Hello OB,
I have finally joined the Overland Bound community, after years of following Michael on YouTube and thinking to myself "This looks awesome, I want to get into that!". I have always loved camping and enjoying outdoors, especially those places that are more off the beaten path and Overlanding seemed to be the perfect way to further that interest. So, a little while back I was looking for a new daily driver and decided to get something that would help me out with this, and I purchased a used 2004 4Runner. Currently the 4Runner is all stock, except for the stereo which I upgraded to something that was wireless Android Auto and CarPlay compatible (It would be awesome if they get Gaia GPS working on both of thes!). I am currently in Alamogordo, NM, which is about 90 minutes north of El Paso, TX. The area here is awesome, we have a good variety of terrains and habitats close by. The immediate area is all desert, with the usual desert stuff, and a large rock-crawling community. But only about 30 minutes outside of town is Lincoln National Forest in the nearby Sacramento Mountains. The scenery there is amazing, with small streams and plenty of forest roads/trails to explore. To get an idea of what it looks like, just look for pictures of Ruidosio or Cloudcroft, NM on Google. While I don't have any pictures of the 4Runner just yet, I will get some and post them up here soon. I am not an experienced Overlander just yet, my wife and I get out fairly often (especially now that we have the 4Runner) and explore what New Mexico has to offer!
I am thinking of starting my own YouTube channel, documenting the build of the 4Runner and showcasing the ability to jump into Overlanding with a stock vehicle, and progressing to a more off-road/rugged terrain capable build. I have made videos in the past and know the time investment that goes into editing and producing the content.
Let me know if any of you are near my area and want to plan a trip or meetup for the local area!
P.S. - I really like the idea of Trail Guardian cleanup events. Few things annoy (to put it lightly) me more than people leaving their trash out in the wilderness, or along side a road. Is it REALLY that hard to cleanup after yourself? Try leaving things in better condition that when you arrived!
