Tag Archives: road of life

outside the comfort zone

Off-Road Experts in the News

Headline:
Experts Contribute to the Roadside Conversation

Summary:
Industry experts are contributing to Last Great Road Trip website in order to help others create their own off-road adventure and celebrate the cultural diversity of the open road.

Body:
The Last Great Road Trip finds new ways to thank readers and bring content that can help their readers be more successful on their next overland adventure road trip. As a result the adventure road trip website is pleased to introduce a new set of articles written by industry experts.

By teaming up with subject matter experts Last Great Road Trip hopes to publish information on everything from earning gas money for your trip to better understanding the suspension components for your rig as well as discovering overland adventures that are as close as next door.

When asked why the off-road adventure website is expanding, Paul Thompson, team driver and project manager, said “Our goal is to post articles that will help everyone plan their own great adventure, so we hope to hear from our reads with their thoughts about guest writers and topics they would like to read about. If there are budding writers with a field of expertise out there don’t be shy. Let us know how you would like to contribute and help celebrate diversity in the world one blog at a time.”

You will find these posts on www.LastGreatRoadTrip.com with credit to author and a link back in order for readers to follow up and find out more information. The first guest writer will discuss some of the points to consider when shipping your rig around the globe in order to start or end your off-road adventure in a far off location.

Making this all possible, the Last Great Road Trip is supported by friends, family and sponsors along the way including:
Metal Tech – Protection… Evolved
Metagyre, Inc – Project Management Experts
Taylor Made Graphics
Hula Betty Productions
Working Web Solutions Portland Web Design & Portland SEO Search Engine Optimization

About Last Great Road Trip:
A series of off-road adventures taken by a small team shared with others over the Internet. The website, a social experiment in web 2.0 and a celebration of diversity, describes the off-road adventures, friendships, rants and raves on the road of life. Explore hidden trails, back roads and diverse cultures that enrich this shared off-road experience while adding your own comments to the adventure.

Read the press release on PRLog

pen and paper cartoon

Experts Contribute to the Roadside Conversation

At Last Great Road Trip we are always looking for ways to thank our readers and bring content that can help our readers be more successful on their next off-road adventure road trip. As a result we are pleased to introduce a new category of articles written by industry experts.

By teaming up with subject matter experts we hope to publish information on everything from earning gas money for your trip by carrying packages along the way to better understanding suspension components for your rig and style of wheeling adventure.

You will find these posts with credit to author and a link back in order for you to follow up with them for more information. Our first guest will discuss some of the points to consider when shipping your rig around the globe in order to start or end your off road adventure in a remote location.

Our goal is to post articles that will help everyone plan their own great adventure, so please let us hear from you with thoughts about guest writers and topics you would like to read about. If you are a budding writer with a field of expertise don’t be shy. Let us know how you would like to contribute and help celebrate diversity in the world.

last off-road adventure Map

The Last Word on The Word LAST

If I hear one more time… so that was not the LAST great road trip I’ll…

last [last, lahst]
adjective a superl. of late with later as compar.

  1. occurring or coming after all others, as in time, order, or place: the last line on a page.
  2. most recent; next before the present; latest: last week; last Friday.
  3. being the only one remaining: my last dollar; the last outpost; a last chance. final: in his last hours.
  4. ultimate or conclusive; definitive: the last word in the argument. That which is ultimate (literally, most remote) is the last that can be reached, as in progression or regression, experience, or a course of investigation: ultimate truths.

The idea of going on great off-road adventures came to me while sitting in the ferry line one dark and stormy northwest night as Jimmy buffet played in my head

Just a semi-normal person
Thought he had the future planned…
…Now he’s somewhere over China
Lookin’ down on all the trails
On the mountains lookin’ back at him
It’s a real live fairy tale
Put a little distance
Between causes and effects
Like a day old fortune cookie
Askin’ who or what comes next

For the next several weeks I could not shake the idea of driving on the ultimate (definition #4) off road adventure. Of course if you are going to measure an off-road adventure’s worthiness you need to have a yard stick to compare it against. A few historical adventurers immediately came to mind including:

  • Marco Polo’s spice run set the standard for great road trips
  • Sacagawea lead Lewis & Clark on a pretty good trip
  • The Oregon trail was another good off-road oriented adventure
  • Apollo 11 lead by Commander Neil Alden Armstrong was far out

That mental exercise set the bar pretty high and what came out was to drive to the ends of the earth. Deadhorse Alaska on the North End and the “Land of Fire”, Tierra del Fuego on the other.

Not having unlimited resources, super powers or any pull with small militant guerrilla groups the off-road adventure had to be planned in manageable chucks. The first chunk let us concur the northern portion driving up to the Arctic Ocean. In 2011 we completed our Baja off-road adventure following the most famous desert race course in the world the Baja 1000. In between a few off-road adventure trips though the Rubicon Trail and we even found time to explore the Utah backcountry discovery route.

I know we are not the first to make these treks. But we are making this our own by going out of our way to explore and celebrate the diverse cultures along the way. Each leg of our journey offers us a chance to make new friends, involve more readers, and learn how the differences between people can pull us together as we share tales of our lives. Of course we’ll write stories and post pictures the entire way, sharing the last great road trip with everyone and encouraging each to start their own adventure.

“What the hell did Marco Polo think
When he ran into the wall
Or the crazy Flying Tigers
Doin’ spins and loops and stalls
Just a taste for somethin’ different
Perking up a borin’ day
Now our man from Poulsbo
Feels exactly the same way…
…We’re all somewhere over China
Headin’ east or headin’ west
Takin’ time to live a little
Flyin’ so far from the nest
Just to put a little distance
Between causes and effects
Like an ancient fortune teller<
Knowin’ who and what comes next “

arctic circle sign fj cruiser

For Immediate Release March 2, 2008

fj cruiser alaska pipelineHeadline:
Traditional media adds new life and richness to Web 2.0 technologies

Summary:
Last Great Road Trip crosses over from its social networking technologies into traditional media. A condensed version of entries originally posted on-line throughout their off-road adventure are now in the pages of traditional media.

Body:
Last Great Road Trip has crossed over from its social networking technologies into traditional media. The stories posted by a father/son team of off-road adventurers that found an audience on the Internet is now in print media. 4WD Toyota Owner has published a story of the team’s adventure to the Arctic Ocean. The story and images appear in the magazine’s March / April issue.

4wd toyota owner MarchApril 08 coverThroughout the off-road adventure, the team faithfully posted entries daily. When the expedition was over, many who followed on-line expressed their desire to experience it all over again in print.

Paul Thompson the teams driver and project manager said “The social media tools available today made it unbelievably easy to share tales, video and images with the world as they occurred. But it took traditional media with its high resolution capabilities to show off the grandeur of the adventure. It is definitely a different experience in print.”

The Internet will continue to change how people share and experience life. Traditional media will continue to bring stories and images to people in ways not yet available on the Internet. And as demonstrated, the quality of the experience is about the quality of the content. Ultimately, it will be the marriage of both mediums that allows stories to be told to the world in a way that will allow audiences to experience the off-road adventure how they want in as many forms as they want.

About Last Great Road Trip
: A series of off-road adventures taken by a team shared with others over the Internet. The website, a social experiment and a celebration of diversity, describes the adventures, friendships, rants and raves on the road of life. Explore hidden trails, back roads and the diverse cultures that enrich this shared experience while adding your own comments to the adventure.

Making this all possible, the Last Great Road Trip is supported by friends, family and sponsors along the way including:
Metal Tech – Protection… Evolved www.metaltech4x4.com
Metagyre, Inc – Project Management Experts www.metagyre.com
Taylor Made Graphics www.taylormadetshirts.com
Working Web Solutions Portland Web Design & Portland SEO Search Engine Optimization www.workingwebsolutions.com
Tags:
overland expedition, off-road adventure, road trip adventure, road trip blog, father son adventure, overland adventure blog

fj cruiser muddy road

1,200 words or less

4wd toyota owner MarchApril 08 coverIf you are new here, you can read more on our Arctic Circle Adventure to the Arctic Ocean. When you’re done come on back and follow us to Ouray CO. for the FJ Summit and the Baja. Who knows what else we may do next.

For everyone who followed the Arctic Circle adventure and still wants more. Here is your opportunity. As you know throughout the expedition we kept the website going, (not wind nor rain, nor sunshine, epic views or great company could keep us from our appointed rounds) with descriptions of our adventures, tales of people we met and pictures of what we saw.

Those who read everyone of the 19 days’ entries, and you know who you are, we salute you! The rest of you who have been waiting for the cliff note version of the adventure, here is your opportunity.

4WD Toyota Owner magazine is publishing in their March/April issue our story along with some of the pictures that we brought back. It is great that we have one more opportunity to share our adventure.

map new paper

For Immediate Release February 23, 2008

Headline:
A New Look For A New Destinations

Summary:
Last Great Road Trip shows off a new look for its website and names its next off-road adventure destination. Paul Thompson, the team’s driver, announced that the next official off road adventure destination is the Baja 1000 course to Cabo San Lucas Mexico.

Body:
Last Great Road Trip  announces its next off-road adventure destination. Rested from their Arctic Circle adventure, Paul Thompson, the team’s driver, announced that in February,  the team will leave Poulsbo Washington, driving down to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico and finish in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

In their 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser they will follow the Baja 1000 course to Cabo San Lucas Mexico. Using the GPS coordinates of the official SCORE Baja 1000 race the team will follow a tradition that dates back to 1967. This route, from the oldest and most well known of all desert races remains the single most appealing accomplishment to many drivers.

As before, the expedition is part road trip, part overland adventure and all on-line. Throughout the off-road adventure the team will explore hidden trails, back roads and the diverse cultures that enrich this shared experience.

Coinciding with the official destination announcement the team’s off-road adventure website has been reworked to provide an improved on-line experience for the thousands of reads who visit each month. Over the next month look for additional improvements including a way to donate money directly to charities that support diverse cultural experiences.

Making this all possible, the Last Great Road Trip is supported by friends, family and sponsors along the way including:
Metal Tech – Protection… Evolved
Metagyre, Inc – Project Management Experts
Taylor Made Graphics
Working Web Solutions Portland Web Design & Portland SEO Search Engine Optimization

About Last Great Road Trip: A series of overland off-road adventures shared with others over the Internet. The website, a social experiment in web 2.0 and a celebration of diversity, describes the off-road adventures, friendships, rants and raves on the road of life. Explore hidden trails, back roads and diverse cultures that enrich this shared experience while adding your own comments to the adventure.

compass map

Extreme Sports Meets the Sunday Drive

Everyone knows America has a love affair with the automobile. And with the advent of capable 4×4 trucks and SUVs the Sunday drive has evolved into an overland adventure. Overland adventures are part road trip and part expedition involving multi-day, off-road, destination-bound, vehicle-dependent travel. The destinations range from the African Savanna or the southern tip of South America, north to the Arctic Circle. One father son team of adventurers, known as the Last Great Road Trip, recently completed a trip to several northern destinations including the Arctic Ocean, and are now turning their rig south to the Baja peninsula of Mexico.

When asked about the appeal of off-road adventures Paul Thompson, the lead driver of the Last Great Road Trip, said, “These off-road adventures challenge you on all sorts of levels, including project management, driving skills, navigation, and problem solving. In addition you have an opportunity to experience diverse driving terrains, wild life and cultures that make our lives much richer. If you grew up reading National Geographic or enjoy the Discovery Channel, you are going to love off road adventures.”

While destinations and the amount of money spent on equipment, guides and services vary, one thing is certain, more and more web sites and blogs are appearing on the Internet telling the tail of these new Lewis and Clark adventurers. Each one telling a different story about how they found their way off the beaten path.

For more information about one off-road adventure team see LastGreatRoadTrip.com where you will find stories, pictures and videos as well as rants and raves about their off-road adventure to the Arctic Ocean and as far south as Baja, finishing in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Last Great Road Trip is supported by friends and sponsors who make their off road adventures possible including:

  • Metal Tech – Protection… Evolved
  • Metagyre, Inc – Project Management Experts
  • Taylor Made Graphics
  • Working Web Solutions Portland Web Design & Portland SEO Search Engine Optimization
last great road trip news paper

In the news… again

Ok… your assignment is to read “Extreme sports meets the Sunday drive“. And this “New Look For A New Destination“. And this “Traditional Media Adds New Life And Richness To Web 2.0 Story”
Let me know when you are done… Now summarize it all in one word or less.

More and more the news is getting out that Last Great Road Trip is doing something that is up there on the cool factor. This time it is helping to spread the word on what exactly is this phenomenon we call an “Off Road Adventure”.

We also thought we would throw in a little bit about our sponsors and that we are heading to the Baja next.

hope is vital

The Sound of One Hand Clapping!

I have mentioned that my grandmother was born in Chihuahua Mexico and when we started our celebration of diversity on the road we had culture and race in mind. With humor and the backing of Pepsico/EnAble, the folks at National Association of the Deaf (NAD) pulled off this commercial during the 2008 Super Bowl reminding us that diversity has many voices. The commercial cost around 6 million dollars. Any company willing pay millions to promote a celibration of diversity deserves a little credit. The 60-second spot was developed by Pepsi employees who are deaf and features dialogue in American Sign Language as well as subtitles for the signing impaired.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffrq6cUoE5A

This spot is based on a popular joke in the deaf community, demonstrating once again how important it is for us to laugh at ourselves and remember we are all in this together.

There is a whole series of “Bob’s House” videos out there… enjoy them all and share with others.

arctic circle adventure poster

New Sponsorship Opportunies for the next…

Last year, the Last Great Road Trip put our sponsors in front thousands of eyeballs for several months. Our sponsors appeared on the official Toyota blog, the last great road trip blog, press releases, print media and youtube video. In short we took every opportunity we could to thank our sponsor publicly for the support they gave us.

Now the team of adventurers are pointing their compass and 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser south, planning to follow the 2007 Baja 1000 course to Cabo San Lucas Mexico. Using the GPS coordinates of the official SCORE Baja 1000 the team will follow a tradition that dates back to 1967. This route, from the oldest and most well known of all desert races remains the single most appealing accomplishment to many drivers.

In February, 2009 our adventurers will leave Seattle, driving down to Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico and finish in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico. As before, the adventure is part road trip and part overland expedition. Throughout the adventure the team will explore hidden trails, back roads and diverse cultures that enrich this shared experience.

The sponsors of this southern adventure will receive even more visibility at the 2008 FJ Summit Series in Ouray, CO. The last great road trip will attend and support its sponsors at this 4 day event designed to bring hundreds of FJ Cruiser owners together for camaraderie and trail riding.

On the Internet, last years activities have elevated our on-line blog to the number one spot on Google for a number of key words searches including “road trip adventure blog”. Google analytics show that last month alone 1,224 visitors from around the world viewed our sponsors’ logo and read our story.

Now is your opportunity to take advantage of this growing exposure and become part of the team that is trying to create something worth while as we explore the diversity of the people and land that makes this adventure great.