Gary Lewis Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 Janey and I've been talking about what our next trip is, and I think we have just decided - the Ouachita Mountains in southern Arkansas/eastern Oklahoma, probably in January. Let me set the stage. I have a Facebook friend, Susan Dragoo, that overlands with her husband Bill and writes about the adventures they have - and they get published in some big-name magazines. Her most recent article is entitled The Ouachita Mountains and is in the Winter edition of Overland Journal. She mentioned it on Facebook so I ordered the magazine and it came in today. I've read it and I'm ready to go! She says this about the route: This route traverses the Fourche and Kiamichi ranges of the Ouachita Mountains east to west for 225 miles, beginning near Perryville, Arkansas, and ending near Talihina, Oklahoma. Top up gas tanks at Perryville, as there is no fuel until Mena, about 165 mostly off-pavement miles to the west. Although the roads are easy-to-moderate dirt and gravel for most of the distance, some ascents become steep, rocky, rutted, and narrow. On the western end the K-Trail, in particular, offers a challenge. I've downloaded the route and uploaded it into Gaia, the mapping app I use, and have broken it up into three days: Day 1: We'll leave home and drive on the highway for ~4 hours, and then air down and start the trail near Perryvale. And 41 miles later we'll be at AR 7 north of Hot Springs Village, so we'll air back up and head into town for the night - in a hotel or B&B. And, we'll have dinner and gas up. (Overlanding in style. ) Day 2: Picking up where we left off on AR 7, we'll air down and head west. And 111 miles later we'll be in Mena, AR for the night. Day 3: From Mena we'll pick up Skyline Drive for a ways, which we've done before, and then air down and head south. And that will take us to the Kiamichi Trail, and ultimately the end of the trip Susan mapped out, which is 41 miles long. However, the K-Trail goes on to Clayton, OK, but there appears to be some "discussion" about what part of that is legal for vehicles to take, so I'll have to figure that out. Anyway, from there we'll probable air up and head home, which is another 3-hour drive on major highways. These plans are quite preliminary, but we've already said we want to do it, so it is just down to figuring out the details and the times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lima Delta Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 Sounds fun! I just bought a 1992 Jeep XJ and thoughts of turning it into a modest overlanding rig have been going through my mind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBrother-84 Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 Will need some picts of Big Blue (and her passsengers, maybe ) in these wild spaces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 5, 2021 Author Share Posted November 5, 2021 Sounds fun! I just bought a 1992 Jeep XJ and thoughts of turning it into a modest overlanding rig have been going through my mind... Overlanding appears to be a nebulous term. Many of the "overlanding" magazines I pick up have adverts for all sorts of stuff for Jeeps. But when I read the articles in those mags most of the vehicles people are using are larger, like pickups, vans, or Toyota 4Runners. And then I realize why - the people writing the articles are frequently going for longer trips where they need to carry more then a Jeep is rated to carry. So I think there are many different definitions of the term "overlanding". I had originally set out to build Big Blue into something that can do the type of adventure where you take everything with you and go into the back of beyond for several days. Food, water, gas, electricity, shelter, and even a toilet - I have a chemical toilet I planned to take along. And while he's basically "there", although I've not purchased the tent, what I'm using him for is more along the lines of going off the beaten path but spending the nights in a hotel. He's overkill for that, but I'm hoping that proving Big Blue's capabilities will entice someone to say "Let's go overlanding" and we'll take off for an extended trip. I say all of that to say that a Jeep can certainly be a "modest overlander" - depending on your definition. It can't carry what an '85 regular cab F250 can carry, but it can go places the truck can't - or can't without modification. So you have to think through what "overlanding" means to you. If it means throwing some clothes into the vehicle and going off the beaten path for a few hours, then the Jeep can do it - but so can the F250. However, if it means spending a week out in the boondocks before coming back to civilization, then the Jeep might come up short. Bottom Line: Start with the end in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 5, 2021 Author Share Posted November 5, 2021 Will need some picts of Big Blue (and her passsengers, maybe ) in these wild spaces! Will do! But, being as you are new you may have missed the last big trip for Big Blue - Gary's Trip To Ouray. I'm guessing that the Ouachitas won't be quite as "wild" as the Rockies, but they will certainly be off the beaten track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lima Delta Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 Overlanding appears to be a nebulous term. Many of the "overlanding" magazines I pick up have adverts for all sorts of stuff for Jeeps. But when I read the articles in those mags most of the vehicles people are using are larger, like pickups, vans, or Toyota 4Runners. And then I realize why - the people writing the articles are frequently going for longer trips where they need to carry more then a Jeep is rated to carry. So I think there are many different definitions of the term "overlanding". I had originally set out to build Big Blue into something that can do the type of adventure where you take everything with you and go into the back of beyond for several days. Food, water, gas, electricity, shelter, and even a toilet - I have a chemical toilet I planned to take along. And while he's basically "there", although I've not purchased the tent, what I'm using him for is more along the lines of going off the beaten path but spending the nights in a hotel. He's overkill for that, but I'm hoping that proving Big Blue's capabilities will entice someone to say "Let's go overlanding" and we'll take off for an extended trip. I say all of that to say that a Jeep can certainly be a "modest overlander" - depending on your definition. It can't carry what an '85 regular cab F250 can carry, but it can go places the truck can't - or can't without modification. So you have to think through what "overlanding" means to you. If it means throwing some clothes into the vehicle and going off the beaten path for a few hours, then the Jeep can do it - but so can the F250. However, if it means spending a week out in the boondocks before coming back to civilization, then the Jeep might come up short. Bottom Line: Start with the end in mind. Yes, the definition of overlanding seems to have a lot of different shades of meaning to it... I have an old friend who I always think of as being at the more extreme end of the overlanding sport. Many years ago he started with a Westfalia van, then upgraded when he bought himself a surplus 5 ton, four wheel drive dump truck which had been used (lightly) as a city plow truck on the west coast (where it hardly snows). He removed the dump box and built a camper-style cabin out of reinforced composite panels. The roof was electrically actuated so that it could be raised for head-room, or lowered for travel. Off road tires, solar power, multiple batteries, compressed air system, etc. (see pic below). Pre-covid he and his wife would spend half the year driving between southern BC and various off-the-map destinations in Mexico. It's a real lifestyle for them. Myself, on the other hand, I would consider upgrading the suspension and axles on the XJ so that I could load it up, maybe tow a small trailer, and just go back-roads camping with my wife and the dogs for a week at a time. I like to go minimalist lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 5, 2021 Author Share Posted November 5, 2021 Yes, the definition of overlanding seems to have a lot of different shades of meaning to it... I have an old friend who I always think of as being at the more extreme end of the overlanding sport. Many years ago he started with a Westfalia van, then upgraded when he bought himself a surplus 5 ton, four wheel drive dump truck which had been used (lightly) as a city plow truck on the west coast (where it hardly snows). He removed the dump box and built a camper-style cabin out of reinforced composite panels. The roof was electrically actuated so that it could be raised for head-room, or lowered for travel. Off road tires, solar power, multiple batteries, compressed air system, etc. (see pic below). Pre-covid he and his wife would spend half the year driving between southern BC and various off-the-map destinations in Mexico. It's a real lifestyle for them. Myself, on the other hand, I would consider upgrading the suspension and axles on the XJ so that I could load it up, maybe tow a small trailer, and just go back-roads camping with my wife and the dogs for a week at a time. I like to go minimalist lol Wow! That is quite the OVERLANDING vehicle! Your friend is obviously talented, and I'd agree he is on the more extreme end of the "sport". But your idea of overlanding comes closer to mine. The XJ will take you about any place you'd want to go with little modification, and by pulling a small trailer you can set up camp and explore from there. The marketplace for small trailers has exploded, and there are lots of them that look to have plenty of capability for a couple of people and yet don't weigh much. That way you don't have to put a lot of money into the Jeep and it isn't so highly modified that you can't use it for other activities. Plus, the trailer can be sold and you can upgrade, or even get out of the sport altogether, if you choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBrother-84 Posted November 6, 2021 Share Posted November 6, 2021 Will need some picts of Big Blue (and her passsengers, maybe ) in these wild spaces! Will do! But, being as you are new you may have missed the last big trip for Big Blue - Gary's Trip To Ouray. I'm guessing that the Ouachitas won't be quite as "wild" as the Rockies, but they will certainly be off the beaten track. Thanks Gary for the link! This trip to Ouray was really awsome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted November 6, 2021 Author Share Posted November 6, 2021 Thanks Gary for the link! This trip to Ouray was really awsome! We REALLY had fun. And Big Blue did everything we tackled, with aplomb. It made the many, many months of working on it worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted November 7, 2021 Share Posted November 7, 2021 We REALLY had fun. And Big Blue did everything we tackled, with aplomb. It made the many, many months of working on it worth it. To me, "overlanding" requires being longer than about 2 weeks away from civilization. Anything shorter than that is camping. But I'm not the one who makes the definitions. People now talk about going overlanding for the weekend. But the bottom line is do what you enjoy and don't get too bent out of shape over what it's called. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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