VagabondExpedition adventures...

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stoney126

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man i love these pics. Like the inside of the jeep too. I need more gadgets and switches
 

stoney126

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I'm gonna say power inverter.

What's the opinion on that bar so far? Thinking it may be on my wish list
 
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vagabondexpedition

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What is hooked up on the far right side over there? Red light. Would love a run down of all your interior mods/ gadgets, its like a mobile command center lol
I'll have to do a bit of a write up on this (my entire dash setup) - but really, it's just a power port - I get two 12V outlets - one is occupied by a plug in voltage monitor. It also has 4 2amp output USB ports for all my gadgets like phones/gopro/tablet.

@stoney126 good guess - but my Jeep did come with a single outlet inverter in the center console though.
 
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vagabondexpedition

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Took the Jeep storm chasing a few nights before Christmas...


...geomagnetic storm chasing....


Don't mind me... I just need to update my facebook status...


-22C ( -7F) temps had my fingers freezing up quick...
but I really enjoy how this photo turned out.


the skies in central Alberta were almost completely lit up


quick shot here then back in the Jeep to warm up...


2am and the show is starting to wind down...


I have more photos up on the blog and facebook page, and have 'night two' of this aurora event to post too!
 

vagabondexpedition

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The solar storm from December 19th continued on into the next day (and night).
Once it got dark, I ventured out for more 'storm chasing' and captured these shots.

The photo of this one doesn't do it justice at all.. the brilliance, and the colors 'rippling' along the sky was an incredible sight. I need to play around with this photo a bit and see if I can tone down some of the green and highlight the pinks and reds that you could see. I normally have a 6 second exposure on most Northern Lights, but am afraid that might have been too long for this flare up.








Had a friend venture out so I could teach him a bit about night sky and aurora photography:


Haven't seen his pictures yet today, but I hope I taught him enough to get some quality shots of his rig.


I think this is my favorite of the night despite there being minimal for color - other than the usual green.



That's it for this time around... expect more in the new year - I think this has become something of a new hobby for me, and I've got a few friends eager to get their Jeep photos taken under the Northern Lights too!
 

stoney126

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These pictures are amazing. I'm always amazed by the pictures of the scenery up there. Jeep looks killer too.
 

ShawnR

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Great images and trip reports. Someday I'll make it up there. My first trip to Canada though will be to "Dog River".
Anyway, how do you like driving with the roof rack and RTT? I'm curious because I'm considering adding a rack so I can put some low profile gear up there. But I've heard people say they make Jeeps top heavy. Others have said they have no problems. I'm curious how your experience has been with the weight of the RTT up there.
 

vagabondexpedition

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Great images and trip reports. Someday I'll make it up there. My first trip to Canada though will be to "Dog River".
Anyway, how do you like driving with the roof rack and RTT? I'm curious because I'm considering adding a rack so I can put some low profile gear up there. But I've heard people say they make Jeeps top heavy. Others have said they have no problems. I'm curious how your experience has been with the weight of the RTT up there.
It's definitely top heavy with the RTT. Although I see some people doing some hard-core wheeling with an RTT - having it does have me pick trails and runs differently than without it. You can for sure notice the weight with regular driving too. All that being said, I don't mind it - and you do get used to it. Sometimes, however, I do contemplate parting ways with the RTT and going back to the ground tent and just using the roof rack for "over-flow" gear (light-weight items) - usually that happens if I'm driving in heavy winds and the MPG is ridiculous.
 
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ShawnR

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It's definitely top heavy with the RTT. Although I see some people doing some hard-core wheeling with an RTT - having it does have me pick trails and runs differently than without it. You can for sure notice the weight with regular driving too. All that being said, I don't mind it - and you do get used to it. Sometimes, however, I do contemplate parting ways with the RTT and going back to the ground tent and just using the roof rack for "over-flow" gear (light-weight items) - usually that happens if I'm driving in heavy winds and the MPG is ridiculous.
Thanks for your thoughts. I'm leaning towards a roof rack for excess gear and eventually getting an old military m101 and putting an RTT on that. I don't want to give up the fastback soft top. Which unfortunately cuts down on inside storage space. Thanks again for your thoughts.
 
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vagabondexpedition

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Went for a drive a couple of nights ago... there was 'aurora' in the space weather forecast, but with the clear skies and a nearly full moon, I didn't really have my hopes too high for spotting anything. Figured I'd take advantage of the 'bright night' and hoar frost on the trees though.

under the light of the nearly full moon...




some night hiking...


Came to an opening during my short hike and spotted a faint band through the sky.


back to the road, and the jeep and now you could see some colors in the sky...


Totally unexpected, but things flared up quite intensely for a few minutes:






Had I thought the show would have lasted, I would have done more to light up the Jeep, but I was still happy with how my photos turned out.




 

vagabondexpedition

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I had been playing around with my Jeep programmer.. I think I found a hidden setting to enable Ludicrous Speed.


I need to do more testing before releasing the details, as I'd hate to see it mis-used and have someone go Plad (I'm sure some of you will get the references).

Shortly after disengaging Ludicrous Speed, I had to stop and pop the hood... something just didn't seem quite right:


Luckily, I had a few friends stop by to offer up some assistance:


All in all, it wasn't anything of an overland excursion, but just a fun night out..



I had hopes of seeing more of the Northern Lights, but the light show didn't happen until early a.m. - long after we all packed it in for the night.

You can see more of my light painting over on my facebook page here
 

stoney126

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These pictures are nuts! Simply amazing

And brownie points for the spaceballs reference
 
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vagabondexpedition

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Vagabondexpedition heads out and does a little bit of winter camping in Alberta.

Snows all gone in this area, but the cold isn't. -9C and some pretty strong winds. Glad I have a Tepui Weatherhood to block out wind and trap in the heat!



A room with a view... but that bloody wind was nasty.


Nice clear skies later on, but the wind just wouldn't let up.
Note to self: ear plugs for next time!


The following day, I ventured out meet this friendly guy (and found some snow higher up into the mountains):


He's got five other friends so we thought we'd some some Overlanding... Sled Dog style..

Across a frozen lake:


And through the forests:


Time to cool down:


Cuddles after a good run:


More photos and video to come soon!
 

vagabondexpedition

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Sure, it's not our 'expected' form of overlanding, but really - it's all about getting out and enjoying nature. I'm seriously considering a weekend long "overlanding" event with these dogs for next winter - I think it would be a whole lot of fun!

 

Bob

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Incredible pics, I have never seen the Northern Lights. I would like to come up and see them sometime, but the wife is terrified of cold weather. I may just have to make the trip without her.