My main mission for the weekend was to spread as much good overland tribe mojo as possible. After that it was to get great photographs to share in an article for Expedition Portal (HERE), and do as much live coverage as possible through social media (Instagram, Twitter & FB).
The east coast Fall weather showed all her colors during the weekend with everything from hard rain, gusty strong wind and frosty mornings to beautiful sunny afternoons with white puffy clouds in the sky. The Friday rains made for a lot of interesting mud driving, including just moving the EEXP from the exhibitor area to a class location in another field. Lockers would have been nice!
Sarah and I both taught a few classes and moderated a few round table discussions during the weekend. Most of mine were focused on full size trucks and truck campers, while most of Sarah’s were about life on the road as a woman. We both had fun on the AK/Canada roundtable sharing a few lessons learned and highlights from our summer travels up north.
It is always truly inspiring to meet up with other like-minded adventurers at these events. The overland tribe is a special group that we feel privileged to be a part of. We met tons of new friends that we are sure to cross paths with again soon, and also crossed paths with so many good friends that we’ve now gotten to know over the past few years; Roseanne & Jonathan from Overland Expo, the Expedition Overland Crew, Ben from Outback Proven, Paul from Equipt, Mario from AT Overland, Jeff from Overland The World, Brendon & Shannon of Ruined Adventures, Chris at UJoint Offroad, Alan from Sportsmobile West, Clint from Motus, the Mainline Overland crew, Frank of OutdoorX4, Justin of Lucky 8 Offroad and soooo many others.
The best part of the event for both of us was meeting so many followers of our adventures. It was great to connect with all these people we have grown to know a bit through social media, and hear about what from our adventures resonates with them. It seems we have inspired more than a few people to get out and adventure, and that alone makes all the hard work worthwhile.
Overall everyone seemed extremely happy with the inaugural Overland Expo East and I’m sure that the event will only grow from this initial solid foundation. I for one am looking forward to attending more gatherings of the overland tribe, wherever they may be.
Be sure to check out my full event write up, with the best pics & rigs, over at Expedition Portal.
