I was just the other day reminiscing about the good old days of BackroadDrivers on Yahoo and PNWAdventures. All the great adventures we went on and the wonderful people I met. These new "Overlanding" groups just aren't the same, mostly people interested in hanging out in parking lots and tagging manufacturers on Instagram. Not here, this was all about getting out and seeing the northwest.

I don't even remember the last time I posted here but I'm pretty sure I still had the Jeep then. These days I'm running an Xterra Off-Road, which pulls the trailer a lot better than the Jeep did. I'm also married, we just celebrated our two year anniversary a couple weeks ago. Fortunately, my wife loves to travel. We did a trip to eastern Oregon for the Eclipse last year then a 10 day trip through Nevada and this year we've gone on several multi-day trips including four days around the Oregon side of Hells Canyon. One of her favorite trips (and also mine) was a trip exploring Steens Mountain, the Alvord Desert and some of the great hot springs around there.

One of my hobbies I've gotten into lately is Summits on the Air, or SOTA. SOTA is basically getting up to mountaintops with a ham radio and making simplex contacts, whether it's via 2M into nearby towns or HF across the country, though I'm still a tech so I've only done HF with my father in law. It's a great excuse to get out and explore the woods. Just the other day a coworker and I spent the day driving around the Mt Hood National Forest working four different summits.

I hope all is well with you all. Just wanted to say I miss you guys.

Coming over Kingston Pass near Austin, Nevada




Virgin Valley Warm Springs on the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge




Us with our dogs at Hells Canyon Overlook