I’m on the road for the next few months for work before we pull chocks in Florida and move to Arizona. I have been slowly accumulating some items from my “stuff to buy” list that will help our goal of getting out and exploring.
I picked up a Blue Ridge Overland Gear headrest and seat back panel. On them I mounted my first aid kid, a couple of bottle holders (one that will be for a large Nalgene and the other for some wet wipes), a spare flashlight, and a fire extinguisher.
For the fire extinguisher I went with the Element E50. I don’t recall exactly where I heard about it, but I think it is a great option being small and requiring no maintenance. It is a one time use only so if you need it, you have to buy another one.
Just last weekend I was cruising Craigslist and saw a one year old ARB 50 quart fridge/freezer. Screw it, time to buy. It came with the transit bag and the monitor for about $300 under current retail prices. It does, however, take up almost the entire cargo area of the Cross-Preza. Plus the guy I bought it from (who went with a 63) was really cool. He may have convinced me I need to go Land Cruiser ... His genuine enthusiasm was infectious.
We are going to roll with the Cross-Preza for the remainder of the year when we get to Arizona and just go where we can and turn around if we can’t. No biggie. However, we are also pulling the goalie again so with the two of us, one kid and a dog plug gear, the Cross-Preza isn’t going to work when we add a second kid and want to carry everything. I anticipate starting my 4x4 search over the winter.
On the moto front, I replaced my aging Arai Profile with a new XD4 and so far I like it a lot. I do have some adjustments to do with my Sena speaker placement though. I am also on the hunt for a Yamaha TW200. My father, who is living the ex-pat life in Europe with his R1200GS, and I are splitting the cost of the bike and it will be his to ride when he visits. We are planning to do the SoCal BDR at the tail end of next winter or early spring. The list of mods and luggage for the TW has already been made ... And the old GS is going to get new tires once we arrive in AZ. Back to the TKC80s!
