pole in late April (theadventure River in Brazil. By late March we all
blog_north- p was
pole-2009-two-teams-at-90n),
completing the last amazement as the video of the dro
ow-
66-hours on just three hours of slee released. (theadventureblog_today-sh
p as they rushed nth later however,
to catch the last flight off the ice. Lat interviews-world-record). A mo
er, back in e by Tyler
warmer climates, they were able to the record was broken again, this tim
reflect on their 186 feet over
accomplishment and share their exp Bradt who dropped an astounding
eriences from
those last days on the ice with the res Palouse Falls in Washington State.
t of us. -for-kayak-drop-
(theadventureblog_north-pole-2 (theadventureblog_world-record
detail)
009-john-and-tyler-
shattered) At press time, no vid
eo or photos have
SUMMER 2009

t Bradt’s
been released, but we are assured tha
feat was also caught on video.
 ge
Ocean Rowers Take Center Sta
Outen,
dlines this spring, starting with Sarah

NEWS
Three long distance rowers made hea youngest
mpt to become the first woman and
who set off from Australia in an atte -ocean-sarahs-
an. (theadventureblog_rowing-indian
person to row across the Indian Oce g her way towards
off). She got off to a bit of a rou
gh start, but is now happily paddlin
Atlantic in
ley completed his solo row across the
Africa. Meanwhile, American Paul Rid -ridley-
e for cancer. (theadventureblog_paul
an attempt to raise funds to find a cur up his attempt to
completes-solo-atlantic-row) Fin
ally, U.K. adventurer Olly Hicks gave
slow progress
in a rowboat after making extremely
circumnavigate around Antarctica update-olly-
adventureblog_virgin-global-row-
in the first months of his journey. (the d ill equipped to deal
calls-it) Olly squarely placed
the blame on his boat, which seeme
strategy and
thern Ocean. He vows to rethink his
with the constant winds of the Sou
give it another go.

Lance Mackey Wins

Third Iditarod
Lance Mackey claimed
his third straight win in
the Iditarod with an am
azing run to Nome that
left no doubt that he is
the best on the planet. To follow all the excitement currently going
Along the way, Mackey
and the other racers de
with sub-zero temperatu alt on throughout the world in the adventure
res and blizzard
SUMMER 2009

conditions along portion

s of the 1161-mile
realm, please visit the latest addition to the
course from Anchorage JPFreek Adventure Magazine Team by visiting
to Nome.
(theadventureblog_id
itarod-2009-mackey-i
nto-
The Adventure Blog at:
nome)
http://theadventureblog.blogspot.com/
 Trippin’ Round the World –
Part III: Russia to Mongolia
Photos courtesy of Jürgen Malieske

Mattias Jeschke and his Extrem Events team

continued their transcontinental journey through
the far reaches of Russia and into Mongolia. Varying
terrain and constantly changing weather patterns
would eventually pose the greatest challenge for
the team and one that would force the team to
return back to Germany for some repairs to their
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon vehicles.
SUMMER 2009
PNY09 Leg-21
Omsk, Russia
SUMMER 2009
 PNY09 Leg-22
Novosibirsk, Russia
SUMMER 2009
PNY09 Leg-23 Olgy,
Mongolia

SUMMER 2009
 PNY09 Leg-24
Altai-Wasserkraft-
Schule, Mongolia
SUMMER 2009
 PNY09 Leg-25
G o b i- H u s t a i, M o n g o l ia

SUMMER 2009
SUMMER 2009

PNY09 Leg-26
Ulan Ude, Russia
SUMMER 2009
 PNY09 Leg-27
Jakutsk, Russia
SUMMER 2009
 P N Y 0 9 L e g - 2 8
n e r a , R u s S i a
Ust

Due to conditions requiring long-term repair to the team’s vehicles, Mattias Jeschke
SUMMER 2009

and his Extrem Events team unfortunately had to make the decision to suspend the
expedition. However, the expedition’s temporary holdbacks will not be permanent and
the team will recommence the expedition in late 2009. Visit the JPFreek Reader
Forum’s “JPFreek Adventure” section for updates on the Transcontinental expedition
at:
http://www.jpfreek.com/phpBB3/
or visit the official Extrem Events team website at:
http://www.pny2009.com
 1 2

overland expo 2009

Adventure, Exploration, 3
& Conservation
Text by Mike Fissel and Carol Simpson, Photos by Carol Simpson

When I was approached about this event I was both curious and excited.
After all, for the past three years I have led the members of JeepExpeditions.
org on many overland trips here in the Southwest U.S. and Mexico. An
Overland Expo right in my backyard…well, two hours from my backyard.
Overland travel is becoming more popular and is a different way of
exploring the many wonders of our world that most people only dream
about. It’s not just about the off-highway travel and camping out under the
stars. Overland travel with a group is a whole new way to experience our
public lands. Nothing beats getting away from the stress of the city, whether
it’s the traffic, the crowds, or even your job. A few days to be in touch with
the land, to see the beauty created by nature’s hand, and seeing more stars
than you ever thought existed. Add in the camaraderie of those who enjoy
their Jeeps and the outdoors as much as you do, and that’s about as near to
perfect as one might get.
5
SUMMER 2009

The promoters of Overland Expo ‘09 touted the event as “an all-new and
exclusive event for people who see their 4WD as a means to adventure and
exploration, and who see travel as a portal to learning about the world, as well
as a means to conserving its beauty and preserving its unique cultures. No other
event for 4WD combines intensive education modules, social opportunities to
visit with hundreds of other enthusiasts and to share information and
experiences, and a wide array of product and service vendors just for
overlanding-related activities, service and conservation organizations, land
agencies, and clubs/associations will also be on-hand”

6
4
1. Vanishing America Land Rover
powered by pure vegetable oil
2. Turtle Expeditions Ford based rig
3. Mario Donovan showing how to grease
bearings in Offroad Trailer Repair
4. Authors Mike Fissel’s girlfriend, Carol,
navigates the women’s course
5. Jeep Overland
6. Checking out the new Tear-Drop trailer
by Adventure Trailers
7. ARBs JK with their new Roof Top Tent
8. Nicely outfitted JK by Wheelers for the
Wounded project

7 8
 1 2 3

4
1. One of the campfires in the dry
camping area
2. AT’s Tear-Drop trailer on trailer course
#2
3. This trailer from Outlander Trailers
even had heat and AC for the tent !
4. The happy hour gals
5. Some of the vendors had mini-parties 6
at night
6. rs Landrover RV
7. Spotting on the Women’s course
8. They’ve got a grip for everyone

Wow, sounded like a lot and as I looked at the schedule of events, seminars, sponsors
and activities, the Overland Expo sounded very cool to say the least! From novice to
advanced driving courses, even a driving course for women, wilderness first aid,
photography, tire repair, vehicle recovery, food selection/storage, and so much more.
This being the very first Overland Expo, I got the feeling that I was going to be part of
something big that would only get bigger and better as time goes on. Packing my rig
for the weekend started a month before the event!
SUMMER 2009

Carol and I left Phoenix in our TJ Wrangler with our custom off-road trailer in tow. Jim
Galbraith followed us, a charter member of Jeep Expeditions, in his Curry built
Helldorado TJ towing a custom built trailer. Jim was attending the event as an exhibitor
representing the Jeep Expeditions club.
While driving the 100-plus miles to the Expo, we noticed some “exotic” rigs, the kind
you see in magazines. Among them, a Unimog with German license plates, a nicely
decked out Land Rover, and a Sportsmobile 4x4 van. I wondered if they were heading
to the Expo too and we later saw them at the Expo, which answered our question. With
15 miles to go, we passed a Grand Cherokee and said he was probably on his way to
 the Expo and as luck would have it, we later found out that he was. The funny thing is
we weren’t sure where we were going and the Grand Cherokee driver with Alaskan
plates told us later he followed us because we looked like we knew where we were
going.
The anticipation was getting to me as we made the turn into the fairgrounds and saw
the vast number of vehicles already in the campgrounds. We quickly found the
registration table where we got our ID badges and some very nice canvas portfolios
containing lots of information about the event. Roseann Hanson, the event coordinator,
welcomed us to the Expo and showed Jim where the Jeep Expeditions area was. Our
next stop was to get Jim all set up with the club’s display.
As we pulled into the exhibition area, I heard someone with a European accent yell
“Hey, why do you have a Dutch license plate on your Jeep?” I yelled back, “How do you
know it’s a Dutch license plate” and he replied “Because I am from Holland.” Looking at
his rig, I could tell that he was a serious world traveler who was standing next to a huge
DAF RV with, you guessed it, Dutch license plates. My good friend and avid Jeeper gave
the license plate to me from Holland, Chris Linford, and in exchange, I gave him an
Arizona license plate.
After our first international encounter, the next thing I thought was, “Wow, how cool is

5
all of this?” There were all types of vehicles and off-road trailers set up in the exhibition
area, many with out of state plates and some with plates from foreign countries. Some
of the rigs were typical of what my club uses for our overland trips, some were quite
exotic, and then there were those that fall in between. I said to Carol and Jim that this
was going to be a weekend to remember.
It was time to head to the camping area to set up my weekend camp. I had all
intentions of setting up my trailer with its roof-top-tent in “dry camping” but the area
that had been assigned to the club for its display was huge. Even after Jim parked his
Jeep, set up his trailer, and set up the 10x10 EZ, there was room for my trailer and more.
Since I would be camped right there with a number of other exhibitors and right in the
middle of all the “action,” my trailer ended up being part of the Jeep Expeditions display
which put me right in the middle of everything.
Today was the first day of registration for exhibitors and participants. Participants and
exhibitors alike kept arriving well into the evening. The next day would be the first day
of activities with Saturday and Sunday being open to the general public. The official
kick-off was 7:30am Friday and one could feel the excitement in the air and the
anticipation of a great weekend.
On Friday morning the grandstands began filling up for the official welcome and
opening of the first Overland Expo. At 7:30am Roseann Hanson gave us a friendly
welcome, a short itinerary of the day’s events and where they would take place, and
officially opened the Expo. With the first of many field events and seminars to begin at
8am, the crowd dispersed eager to get into the days activities.
SUMMER 2009

With pretty much the same courses being offered up on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
I won’t bother to give a day-by-day detail. Carol and I pretty much had our weekend
mapped out with the events and seminars we wanted to attend and when. The first
thing we did, spending the better part of half the day, was to work our way around
“Exhibitors Row” to see who and what was there.
The Exhibitors area took up the entire area in front of and behind the grandstand
building, and then continued onto the track area. One thing that seemed obvious is
that Overland travel seems to be dominated by Toyotas and Rovers. They were
everywhere in the Exhibitors area. The Jeep Expeditions display seemed to say to the
8
 world that while the Jeeps might have spent a lot of
time in the rock crawling part of the off-road sport, they
are becoming a larger part of the overland community.
The display included a custom TJ Wrangler built by
Curry as part of its show tour in the early 2000’s, and
two custom M101 military trailers with all the
accessories including roof top tents. Next to Jeep
Expeditions was a display by the Disabled Explorers.
Disabled Explorers is a non-profit organization
1
dedicated to showing those with disabilities that our
public lands and overland/off-road travel is just as
available to them as it is any other person. Lance Blair,
the founder, was an inspiration to all at the Expo
showing that the key part of the word disabled is “able.”
His rig was a nicely equipped FJ Cruiser wrapped in
vinyl showing their 5000 mile Continental Divide
expedition and sporting their name, logo, and sponsors.
With a rooftop tent on top, Lance is set up to hit the trail
without looking back. The Disabled Explorers motto is
“Adapt, Overcome, & Explore” and Lance has over
30,000 miles off-road to show for his efforts. For more
information on Disabled Explorers, please visit their
website at www.disabledexplorers.com.
Moving right along with the Expedition theme we
next visited the Expeditioneers. They have traveled the
world, producing content for such household names as
2
the Discovery Channel, History Channel, and National
Geographic. Their display consisted of two FJ Cruisers
and a Dodge truck, all outfitted for the long haul.
Continuing down Exhibitors row were manufacturer
and dealer displays. Mombassa Outdoors, ARB, Eezi-
Awn, and Camping Lab all were showing off their latest
roof-top-tents. The owner of Mombassa told me that
they are coming out with their newest roof top tent this
summer, a 3 man model, and it will be a solid
competitor to the other larger units currently in the
market. In addition, there will be some new modular
SUMMER 2009

options available making Mombassa a contender in the

market.
ARB showed its new model roof top tent with its
sheltered entrance mounted on top of a new 4-door
Wrangler. 3
Eezi-Awn had the largest display of roof top tents
including a new model, the Globetrotter. Paul May from
1. The classic Jeeps came out to play too
Equipt Expedition Outfitters told me that it was 2. Earthroamer XV-JP
designed specifically for off-road trailers such as the
Adventure and Outlander trailers on display here. 3. Land Rover from Austria that has been
touring the world
 Camping Lab was a name that I had not heard of until this weekend but they made a nice-
sized roof top tent that was displayed on an off-road trailer.
KC HiLites and Off-Road Trail Tools were right around the corner and both local Arizona
companies. Michael DeHaas, the owner of KC, was there and nearly giving away factory
second lights that looked perfect to the untrained eye. I talked for some time to Mike about
their carbon fiber HID off-road lights that he had mounted on both of the KC vehicles and
could probably provide light to a Friday night football game. But the thing that grabbed my
attention was a new KC product that just started shipping to retailers. Light tabs. Yes, light
tabs. These are designed to attach to tubing like many of us have on the front of our rigs. Very
cool and practical.
Tat Marcy, the owner of Off-Road Trail Tools, showed me several of his exclusive products
including the Broken Axle Tool, the recovery solution for broken “c” clip axles. I was so
impressed with this item that I bought one for my club’s tool kit just in case one of those pesky
D35s gives up on the trail 100 miles from nowhere. A few other items that Tat manufactures
are his “Gnarly Grip” grab handles, two of which are going to replace the so called HD ones I
have on my TJ now. I also picked up his wrench and tool roll-ups to help organize my tools
better than they are now. You can check all of these out and more at www.offroadtrailtools.
com.
Off-road trailer manufacturers were represented well by Adventure Trailers and Outlander
Trailers. Mario Donovan from Adventure Trailers had their new Off-Road Teardrop model on
display and explained that it had the same heavy duty underpinnings as their Chaser and
Horizon models, combined with the lightweight and aerodynamic teardrop design cabin. With
room for two, along with ample storage and built in stove and refrigerator, the debut of this
new product from AT got lots of interest from show participants.
Outlander Trailers was represented by its owner Robert Shepherd who showed me many of
the possible configurations of his trailers and the fact that he can custom build to your specs.
From small to large, basic to fully equipped, these well-built trailers had the usual options such
as roof top tents and Engel fridge/freezers. In addition, they also featured unique and rarely
seen options like a complete solar or wind turbine, electrical generation option, and even heat
and A/C for your roof top tent!
Some very cool and hi-tech goodies were on display by Total Vision Products.com out of
Tucson, Arizona. They had an FJ Cruiser that did the entire off-road course and more with all
of the windows covered in heavy paper. The vehicle was equipped with four monitors in a
custom overhead console that were hooked up to 12 cameras positioned in strategic areas.
With the camera controls you could monitor the field of view in the front and back along with
obstacles, spotting cameras at the front tires and more. A very cool set up that I could see
putting in my Jeep sometime.
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There were a number of other retailers at the event showing and selling everything from a
hand-cranked blender to high quality expedition clothing.
Jeep and AEV had displays next to each other trackside. Scott Brown, the Jeep Rep at the
Expo, brought the Jeep “Skunkworks” project called the Jeep Overland. Outfitted with many
parts that you can go out and buy retail, it featured an ARB rack and roof top tent on top with
some special reinforcements between the top and the sport bars inside. Add to that AEV
products such as the heat reduction hood, a rear bumper that stores five gallons of water, an
AEV front bumper, and a custom made floor inside the Jeep to carry lots of cargo on those
 long trips. I heard lots of comments from people
wanting to see something like this offered from the
factory but hey, that takes all the fun out of building it
yourself.
Jeep also had 2 and 4-door Rubicon’s which I had the
opportunity to take out on the off-road course. Having
never driven a JK on dirt and over obstacles before, I
was impressed with the comfort, stability, and the
roominess of the newest Wrangler.
Crowd at Jeep Expeditions display
The new J8 by AEV - www.aev-conversions.com - was
on display and due to its diesel power got lots of
attention. The J8 is the Egyptian military version of the
4-door Wrangler. With structural reinforcements, a leaf
spring rear suspension, 2.8 VM turbo diesel putting out
174hp and 339 lb/ft of torque all hooked up to an HD
D44 front and D60 rear, this Jeep meant business. Kent
Klein from AEV told me that the tow capacity on this
model was over 7000 lbs, twice that of the factory JK,
and that it got about 28 mpg on the highway. Is the
rocket launcher an option?
SUMMER 2009
As mentioned earlier, there were lots of unique and
exotic vehicles at the show. Two vehicles stood out in
the crowd: The UNICAT (www.unicatamericas.com) and
Global Xpedition Vehicle or GXV (www.globalxvehicles.
com). These were huge and attracted lots of attention.
There were two UNICAT models on display, both of
them huge and both of them with International Truck
cabs and chassis as their starting point. They claim to
be the premiere expedition vehicle in the world,
boasting a 2,000-mile range and 110 gallons of water
on-board. With a six-month supply of food, a serious
first aid kit, clothing, toys and other gear, this vehicle is
ready to cross the world and could well be the ultimate
rescue, escape, or survival vehicle. Now all of this comes
at a cost that I am told was in the mid six-figure range.
Very similar to the UNICAT and just as impressive was
the GXV Overland Safari Model that debuted at the
Expo. The GXV uses the Mercedes Unimog U500 cab
and chassis as its starting point but can also be
configured onto basically any chassis in the world (i.e.
Western Star, Freightliner, International, Mitsubishi in a
4x4 or 6x6 set up). GXV claims that their unit is a million
mile unit unlike the majority of other RVs, and has 10
times the durability of the average 4x4 RV. Looking at
their vehicle, I can believe it. One thing is for sure, if and
when I ever hit the Powerball, I will be getting one of
these rigs.
Some of the other vehicles on display and represented
were Toyota trucks and FJ Cruisers by Toyota of Dallas,
Land Rover vehicles by a number of participants and
Land Rover of Las Vegas, the Earthroamer (http://www.
earthroamer.com) XV-JP driven by Expeditions West,
motorcycles, H3 Hummer, and a few others. The 1960s
Land Rover “fire truck” was the coolest LR there next to
the Defender 90 that was a vegetable oil, diesel-
powered rig. Sportsmobile (www.sportsmobile.com)
had a number of their 4x4 conversion vans on display
including the new Rescue model that was developed
for the Qatar National Search and Rescue Teams. The
Sportsmobiles are very capable and fully equipped
full-size rigs, and did well on the off road course.
Of the hands on field events going on during the
Expo, the two that seemed the most popular amongst
the guys was 4-Wheel Overland Driving and 4-Wheel
Recovery, followed by Overland Trailer Driving, Tire
Repair I for Punctures & Beads, Tire Repair II for Tears &
Sutures, and then Overland Trailer Repair. For the ladies,
it was by far the Overland Driving for Women.
I have to say that I enjoyed all of the field events that I
attended. While the Overland Driving was pretty much
beginner for someone like me who has been Jeeping
for many years, it was fun and something that a new
driver would really love and get benefit from. It started
out with a nice dirt pile to go over (low clearance
vehicles need not apply) and then steeply into a ditch
about five feet deep and out again. Short wheelbase
vehicles had no problems though some long wheelbase
vehicles had more of a challenge. The course then went
into a series of holes designed to show articulation,
then into another bumpy area and into the ditch again
for some off-camber experience and then out. It was
fun enough that many people wanted to do it twice.
The 4-Wheel Recovery field class was informative and
interesting and always drew a crowd. It was more
classroom under the blue sky than anything and some
winching and such would have made it really fun but
still a course that even the seasoned wheeler can learn
a new trick or two.
Connie Rodman of the food packing,
safety seminar
Driving with Cameras only
ARBs JK with their new Roof Top Tent
Tire Repair, both I & II, was popular. After all, who
hasn’t seen tire mishaps and carnage on the trail? The
bottom line of these courses is that most tire damage
can be repaired well enough to get you back to
civilization. Recommended for everyone who attends
next year and for those who can’t attend, check out the
spring issue of JPFreek and part two of the tire repair
series found in this issue.
Overland Trailer Repair dealt mainly with bearing
failure. Sponsored by Adventure Trailers, it focused on
replacing bearings and dealing with other failures such
as the braking system out in the field. Yearly
preventative maintenance was stressed as was carrying
a bearing set or two that take up little room in your
spare parts bag. Being one who has had a wheel come
off due to catastrophic bearing failure in the past, I
could appreciate this class and the need for it.
Now for the ladies.
My fiancé and photographer Carol has never been
behind the wheel of a Jeep off-road. The Overland
Driving for Women course seemed to be a natural for
her to attend. The class Carol attended had about 15
women with huge Sportsmobile 4x4 conversion vans as
their rigs. Don’t get me wrong. These vans were nicely
SUMMER 2009
equipped for overland travel, some with pop-up roofs
and some with extended hard roofs. They all looked
quite impressive with their ground clearance and
custom bumpers. I wondered if the long wheelbase and
the Atlas II transfer cases would be a challenge for a
novice. As my fiancé explained:
“Kristina Hall from Overland Training was the course
instructor for the Overland Driving for Women. She is an
instructor for a number of women’s courses including
 1 2
1. DeKoes DAF Expedition Vehicle
2. A topographic Toy
3. From the Women’s point of view, this was
Carols favorite Jeep
4. Global Xpedition Vehicles Unimog based unit
5. 1st Aid course
6. AEV J8 - There’s a diesel under the hood
7. Nicely equippped Sportsmobile on the Women’s
course
some that take you into the wilds for three days like
Becoming an Outdoors Woman or BOW. Kristina has been
overlanding for a number of years, and has been with
Overland Training for two years.
Now that you know who she is, let me tell you about the
course. Until now, all of my off-road experiences had been
in the passenger seat, taking picture. Kristina started out
by explaining things that the guys always seem to be
talking about: articulation, lockers, 4-Low, off-camber.
Things that I never really thought much about but now
realize the importance of them. She took the time to
explain to us how to get in 4-Low and what the benefits
are, using your gearing and engine for controlled braking
SUMMER 2009
downhill, negotiating off-camber areas, and how and
when to use lockers to better control your traction.
After the “classroom” instruction, Kristina then walked us
around the course and explained each obstacle, the best
way to approach them, and how to maneuver through
them successfully. When each woman approached for her
turn at the course, Kristina asked if they were in 4-Low,
then explained to us each a set of hand signals she would
be using to guide us along the track. Very simple hand
3
signals that when followed, would help us be successful.
Kristina went with each woman to act as spotter and
mentor and gave the standard spotter hand signals to
help get them through the course.
The first obstacle was a rather large dip and then a
corresponding hill up. That obstacle presented a challenge
for one lady in one of the large Sportsmobiles but after
several tries, she made it. The second obstacle was a small
but long hole where she had explained that we would
need to approach it at an angle to make sure that we kept
enough traction. The third was a series of holes that were
spaced out so that one tire went in, then came out, then
the opposite tire would go in then out, then back to the
other side again. It was an exercise to get used to the feel
of the vehicle and to experience articulation. The last
obstacle was one that I was excited to try. It was an
off-camber slope from 10-20%. Being pretty sure I could
take the higher 20% incline, I was more than eager to give
it a try and I wanted to take the “hard line.” Each woman
did great, and there were only a few that didn’t have the
ground clearance necessary to completely finish the
course.
 Completing the course, I felt a sense of achievement and
was ready to hit the course again with my new “yes I can”
attitude. My guy had better watch out, because he may
find that I may be asking for my share of time in the
driver’s seat from now on!”
I mentioned classroom seminars earlier. A number of
interesting and off-road appropriate topics were offered
4 in a classroom setting, some complete with slideshow
presentations and all with visual aids. It’s a tough choice
deciding which class might have been the most

5 important or which one had the most relevance to what

we do. Thinking back, I would say the class on Food
Storage, Preparation and Local Acquisition was the one
I liked the most. No matter what else you do on a trip,
you have to eat, and you have to be sure that your food
supply is sufficient, safe and will last. On a long trip in a
third world country where you are going to have to
re-supply, it’s important to know what to buy, where to
buy, and how to buy. Preventing spoilage was the part
of this course that most people became involved in. As
most of us do short trips - a week or less - there was a
lot of discussion about coolers. From experience, I know
that most coolers will “work” for a weekend at best.
Some coolers, like the Coleman Xtreme 5-day cooler,
will work three days and top of the line coolers such as
the Engel claim to keep ice up to 10 days. I personally,
as do a number of my friends, use an Engel refrigerator/
freezer in my off-road trailer along with a large “5” day
cooler. The Engel keeps my supplies cold and/or frozen
and most importantly, dry. The cooler is used for
beverages in cans and plastic bottles where it doesn’t
matter if they become “waterlogged” due to melting
ice. The important thing is to keep your supplies cool,

6 dry, and safe.

Three other courses I found quite interesting and very
relevant to any type of off-highway travel were First Aid
Kits for Overlanding, Overland Navigation, and Hi- Tech
SUMMER 2009

Communication and Security in the Real World.

One thing that each of us needs to ask ourselves is,
“Do we have the necessary equipment and knowledge
to survive in the “wild” for 9 hours, 9 days, 9 weeks?”
Very few of us are medically trained but in the event of
an emergency, do you have the supplies or the basic
knowledge to stabilize a friend or loved one until
professional care can be administered? Will the First Aid
Kit you bought at Walmart for $9 be enough in the
7
AT’s Tear-Drop trailer on the trailer course

Spotting on the women’s course

event of a severe event? The First Aid Kit for
Overlanding class covered options from inexpensive
basic kits to very deluxe kits. Some of the kits had
simple-to-understand instructions on how to deal with
severe injuries while waiting for help. All of this made
sense to me as I had experience with two medical
emergencies on the trail in the last ten days. The first
emergency was not far from civilization but it took
paramedics over an hour to reach them due to the
ruggedness of the trail. The second incident involved a
dirt bike rider who made the wrong choice about
speed and lines to take on a steep hill, and he and his
bike parted ways. His journey down the hill put him in
contact with rocks and a number of cacti. There was no
cell phone service, CB radios were of no help and at
best, help was nearly an hour away by Medivac
chopper. What would you do?
Spend the 50 minutes in this class that was presented
by an EMT and you would have a better understanding.
That brings us to the next course, Hi-Tech
Communications. From radio to satellite, all the
possibilities were at least touched on but what works
for you is what is most readily available for your use and
most importantly, most affordable. While the cost of
SAT phones are going to keep the majority of us from
having one, there are two forms of communications
that all of us can rely on in the field when it comes to
emergency communications: Ham Radio and the SPOT
Emergency Locator Device. There is no place in the U.S.
that you can go and not have the ability to
communicate with the outside world using Ham radio.
With so many frequencies available, there are probably
few areas of the world you cannot go to without being
able to make contact with someone via Ham radio. In
addition, Ham radio is the perfect medium to keep in
crystal clear contact with everyone in your group on a
trail ride and costs about the same as a high-end CB
radio. The licensing requirements for Ham radio have
been relaxed and you no longer have to know Morse
Code to get the basic license. The test is fairly easy if
you spend some time studying. In short, I recommend
that all of you consider getting licensed for Ham.
The SPOT device (www.findmespot.com) can do a
number of things from sending out messages to loved
ones that simply state that you are OK, calling for help/
assistance, and allowing people to track you in real time long-term trips that many of the presenters have
on the internet. But the most important function is the
“911” button which will bring search and rescue your
way in the event of a life-threatening emergency.
Several members of my club now carry these units and
it is something that you should check out and consider.
Navigation. Long word, four syllables, and could be
the difference between surviving or not. The best tools
for navigation in most of our situations are a
combination of paper maps and GPS. One thing I am
sure of is that some, if not most of you, have at some
point seen that the software in your GPS doesn’t always
show the trail and isn’t always accurate. In some parts
of the world, paper maps are a necessity. From my
personal experiences here in Arizona, we have pulled
out the paper maps more than once when the GPS just
didn’t show us how to “get out.” Knowing how to read a
map and use a compass is invaluable when in the
backcountry, and the bottom line is to be prepared not
to get lost and if you do, make sure you have the tools
to help you find your way home again.
One thing of concern to all is security. While we are
pretty much safe here in the U.S., recent news events in
foreign countries are something to consider when
planning an extended trip. While it is not possible to
cover every contingency in a 50-minute discussion,
there are things that everyone can do to make their
journey safe and uneventful. Traveling in a group is a
good way to deter those with less than honorable
intentions, along with common sense and planning
ahead. Avoiding areas that could spell trouble and
paying close attention to what is going on around you
at all times goes along way to keeping your trip safe
and free of unpleasant events. Besides, the best advice
that you can ever get is never go off-highway alone.
Even here in the U.S. on trails that you know, three
vehicles on the trail will ensure that everyone gets back
home in the event of an injury or breakdown.
SUMMER 2009
There were many other training sessions I attended,
including one on photography. The instructor said that
some of his best pictures are taken with a simple and
inexpensive point and shoot digital camera. While he
has a high mega pixel professional Canon camera, he
still carries the camera like many of us have and uses it
too.
For those that craved to learn more about some of the
 completed, there was the Overland Theater that
offered a number of slideshow, PowerPoint, and video
documentations from Expeditions all over the world by
those who did them. These were very interesting and
besides the audience being riveted to their seats during
these presentations, there was a lot of interaction and
Q&A going on.
Earlier I hinted at an international flavor to the event.
Not only could one talk with veteran explorers who
easily could be your neighbor, there was no shortage of
people from other countries at the expo. These citizens
of the world were not there to put on any seminars or
classes but were there as part of their journeys,
participants just like the rest of us in a first time event. I
met people from Germany, Austria, England, the
Netherlands, Canada and elsewhere. Their stories were
fascinating and their rigs were anything from mild to
wild. It so happens that the first person I met, you
remember, the Dutchman who commented on my
Dutch license plate, has been traveling the world for
the last nine years.
Johan and Diane Dekoe, along with their dog Boomer,
have been driving their 1981 DAF since they purchased
and outfitted the ex-Dutch army vehicle in 2004. The
DAF 4x4 weighs in at just under 25,000 lbs loaded and
is outfitted with a 175hp diesel engine, 5-speed
transmission with high and low range, and a top speed
of 65mph. At 9mpg it needs the 159 gallons of fuel it
can carry in two tanks. Johann told me it can easily
travel through water to a depth of nearly 4 feet, has a
wheelbase of 13 feet, and has a turning radius of 59
feet with power assist steering. The camper box is
approximately 7x14 feet with a 6.4 feet interior height.
For long-range travel it can carry nearly 90 gallons of
fresh water plus 10 gallons just for the outside shower
unit. It has satellite reception, solar panels, 500-watt
generator, transformers and converters for 12v, 24v,
SUMMER 2009
110v, and 220v, multiple batteries, and heat and A/C to
mention just a few features.
While I was fascinated by their vehicle, I could never
get tired of listening to the tales of their first adventures
through North Africa to the Middle East, Turkey, and
back home through Eastern Europe. Then to their next
expedition which brought them here today. It started
four years ago in South America beginning with a long
voyage by ship from Europe. Since then they have
traversed the continent from the tip of South America
to the U.S. with many points in between. A trip of a
lifetime for most of us and just another part of their
continuing journey. The Dekoe’s have documented
their travels via photo albums and blogs which you can
visit and learn more about (http://home.hetnet.
nl/~f2hjadekoe74/) and
(http://www.dekoe.waarbenjij.nu/).
There was so much to do and see at the Expo that I
could easily double the size of this story and still not
get everything in. There were several important lessons
that I learned and that most everyone can learn at
future events. The most important lesson is that the
world is both a large and small playground separated
by oceans, lakes, mountains, and political borders.
While the news media has portrayed the world to be a
dangerous place, the people I talked to who have
traveled all over the world tell me that for the most
part, the world is a very safe place to travel if you are
well-prepared and use common sense. People all over
the world, from the poorest areas of Africa, Asia, Central
and South America, are people like you and me. They
are friendly, inquisitive, and love to meet strangers on
the journey of life. It reminded me of two parts of the
Jaycee Creed that states “That the brotherhood of man
transcends the sovereignty of nations” and “That earth’s
great treasure lies in human personality.”
Another lesson to be learned is no matter how much
you know or think you know, there is always something
new to learn, today, tomorrow and every day in the
future if you take the time and opportunity. And lastly,
you don’t have to own a million dollar vehicle or
something exotic to have fun Overlanding. You just
need a good running, high clearance 4x4 with some
minimum equipment and the urge to get away from
civilization to explore. Perhaps some of you will take
the time next year to visit Expo 2010 so that you, too,
can be ready for the adventure of a lifetime when it
calls or just that simple weekend trip to the mountains.
AvAilAble Now

SUMMER 2009
 cker
Text and Photos by Kraig Be

It is just after dawn and I am sitting in a 20-foot long, flat bottom

boat with a dozen other people. The twin outboard motors are off
as we drift near the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayalli Rivers,
which merge around us to form the mighty Amazon.
The stillness of the morning is broken by a quick splash no more
than a dozen yards from the boat. Another splash soon follows,
this time closer. We begin to catch quick glimpses of the gray
freshwater dolphins, and their more elusive pink counterparts that
inhabit these waters. It is one of the more sublime travel
SUMMER 2009

experiences I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing, and it is one of the

reasons I traveled to Peru to explore the Amazon River and Jungle.
There are few places on Earth that inspire thoughts of adventure based on their name alone. The Amazon is one of those
places. It is the second longest river in the world - trailing only the Nile - but it is by far the largest river in terms of volume. In
fact, the Amazon pushes more water than the next eight rivers combined. Even more fascinating is that at no point along its
4,345 mile length does a bridge cross the river, in part because of its amazing width, which can reach 25 miles during the
high water season between December and May, but also because for most of its length, it is surrounded by dense,
impenetrable rainforest.
SUMMER 2009
 Just getting to the Peruvian Amazon can be a bit of an adventure in itself. The largest city in
the region is Iquitos, which also happens to hold the distinction of being the largest city in
the world that is inaccessible by road. The only way in or out of this jungle town is by plane or
boat. Iquitos is a colorful and interesting city that rose to prominence thanks to a booming
rubber industry at the turn of the 20th century. It remains the gateway to the Amazon in Peru,
but unlike Manaus, Brazil’s famous city on the river, it is far from overrun with tourists.
Once you depart from Iquitos, it doesn’t take long to see why the Amazon Basin is
considered the greatest ecosystem on the planet. The vast diversity of life there is unmatched
anywhere else on Earth. There are more than 3,000 species of fish in the river alone, and
another 1,300 species of birds with hundreds more mammals, reptiles, and amphibians as
well. There are also more than 40,000 cataloged species of plants, with new ones still being
discovered on a regular basis.
This diversity became acutely evident as soon as we left the city and began moving
upstream. The one species I was surprised to see in such abundance was man. While there
were few settlements or towns, we did pass plenty of huts, built on stilts to remain above the
water, and a number of small, mostly handmade boats moving up and down the
river.
My home while I stayed in the Amazon was a ship named La Turmalina. The
ship was styled after a 19th century riverboat, complete with wood railings,
multiple decks, and a carved figurehead in the shape of a dragon on the front.
The ship oozes character, and helps set the mood that you’re exploring
uncharted waters.
During the day we would set out from La Turmalina in one of its small skiffs,
exploring the backwaters of the Amazon where we encountered three-toed
sloths, iguanas, monkeys, and more species of birds than I could count. At times
we would drift into large, open bodies of water where we would discover giant
lily pads that were five feet in diameter. Other times, the jungle pressed in
around us to the point that we would have to use a machete to make progress.
On one of those morning excursions, we ventured deep into the rainforest in
search of an excellent fishing hole and it wasn’t too long before we were
dropping our lines in the water. Our high-tech gear consisted of
long, thin branches with fishing line running up the length and a
hook on the end. A nice big chunk of beef served as bait. Before
long, the notoriously aggressive piranhas were happily hitting our
lines, and mostly stealing our bait. We did manage to pull a few
small ones in though, and they made an excellent
accompaniment to dinner that evening.
SUMMER 2009

Perhaps the highlight of the entire trip was an evening spent

camping in the jungle. Late one afternoon we went ashore near
an eco-lodge and hiked off into the rainforest where the true
dimensions of the Amazon could be measured at last. The trees
soared overhead, reaching 70 feet in height while the dense
vegetation closed in on all sides. In the distance, the rumble of
thunder could be heard, seemingly getting closer by the minute.
SUMMER 2009
SUMMER 2009

By the time we reached camp, the rain was already beginning to fall but the thick jungle canopy prevented it from soaking
us on the jungle floor. We had dinner in a permanent structure built to be a mess hall and by the time darkness set in, a
full-blown thunderstorm was raging overhead. I crawled onto a cot that night with the sounds of the jungle, and that
thunderstorm, all around me. I couldn’t help but think about how fortunate I was to be in that place at that time.
My journey to the Amazon was far too brief and before I knew it, it was time to go. But I knew, even as I set out for home,
that I would carry those experiences with me for a lifetime. Without a doubt, the Amazon is an inspiration for adventure and
a destination that I would recommend adding to your “life list.” You won’t be disappointed, and you’re likely to come home
richer for the experience.
 Are you tired of the same old music services that promise genre diversity
but wind up forcing you to listen to ad after ad after ad, only after listening
to a few songs that aren’t even specific to what you like to listen to? Those
days are now over!
JPFreek Adventure Magazine is proud to announce a new age in music
delivery with the creation of JPFreek Radio through Slacker.com, an
internet-based music service that is so unique that even PC Magazine calls it
“the most exciting thing in digital music to happen in a long time.”

Slacker Personal Radio uses high-tech, intelligent algorithms to

truly personalize music delivery the way you want to hear it.
Heavy metal your cup of tea? Or do you prefer scooting your
boots to classic country? Whatever your musical tastes are,
Slacker Personal Radio can deliver them to you with minimal ads
SUMMER 2009

and a truly unique and amazing music experience…all for free

and delivered the way you want! And if you want to listen to your
tunes while in the backcountry or hiking in the Rocky Mountains,
you can now do this with Slacker’s new portable player.

Check out JPFreek Radio on Slacker.com or

create your own music “station,” and say hello to
the next generation in music delivery.

LISTEN ONLINE NOW!

 Cuillin ridge (Dubhs to Gillean) from Sgurr na Stri -
Courtesy of Steapadair of UKClimbing.com
SUMMER 2009
SUMMER 2009
SUMMER 2009
 SUMMER 2009

Headtorch bouldering on Rock Aroud The Block

at Spofforth, Yorkshire -
courtesy of Jamie Moss of UKClimbing.com
SUMMER 2009

Great North Road -

courtesy of Marek of UKClimbing.com
 SUMMER 2009

Ullswater Dawn -
courtesy of Alex Messenger of UKClimbing.com
SUMMER 2009
 SUMMER 2009

Sennen and Irish Lady Cove -

courtesy of Stuart Graham of UKClimbing.com
SUMMER 2009

Special Thanks to UKClimbing.com and its members for sharing a selection of their top photos.
 SUMMER 2009

Sareks National Park -

courtesy of Mike Martin of UKClimbing.com
 Pressing needs, pressing schedules,
pressing deadlines; sometimes the
whole world seems to be pressing in
around you and you just need some
relief. We think that you should grab
one of our products and get away for
a while. Trust us, you’ll love it.

www.gsioutdoors.com
SUMMER 2009
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SUMMER 2009

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 amputee adventures
Text & Photos by Lance Blair
Jerry Dickson grins as he shows me the historical
marker with the story of a tall tale spinning amputee
who always came out of the mountains with a bit of
SUMMER 2009
gold. “See, we aren’t the first Disabled Explorers to
travel this desert” he says as we enjoy the moment.
Jerry has brought me out to see his favorite parts of
Anza Borrego State Park and spend a weekend of
wheeling, camping, and comparing how each of us
gets around as amputees. We are nearly the same age,
and we lost our legs around the same time and both
love to get out to the backside of beyond with our
four-wheel drive vehicles. I drive a Toyota and Jerry has
his faithful Jeep, and as we prepare for the trip, he
comments by saying, “You BK’s can climb all over
everything,” referring to my below the knee prosthetic
versus his almost at the hip. In the end it is our desire to
see the remote areas and enjoy the peace of wild places
that draw us together. Being handicapped is more
along the lines of being from the same hometown,
interesting but not the end of the story.
As we were heading out of town and into the hills,
Jerry and I enjoyed plenty of radio chatter about future
trips, different ways to setup rigs, and off-road trailers
versus bigger trucks and more. Nothing passes the time
like the beauty of southern California’s mountains and
good friends to talk to.
One aspect that holds true regardless of disabled
versus able-bodied adventurers is how you drive and
how you behave in the dirt. As soon as we hit dirt, Jerry
stopped so we could air down our tires and engage
4wd. Many wheelers come from the old school of not
changing anything till they need it. However, we both
believe in having the right tool for the job and in this
case, lower tire pressure and proper use of “4-Low”
meant less trail damage and less risk of getting into a
pinch.
Jerry is an old hand at trekking around Anza Borrego
and he navigates his trusted 2007 Wrangler X on trails
he knows well. This isn’t the first Jeep or the first time
showing off the area he loves. Jerry bought his first
SUMMER 2009
Jeep years before after crashing his quad in the desert
and breaking his hip, the short leg hip no less. That
accident led him to his love for being in remote areas
and a Jeep was a safer way for him than blasting
around on an ATV. Plus, he could carry the gear, friends,
or family to allow multi-day adventures.
Jerry lost his left leg to bone cancer in 1990 but that
didn’t quell his desire to be outdoors. His rig is mildly
built by some standards with 255/85/16 BFG Mud Terrains supporting a 2” TerraFlex
spacer lift and 2007 4-door Rubicon Springs that give him almost 3 ½” lift. His only
other modifications are safety and storage related with the addition of a Kenwood
D710 Ham Radio that he uses regularly, and a Bestop cargo carrier over his spare tire.
The ham radio is even setup with APRS which allows friends and family to see his
location on a web-based map, a great tool for helping buddies find base camp and
invaluable in emergency scenarios.
When I ask Jerry about his modifications he thought carefully before stating, “The
lift and tires are enough. I don’t go anywhere I am going to get that rig stuck.” This
comment highlights the theme of our time in Anza Borrego. Jerry took me on trails
that he knew or that he had discussed with others, and he made sure that both our
rigs were capable before entering an area. The key for the disabled is to not get in

trouble in the first place and to know your own limitations

and the limits of your gear. While some wheelers don’t mind
some trail carnage - both Jerry and I were setup with tools
and spare parts - it is better to enjoy the journey than try to
repair damage that could have been avoided.
Lucky for us there were still plenty of wildflowers in-bloom,
which was a tremendous contrast to the harsh landscape
around us. At one point it seemed we were traveling across
the surface of Mars until a huge, old military truck crested the
rise in front of us and rambled past with it’s cargo of tourists.
Jerry & I both commented on how we enjoyed “self guided”
adventures much more than being led around, but at least
those folks were outside and not in front of a TV.

Another area Jerry enjoyed guiding me to was Font’s
Point. From this cliff overlook we could see the
Badlands area and before long, our talk turned to what
it must have been like centuries before when explorers
encountered the area. We were both grateful for our
modern prosthetics and modern rigs, and even though
some areas are being closed to motorized access, we
both treasure the places we can get to that would
otherwise be impossible to visit.
After Font’s Point it was time to see more of Anza
Borrego’s oddities, from lone palm trees and hidden
groves to multi-hued bands of sandstone lining the dry
washes we traveled on as we made our way to camp.
The wind was an ever-present torment that made Jerry
happy to have the soft-top on his X. By the time we
reached the Arroyo Salado campground, the wind
lessened to a breeze long enough for dinner. As the sun
set, however, a ferocious gust made it a struggle to sit
around the Fire Dancer propane fire pit we had
surrounded. Luckily, I remembered my laptop held a
DVD of four-wheel drive adventures in Australia so we
hid in my rig, commenting on overlanding down under
and laughing as the truck rocked in the wind.
The next morning was clear skied and calm, and we
enjoyed our lazy breakfast and time around the fire. We
then headed out for some late morning adventures that
lead us back to asphalt with farewells until we would
meet up on the dirt again.
In short, it was an enjoyable weekend for a couple of
handicapped guys that use their 4wd vehicles to get
out and see the sites that would otherwise be
unattainable, and enjoy the serenity of the outdoors.
Lance Blair is the founder of Disabled Explorers,
an organization focused on helping adventurers
with physical disabilities enjoy the overland
SUMMER 2009
lifestyle. To learn more about Disabled Explorers,
or if you’d like to join them in their cause, please
visit www.disabledexplorers.com
JEEP JK OVERLAND EDITION
Mopar Underground and its team of designers
created the Jeep Wrangler Overland to show the
Jeep community that the Jeep brand is committed
to the growing demand for overland expedition-
ready vehicles. The Jeep Wrangler Overland features
a number of upgrades including larger tires,
improved suspension, an ARB rooftop tent, and
other modifications provided by American
Expedition Vehicles, Daystar, and Warn.
SPRING 2009

2009
Jeep Wrangler Overland from Mopar Underground
Built to demonstrate the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited outfitted for extended overland travel

Base vehicle:
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, 3.8 L V6 205 HP
240 lb.-ft torque, 4 speed auto trans, front and rear lockers,
Dana 44 axles w/ 4.10 gears, disconnecting front stabilizer
bar, stone white w/ color matched flares and hardtop

Suspension:
2.5" Mopar lift kit, Full Traction rear sway bar,
Bilstein shocks, BF Goodrich 35" KM2 tires mounted
on Mopar 17" steel 'winter' wheels (color matched)

Mopar:
Front seat covers, slush mats, windshield mounted
off road lights, steel differential guards, cat-back exhaust

AEV:
Heat reduction hood, snorkel, front bumper, rear bumper
w/spare tire carrier and 5 gallon water storage

ARB:
SPRING 2009

Touring rack cage, awning and Simpson II

2-person Rooftop tent

Daystar:
Upper dash bin, off road lights, winch cable isolator

Warn:
9.5ti winch

The rear seats were removed and replaced with a

large, flat cargo floor that has been coated with a
rubberized truck bed liner and features several
hidden storage compartments
SUMMER 2009
the ejs
SUMMER 2009

elite
SUMMER 2009
jeep “lower forty”
The Jeep “Lower Forty” is equipped with
massive 40-inch x 13.5-inch 0R20LT tires
mounted on Mopar 20-inch forged aluminum
wheels, custom front and rear fender flares
1-inch wider and 4-inches higher compared
with a stock vehicle, an all-new roll cage
neatly integrated into the body tub and tied
directly into the frame rails, a new one-piece-
carbon-fiber hood with a Jeep CJ-like power
dome, and an all-new drop-down tailgate
stamped with the “Jeep” logo.

SUMMER 2009
SUMMER 2009

jeep “grand canyon ii”

The Jeep “Grand Canyon II” is the most luxurious off-road vehicle built to
date by the Mopar Underground Team. To improve traction for rock crawling,
a set of 285/70R17 tires were mounted on a set of Wrangler Rubicon wheels
and fitted with a Superlift 4-inch suspension system. Off-road protection
was provided with an ARB high-clearance front bumper and Mopar heavy-
duty rock rails designed by 4xGuard.com.
SUMMER 2009
 jeep “j8 sarge”
The “J8 Sarge” is a military
version of the new Jeep Wrangler
platform, built as a non-combat
military support vehicle. Built
from the 116-inch wheelbase
version, the “J8 Sarge” is offered
in either two-door or four-door
configurations. Special J8-only
structural upgrades in the body
and chassis combine to increase
the GVWR rating to 7,400 pounds.

Other notable features

include the Dana 60 rear
axle mounted on leaf
springs, larger front-disc
brakes and exclusive
J8-only 17-inch x 8-inch
steel wheels with a
larger 5-inch x 5.5-inch
bolt pattern. The rear
differential is equipped
with Trac-Lok limited slip
device/differential (the
front is open). The power
train is a VM Motori
S.p.A. 2.8-liter 4-cylinder
turbo-diesel engine that
produces 158 horsepower
and 295 lb.-ft. of torque.
It’s mated to a five-speed
automatic transmission.
SUMMER 2009
SUMMER 2009
 jeep Wrangler overland
The Jeep Wrangler Overland is perfect for those craving
travel and adventure. Mounted to the cargo rack is an all-
new ARB two-person Simpson II rooftop-mounted tent
and touring awning. In addition, a new Mopar 2.5-inch
suspension lift was added along with a full-traction rear
sway bar, allowing the addition of aggressive 35-inch tires
mounted on 17-inch steel Mopar winter/off-road wheels.
Additional off-road protection at the front and rear is
provided by American Expedition Vehicles’ steel bumpers
and for added security a Warn 9.5ti winch.
SUMMER 2009
SUMMER 2009
SUMMER 2009
SUMMER 2009
 Industry Interviews
Exclusive with Chief Designer
JPFreek - What was the inspiration for you The JK Overland is also a great party trick. When I
and the Mopar team to design and build show it to people they think “Yeah, that’s um OK “ then
the Overland JK Wrangler? I unfold the roof tent and roll out the awning and it’s
MA - Inspiration to build is easy. We build what we
ourselves would like to own. A small group of Jeep
enthusiasts and I are involved each year in producing
special one-off Jeep prototypes that we debut each year
at Moab during the Easter Jeep Safari. This year we all
admitted that we have done the mud / rock crawling
thing to death and set out deliberately looking for
another avenue. With the rise in popularity of overland
travel and a vision of a clapped out Land Rover on
African Safari, we sketched out a plan around a 4-door
JK. Once we set out on that path it all fell together very
naturally. I knew right away that a roof mounted tent
was the way I wanted to go (mostly for the tree fort
aspect!) and that was the biggest problem to solve: how
to safely mount a cargo rack to a removable plastic roof?
The answer we came up with was to attach the ARB
cargo rack directly to the sport bar structure by passing
through the plastic top. This has worked out very well
and is really the key to the whole system. Having solved
that, we moved on to clearing out the rear of the JK by
removing the rear seats and adding a large, flat load
floor. We didn’t fill it up with all the goodies on purpose
so someone will look at it and project how he or she
would customize it for their specific adventure. The look
of the vehicle is purely driven by function. For instance,
the color had to be white both for sun load and its basic
appearance. Simple steel wheels, minimal lift, a “sane” 35
inch tire, hard wearing durable fabrics and rubber mats,
and so on.
ark alllen
mark
always the same “Oh WOW!” I mean you can actually
see the wheels start to spin in their head because up
until that moment, they have never viewed a Wrangler
doing much more for them than slingin’ a little mud or
plowing the driveway.
JPFreek - Overland travel and adventure
has continued to grow in popularity here
in the U.S. How do you foresee the
popularity of Jeep overlanding, and how do
Mopar Underground and the Jeep brand plan to
meet the increased demand for overland-capable
vehicles?
MA - My job is to open the minds of people to the
possibilities of the platforms we offer. When I say that I
am not talking about retail customers as much as I
mean people in our building that are only used to
seeing our vehicles in their most traditional sense. The
person interested in overland travel is a very small
portion of the overall population, but I consider them
‘alphas’ in the sense that they are very tech savvy, well
educated, and not driven by overly complex solutions.
They value well-designed equipment with a high
degree of function over flash styling. That is the design
brief of a Jeep Wrangler: simple, tough, and capable.
Hopefully the JK Overland concept helps to expand
the traditional expectations.
 JPFreek - As Chief Designer for the Jeep
brand, how important has it been for you
to utilize feedback from Jeep owners &
enthusiasts when planning future projects,
including the Overland JK? 
MA - All of the Mopar Underground Jeeps I have built
have been a direct result of feedback from Jeep
enthusiasts. For example, the Jeep JT concept ( EJS ‘07)
was the answer for “Hey Mark, is Jeep ever gonna do a
pickup?” The Sarge ( EJS ‘08) was in response to “What’s
a J8 ? “ The
Lower 40 ( EJS ‘09) showing the way forward in
ultimate rock crawling.
I get all my ideas for Jeep product from Jeep
enthusiasts. I take the role of Chief Designer for this
brand very seriously, and I feel a heavy responsibility to
give voice to the enthusiast in every manner possible.
That’s what drives me to ensure that the concepts we
bring to Moab are fully operational vehicles not to be
babied and parked in a parking lot. We build them to
be “wheeled hard” right along side the people who
inspire them.
JPFreek - The buzz surrounding the Jeep
brand’s announcement to offer the J8
MILSPEC to consumers through American
Expedition Vehicles and its network of authorized
dealers, has been phenomenal!  Based on the
success of this, do you foresee plans by the Jeep
brand to consider offering other “special” vehicle
platforms to consumers?
MA - The J8 MILSPEC offered through American
Expedition Vehicles is a direct result of being driven by
the enthusiast. This program is a very non-traditional
approach, but was necessary to allow quick access to
the U.S consumer of what many consider the ultimate
Jeep. Simple, rugged, tough as nails with military
grade hardware. I cannot comment on what plans we
have for the future.
JPFreek - If you could take the Overland
JK or J8 MILSPEC for a weeklong overland
excursion anywhere in the world, where
would you go?
MA – North Pole. Although I am certain it is
underwhelming, how many people have you met that
have been there? No bugs , snakes, or humidity. Polar
bears yes, big nasty spiders , no.
JPFreek - On a more serious note, Chrysler
recently announced plans for bankruptcy
protection, an alliance with Fiat, and
closures of approximately 20% of its dealership
networks throughout the country. How has this
affected the mindset of its various design teams,
and how do you foresee these streamlining efforts
pushing the Jeep brand forward long-term?
MA - You need to remember that the design clock
operates about 3 to 5 years into the future, so we are
busy working on ‘14 & ‘15 model years. In addition,
these vehicles need to carry on into ‘18 & ‘19, so we are
projecting well beyond what is currently going on in
the market right now. Regardless of what is going on in
the automotive sector or who owns what, the Jeep
brand will continue to build as the ultimate off-road
machine.
JPFreek - Okay, back to the fun stuff.  EJS
continues to be THE event of the year for
Mopar & the Jeep brand to show off new
vehicles and exciting new projects.  Have you
already begun plans for EJS 2010, and can we
coax you into spilling the beans on anything new
you guys have planned in the short and long-
term? 
MA - Yes, I agree that EJS is a great event to show off
exciting new concepts for the Jeep brand. For Mopar
Underground we have two main events to build
toward: SEMA and EJS. I try to keep the Jeep debuts at
EJS only because it is a driving event as opposed to
SEMA where it is static. Not much fun having a Jeep
parked inside if you ask me.
What am I building for next year? Well, although I’m
not going to tell you ( how would that be fun? ), I am
currently planning four new projects to show, all of
them are cool and no, none are based on a FIAT
 at the end
of the World
Text by Frank Ledwell
Photos courtesy of Wenger

“This was by far the

hardest thing I have ever
mentally or physically
had to do. This was really
more of a survival race.”
SUMMER 2009
 It’s 4pm in early February and Team Calleva –
comprised of four thrill-seeking adventure racers
representing the U.S. - has just boarded a bus to Torres
del Paines in the pristine southern Patagonia in Chile.
The team, captained by Mark Lattanzi and joined by
fellow racers Sara Percy, Val Chapa, and Druce Finlay,
began their journey to the end of the world months
earlier with their preparation for the Wenger Patagonia
Expedition Race, reputed to be one of the world’s
longest and most difficult expedition-style adventure
races at 600km in length.
The Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race has become a
premier extreme adventure race due to its length and
challenge amongst some of the world’s harshest and
varying terrains. The race is excruciating with challenges
that require backcountry navigational skills, climbing
and related rope work, trekking, kayaking, and
mountain biking. As Sara Percy would later say, “This
was by far the hardest thing I have ever mentally or
physically had to do. This was really more of a survival
race.” Fast-forward to the sixth and final stage of the
WPER and this would prove all too true for the team.

SUMMER 2009
 74°W 72°W 70°W
50°S

50°S
AT L A N
PUERTO
NATALES
Argentina
52°S

TIC OC
Chile

52°S
PA C I F I

EAN
C O

PUNTA

TI
CE

ARENAS

ER
AN

RA
DE
54°S

L
FU

54°S
EG
O

0 25 50 75 100
Kilometers
74°W 72°W 70°W 68°W
SUMMER 2009
 The anticipation of race day grew and grew as
Team Calleva made the long and eventful trip
to Torres del Paines. A flat tire added about an
hour to the drive, allowing team members Sara
and Mark a chance to reflect on the coming
challenges under a full-moon sky. After a feast
that included roasted pig with potatoes and
salad, the team managed to catch a few “Zs”
before their short trek the next morning to
Lago Grey for the race start.

The ecosystem in this

region is delicate and
diverse with many plant
species found nowhere
else on the planet.
The next morning, Mark and the team readied
their kayaks for Stage One under a flurry of
photographers and video crews who were
scrambling to catch last-second shots and
interviews before each team’s departure.
Despite not feeling well with a head cold that
would last for the next four days, Mark guided
the team downstream out from the grey lake to
the Rio Serrano 30km away. A strange division
between the waters - grey on one side and
bright green on the other - would last for
several hundred meters before finally mixing
together en route to the end of the first leg. At
the end of day one, Team Calleva would be
comfortably placed in the middle of race pack.
SUMMER 2009
SUMMER 2009
 Stages Two and Three would challenge the team as
they would start with a 100km mountain bike tour
across unimproved dirt roads through the only village
they would encounter along the way: Puerto Natales.
From there the team would continue on and as Stage
Three began, the ropes came out and the team
transitioned from bikes to a climb up a mountain.
Once the climb was complete, a little R&R was needed
before commencing the remainder of a 55km trek.
The ecosystem in this region is delicate and diverse
with many plant species found nowhere else on the
planet. River valleys with huge pink moss balls called
Turba provided a surface for the team to walk on while
crossing the deep pools of water. The Turba, some of
which were a meter in width, acted sponge-like by
contracting with each step only to rebound as if it
hadn’t been stepped on at all.

SUMMER 2009
 A challenging mountain pass posed an oncoming
challenge and with little daylight and Team Captain
Mark Lattanzi ailing from his cold, the team decided to
pitch camp below the first steep ascent. As luck would
have it, the team endured a downpour of rain that
lasted throughout the night and with water finding its
way into the team’s tent, their sleeping gear became
damp and stayed that way throughout the remainder of
the race.
By the time the sun had risen, there was a slight break
in the cloud coverage that allowed the team to find the
right crossing to get over and across another long river
valley. At day’s end the team had reached the third
checkpoint still in fourth place.
Stage Four saw the team back on their mountain bikes
for a 137km ride through mud bogs, a ride along the
coast, and a final 60km push that featured a “flat and
crazy head wind” that slowed the team to a near crawl.
Mark was still suffering from his cold and along the last
stretch to checkpoint four, a race photographer offered
him an Emergen-C that became the turning point for
Mark and his cold. Checkpoint four turned out to be the
The team awoke at 5am in preparation for a 90km
litmus test for the field of nine teams and as Stage Five
kayak stage that would begin with a shore crossing. By
kicked off, four of the nine teams had retired leaving
6:45am the team had launched off to begin the stage
only five teams, including Team Calleva, in the race.
and other than race officials and a few photographers,
the team wouldn’t see anybody again until the end of
the race. A fjord on the far side of the shore sent some
Patagonian wind as an obstacle but the team managed
without much problem.

“Rather than risk a night-time

descent on ice and snow across
unfamiliar terrain, we found a
SUMMER 2009

small ledge and pitched the tent.

Silly camping near the mountain
top but we didn’t want to risk
falling into the dark snowy abyss.”
 Once in the fjord, the team saw a huge sea lion and flock of sunbathing
penguins. Majestic mountains with steep cliffs and abundant waterfalls left
the team in awe and feeling as if they were paddling off the end of the
world. The team eventually reached the end of the fjord and the start of the
Indio Passage, a 17km portage over to the Strait of Magellan. Everything
was going just fine for the team as the paddled from pond to pond until a
low-lying branch managed to catch Druce and Val, flipping them from their
kayak and tossing random gear into the water. The problem was remedied
quickly though and the team was back on-track until the team reached a
section with downed logs. A series of downed logs eventually proved a
significant challenge and resulted in Mark and Sara being flipped from
their kayak. Ninety minutes later they were paddling again but by 10pm
the mandatory cutoff time for being on the water had been reached so the
team made camp about 3km from the Strait of Magellan.
The next day would bring Stage Five to an end and by noon that day, the
sixth and last stage would begin. Up to this point, the team had managed
to navigate across dirt roads, fight a head cold, cross mountain passes, trek
across mud bogs, paddle through a fjord and debris-riddled ponds. None
of this would prepare them for the challenges of the last stretch and in
retrospect, the team would concur that this last stage, along with Stage
Five, would not only be the most challenging but also the most rewarding
of the entire race.

Stage Six began with a planned 120km trek that would push the team to the end point in Cape Froward.
Shortly after their departure at noon, the team managed to cross two small mountain passes and reach the
base of a tall mountain ridge. Believing they had enough daylight to successfully cross the ridge, Team
Calleva made the determined decision to push forward. The team had managed to cross the ridge but with
the weather having gotten cloudy, the team accidentally summated a nearby mountain not planned for on
their route. Once they had cross the ridgeline, it was dark and they were on top of a glacier. As Mark would
later say, “Rather than risk a night-time descent on ice and snow across unfamiliar terrain, we found a small
ledge and pitched the tent. Silly camping near the mountain top but we didn’t want to risk falling into the
dark snowy abyss.”
In the morning there were a few inches of snow piled along the outer edge of the team’s tent and once the
team had picked up their camp, they navigated their way down the glacier but realized they hadn’t gone far
enough north and consequently chose to angle themselves back towards the Strait of Magellan rather than
cross the mountains into the desired river valley. The team realized their error and decided to follow the
coast up to the mouth of the Rio San Bernabe and hike up the river to the desired route. At this point the
team was nearly out of food and when they reached a mandatory waypoint crossing at the Rio del Oro, they
SUMMER 2009

made an unlucky decision to trek over a ridge and hike over the mountains to Cape Froward, a distance of
approximately 15km. The team didn’t realize though that this choice would force them to navigate through
canyons, cliffs, and ìimpenetrable” thickets.
The team managed to cross the mountain pass and was ready to descend towards the coast where they
could almost taste the finish; however, they wound up descending into a canyon with 70m cliffs on every
side. Armed with but only one spare headlamp and daylight soon becoming a commodity, the team
continued forward with the lighthouse at the finish line visible in the far distance.
 A quick side note: Somewhere along the way Mark’s
camera came off its tether and consequently all his
photos for the race were lost.
As the team coasteered for approximately three hours,
they finally reached a beach and decided to get some
quick rest before continuing on. Ninety minutes later
the team packed up and headed towards the
lighthouse about 1km away. As it turned out though,
the lighthouse the team arrived at turned out to be the
wrong lighthouse. The true finish line was
approximately 5km away. To make matters worse, there
was a large cliff at this point and rather than trying to
swim around the cliff, the team opted to go over it and
approach the finish line from above. A series of
unfortunate decisions would result in Team Calleva
ascending and descending cliffs with no apparent end
in sight.
It was now noon on Friday and the race was officially
over. The team’s satellite phone had died and they
hadn’t eaten in several days. Mark and Val were
exhausted and borderline hypothermic so Druce and
Sara decided to try and navigate a trail through the
thick trees and underbrush with hopes of reaching the
finish line and retrieving help for their teammates. A
few hours later Mark and Val heard a helicopter and
later found out that Druce and Sara had found the
finish line but nobody was there. On a whim they
decided to reset their Spot Messenger®
www.findmespot.com - and managed to send out a
distress call with their location. Not much longer and
race officials found the two of them along the sea cross,
then found Mark and Val where they were flown back
to the Punta Arenas Hospital. Four hours later, Team
Calleva arrived at the awards ceremony where they
received their fourth place reward and a warm
welcome from their fellow competitors.
The 2009 Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race had
SUMMER 2009

finally concluded. Team Calleva, with its strong

determination despite a number of challenges that
tested their mettle, had successfully competed in one
of the world’s most excruciating adventure races and in
doing so, helped set the stage for an exciting prelude
for 2010 and beyond.
For more information about the Wenger Patagonia
Expedition Race, please visit
www.patagoniaexpeditionrace.com
 A
ccesories

camping lab

Gotta Jeep?
Get the Catalog.

®
Expert Advice SUMMER 2009

Call now or log on for your FREE catalog.

www.quadratec.com 800-745-2348
 pa t r i o t i c
p r e s s i o n s
e x
Summer 2009
Summer 2009
 The Kingston Peak &
Bunce School trails
in the Colorado
backcountry are
just a few of the
remote areas that
Bill Dawson and his
girlfriend, Denise,
enjoy traveling to
in their unmodified
yet capable 2007
Patriot Sport FDII.
Summer 2009
 m’s 2009
Dan Mangru II
r i o t 4 x 4 Limited FD
Pat ek
a s i l y c r o sses a cre
e of
d i n t h e mountains
b e eorgia.
northern G

Summer 2009

Designing Jeep vehicles is only half the fun.

Here, a 2007 Patriot Sport romps through the soft
terrain in Moab, Utah.
 Mark Tubale’s
Patriot takes a
breather along
seashore in
Australia.

er
’ s wint nsin
y o
t c ount in Wisc
s
Fore g roads lko’s
in a 7
logg nny Mih his 200 VT
K e for C
are
r o und 4 L with d
g . n
play t FDI 2 f rack a
i o o
Patr stom ro
c u
and ails
.
k r
roc
Summer 2009

Pierre Giroux and his

2008 North Edition
Patriot 4x4 with FDI
follow the trails in
the eastern Quebec
Appalachian range. This
particular trail leads
to a migration pass for
salmon going upstream.
 Summer 2009

Kraig Schlueter’s “Trail Rated” 2008 Patriot Limited FDII with CVT2L
navigates the Broken Arrow Trail near Sedona, Arizona. Other than a Yakima
Load Warrior roof rack, Kraig’s Patriot is completely stock but finds its
home all over the trails in northern Arizona and southern Utah.
 Todd Gamiles’ red 2009
Patriot FDI takes a
break while in the
Colorado backcountry
with Bill Dawson’s 2007
Patriot with FDII.

Wade Fallin’s sunburst

2008 Patriot Sport takes a
Summer 2009

breather while on vacation

in Helen, Georgia. Wade’s
Patriot features cosmetic
mods including a blacked-
out muffler, wireless rear
camera, fog lights, and
vent shades.
 Sven and Dorothy Luebke enjoy using
their 2007 Patriot with FDII to access
mountain bike trails in the British
Columbia backcountry. Their Patriot
features a Rocky Road 2” lift, 235/70-
16 General Grabber AT2 on 16”x8” Cragars
and a roof rack with light attachments.

Tyler Foster’s 2008 Patriot with

Summer 2009

FDII is completely stock but

has no problem navigating the
trails around the Castle Special
Management area in the Rocky
Mountains of southern Alberta.
 If you like Led
Zeppelin, this
is your Patriot!
Commissioned in
advance of Led
Zeppelin’s reunion
concert in London on
December 10, 2007,
this Patriot is
ready for the urban
jungle.

Susan Rand’s
2008 Patriot
Sport 4x2 may not
be four-wheel
drive but that
hasn’t kept it
from backcountry
adventure. Shown
here is Susan’s
Patriot while
at Joshua Tree
National Park in
California.
Summer 2009

Special thanks to the Jeep community and to

JeepPatriot.com for their contributions to this
photo collection.
 Rompalicious 4x4
Wanna know how I got here? Jeep Gear &
Accessories

Some of the most

beautiful & relax-
ing places are only
accessible with a
capable rig and
the right gear.

Trust us to have
the best customer
service and the
best prices to help
you get outfitted.
Summer 2009

Rompy trails to
you and yours!
-- Ken Damico
President

(888)221-6574 - www.rompalicious.com
 EXPEDITION DISCUSSIONS

Removing &
Fitting a Tire
Text and photos by Martyn Davies

This is the “ultimate in tire repair with hand tools.” You’d have to
perform this task if your tire is completely shredded, or the repair
you have to perform is major and cannot be done by breaking
and removing one side of the tire from the rim. What I like about
this task is that once you’ve mastered it, everything else with
tires is easy sailing.
We’ll follow on from the last article on valve stem replacement
where we learned to use Tyrepliers to break the bead.

SAFETY:
• All of the field repairs are temporary and need to be looked
at by a tire shop on your return to civilization
• Use your spare tire as your initial replacement
• Major repairs should be made, when possible, to the now
damaged spare tire
• All repairs should be done after securing your vehicle and
in a safe environment

TOOLS: Tyrepliers, Deluxe Tire Iron, Standard Tire Iron, Mallet,

4-Way Valve Tool, Lubricant, and Compressor Air Chuck.

removing the tire

SUMMER 2009

BREAKING THE FRONT BEAD

Remove the valve core using the 4-Way Valve Tool. Use the Tyrepliers to break the bead all the way around the
rim (see valve stem replacement clinic for info.).

BREAKING THE BACK BEAD

Turn the tire over to expose the back of the tire. Repeat the procedure you used to break the front bead. The tire
should now be loosely sitting on the inside of the rim.

REMOVING THE TIRE FROM THE RIM

 Both sides of the tire should be removed over the front of the
rim. The front of the rim has a smaller shoulder to get the tire
over in comparison to the shoulder at the back of the tire (see
rim terminology picture).

REMOVING THE FRONT OF THE TIRE

OVER THE FRONT OF THE RIM
Take the Deluxe Tire Iron and slip it between the tire and rim.
Hook the bead of the tire with the lip of the spoon, and using
the rim as a leverage point, pull the tire up and over the top of
the rim.
Insert the Standard Tire Iron next to the Deluxe Tire Iron to

keep the tire pulled up over the rim, and then remove the Deluxe
Tire Iron. The Standard Tire Iron will remain in this position until the
front of the tire is off the rim.
Lubricate an area of the tire and rim about 6-8 inches to one side of
where the tire is riding on the lip of the rim. Repeat
the process of slipping the Deluxe Tire Iron between
the tire and rim, hooking the tire. Lever the next
portion of the tire up and over the rim.
Leaving the Deluxe Tire Iron hooked on the tire, hit
the iron with a mallet to try to work the iron along
the tire/rim interface, getting more tire to slip out
and over the rim. Use lots of lubrication for this,
either soapy water or Windex.

When the mallet won’t work, go back to slipping

the Deluxe Tire Iron in between the tire and rim.
Keep the opposite side of the tire tucked into the well of the rim so
you have more tire to work with.
Work about 6-8 inches to the side of where the tire is riding on the
lip of the rim, and lever it over the top.
Working in small increments is easiest.
The front of the tire should now be off the rim.
SUMMER 2009

REMOVING THE BACK OF THE TIRE OVER

THE FRONT OF THE RIM
Lubricate as much of the inside of the rim and the back bead area
of the tire as you can. The more thoroughly you do this, the easier
the next steps will be. Place the tire and rim face down, so that the
back of the tire and rim are facing upward. Lift the rim upward so
the front of the rim touches the inside of the back of the tire.
 refitting the tire
FITTING THE BACK OF THE TIRE
OVER THE FRONT OF THE RIM
Lubricate the edges
of the tire and rim.
Place rim down the
front side facing up.
With the tire facing
front side up, slip the
tire over the rim and
into the well of the
rim. At least half the
tire should slip onto
Slip the Standard Tire Iron in between the tire and the the rim without
rim holding the rim up. Insert the Deluxe Tire Iron so using tools.
that the lip on the spoon hooks onto the lip of the rim. Using the Deluxe Tire Iron, hook the lip over the edge
Start to lever the tire off the rim. of the rim at the tire rim interface, and lever more of
Using a mallet, drive the Deluxe Tire Iron around the the tire over the rim.
rim to lift the rim off the tire.
This is not glamorous
work. Lubricate the tire
and rim interface in
the area you are
working frequently.

Keep the
portion of the
tire still inside
the rim tucked
up into the
“well” of the rim.
This gives you
SUMMER 2009

more tire to
work with.
When the mallet stops slipping around the rim, use
the iron to pry the rim upwards. Lubricate and try
moving the iron with the mallet again.
Once you have half the tire off the rim they part
company easily. For the last sections you will have to place your foot
on the rim to stabilize it as you use the iron to lever the
tire on. Keeping the tire in the well helps in the process.
FITTING THE FRONT OF THE TIRE OVER
THE FRONT OF THE RIM
Lubricate the edges of the tire and rim. Kneel on the tire and
work at least half of the front of the tire onto the rim and into the
well. Hold one side of the tire down into the rim with the
Standard Iron

Hook the lip of the Deluxe Tire Iron around

the lip of the rim and lever more tire onto the
rim.
As you get to the last portion of the tire
you’ll need to steady the rim and tire with
your foot as you lever the tire onto the rim. By
having your foot on the tire, you can force the
opposite side of the tire into the well, giving
you a little more tire to work with.

PRESSING THE REAR OF THE

TIRE ONTO THE SHOULDER
Place the tire and rim face up on top of a five
gallon bucket.
Push down on the tire using your hands and a
knee. Work your way all the way around the
tire until the edge of the tire is sitting on the
shoulder.

NOTE: The tire does not have to be flush with

the lip of the rim. It just has to be in contact
with the rim.
Attach the air hose, put the tire back on the
SUMMER 2009

bucket, face down, and re-seat the bead as we

did in the valve stem replacement clinic.

To view Martyn’s video series on valve replacement and repairing

your tire while off-highway, please visit:
http://www.adventuretrailers.com/tireclinic.html
 product news
hi-lift® neoprene jack cover
The folks over at Hi-Lift® have introduced the latest accessory for keeping your Hi-Lift
jack free from dirt and mud while also keeping your jack well lubricated. The
neoprene zip–on cover greatly reduces the amount of dirt and mud that can accumu-
late in the working mechanism of the Hi-Lift® while mounted on the exterior
of vehicles. In addition, the cover is tight fitting, quick drying, and machine
washable.
• For more information, visit the Hi-Lift
website at www.hi-lift.com

h
hi-lift® jack adjustable
tube mounts
t
Hi-Lift’s Adjustable Tube Mounts make it possible to mount
your Hi-Lift® jack to round or square tube bumpers, bull bars,
roll cages, and roof racks from 1” up to 3” in diameter. The
adjustable tube mounts are made from 6061-T6 structural
aluminum, are easy to install and remove, and will fit most any
vehicle.
• For more information, visit the Hi-Lift website at www.
hi-lift.com
SUMMER 2009
omf performance
introduces new rock
starz for beadlocks
The minds over at OMF Performance Products, Inc.
have taken their extremely popular Rock Crawling
Domes to the next level through custom powder
coating and machining. This new version of the
Rock Crawling Domes are known as Rock Starz, and
are available in a number of different custom
powder coated colors to fit almost any theme. The Rock Starz are sold in a set of 12 (fits on every other bolt of a 24
bolt beadlock design) and can be purchased for $44.95 per set, including the custom powder coating. The Rock
Starz can also be purchased in a raw aluminum finish for $39.95 per set of 12, or the original Rock Crawling Domes
for $29.95 per set of 12.
For more information about OMF’s new Rock Starz or their Beadlock products, please visit www.
OMFperformance.com or call 951-354-8272.

Quadratec® ultimate
all-Weather cargo liners
Presenting the only Floor Liners good enough to put the Quad-
ratec name on! The best does not have to be expensive, and Quad-
ratec’s cleverly designed floor liners feature the only Limited Life-
time Warranty in the business. The Ultimate Floor Liners for
Wrangler (87-06 YJ/TJ & 07-09 JK) provide ultimate floor protection
for active lifestyles, and are engineered with the finest materials for
total protection against water, snow and mud. The Ultimate Floor
Liners follow the exact contours of the floor pan and fit like a glove. Extra
tall sides and 5/16” deep tire tread pattern contains water and debris -
keeping your footwear clean and dry.
Made from tough polyethylene that is
both chemical & stain resistant, the
Ultimate Floor Liners are 2 times the
thickness and weight of other liners on
the market today. These will not crack,
break, or loose their shape. Nibbed
bottom tread keeps the liners safely in
position and are EZ to remove for cleaning.
• For more information, visit the Quadratec
website at www.quadratec.com

One thing you can always count on when you see a
line of Jeeps going down the road is the fact that nearly
every one of them will have a Hi-Lift jack and they are
usually mounted everywhere and anywhere.
My Hi-Lift jack was mounted on my custom rear tire
carrier…that’s until I got my new 60” Hi-Lift Extreme.
After my purchase, I found that my new Hi-Lift would
no longer mount to my tire carrier unless I was to
fabricate something to mount it vertically. If I did this
though, it would stick up about 8” higher than the roof
and catch every tree limb and branch, potentially
causing something to break.
Lance’s Jack was mounted down low and was
SUMMER 2009
subject to mud, water, sand androad grime
Sometimes it isn’t how you mount your jack but
where you mount it. A friend of mine nicknamed
Moondust has his mounted on the front bumper of his
YJ. Sitting down low like that tends to pick up dust,
mud, water, and road grime, which is no friend to your
Hi-Lift jack.
deluxe hood-mounted
hi-lift jack mount for
cj, yj and tj
Text and photos by Mike Fissel
Some of our members have tried some of the other
newer mounting systems that actually put the jack
inside your Jeep. That works for TJs and JKs unless you
have the 60” model. Hood-mounted systems have been
around for a while and that is another option to get
your jack up higher and out of the mud and muck. They
are not all created equal so it pays to shop.
So shop we did and we found the Toadhop Metal
Shop. We liked what we saw with their 1st generation
hood mount for the Hi-Lift jack and I emailed the
owner, Jim, for more information. Jim told me that he
was working on the 2nd generation model and would
have it done by the first of the year so I arranged to
have a YJ and a TJ model sent to us when they were
ready. Knowing what I know about Jeeps, the YJ model
should work with no problem on a CJ for owners of the
classic model that started it all.
In January, I received both of the new models at the
Jeep Expeditions headquarters in Arizona. I opened up
the boxes to inspect the new product and was very
pleased with the quality of the welds and construction
and the heavy-duty nature of the bracket. It just so
happens that they arrived prior to our annual
membership meeting so I brought them along for our
members to take a look. The opinion seemed to be the
same…very nice design and the quality of
workmanship was excellent. Moondust volunteered to
mount the CJ/YJ model on his rig and we planned for a
“wrenching party” to do the installations on my TJ and
his YJ.
So on installation day we lined up our Jeeps and
prepped them for their new mounts. We set the mount
aside and opened the bag with the instructions and
hardware. The instructions are short, sweet, and to the
point. We were ready for Jeep #1, the TJ.
 Here is what yoiu get ready for installation

Per the instructions, we took some thick cardboard Moondust removing the factory hinge bolts
and placed it under the rear of the hood to support
it when we removed the hinge bolts. With
cardboard in place, the hinge bolts were removed
and we moved along. The Toadhop kit includes a
set of cork gaskets that go between your factory
hinges and the mount bracket. I thought about it
for a while and realized that the cork does a couple
of things. It protects the top of your factory hinge
from the “metal to metal” contact of the hinge and
the mount, and it will probably prevent rust and act
as a sort of a cushion to also protect the hinges.
With the cork gaskets set on top of the hinges, we
placed the mount carefully on the hood by lining
up the boltholes. The Toadhop kit includes six new
bolts that must be used with the mount as your old
hood bolts will be too short. As the instructions
Bolts to secure jack
stated, we started the front bolts first and then the
rear bolts and when all were in place, we proceeded
to tighten them all up.

SUMMER 2009

Lance tightening up the

passenger side bolts as I tighten
the drivers side ones

Corks and bolts

 The last part of the install is to
place the supplied mounting bolts
for the jack on the mount. For
convenience there is a 3inch slot
milled into both sides of the mount
that allows for plenty of adjustment.
A bolt with washers is placed up
through each slot and then topped
off with another washer and a lock
nut. The lock nuts are tightened just
enough so you can move the bolts
across the slot.

The mount is placed on top of the hood and ready for bolts

All that is left to do now is to place your

Hi-Lift jack on the mount so that it looks
pretty even from side to side (we actually
measured ours with a tape). The jack is
“dropped” over the locking pit and the
bolts in the slots are adjusted left or right
so that they now will go easily thru the
holes in the jack’s frame. Now you simply
tighten the lock nuts, put a washer over
the part of the bolt that protrudes
through the jack, and use the supplied
wing nuts to tighten everything down.

The final touches on the YJ mount and almost finished

The final step is to slide the supplied MasterLock on the locking pin and installation is complete.
We did the same for the YJ and ran into one problem. The supplied hood bolts were metric and the
threaded nuts on the YJ are 5/16’s SAE. Knowing Jeeps, I have to wonder if some YJs are metric and some
SUMMER 2009

not. The project YJ was a 1995 model. I spoke with Jim from Toadhop Metal Shop and future kits will be
shipped with both SAE and Metric bolts.
Was the installation easy? You bet it was, and time-wise took less than half an hour to do. Does it look
good? Absolutely! Gives you more of that “road warrior” look.
My next thought was how long will it take me to get used to looking at it on the hood. Would it be a
distraction and would my fiancée not like it on the hood. So we took it to dinner at the drive-in movies that
night. I got used to it being on the hood in front of me pretty quickly when driving. It was not a distraction
when driving or watching two movies through the windshield and my fiancée gave me her approval.
Mission accomplished!
 The final results

In conclusion, the Toadhop Hi-Lift Jack mount is a heavy-duty unit that is a functional alternative for mounting
your Hi-Lift jack and workmanship and quality construction are evident. The integrated MasterLock locking pin,
which is similar to a hitch lock pin, was a great idea and will keep your expensive jack safe from thieves. It will
keep your jack up and out of the mud and water that will make it last longer and work when you need it.
You can buy cheaper mounts but you won’t buy a better-built one that will give you a lifetime of service.
Contact Jim at the Toadhop Metal Shop via email at Contact@Toadhopshop.com
or on their website at www.toadhopshop.com.

What’s Your storY?

Looking for a job that’s low stress, lots of fun, and
most importantly…let’s you play outdoors in a Jeep?
Look no further!
JPFreek Adventure Magazine is looking for Jeep
enthusiasts and professionals whose passion for the
Jeep lifestyle knows no bounds. If you have editorial,
SUMMER 2009

photography, and/or graphic design experience and

want to be part of the PREMIER Jeep lifestyle
publication on the market, send us an email with
your qualifications. Who knows? Your dream job
might just be “off the beaten path.”
Contact JPFreek Adventure Magazine at
jeepjobs@jpfreek.com
 kc hilites mounting
brackets
Text and photos by Mike Fissel

Now where were those stainless KC Daylighters at in

my garage? After I found my stash of lights, it was time
to get to work on installing the new mounts. It took less
than five minutes and they look snazzy on my brush
guard.
Being the inquisitive person I am, there was a need
inside me to know if there was truth to the “high
strength” part of the description so out came a mallet.
Bang! Nothing. Bang again! The mount was still in one
piece and the silicone rubber inner pieces kept it from
moving around the bar.

At the April Overland Expo 2009, I had

a good talk with Michael DeHaas,
owner of KC HiLites. Looking over all
the cool stuff at his display, I saw a stack
of small square boxes. What could they
be? Some new mini light or something
like that? Nope, nothing that exotic but
something very cool and very usable
for many of us. Michael told me that
these just started shipping to retailers
and were now available on their
website.
Can you say rugged, high strength
SUMMER 2009

composite mounting brackets that

mount easily on 1.5” to 2.0” bars? Yep,
and the readers of JPFreek Adventure Magazine are
probably the 1st to read about them! Not only do you
now have the solution on how to mount your lights
when the maker of your stinger or brush guard forgot
to put tabs but if you get tired of where they are, you
can move them later. I had to have a set of these as the
brush guard on my TJ, despite the price of the total
bumper unit, doesn’t have tabs for lights.
With that part of the excitement and testing over, it
was time to mount the lights and in another five
minutes, I got some new candle power up front for
those night runs!
If you need a way to mount lights on any round
tubing from 1.5” to 2.0”, you should check these out at
www.kchilites.com. You will find them in the
accessories section.
 four Wheeler’s bible,
jim allen’s

2nd Edition

This is THE BOOK that every buyer of a 4x4 should be given as soon as he
takes possession of his new wheels.
The book covers everything one could and should know, and is written so
that the average person can understand even the theory behind lockers
and different 4-wheel drive systems. But the book is so much more. Even
Now
veteran wheelers can appreciate much of the information that it has to Even
offer.
One of the sections that I found interesting was the one dealing with
Mappier!
nearly every 4x4 model sold in America from 1960 to 2008, rating them for
on and off-road performance, aftermarket support, and modification
potential. It made me feel proud to be a Jeep owner! From chapters titled
“Attitude and Emergencies: Zen and the Art of 4 Wheeling” to “Navigation
and Field Repairs: Bring ‘Em Back Alive”, this book has it all. Want to see
some recovery tricks, or are you considering a basic or advanced build-up?
They are covered here. Gears to lockers to transfer cases, transmissions and
tires. There isn’t much that you should know about 4-wheeling that isn’t
SUMMER 2009

covered in this book.

Loaded with tons of colorful pictures and print that even I can read, this
new book should be in your off-road library!
Excited? Want to go out and get one tomorrow? Sorry, you won’t be able
to buy it until July 15th when it will become available on Amazon.com or
your local bookstore and other outlets.

Find everything Offroad

www.offroadatlas.com
 Energy Propelled By Nature III
Text by Shawn Carkonen
Photos by Will Viktora, Jeff Shapiro, and Jeff O’Brien

After some amazing months spent hang gliding and then surfing for the
first two phases of the KAVU Elements Tour (which were covered in previ-
ous JPFreek issues), Seth Warren and his crew headed to the mountains for
phase three.
Begun in August 2008, the year-long Elements Tour is following the
complete life cycle of water while carrying a variety of athletes, activists,
and educators across Mexico, the US, and Canada. The mission of the tour
is to educate students and others about what they can do to satisfy their
energy needs by using renewable resources, as well as how to live more
sustainable lifestyles. Since August, the tour has put on more than 70
public events in 37 cities and given presentations to about 9,000 students.
This adventure keeps Seth on the road a lot and demands a one-of-a-kind
vehicle. His unique ride is a 1987 Toyota truck dubbed “Baby.” A former fire
SUMMER 2009

truck in Japan, Seth converted the truck’s diesel engine to run on any kind
of natural oil, from used restaurant grease to fish oil to commercial biodie-
sel. It also captures solar, wind, and kinetic energy that is stored in 14
on-board batteries for later use as electricity. It even has a stage and tents
that fold out to create an ideal platform for speaking and live music. It’s
basically a sustainability machine.
The Elements Tour is also about having fun in nature’s playground. Seth, a
former pro kayaker, demonstrates what the water cycle is by comparing it
to such nature-propelled outdoor sports as kayaking, surfing, skiing, and
hang gliding. This comparison really gets the kids’ attention and makes
sustainability understandable and relevant to them. Many are skiers and
surfers themselves, so they can relate to the lesson. It’s also fun for them to
realize that there are “grown ups” who are as enthusiastic about outdoor
sports as they are.
For the mountain phase of the tour, naturally the sport was skiing and the
crew was fortunate to experience a ton of good snow this year. After kicking
off the New Year at the Peruvian Lodge at Alta Ski Area in Utah, Seth began
assembling a phenomenal crew of pro skiers who would join him on the
tour. In addition to contributing to the school presentations, these athletes
also provided the action footage that Seth will use in his current film project,
Nature Propelled (due out in early 2010), the follow-up to his award-winning
documentary Oil + Water (www.oilandwaterproject.org).
From Utah, Seth and the crew rolled into a handful of ski
towns in Colorado including Durango, Silverton, Salida,
and Buena Vista, where they gave presentations at
elementary, middle, and high schools. At the high school
in Buena Vista, the physics class was building an electric
car as a project. Impressive!

The tour also hit the slopes in Taos Ski Valley, Utah; Jackson Hole,
Wyoming; and Sun Valley, Idaho. They also spent several days in Salt Lake
City at the huge Outdoor Retailer show. In nearby Park City, Utah where
Seth attended high school, he did a presentation at his alma mater and also
one at Park City Mountain Resort, where bands performed from the top of
“Baby” using electricity generated from the truck to power their equip-
ment. Along with the ski hills, they also had some unbelievable backcoun-
try adventures in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, Teton Pass in
Wyoming, and Powder Creek in British Columbia.
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Seth also toured San Juan BioEnergy in Colorado where Seth filled up
Baby with vegetable oil and took a tour of their gasifier, an engineering
marvel that can vaporize any kind of organic material into a gas that they
use to create electricity (San Juan BioEnergy mainly uses waste products
from the farming industry). This is revolutionary stuff and it also gave Seth
an idea. Why not build a vehicle that’s powered by gasification?
Since he’s always inspired by the enthusiasm and creativity of the kids,
Seth decided to get them in on this idea, too. So, in late April he created
the Biomass Gasification Vehicle Challenge. Here’s how it works: First,
 students design and submit a drawing or
description of a sidekick vehicle that will
tour with Baby and that uses a biomass
gasification system as its power source.
The best design idea received will be used
in the construction of an actual vehicle
that will be Baby’s sidekick and road
partner. The winning kid(s) will get to join
the Elements Tour for a day and ride
around in Baby and the new biomass
vehicle. In future installments, we’ll report
on how this the contest is going.

After skiing, Seth headed to his home town of Missoula

to edit film footage, take a much needed shower, and wait
for the snow to melt so he can grab the kayaks and hit the
rivers for the final phase of the Elements Tour. This last
phase will take him to British Columbia, Idaho, and
Montana where he will continue to spread the good word
about sustainable living.
• To follow Seth and the crew on their journey, check out
www.naturepropelled.com.
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 Because the shirt
you’re wearing
is ugly.

SUMMER 2009

Introducing the JPFreek Apparel Line

Now available through Allthingsjeep.com
SUMMER 2009

Guilin
Text & Photos by Marco Santarsiere
SUMMER 2009
 After hiking Mt. Huashan, we (Jon, Becky, and I) took an early flight out of
Xi’an the next morning to Guilin. The flight was about two and a half hours.
As a snack, we were served a very dark egg at room temperature in a sealed
package. Jon told us it was a duck egg that I found to be not so yummy.
Becky and I had taken our second Malarone tablet that morning (we always
made sure to take it with a little food). The only reason we were taking the
anti-malarial medication was because of how much further south Guilin is
in regards to Beijing and Xi’an and the higher risk of catching Malaria.
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We arrived in Guilin and thought it was odd that we needed to show our
ticket stubs from our flight to get our checked luggage. We paid 25rmb and
boarded a bus that was going to take us to Guilin from the airport. The bus
dropped us off virtually in the middle of a busy street with taxicab vendors
all over the place. One in particular was able to shuffle us towards his car
amidst all the chaos. It seemed like everyone who got off the bus was
trying to get their bags from the holding containers at once, and there was
an inkling of fear that the bus would just leave without warning.
 We had booked a room at the Li Jiang Waterfall hotel
and once again we used Jon’s work laptop to book a
great rate at a decent hotel. We got into our cab and
Jon told the taxi driver to take us to the Waterfall Hotel
so we could check in. The cabbie went on to tell Jon
that the Waterfall Hotel was all booked, but he could
take us somewhere else that had room available for
sure. Jon was not buying it and started to motion for us
to get out of the cab but the driver saw what was going
on and did not want to lose everything, so he relented
and said he would take us to the hotel that we had
booked.
We got there and noticed the rack rates were
alarming. If you take one thing from this article series,
book your hotel rooms 1-3 days ahead of time in China
to save a lot of money. Jon sorted out our reservation
and we were given a room with a nice view. Since we
had arrived in the early afternoon, we decided to take a
cab over to the Reed Flute Caves. The caves were
awesome!
The Chinese used quite a bit of artificial light with a
variety of colors on the differing limestone stalactites
and stalagmites. Add in the pools with the rock
formations and the lights, and it makes for a dramatic
result. The tour was going to take 45 minutes and was
in Chinese. You could purchase a tour in English for
10rmb. We walked through on our own and finished in
30 minutes.
After the caves, we went and had dinner at an
American restaurant called Rosemary Café that was
quite good and a nice change from our usual diet (Jon
had his first burrito in 6 months!). We discussed the
agenda for the next day over dinner and decided we
wanted to take a two-hour bus ride to the backpacker
mecca of Yangshuo for the day. A good friend of mine,
Dan, who had traveled to China extensively, said going
to Yangshuo was a must.
SUMMER 2009
 We woke up and were out the door by 7am to catch
our bus. Since we were headed out into the
countryside, we put on mosquito repellant.
We got to the bus station and paid 45rmb a piece for a
round-trip bus ticket to Yangshuo. The bus ride there
was very scenic with pillar after pillar of limestone
jutting abruptly from the ground. Guilin and its
surrounding areas have dramatic scenery. It is surreal.
We reached Yangshuo and from the bus station started
walking through town.
We came upon a backpacker’s hostel and we went
inside to see if we could get help on something to do
with the rest of our day. The owner of the hostel was
quite nice and spoke some English. However, Jon and
the owner talked at length in Chinese about our
options such as the time it would take, the price, etc.
After some debate and interpretation, we chose the Li
River Boat Cruise. It would take three to four hours and
offered a great way to view the scenery from the river,
all for 90rmb each for the cruise. He gave us some ticket
stubs to show our boat guide and bus driver(s). As we
left, the owner told us where to go catch our next bus,
which was going to Xingping. He also told Jon that a
family member of his owned a restaurant down the
street, and when we were done that we should go
there and have the famous Beerfish lunch of Yangshuo.
So we walked about a half a mile to the bus stop we
were instructed to go to. We hopped on what seemed
like a type of mini-bus that was crowded with the only
seats that were open at the back of the bus. They were
not seats per se, but we sat there anyway. We sat at the
back for about 10 minutes or so and the lady checking
tickets started talking to Jon, Becky, and I. She seemed
irritated and eventually made us get up while the bus
was moving, and had us sit down in some seats that
had just opened up (some passengers got off at a
stop). We thought this was odd but complied. Jon said
SUMMER 2009
he caught wind of something that it was illegal for
people to sit in the very back of the bus. We then
passed an area on the road that had several police cars.
After we passed this point, the woman frantically tried
to get all three of us back to our original spot in the
back of the bus. At this point we were confused, and
Jon told her essentially “We are not moving.” Other
Chinese passengers were directed to the back of the
bus, and they looked visibly irritated that they had to
sit back there. We were not sure if it was a cultural
thing, a safety thing, or what but it was an odd
experience.
We arrived in Xingping after a confusing 30-minute
bus ride. As the bus pulled up, there were about 20-30
young girls running after the bus. Maybe they were
happy to see us? Anyway, we were directed to a man
who was operating what looked like a motorcycle with
a small truck bed behind it with two small bench seats.
We did not know we would be taking this vehicle to the
river so it was a bit surprising at first.
We arrived at a dock along the river and there were
many small bamboo boats with two to three benches
on them with a canopy. There were also larger boats as
well, like ferries. We got on the boat and we were
underway. This was a great way to see the beautiful
limestone pinnacles from the water. Even better was
that we had our small boat all to ourselves.
None of us really said much over the roar of the boat
motor, but we really didn’t need to, the scenery was out
of this world. There were vendors selling food on some
beaches, and cattle bathing close to shore. Looking at
these pinnacles I could not stop thinking about all of
the awesome climbing routes that were hidden in this
sea of limestone.
The boat went about five to seven miles downstream
and then we turned around and came back the way we
came. When we were back at the dock, a local helped
us take the picture that is on the 20rmb bill. We held
the 20rmb bill up to its real corresponding background.
This had to be one of the coolest shots of the trip.
 We got back on the motorcycle and were
whisked back to our bus stop in Xingping. At
this point we were getting hungry and I was
glad we brought snacks. We took the bus
back to Yangshuo and decided to take the
owner up on his lunch offer. There was a
young man and an old lady at the restaurant,
and they were very nice and we ordered
quite a bit of food. The beerfish was the
specialty and minus the bones was
absolutely delicious. The whole meal was one
of my favorites while in China. At the end of
our huge lunch, Jon had noticed some snake
wine on the counter. I was unsure what type
of snake it was but we asked for some. The
lady seemed surprised that Becky was going
to try the snake wine as well. We received
three large glasses and to our surprise, she
also gave us a fresh orange as a chaser. We
made a toast and all of us tried to take it
down. Jon and I succeeded though Becky
only made it halfway. Then I decided to finish
Becky’s, which was maybe not the best idea.

SUMMER 2009

After lunch, we walked around Yangshuo a bit and I
tried to buy a Rolex knock-off for my friend but the lady
was asking too much for it. Jon said we could get a
better price in Beijing and he was right in the end. We
made our way back to the main bus station of
Yangshuo and the snake wine began to hit me pretty
hard. I felt weird and kept on sweating while we waited
SUMMER 2009
for the bus and this continued while on the bus ride
home. Both Jon and Becky fell asleep right away when
the bus started heading back to Guilin. I stayed up and
watched the scenery with my headphones on and the
snake wine in my belly. It was a cool ride back.
One thing about bus rides in China is that you should
always make sure you do not have to go to the
bathroom after boarding. All three of us were dying to
get off this bus!! We made it back to our hotel and were
pretty exhausted. We spent the next day walking
around Guilin and shopping, and we also walked to a
place called Elephant Trunk Hill. In the part of the hill
that is in the water, there is a huge circular tunnel right
through. Since we went there at night, the entire park
was not open so we could not climb up he hill;
however, we were able to get some great photos of
“The owl” which is essentially the reflection of the
tunnel in the still water (The Chinese had put up large
lights to add to this effect). It really looks like an owl!
This was right up there with the money shot from the Li
River Boat Cruise.
The next day we headed back to Beijing for our flight
home. We were able to go to the 798 Art District before
we left and were happy we did so. The country is
blossoming in the realm of artistic expression. We were
very impressed and happy that the Chinese people
were able to display such wonderful works of art.
Overall, if you have the opportunity to go to China I
would highly recommend it. I mentally prepared myself
a few weeks prior to our trip and it helped immensely
in dealing with the cultural differences. I plan on going
back this fall and meeting up with Jon to go to Tibet,
Chengdu, etc. and I look forward to sharing my
adventures with you in future issues of JPFreek.
 Our mission is to empower generations to enjoy the outdoors
SUMMER 2009

responsibly through education and stewardship. So join us. Try

to use existing campsites, camp at least 200 feet from lakes and
streams and pack out what you pack in. For more ways to
minimize your impact while camping, go to www.treadlightly.org
or call 1-800-966-9900.

©2005 Tread Lightly!

 Off the Be

Area BFE…sounds
like something out
of a sci-fi movie
with flashbacks of
Roswell, New Mexico
and it’s “alien”
reputation. Not
even remotely close
to Roswell, this
320-acre privately
owned area is just
south of Jeeping
Mecca…Moab, Utah.
While the land
may be “private,”
it is open for
public access for
anyone who wants
to enjoy one of its
many off-highway
trails or multitude
of space for
exploration. Area
BFE’s diverse
terrain and
remoteness make
it an excellent
and overlooked
playground for
climbers, bikers,
hikers, and
campers. This area
is also home to
entrances of some
of Moab’s most
popular off-highway
trails including
Strike Ravine and
Minor Threat, as
well as the more
SUMMER 2009

infamously known
hardcore trails
such as Helldorado,
Black Flag, and
Green Day.
 SUMMER 2009
eaten Path
 Most anytime of year is an excellent time to visit Area BFE. During Easter Jeep Safari week the park can get
crowded but is open to the public except for a few exclusive events, usually listed well in advance on the BFE
calendar. A multitude of trails and trail levels are accessible with a non-motorized area as well:

Climbing/Biking Area: Non-Motorized - No motorized Vehicles allowed in

these boundaries, allowing for access to some of the most underrated terrain
for rock climbers and mountain bikers.

Black Flag: Expert only, no exceptions: Do not attempt without a day to spend
and at least three vehicles. To Date: None have completed this trail! Lockers,
Winch, spare parts, SPOTTERS and 3 Vehicles - Do not attempt alone!

Strike Ravine: Beginner to intermediate level trail, this is a fun loop that
moves you through the park it is said to be very scenic.

Minor Threat: Beginner to intermediate. Expert line options. No real threat of

damage to a half-brained user! Winch, 35” tires, and at least a rear locker
SUMMER 2009

Helldorado: Intermediate to Expert: The famous Helldorado trail series is not

for the faint of heart, expect damage! Lockers, winch, bring spare parts, have a
spotter, other vehicles in your group, do not attempt this trail alone.

Green Day: Beginner to Expert. Two distinct lines. At least 14 Expert

obstacles are present.

Test Zone/Competition Alley: Beginner to Expert. These areas were designed

for teaching, testing new equipment and working out new vehicle bugs. A great
way to prep your rig for your Moab Adventure.
 Area BFE is a recreational park for many different outdoor activities.
Olaf Kilthau, managing partner of Area BFE, said this of the park: “The
park had been a dream of ours for the past few years. In April of 2004
that dream became a reality for a group of guys who had a vision to
create a place where people could go without the threat of being
kicked off of a fun little playground! Since then we have been fighting
to make trails, camping, and many other fun destination points on the
property. Along the way we have met opposition by some. For the most
part though, this project has reassured our faith in the OHV community
and the values these people hold close to their hearts.”
The park is left open and free to the public on a daily basis. The owners
SUMMER 2009

do, however, accept donations to assist with the overall upkeep. Also,
from time to time gatherings and events are held to raise money for the park as
well as other charitable organizations.

Additional information about Area BFE can be found at

www.AreaBFE.com.
SUMMER 2009

Crossroa
ads of a Revolution
pine barrens jamboree
Text & Photos by Will Morgan

SUMMER 2009
 Over two hundred years ago a small area of the pinelands in
New Jersey, referred to as the Pine Barrens, bustled with activity
such as sawmills, glass-making factories, and your typical gener-
al stores of the era.
The Pine Barrens hold a preserved center known as Batsto
whose historical significance played an important role during
the American Revolution. The Batsto Village was a bog iron and
glass-making industrial center from 1766-1867. Founded in
1766, Batsto would become one of the most important suppli-
ers to the Continental Army during the American Revolution,
supplying wartime products such as camp kettles, munitions
(cannon balls), wagons, ships, iron fastenings, and fittings for
artillery caissons. Many of the old buildings that housed busi-
nesses are still standing today, including the old saw mill, the
general store, and the post office as well as many of the homes
and living quarters for many of the residents of the period. It is
truly amazing to walk around the village and know that in its
heyday, it was a thriving community during the most important
part of our country’s history.
For the past sixteen years, Jeepers have gathered in New
Jersey for a weekend of wheeling in the Pine Barrens with Jeep
Jamboree U.S.A. Wheelers are able to enjoy winding trails, thick
forests, and scenic settings, such as the Cranberry bogs, for
photo opportunities and lunch stops out on the trail.
The majority of obstacles each year at the Pine Barrens Jeep
Jamboree are the water holes. This year some of the holes were
three to four feet deep with a majority of the trail system
covered with one to two feet of water. As you can imagine, there
were plenty of water-filled tubs during the event.
The wheeling at Pine Barrens, as indicated, is much different
than most Jamboree events since the mud holes have sandy
bottom pits that can prove to be a very challenging obstacle for
even the most experienced of wheelers. These are not the type
of mud holes that you get past with excessive throttle and
muscling your way through. To get through these kinds of holes,
it is much better to have a little momentum and a good line
versus trying to spin your way through. Once you drop into a
SUMMER 2009

hole and lose momentum, you have to address the situation

with a little more finesse. If you think you’re going to mash the
“skinny pedal” to get you out of a jam, you will have plenty of
time to think about it as someone hooks a strap to you in order
to pull you out. It only takes a second for that loose sand to spin
a huge hole underneath your tires, causing certain use of your
trail mates’ winch.
 There aren’t many rocks to negotiate, hills to climb, or off-cam-
ber situations to contend with since the elevation gain at Pine
Barrens is only about thirty feet. Be assured though that you will
have plenty of challenges ahead of you to keep you entertained
for the weekend. In addition, if you have a snorkel on your Jeep
and haven’t had the opportunity to test it out yet, there are a
SUMMER 2009

number of trails that are perfect to showcase how useful they

can be.
The history and topography of the Pine Barrens region make it
an excellent destination for Jeep adventure. Now if I can only
get my rig out of this mud hole…

To learn more about the Pine Barrens Jeep Jamboree or to

book your next Jeep Jamboree adventure, please visit
www.jeepjamboreeusa.com
SUMMER 2009

Photo of the Month WINNER (MAY) by Veronica Grover - CATSKILLS

 SUMMER 2009

jeep jamboree
photo album
 Photo of the Month WINNER (APRIL)
by Jason & Laura ODell - RUBICON TRAIL
SUMMER 2009

Photo of the Month WINNER (FEBRUARY) by Henry Ricci - MOAB

 Photo of the Month
WINNER (JANUARY)
Nichole Leddy - MOAB

Photo of the Month WINNER (MARCH)

by Dennis Wong - MOAB

SUMMER 2009
 Repairing Synthetic Winch Line
Text & Photos by Wil Kuhns

Anyone who has used a winch has seen, or will eventually see,
a winch cable break or snap at some point. This dangerous
condition has lead many Jeep and four-wheel drive owners to
switch to synthetics for safety and weight savings. However,
many people aren’t prepared to repair their winch line should it
finally give-way.
Repairing synthetic winch line is pretty easy if equipped with
the right gear. Viking Offroad’s Winch Line Splicing Tool Kit
includes everything you’ll need to get you back in the game.
The kit consists of a 5/16” fid, a 3/8” fid, scissors, electrical tape,
stitching needle, stitching twine, splicing instructions, and a
storage bag. There are two major splices that could be encoun-
tered while on the trails: an end-to-end splice and an eye splice,
both of which are covered in the instructions in the kit.

End to End splices are commonly used to repair winch line that has been sheared in the middle. To begin
this splice you must first measure and prepare to use 7 fid lengths of additional rope to complete the splice safely.
SUMMER 2009

Step 1: Both ends of the winch line
should be taped. This prevents it
from fraying.
Step 2: Lay both ropes along each
side of each other, and then
measure one fid length from the
taped end and mark on both lines.
This will be POINT 1. If a marker is
not available, the tape can be used
to mark this position.
Step 3: From POINT 1, measure two
fids from POINT 1 and mark on both
lines. This will be POINT 2.
(NOTE: A common mistake here is
to mark one fid length from POINT 1;
however, it should be two fid
lengths.)
Step 4: From POINT 2, measure Step 5: To make the splice, the ends
3-1/2 fids from POINT 2 and mark on need to be tapered. Begin at POINT
both lines. This will be POINT 3. 1 and on the side towards the taped
end, mark every other left and right
strand for three strands.
Step 7: Reposition the two portions of the winch line so that the cut ends are opposite of each other and both
POINT 1 markings line up with each other.
Step 8: Attach the fid to the taped Step 9: Insert the fid and the rope
end of one of the ropes. into the other portion of the rope at
POINT 2 and exit the rope at POINT
3. Continue to pull the rope out of
POINT 3 until POINT 2 matches
POINT 2 of the other rope.
Step 6: Cut each marked strand and
remove from the line. This will cause
the line to taper to a point typically
leaving six strands remaining.
During this, the taped end may
cause resistance to removing the cut
strands and may have to be
removed to pull out the cut strands.
SUMMER 2009
Step 10: Switch the fid to the other
rope and insert at POINT 2 and exit
at point 3. Burry both of the ropes,
working your way from POINT 2 to
POINT 3 on each rope. In order to
completely burry, tie the tapered
end and use both hands. Body
weight may be necessary.
 Step 11: Smooth out the crossover point by pulling on both tapered ends.

Step 12: Cut tails on an angle (give
them a point) and give the rope a
final smoothing by stroking the rope
firmly, burying both of the cuts
inside the rope.
Step 13: From the crossover point
(POINT2), count eight picks and
begin the lock stitch by inserting the
stitching twine.

Step 14: Stitch back and forth so

that minimums of three complete
stitches are on both sides of POINT
SUMMER 2009

2. End the stitching with an over-

hand knot.

Now that you are done, this splice can retain 90% to 100% of the rope strength.
The eye splice is used to place a permanent loop at the end of the winch line most commonly used to
replace the hook or anchoring point. In this example, we will be replacing the hook on the KJ with a Safety Thimble.
Much of the procedures are the same as the end-to-end splicing procedure.
Step 1: The end of the winch line
should be taped as this will prevent
it from fraying.
Step 5: From POINT 3, measure
3-1/2 fids from POINT 3 and mark on
both lines. This will be POINT 4.
Step 8: If installing a hook, eye, or
thimble, feed rope through or leave
desired eye opening and install fid
at the tapered end of the line.
Step 9: Feed the fid and tapered
end through POINT 3, exiting
POINT 4. Use caution to not let the
winch line twist during this process.
Step 2: Measure one fid length
from the taped end and mark. This
will be POINT 1.
Step 6: To make the splice, the
ends need to be tapered. Begin at
POINT 1 and on the side towards
the taped end, mark every other
left and right strand for three
strands.
Step 10: Remove fid and begin
burrying rope by pulling on the
tapered end with one hand while
smoothing bunched line with the
other hand until POINT 2 and POINT
3 meet.
Step 11: Cut the tapered end at an
angle and begin smoothing the
covering line from the eye loop
towards POINT 4. Use both hands
and body weight to burry the cut
end into the rope.
Step 3: From POINT 1, measure two
fids from POINT 1 and mark on both
lines. This will be POINT 2.
(NOTE: A common mistake here is
to mark one fid length from POINT
1 though it should be two fid
lengths.)
Step 4: From POINT 2 mark desired
length of loop. If reinstalling a
thimble, mark the distance by
installing the thimble. This will be
POINT 3.
Step 7: Cut each marked strand
and remove from the line. This will
cause the line to taper to a point,
typically leaving six strands remain-
ing. During this, the taped end may
cause resistance to removing the cut
strands and may have to be
removed to pull out the cut strands.
Step 12: Both POINT 2 and POINT
3 should be at the same point in the
eye loop. This will be where the lock
stitching begins by passing the
SUMMER 2009
stitching through this point. Do not
tie a knot in the stitching and leave
half of the stitching so it remains
from the first insertion point.
 Step 13: Continue lock stitching until at least three Step 14: Using a square knot to tie off the remain-
complete stitches have been inserted to the rope. ing stitching and burry the knot into the braid.
After three complete stitches, the rope should be
rotated 90° and the remaining half of the stitching
should be stitched in with the last stitch exiting the
same spot as the prior.
SUMMER 2009

Resources:
www.sierraexpeditions.com
www.winchline.com
www.samsonrope.com
SUMMER 2009
 -F rie nd ly
Eco
s
Freek Techniques
Adv en tu re
Text and Photos by Mark Filonowich
N 47° 28.320’ W 092° 27.070’
“It’s not easy being green,” sang Kermit the Frog. He
probably wasn’t thinking about Jeeping at the time, but he
sure could have been. Critics of the sport have plenty of
ammunition, from tire tracks left in sensitive wetlands to
Youtube videos proving that some folks have a better grasp
of modern video technology than old-fashioned common
sense.
As members of the wheeling community at large, we have
the opportunity to make things much better for ourselves, or
much worse. Some of the simplest things include packing out
whatever we pack in. Carrying a garbage bag (bungeed to
the spare tire) makes it easy to pick up and pack out not only
your own trash, but also other people’s litter you find on the
trail. I find that by setting a good example for others, I rarely
even have to say anything. People naturally start opening
their eyes and picking up a candy wrapper or pop bottle that
got loose on the trail. Having the garbage bag easy to access
but still outside the vehicle makes it a no-brainer.
SUMMER 2009
Another no-brainer we stress in the Iron Range Offroad
adventure classes includes staying on the trail. While still in
the parking lot (before even airing down tires), we talk about
driving over (and not around) obstacles on the trail. We are
here to learn and practice our off-highway driving
techniques, so we make it a point to aim for the rocks and
stumps we encounter. Driving around not only defeats the
purpose of developing the techniques, but also actually
widens the trail, causing unnecessary erosion. We also
straddle ruts, or drive the center of gullies and washouts.
Careful use of the throttle (as slow as possible, as fast as
necessary) keeps us from digging up more dirt as we climb
up or down the path.
There are a few water crossings in northern Minnesota, and I
share with students some valuable advice given to me many
years ago. Cross water only at designated fording points, or
where the road crosses the stream. If you see tire tracks going
in, but not coming out the other side, there is probably a
good reason why. Find another spot and make sure you
know the depth before dropping in. If finding another spot
means backing up, keep backing up until you find a safe
place to turn around. Turning around on a narrow trail just
means you will be digging up the ground unnecessarily.
Some of the trails we use in the Iron Range Off Highway
Vehicle park are considered “shared use.” As such, we
encounter ATVs and dirt bikes on these core roads. When we
encounter other vehicles (or horses or pedestrians), I am
always considerate. I’ll pull over and stop my group to allow
the others to pass, and indicate how many are traveling with
us. If our group is small, it might be easier to let us go
through first, but sometimes trail conditions require they get
a ways past before we continue. We try to keep the noise
and dust down, and never spray dirt or gravel. That kind of
behavior has no place in our sport if we want to build and
maintain green credibility.
When customers register for a class, they get detailed
checklists of what to bring, and how to prepare their vehicle.
I want to make sure that their vehicle is mechanically up to
task. Beyond the obvious tow points and seatbelts, it is equally
important that the vehicle does not have oil leaks or cooling
issues. I want to make sure their exhaust is suitable and won’t
create problems for our group. Years ago, I rode a trail behind
the guy with a poorly tuned engine burning oil and blowing
clouds of blue smoke in the air. What a miserable day for my
family! Even if it’s a vehicle in-tow, there is no excuse for not
doing the routine, regular preventative maintenance before
you get on the trail.
These checklists also include recommended tools, supplies, and spare parts. I don’t expect everyone to carry everything on
his or her first trip. It took me years to figure out what I needed and what could be left behind. Plenty of times I borrowed tools
or parts from others to make it back out. It can also be expensive putting together a complete boonie box. One thing that
doesn’t get left behind is the spill kit for trailside mishaps. The bucket (with tight fitting lid) contains nitrile gloves, oil
absorbent pads, a thick garbage bag, and a Ziploc of Oil-Dry (or kitty litter). Try to catch as much leaking fluid right in the
bucket (or a cup) as possible. Clean up the surrounding area with the pads and kitty litter, then shovel the mess right into the
bag and put the back right into the bucket. Remember, green clean up includes complete pack out, and the tight fitting lid
keeps everything inside.
Another good use for the shovel comes with proper sanitary waste
disposal. Within the Iron Range OHV park we are lucky to have Port-a-
potties strategically located, but many places do not have these
luxuries. Even though you might be outdoors, make sure you don’t do
your business within 200 feet of water resources, and use that shovel
to bury the evidence. No one else wants to discover what you left
behind from your behind.
Finally, be sensible with your camera and internet use. We all have
access to the postings of the vidiots who show their buddy blasting a
mud hole and knocking down trees, or burning a junk vehicle to the
ground way back in the hills. I know that it happens and I don’t
condone it, and I sure don’t see any sense in glorifying it with a
Youtube posting. You have the power to decide what to share with
the world and what to keep to yourself. Use that power wisely to help
further the cause for everyone who wants to use the back roads and
trails of our nation responsibly. I know that the knuckleheads who do
that probably cannot read these words anyway, but I’d like to think
that enough good people who care could eventually overcome the
antics of the bad ones who don’t.

Iron Range Offroad offers a comprehensive training course geared toward entry level Jeepers that stresses
safety and environmental responsibility. The classroom setting is the spectacular Iron Range OHV park, 3 hours
north of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Trail riding is integrated with class modules covering trip preparation, vehicle
maintenance and repair, driving skills for different terrain, extraction techniques, vehicle upgrades, and much
more. Learn more about offroad driving classes at:

m t h e
r o
View f rcasm aboutna
sa
n
Land Use & Access
A b i t o f
t, Blu
Albrigh
Stacie
&
By Del
The gal in uniform with the big gun on her hip smiled
and waved as she installed the recessed pad lock on the
gate. I guess she thought we were happy about the road
being closed. Her rugged 4x4 government-bought
pickup truck that was parked in our view had all sorts of
signs and decals declaring she was a public servant. We
figured it must be true.
She had sent us an official-looking letter awhile back
asking for comments, but the fish were a bitin’ so we
missed out on the letter-writin’. We figured someone else
would write those darn letters. We figured wrong on all
accounts.
It was a heck of a view we had – trees, rocks, trails,
roads, wildlife, mountains, creeks, and vast open areas
beckoning to the adventurer in all of us. It’s easy to recall
my dad, Elmer, telling stories of roaming this kind of
backcountry area forty years ago with the freedom of a
jackrabbit in the Mojave Desert. He always told us to get
outdoors and have fun while taking care of the land. He
figured we would all have the same freedom. He figured
wrong.
The ability, and most importantly the opportunity that
my dad had to take his kids out and teach us how to fish,
hunt, hike, play, and breathe in the fresh air is all but
gone now. My mind wanders off and I think of what can
happen if we continue down this dangerous path of
management by closure. Soon it will be just a happy
memory for our nine year old when she was able to see
nature, hike, take pictures, and jump in and out of our
SUMMER 2009
four-wheel drive while we were on the hunt for a new
camp spot. Soon she will not have the opportunity to
teach them the same lessons and family traditions that
came naturally and innocently in her youth to her tots.
152
d G a t e
c c e ss Locke lesson
a
e R ib b on Coa
lit io
Our view now is tainted, to say the least. Padlocks, iron
pipe, closed signs, reinforced hinges, and small-print
letting us know under no uncertain circumstances that
the land beyond the gate is CLOSED to access – unless of
course you want to haul your buns in there via boot
rubber.
Now, as I stand here watching that same gal in uniform
jump back into her four-wheel drive (that I paid for) and
drive on down my old favorite trail, I get a lump in my
throat and I get a little teary eyed just thinking about the
view our kids are going to have from this same locked
gate that’s in my backyard. I don’t think I’m figuring
wrong anymore.
Back to the future: In reality, there are things we can all
do to prevent this scenario from happening. You’ve read
tons of articles about getting involved and joining
groups like BlueRibbon Coalition, and ensuring your
family and friends have a place to ride. Just do it. Visit
www.delalbright.com and www.sharetrails.org for more
things you can do right now. Make a difference and help
prevent closures from blocking our “view” any more. Join
up, donate and get in the game before we have nothing
left to figure on.
The BlueRibbon Coalition is a National recreation group
that champions responsible use of public lands and
waters, and encourages individual environmental
stewardship. BlueRibbon represents over 10,000
individual members and 1,200 organization and business
members for a combined total of over 600,000
recreationists nationwide. Call 1-800-258-3742 or visit
http://www.sharetrails.org for more information on
joining.
 industry insider
interview – stann grater
of the orvis company:

Sponsored by: R MPALICIOUS®

Chef D: How did you get to into your current

adventure job?
SG - I started fishing with my father when I was old enough to sit
still in a boat for more than thirty minutes. My fly fishing career
began on the Kootenai River, near the small town of Libby, in
Northwest Montana in the early 1970’s. Libby is near and dear to my
heart not only as my roots in fly fishing but it was my first full charge
Chef’s position. After 20 plus years in the Food Service industry as a
Chef, Caterer and Consultant, I spent ten years working for a
regional microbrewery. Getting paid to brew and drink great
Northwest Micro Beer is not a bad gig if you can get it! Great food
and good drink seems to go so well together.
For the last 12 or so years I have been working for the Orvis
Company as an International Fly Fishing Instructor. In this position I
get to work all over the world helping to unlock the mysteries of fly
casting for those just starting, as well as work with Professional
Guides in the U.S. and the Bahamas. When I’m at home, I work as a
Fly Fishing guide on the local and regional waters near my
hometown of Spokane, Washington.

Chef D: Was any formal training

required?
SG - I do have an Associates Degree in Culinary
Arts from Spokane Community College. As for the Fly
Fishing part, there in nothing better that spending
years teaching Orvis Fly Fishing Schools around the
SUMMER 2009

country and working with some of the best fly casters

in the world, like my good friend and mentor Truel
Myers.

Chef D: What is the best part of your

adventure job?
SG - Getting to meet, learn from, and fish with
some of the best people is the sport of fly fishing and
of course, getting to experience the great outdoors.
After all, these sporting fish don’t live in ugly places!
Chef D: Is your specific adventure
job considered a rare or fairly
common opportunity?
SG - Yes and No. The Guiding part of the job
is fairly common. There are a few thousand
professional fishing guides. The rarity of what I
do is the training and teaching part. It has
taken me over ten years to develop the specific
tools and techniques that I use to unlock the
mysteries of fly casting. The best practitioner’s
do not always make the best instructors. There
are a few things you do not want to teach your
significant other; how to drive a car, swing a
golf club, or cast a fly line. Leave those tasks to
us professionals.
Chef D: When on adventure
assignment do you prepare food
for yourself or go out to eat?
SG - When I am traveling on assignment, I
ask the locals for their suggestions as to the
best eateries. If it is a remote location then I
look for the restaurant that has the most
pick-up trucks, SUV’s with drift boats, or rafts in
the parking lot. Locals and frequent visitors of
the recreation area have already done the
scouting so I take advantage of it.
When I have a group on a guide fly fishing
trip I like to do the cooking. I do ask some key
questions of the clients: 1. What type of food
does your group like and dislike? 2. Anything
that they can not or will not eat? 3. Any dietary
restraints? 4. What are your favorite
beverages?
Chef D: When on assignment, what types of
foods do you prepare or seek out?
SG - Having spent nearly four decades enjoying great food and
drink, I try to seek out what the locals have to offer. For instance, I
have some friends that own and operate the Quillisascut Farm
School of the Domestic Arts in Rice, Washington. This world class
goat cheese is a staple in my adventure cuisine
Chef D: What is your adventure kitchen
comprised of?
SG - As I get older, backpacking is not part of my regiment so I
do travel a little heavier than in days past. If camping is part of
the trip, I have a 150,000 BTU three burner camp stove that takes
two men and a small boy to move and set up but if you want
great food, you have to have great equipment. I never travel
without a couple of 9” ceramic egg pans and a 12 or 14” non-stick
sauté pan. My ever-present travel knife case is comprised of 8”
French Knife, 2 paring knives, Serrated Bread Knife, 12” Meat
Carving Knife, Tongs, Meat Thermometer, Wine Opener, Chop
Sticks, and a couple assorted Spatulas. When I am feeding lunch
to fishing guests on a float trip in the drift boat, I do have small
propane BBQ, Cutting board, Hand Sanitizer, Metal Camp plates
that won’t blow off the table, cloth napkins, and lots of bar
towels. Of course I do take a good salt and pepper mill.
Chef D: What is the biggest challenge of
preparing food in the backcountry, and how do
you accommodate for it?
SG - The biggest challenge is to get the portions right. How
much do you take? And how am I going to prepare it? How much
can I prepare ahead of time and just heat and serve? I ask my
guests what do they expect and I send them a sample menu for
SUMMER 2009
them to review. If you are packing the food in you need to pack
out the leftovers and wastes as well. Planning is everything. I
write out a detailed menu for each day and each meal for the
entire trip. After that I determine the portions for each item to
the ounce, then total the ounces served to each guest for that
meal. Too much food is just as bad as not enough. I don’t like to
serve too large a lunch. In the past I have served too much and
my guests went into a digestive coma and didn’t want to have to
get out of the boat to help carry it around the rapids. It makes for
a lot more work for me.
 Chef D: What is your favorite adventure
comfort beverage?
SG - I like to serve great coffee to my guests in the morning. I
take the time and effort to pack a French press and coffee maker,
fresh ground Sumatra coffee, half and half, and turbinado sugar
for those that imbibe. The real key is to use your meat
thermometer to get the water to exactly 190 degrees (no hotter)
before you pour it into the coffee maker. I know it is a lot of fuss
when your own eyes are blurry from story telling the night
before, but it’s worth it!

Chef D: What is the biggest

challenge of preparing food out on
the hunt? Chef D: Can you recall the most memorable adventure
while on the job?
SG - Early in my guiding career I had two relatively new-to- fly fishing yet
beyond middle-aged gentlemen in my newly acquired wood drift boat. About an
hour into the four hour fishing day, I had anchored the boat at the top of a favorite
shallow run on the Spokane River. I was explaining to my guests just how I would
like them to proceed to fish this particular run with rising trout viable. I took the
SUMMER 2009

time to tie on what I thought to be the appropriate fly for the situation ahead of
us. The guest in the front of the boat made a great cast and just missed a hook up.
“My guy” in the back was not quite close enough to make a proper presentation. I
said, “Wait a minute before you cast so I can lift the anchor and move the boat
downstream to get you in a better position to cast.” I no more than uttered that
statement when I felt the boat rock gently from one side to the other. Mind you
that I could not see my guest in the back of the boat as he was behind me.
As I reached between my feet for the anchor rope I heard a SPLASH and YELP
from the left side of the drift boat. “WHAT THE…?” I yelled as the boat was listing
HARD to the port side nearly taking in the
Find it
On the Blog
current of the river. I looked over my left
shoulder to find ”My Guy” had decided to do a
Half Gainer with a Full Twist out the side of the
boat and was clinging on to the side of the Recipes
boat for dear life. His glasses were splayed
diagonally across his face and his eyes were as • Roasted Green Chile Pepper Sausage, Cheese
big as saucers. and Egg Burritos
He said, “I fell out of the boat!”
• Pinwheels of Hot Smoked Salmon Tortilla Wrap
“Well no kidding,” I said with calm with Las Cruces Green Chile Challenge Sour
amazement. Without taking a breath I asked, Cream and Spring Onions
“Are you hurt? Did you hit your head, break
your arm?” • Seared Pork Cutlets with Creamy, Porcini Laced
“No to all,” he said. Cabbage and Potato Stew
“Well hell, just stand up. You • Torpedo Farms Roasted Pepper Sausage Frittata
are only in two feet of water!”
“I can’t! My feet are too far • Alaskan Cod a la Moab
down stream and my waders
are full of water.” • Many more recipes from the 7 Bar Grille staff!
Now, you have to www.7bargrille.wordpress.com
understand that all of this

Find it in
took place in less than 60
seconds, and “My Guy” is
about 5’6” tall and wide, a

7BG Kitchen
man of dimension.
I calmly told his buddy - in the front of the
boat - to get to the other side of the boat so we
wouldn’t capsize. I jerked on the anchor rope
to move the boat and my new portside cargo
upstream about 20 feet to release the anchor
so I could row all of us safely to shore. Yes, we
did make it to shore without any further
incident. “My Guy” thought he was headed for
the Pearly Gates that day and I caught a
glimpse of them myself.
So the moral of the story is make sure you
and your boat guests wear Personal Flotation
SUMMER 2009

Devices, and keep enough duct tape in the

boat to secure PFDs to all of your fishing guests
no matter how much they resist. Life vests only
work if you wear them.
From an old fishing guide: Limit your catch,
don’t catch you limit. The 7 Bar Grille culinary Modification Tools!

A “Trail Proven” line of original spices and drink mixes.

Now for sale @ www.rompalicious.com

SUMMER 2009
7 bar grille
chef gear review
Real items for real
adventure and real
trail use!
epicurean
camp series
cutting board
The 12x9 All Terrain Cutting
Board-Strainer

By: Chef Mark DeNittis April 2009

Adventure usefulness and/or

Jeep usefulness:     
This earth friendly cutting board
made from dense recycled
cardboard fibers proved very useful
on my last trip to the mecca…for
the Moab Easter Jeep Safari. I
particularally liked the dual use
aspect of cutting board and strainer.
In the past I had carried an extra
colander that took up valuable
space. This product helped solve
that! Thank you Epicurean!!

SUMMER 2009

Durability of the item in the field:

The cutting board held up to multiple
applications of typical Chef abuse such as the
slicing, dicing, and chopping of a wide variety of
produce and proteins. One of the better features
in particular in this unit was the strainer aspect.
Make sure to properly wash and sanitize in
between cutting produce and meats and
strainer use. I would recommend cutting all
produce, especially ready to eat raw vegetables
that might not get cooked such as salads and
vegetable snacks prior to using anything else. A
quick wash in hot soapy water, rinse and wipe
down with moist bleach towelette proved to do
the job. It proved itself over again and again by
handling the production of enough food for
three dinners for at least 15 people. If that isn’t a
testament to a product I don’t know what is. I
will be sure to continue using it as part of my
camp kitchen for sure. It proved to meet every
claim that the company makes (see next page).
SUMMER 2009
Value of product in relation to
competitors’ product:     
The only competition I can remotely even think
of or find is those little plastic roll up ones…and
by far they don’t come close on several levels.
The value of this product is definitely well worth
every penny. I am going to additionally look into
purchasing some of the larger sized ones for
camping as well one or two potentially for the
house from several of their other series of
cutting boards.
Quality of product:     
At first I must candidly admit my initial thought
was “recycled cardboard fiber…how will this
hold up to knife banging even more so hot
pasta water from straining a pot”! After putting
the board the rigors of my trail testing my
doubts were proved wrong. That’s not to say I
wouldn’t recommend soaking the board in
water for any extended periods of time.
Ease of use:     
Place the board on a table, place the product
on the board and cut away, it really doesn’t get
any easier. The only slight imperfection and this
is by far only a picky little chef thing, was that it
wasn’t non-slip. I only say this as I like to have
either a small rubber mat or moist towel under
my cutting board where it contacts the table so
it doesn’t slide around when slicing at super
chef speeds. My simple fix was to do what I
normally do with any cutting board…place a
moist towel or small rubber mat under it. Great
product and overall easy to use for sure!
Specifications of product per the manufacturer:
Epicurean Cutting Surfaces® are commercial grade
cutting surfaces for the outdoor gourmet. Made from chef mark denittis
recycled cardboard fiber that will last for years of use,
Host & Director of The 7 Bar Grille,
these premium surfaces are exceedingly durable, easy
JPFreek’s Camp Cooking Video Series
to handle and store, and won’t dull expensive knives.
And unlike wood cutting boards, these nonporous Chef Mark M. DeNittis, President of Rocky
surfaces will not harbor bacteria and can be safely Mountain Trade Enterprise, oversees
cleaned in the dishwasher. multiple businesses and has been a
longstanding Chef Instructor at Johnson &
THIN & LIGHTWEIGHT
Wales University, Denver. His accolades
All Epicurean® Camp Series are light and slim enough and recognitions in both the Culinary and
to handle comfortably, clean, and store efficiently. Off-highway world have created the
HEAT RESISTANT framework to bring Jeep vehicles and
Epicurean® cutting surfaces are heat resistant up to cuisine to new heights. Chef D joins forces
350˚F/176˚C. You can use them as a trivet and not with the JPFreek family to further the
leave a blemish. grand vision of the Jeep lifestyle and
“wicked killah” food.
RECYCLED CARDBOARD
Epicurean® cutting surfaces are made using recycled
cardboard fiber. Special thanks to Epicurean for
participating in this issue’s “The Heat”
MADE IN USA
kitchen review.
Epicurean® cutting surfaces are exclusively designed
and manufactured in the United States of America.
DISHWASHER SAFE
Unlike wood and bamboo cutting boards, Epicurean®
food preparation surfaces are dishwasher safe.
SUMMER 2009

Coming Soon:
• Recipes using the Epicurean 12x9 All Terrain Camp
Cutting board as tested at the 2009 Moab Easter
Jeep Safari.
• A contest to win your own brand new 12x9 All
Terrain Camp Cutting Board-Strainer.
 Base Camp with Style
Snow Peak has been the innovator of getting your whole family
Roughing it just got a lot more comfortable. outdoors for 50 years. Set up a base camp for all your needs.

For more information please visit: www.snowpeak.com