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I'm on my way west.
And, the next couple of months on the road are going to be a LOT of fun.
I'm heading to northern CA first to have the Land Rover tuned up by Shane Ballensky, owner of Rover Hybrids (www.roverhybrids.com) and the creator of The Greasy Beast.
From there, I will try to catch up with my friend Walt, who lives in Reno, NV. He's been keeping an eye on the wild mustang herds in the hills out there, and if my luck holds, we'll be able to drive out into the BLM lands to photograph these magnificent creatures in the snow!
That might prove to be a short trip, though, as I need to be in Park City, UT by April 8th to prepare for the first Carbon Neutral Expedition(www.carbonneutralexpedition.com). On April 10, eight vehicles (my Defender included) will set out for a completely off-road expedition to reach Amado, AZ in time for Overland Expo 2010. It's almost 1000 miles and we'll be driving the entire distance on alternative fuels. My friend Kevin Lock(www.kevinlockphotography.com/), a photographer in San Diego, will be co-piloting with me and we'll take turns driving and taking pics.
But what about BABS, you ask? Well, BABS will be driven from Utah to Arizona by two more photographer friends of mine, Bob Lajes (http://boblajes.com/)and Ramon Purcell (www.rcpphoto.com). They're still debating whether to take the route through Las Vegas or through The Grand Canyon. I wonder if they'll blog about their trip...
So, how far did I get today?
Well... I left Alpharetta, GA today at 1pm (quite a bit later than I'd originally intended). And, since I need to be in Redding, CA as soon as possible, I've stuck to those wondrously efficient, but gruelingly obnoxious freeways to make the best time. Of course, I'd rather be taking my time exploring the smaller highways and backroads, but in this case, efficiency trumps curiousity.
I've driven for 300 miles today, averaging about 8mpg (less when I was crossing the mountains east of Nashville).
I'm currently in Oak Grove, Kentucky, just across the Tennessee border and about 150 miles or so from Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.
Tomorrow I'll head out shortly after sunrise making my way toward St. Louis, MO. I think I'll bypass the city, though. Driving BABS with The Greasy Beast in tow makes all those tight freeway interchanges a bit of a challenge. And, though most people dread driving through the long, flat stretches of the midwest, I'm actually looking forward to it. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Stay tuned...
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