My Story

[WillRunner]

Hi all,

I have seen so many of the Overland Bound videos on You Tube, I absolutely love the great community that you all have and would like to be apart of it..


This is my current Trail Rig:

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If you’re interested you can find the build thread at: [URL]http://www.toyota120.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26270[/URL]

 

[WillRunner]

A little background, I was born and raised in Southern California, we moved to Riverside County where as a teenager I was introduced to desert racing and prerunners and that’s where the love for off road began!

Shortly after I got out of the military and moved to San Jose, CA to start my carreer, I bought a brand new Tacoma Prerunner and became a frequent visitor to Hollister Hills SVRA

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A couple years later I realized (the hard way) at Oceano Dunes that a 4x2 was no longer a fit for the new lifestyle of adventure that was developing in me.

[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/bchillwill/media/100_0901_zpszcygosoo.jpg.html][/URL
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A few months later I bought a brand new 2005 4x4 4Runner and that’s when a whole new world of adventure started. Travel adventures, modification adventures, and meeting lifelong friends in the process.

I’ve traveled all over from trail in the San Bernardino Mountains…

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Hungry Valley…

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Of course Oceano Dunes…

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Many Trips to the Sierras for some of the best snow wheeling…

[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/bchillwill/media/My%2005%204Runner/100_3311_zpszfyddxdq.jpg.html][/URL
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Along with many other trips to places like Death Valley, Moon Rocks trail (just past Sparks, NV), Inyo National Forrest , Bodie Ghost Town, Mojave Dessert, Lake Tahoe etc…[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]

 

[WillRunner]

I later Relocated to Houston and got even deeper in Overlanding, the closet spot for actual off road driving (other than mudding or small off road parks), is Big Bend (Almost 600 miles away) so you pretty much have to overland just to get to go wheeling. My last overland trip in the 4Runner was a snow trip to Red River, NM

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[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/bchillwill/media/100_1971_zpsl4vu173u.jpg.html][/URL
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[WillRunner]

Several months after that trip I started having issues with the 4Runner, the engine eventually overheated due to a pin hole leak in the head gasket. I replaced the HG but unfortunately the engine had a very rough idle, maybe the head was warped??? Anyway so after a wonderful 9 years full of some of my best memories, I upgraded to my current 2012 Tacoma, when coincidentally is he same color as my 2002…

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[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/bchillwill/media/Tacoma/20130727_133452_zps72a774f3.jpg.html][/URL
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Some things never change… lol

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As mentioned above there’s a link to the progression of my Tacoma, but this is one of my favorite pics, I love working on these machines…

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[WillRunner]

Trips in the Tacoma:

Overland Trip from Houston, TX to Oceano Dunes CA (2013):

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[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/bchillwill/media/Tacoma/IMG_0974_zpsk2w5yksd.jpg.html][/URL
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From Houston to the Grand Canyon and Overland Expo West (2014):

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[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/bchillwill/media/2014%20Grand%20Canyon_Overland%20Expo/IMG_1143_1_zps3c072bfa.jpg.html][/URL
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[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/bchillwill/media/2014%20Grand%20Canyon_Overland%20Expo/IMG_1339_1_zps66b06c9a.jpg.html][/URL
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[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/bchillwill/media/2014%20Grand%20Canyon_Overland%20Expo/IMG_1651_zpsa8db6f9a.jpg.html][/URL
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Next Trip was the Lone Star Jamboree in Gilmer, TX (2015)

[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/bchillwill/media/Tacoma/11206572_582031061899660_766877868837675696_o_zpsev8l1g6a.jpg.html][/URL
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[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/bchillwill/media/Tacoma/11212588_582031045232995_2636071212029726765_o_zpsgxkjawoo.jpg.html][/URL
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My most recent Overland Trip was October of last year to Hot Springs, AR where I got to do some pretty good exploration (wheeling/hiking) around Little Missouri Falls, and I got to check out the historic town of Hot Springs.

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Since then, the already heighten stress level at work became even worse leaving me with little to no time for trips, then in April of this year I was presented with several hours to make a life altering decision of relocating to the Greater Atlanta area for work. I chose to relocate so here I am… I enjoy my job again, and now have more time to continue the build of my truck and start exploring the East Coast so I’m pretty excited! I’ve already started checking the forums researching overland trails in the Appalachians. I hope to start meeting new friends with a passion for off road adventures in this area to explore with.[/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL][/URL]

 

[WillRunner]

There really wasn’t an appropriate spot in my story to add it in but I can leave out my FJ40 because it’s an FJ40!!!

I bought this as my more hardcore wheeler back in 2007 taking it to places like Slick Rock and Death Valley…

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Sadly, I only had this beast for just several months then I had to sale it because I was trying to save up to buy a house and with all the repairs/mods I was trying to do on the project vehicle, there was much more money going out of my bank account than what was going in. After I sold it, I started focusing on building up my 4Runner.


Happy Trails,
Will

 

[boehml]

Love it, thanks for sharing!

 

[WillRunner]

Love it, thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words.

 

[Barton Fink]

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[WillRunner]

Yeah, man. Good stuff.

Welcome from your neighbor to the north. I'm up 985 about 30 minutes past Gainesville. There are a few active members from Georgia. I'm relatively new here myself, so I haven't had a chance to catch up with any of them yet.

Thanks Jeff! I think it would be great if we GA (and surrounding state) members could get together sometime meet out on the trails for a day or weekend trip.

 

[timberwolf_120]

Welcome from a fellow southern californian. Grew up right around the corner from death valley.
Also thanks for your service from on military member to another!

 

[WillRunner]

Welcome from a fellow southern californian. Grew up right around the corner from death valley.
Also thanks for your service from on military member to another!

Thank you so much buddy, and thanks for your service also! Man, that must be pretty awesome living so close to DV, pretty hot though huh?

 

[Egan]

@WillRunner, great photos and story.

 

[timberwolf_120]

Thank you so much buddy, and thanks for your service also! Man, that must be pretty awesome living so close to DV, pretty hot though huh?

Not to bad. Ya get used to it honestly.
Yea we do this awesome event every year called pvd (panamint valley days) out in death valley its in early november and the temps are just absolutely perfect.

 

[Egan]

Not to bad. Ya get used to it honestly.
Yea we do this awesome event every year called pvd (panamint valley days) out in death valley its in early november and the temps are just absolutely perfect.

You still make the drive out from Georgia to do that? That's awesome.

 

[timberwolf_120]

You still make the drive out from Georgia to do that? That's awesome.

Washington ;)
Havent made it sensce ive been in the military, christmas usually takes priority for leave lol but i get out this june!

 

[KYEcodiesel]

@WillRunner, great photos and story.

Thanks so much!!

 

[KYEcodiesel]

Not to bad. Ya get used to it honestly.
Yea we do this awesome event every year called pvd (panamint valley days) out in death valley its in early november and the temps are just absolutely perfect.

Yes, November is the perfect time to go! When I lived in California, we would take the week of Thanksgiving off and spend Monday-Wednesday there. I absolutely loved how in would be so cold in the higher elevations and then we would camp down at Stovepipe Wells and it would be in the 70's!

 

[KYEcodiesel]