Off-Road Ranger I
My dad got me into what one would call overlanding. Trips always had a significant destination. An old mine. A ghost town. A monument where a historical event occurred.
Who Planted the seed for you to be an OverLander (Pic/stories)
- Thread starter mmnorthdirections
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Off-Road Ranger I
@Mad Garden Gnome as I said in the first there was all the backpacking and outdoor stuff, But my mom and dad were great teachers of history/culture of old. There grandparents were settlers in the west and the stories were amazing!!!!! It is so cool to be connected to it!
I had the grand fortune of growing up in the foothills of the Olympic National Forest, Washington State.
I spent as much time in the wilderness as I could. Home wasn't really a comfortable place, so I replaced it with adventures into the unknown. I joined the Marines for that very reason, as well.
I can't wait to get back to Washington, get adventuring again.
I can't wait to start meeting you guys, and get to adventuring with you.
I spent as much time in the wilderness as I could. Home wasn't really a comfortable place, so I replaced it with adventures into the unknown. I joined the Marines for that very reason, as well.
I can't wait to get back to Washington, get adventuring again.
I can't wait to start meeting you guys, and get to adventuring with you.
Off-Road Ranger I
Honestly, previous to @Michael 's videos, overlanding wasn't even on my radar. The Overland Bound videos got me on the bandwagon. The only problem, I wasn't equipped with the right rig. with a family of 5, finding a vehicle that fit the off road needs with enough room to comfortably include everyone was tough, but we finally found it with The Big Tree (Toyota Sequoia). Now every chance we get, the family jumps in to go exploring the back country of San Diego County. This next year we have plans to visit the national parks in Utah, Sequoias, and maybe Yosemite. Thanks @Michael for opening our eyes to a this new adventure.
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I was always bored as I got older. I never really got into the video game craze or TV shows. So when I was bored with nothing to do, I would just get in my car and go. I guess that started it. Most of it was paved roads, but I would always try and find that off the beaten path dirt road to explore.
For me I've always enjoyed camping. As I got older I wanted a vehicle I could go camping in with my family and quickly got over the racing bug. Sold my lsx swaped blazer for my 90 bronco eddie bauer. I wanted a vehicle capable of taking me out to the desert and go shooting and camping. As I looked up gun reviews on YouTube i started clicking on links and eventually landed on overland bound videos and expeditio overland videos. I fell in love and I was hooked! I showed my wife these videos and she instantly jumped on board too. So little by little I been working on my 90 bronco to take the family on adventures. People at work look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them I'm planning on driving the bronco from Los Angeles to Canada and the following summer from Los Angeles to cabo.
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As a kid I remember camping a few times, going to Scouts for a year, and playing out in the woods everyday after school. Eventually I got more into playing video games (I now work as an Environment Artist making video games), electric guitar, build car/airplane models, drawing and collecting comic books. Guitar and video games won out in the long run, all the way through my 20's.
Through all of that, there was one vehicle that stuck with me since it was shown on tv in 1989. The military HUMVEE. It wasn't uncommon to see military convoys on my trips between OH and MD as a kid. Seeing a HUMVEE was the best thing, even though there was bigger, meaner stuff in the convoy. I read books and built models of them all the time. That planted the first thoughts of taking a vehicle offroad.
When I was 30, I had been making video games for 5 years and felt something needed to change. Mostly it was from being inside all day (and sometimes night) and feeling he need to get out and camp. I did camp a couple times with a friend in my first few years here in CA, but that was before the video game job. At that time, I was wanting to sell my Ford Explorer, which I never thought (or trusted) to take offroad. Even a simple fire trail!
By this point I knew I wanted something that was designed for trail use. How much? Wasn't sure at the time. The idea of getting a Jeep popped into my head, but buying new didn't seem a viable option. While talking about this to my sister, she mentioned her boyfriend (now ex-BF) was looking to sell his Discovery 2. I had only been in that truck one time before, for a ride to the airport, and never thought I'd could own it some day. But there was the option, right there for me to take. By the end of the month the truck was mine and the long list of mods piled up as fast as I could add them to the list!
Nine years later, the truck is still a WIP (aren't they always?) but it's completed for the most part ;)
Through all of that, there was one vehicle that stuck with me since it was shown on tv in 1989. The military HUMVEE. It wasn't uncommon to see military convoys on my trips between OH and MD as a kid. Seeing a HUMVEE was the best thing, even though there was bigger, meaner stuff in the convoy. I read books and built models of them all the time. That planted the first thoughts of taking a vehicle offroad.
When I was 30, I had been making video games for 5 years and felt something needed to change. Mostly it was from being inside all day (and sometimes night) and feeling he need to get out and camp. I did camp a couple times with a friend in my first few years here in CA, but that was before the video game job. At that time, I was wanting to sell my Ford Explorer, which I never thought (or trusted) to take offroad. Even a simple fire trail!
By this point I knew I wanted something that was designed for trail use. How much? Wasn't sure at the time. The idea of getting a Jeep popped into my head, but buying new didn't seem a viable option. While talking about this to my sister, she mentioned her boyfriend (now ex-BF) was looking to sell his Discovery 2. I had only been in that truck one time before, for a ride to the airport, and never thought I'd could own it some day. But there was the option, right there for me to take. By the end of the month the truck was mine and the long list of mods piled up as fast as I could add them to the list!
Nine years later, the truck is still a WIP (aren't they always?) but it's completed for the most part ;)
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- Michael
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- Murguia
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Well. Guys. I've avoided this thread like the plague because as soon as I saw it I felt a dagger in my heart. I knew eventually I had to answer.
My Dad:
John:
These were two very different men, and real men they were.
I know I'm not special. We all deal with grief, and my heart goes out to you all because I know you do too. I had two fathers. Mentors. My biological, and my step. I lost them both within a year. At the same time, I lost my job, and had a divorce. Looking back, I think I can say I was pretty much insane for the better part of a year. Guess I'm not that strong.
My Dad was the outdoors-man, a Forest Ranger and later, County Supervisor, City Planner, and protector of the great outdoors. He served time in the California lookouts over-seeing the very mountains I now enjoy, protecting them from wildfire. He created our outdoor upbringing. I remember backpacking, Sierra Club cups, Kelty Packs, Tang, and "Gorp", or trail mix. We walked. One Sunday a month, we went into the wilderness and he taught us the names of plants, what was edible, and what was not. In his last few months of life I took him for a ride in my convertible BMW. It was a fast mucky-muck car to show off. At the end of the ride he said, "I always pictured you in a Land Rover". As with most of our fathers, he always had a way of doing two things:
He died. We physically put him in a bag. I got in the car with my kids and headed home. You heard that part about the job, my divorce, and everything else. It all happened at the same time. In the next moment I was here. Alone, perhaps for the first time ever. If anyone ever asks me when Overland Bound started, I will refer them to this picture. This was the moment. That BMW is me. Two kids under 5 in the back crying. On empty. Without the resources to do anything else but depend on others. This was not how I grew up. I would never be in this position again.
John grew up in LA. He stayed an LA kid throughout his life, taught me golf and the joys of a small block Chevy V8. We were Rams fans in Northern California. Most importantly, he taught me how to truly care for something you have decided, not inherited, to care about. John loved my Mom. I was seven. John didn't owe me, my brother, or my sister anything. He decided to love us, and he did. In the rain, leading horses to riding school, giving his favorite car to his teenage son, drawing the line when my brother and I tested the limits. He took us kids and reinforced cool logic, evaluation, and in some ways, a chosen sense of duty. A veteran, he understood the greater good, and cause. It's not always about us. Through both men I learned:
We do what we say, and say what we mean.
In the most desperate hours of my life, I turned to what I knew, nature, a connection with the great outdoors. A sense of duty, responsibility, and a true cause started to give me a bearing, then...
I broke. I lashed out. Feeling close to my father, I bought a Land Cruiser. I knew I had to reconnect with nature. It was fight or flight. I flew back to what made me grounded. My life changed. I met @Corrie exactly at this time. She was introduced to me as the guy who goes on adventures whenever he needs to, or wants to, and agreed that was cool. These pictures are from the first adventure in 2011, after overlandbound.com was a thing. I didn't tell anyone where I was going, was ill-prepared, guessed I had enough food, and guess what...
I found my home.
I can't express how honored I am about Overland Bound. The mission was not to be "big". I'll be honest, in these first years, I didn't give a shit about anything but what made me happy, gave me a sense of accomplishment, and made me feel alive. Just after this venture into the wilderness, I wanted to share it with as many people as possible. It changed my life. The human nature to be curious, push our boundaries, not know whats going to happen next, be resourceful, came from my Dad. The responsibility to care for it, love it, make it strong, and adopt a mission greater than ourselves, John.
Adventure, exploration, uncertainty, nature, water, trees, wind, are essential to truly live. Its only when everything is taken care of, packaged, at the end of your thumb, digital, that we get weird.
Outfit and Explore.
I am so glad you all are here.
Michael
My Dad:
John:
These were two very different men, and real men they were.
I know I'm not special. We all deal with grief, and my heart goes out to you all because I know you do too. I had two fathers. Mentors. My biological, and my step. I lost them both within a year. At the same time, I lost my job, and had a divorce. Looking back, I think I can say I was pretty much insane for the better part of a year. Guess I'm not that strong.
My Dad was the outdoors-man, a Forest Ranger and later, County Supervisor, City Planner, and protector of the great outdoors. He served time in the California lookouts over-seeing the very mountains I now enjoy, protecting them from wildfire. He created our outdoor upbringing. I remember backpacking, Sierra Club cups, Kelty Packs, Tang, and "Gorp", or trail mix. We walked. One Sunday a month, we went into the wilderness and he taught us the names of plants, what was edible, and what was not. In his last few months of life I took him for a ride in my convertible BMW. It was a fast mucky-muck car to show off. At the end of the ride he said, "I always pictured you in a Land Rover". As with most of our fathers, he always had a way of doing two things:
- Telling me what I didn't want to hear.
- Making life's lessons more simple than I wanted them to be.
He died. We physically put him in a bag. I got in the car with my kids and headed home. You heard that part about the job, my divorce, and everything else. It all happened at the same time. In the next moment I was here. Alone, perhaps for the first time ever. If anyone ever asks me when Overland Bound started, I will refer them to this picture. This was the moment. That BMW is me. Two kids under 5 in the back crying. On empty. Without the resources to do anything else but depend on others. This was not how I grew up. I would never be in this position again.
John grew up in LA. He stayed an LA kid throughout his life, taught me golf and the joys of a small block Chevy V8. We were Rams fans in Northern California. Most importantly, he taught me how to truly care for something you have decided, not inherited, to care about. John loved my Mom. I was seven. John didn't owe me, my brother, or my sister anything. He decided to love us, and he did. In the rain, leading horses to riding school, giving his favorite car to his teenage son, drawing the line when my brother and I tested the limits. He took us kids and reinforced cool logic, evaluation, and in some ways, a chosen sense of duty. A veteran, he understood the greater good, and cause. It's not always about us. Through both men I learned:
We do what we say, and say what we mean.
In the most desperate hours of my life, I turned to what I knew, nature, a connection with the great outdoors. A sense of duty, responsibility, and a true cause started to give me a bearing, then...
I broke. I lashed out. Feeling close to my father, I bought a Land Cruiser. I knew I had to reconnect with nature. It was fight or flight. I flew back to what made me grounded. My life changed. I met @Corrie exactly at this time. She was introduced to me as the guy who goes on adventures whenever he needs to, or wants to, and agreed that was cool. These pictures are from the first adventure in 2011, after overlandbound.com was a thing. I didn't tell anyone where I was going, was ill-prepared, guessed I had enough food, and guess what...
I found my home.
I can't express how honored I am about Overland Bound. The mission was not to be "big". I'll be honest, in these first years, I didn't give a shit about anything but what made me happy, gave me a sense of accomplishment, and made me feel alive. Just after this venture into the wilderness, I wanted to share it with as many people as possible. It changed my life. The human nature to be curious, push our boundaries, not know whats going to happen next, be resourceful, came from my Dad. The responsibility to care for it, love it, make it strong, and adopt a mission greater than ourselves, John.
Adventure, exploration, uncertainty, nature, water, trees, wind, are essential to truly live. Its only when everything is taken care of, packaged, at the end of your thumb, digital, that we get weird.
Outfit and Explore.
I am so glad you all are here.
Michael
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That's a great story @Michael, thanks for sharing! Sounds like you had some rough times. I'm glad to see how much everything has turned around for you.
Oh, and I totally agree with your Dad's great vehicle advice!
Oh, and I totally agree with your Dad's great vehicle advice!
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Rough times - We all have them right? Makes being kind important. Vehicle advice, I thought you might!
Off-Road Ranger I
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Thank you Michael. You are a fortunate man to have had positive paternal role models in your life. It's also nice to know that the characters here on OB are not one dimensional beings from an alternate cyberspace, revealing nothing of their soul. Quite refreshing.
My seed was planted at the age of 10 by Mrs. Critchfield, my 4th,5th & 6th grade teacher / WWII war widow. She drove her Buick all over North America and every fall would share her stories in class by presenting a slide show of her past summers travels. She was going to places like Arches NP before they were National Parks. She tented, she hiked, she backpacked, and she was a wizard with her Nikon F. Mrs. Critchfield was the first person that made me aware of a world beyond the wretched Ohio family farm I was brought up on. I spent my late teens and early 20's wandering aimlessly around the country armed only with the memories of Mrs. Critchfields slide shows. Then, 11 years after she touched me, I saw and drove through the Rocky Mountains for the first time. I was dumbstruck. I was angy that the west had been hidden from me for 20 years, I resolved from that point forward, I would never ever go back. On that trip west I ended up in LA for 10 years. After moving to Pennsylvania in 1984 I vowed that someday I would return to the land that lies south of I- 70 and east of I-15, southern Utah/four corners region. My first wife thought I was crazy. My darling Virginia is crazy right with me. In the spring of 2010 we ended up holding hands and weeping together as we experience Arches NP the first time. Yea, crazy.. We've been back to the region 4 times since, and am planning a WRT run with our kids and grandkids next spring. We can only hope that they become as addicted as we are to the, serenity, the isolation, the being at one with, the touching of ones own inner being.
Keep up the great work and thanks again...
My seed was planted at the age of 10 by Mrs. Critchfield, my 4th,5th & 6th grade teacher / WWII war widow. She drove her Buick all over North America and every fall would share her stories in class by presenting a slide show of her past summers travels. She was going to places like Arches NP before they were National Parks. She tented, she hiked, she backpacked, and she was a wizard with her Nikon F. Mrs. Critchfield was the first person that made me aware of a world beyond the wretched Ohio family farm I was brought up on. I spent my late teens and early 20's wandering aimlessly around the country armed only with the memories of Mrs. Critchfields slide shows. Then, 11 years after she touched me, I saw and drove through the Rocky Mountains for the first time. I was dumbstruck. I was angy that the west had been hidden from me for 20 years, I resolved from that point forward, I would never ever go back. On that trip west I ended up in LA for 10 years. After moving to Pennsylvania in 1984 I vowed that someday I would return to the land that lies south of I- 70 and east of I-15, southern Utah/four corners region. My first wife thought I was crazy. My darling Virginia is crazy right with me. In the spring of 2010 we ended up holding hands and weeping together as we experience Arches NP the first time. Yea, crazy.. We've been back to the region 4 times since, and am planning a WRT run with our kids and grandkids next spring. We can only hope that they become as addicted as we are to the, serenity, the isolation, the being at one with, the touching of ones own inner being.
Keep up the great work and thanks again...
@Michael very inspirational story! It is amazing that when we as humans "lose it" or break we seem to go back to the basics to truly clear our heads.
Pathfinder I
It's amazing how tough times can sometimes turn to blessings. Congratulations on this wonderful achievement And allowing so many, including myself, to share your passion for idea. I'm sure you dads would be proud.
Off-Road Ranger I
Just an add on to my original post I wanted to say...
To all the people that makeup this community I thank you. A personal history of sorts.
I retired from the AF active duty after 26yrs in 2007, Worked with a company for 8yrs as a manager of things and not a leader of people due to company style, it did not work well for me and started to do some contracting work. Early 2015 the contract ended and then I lost a dear friend suddenly and a month later lost my mother at 89. I was spending lots of time with my father (WWII vet) who turned 91 this July, Our family was always outdoors and I was searching. I literally stumbled on an OB video on YT and it triggered something (get out and explore). Michael and Corrie seemed real and wanted people to spread the word through a common core and goal. The camaraderie is what I needed in my life, and as an outlet to be less confined between the walls of life.
Since joining this community I have and continue to meet amazing folks.
Thank you to all my FRIENDS!!!
To all the people that makeup this community I thank you. A personal history of sorts.
I retired from the AF active duty after 26yrs in 2007, Worked with a company for 8yrs as a manager of things and not a leader of people due to company style, it did not work well for me and started to do some contracting work. Early 2015 the contract ended and then I lost a dear friend suddenly and a month later lost my mother at 89. I was spending lots of time with my father (WWII vet) who turned 91 this July, Our family was always outdoors and I was searching. I literally stumbled on an OB video on YT and it triggered something (get out and explore). Michael and Corrie seemed real and wanted people to spread the word through a common core and goal. The camaraderie is what I needed in my life, and as an outlet to be less confined between the walls of life.
Since joining this community I have and continue to meet amazing folks.
Thank you to all my FRIENDS!!!
Last edited:
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Off-Road Ranger I
Influencer II
@Michael... true strength has nothing to do with being knocked down, everyone gets knocked down, it's about getting back up... and you have accomplished that wonderfully by the looks of it.
I'm living Michael's story as we speak, sans kids...
And I already have a 4WD :-)
And I already have a 4WD :-)
