No more epic trips, or, the Decline of DWeb
- Thread starter chris snell
- Start date
As I've found with most everything in life, there is no single and easily grasped answer. Partly, I put it down to the old crowd moving along to different stages in life and cost of living / traveling. In younger days I had the freedom and disposable income ... I used to drive up to the Blue Ridge area every year, drove up to MI and WI to backpack around Manistee, Ottawa NF and massive forests for a week-long getaway. Shit, I remember calling a buddy at U of I on a Wednesday night to shoot the shit, he tells me his house is throwing a big party that weekend so I called in sick to the job I didn't care about and drove 1,200 miles (one way) for some T&A and booze made in a trash can. That whim turned into a ten day road trip. Now I have the family, the busy ass job I actually like, wife, kids, house and a never ending slew of bills to pay out constantly.
By-the-way, who really gives a shit if someone bolts a "RTT" on their "expo-rig"? Maybe it gets used all the time and maybe it just looks cool to that guy. We have someone in our club with a D2 that looks like it crashed into a 4-wheel parts showroom and made it out the other side with EVERYTHING attached. Maybe the guy does beat off to a JC Whitney catalog... who gives a shit? it is his pleasure and not my loss. I only care what others do when that action directly effects me; like trail damage, trash, destruction of flora in a pointless manner.
Just like Dan (via Burke) said, we are literally losing ground (due) to the moron horde. I have been avoiding wheeling or travelling in groups lately since I can't control the stupid actions of others. I care more now about the people I am associated with and I just don't want the hassle of being associated with trail destruction. Plus as others said, when there are too many chiefs on a trip I end up going South. I'd love to meet up with other dwebbers on the road and on the trails... so long as the trip isn't EPIC; back in the old school I liked when stuff was radical and awesome.
maybe this is just a quiet period?
By-the-way, who really gives a shit if someone bolts a "RTT" on their "expo-rig"? Maybe it gets used all the time and maybe it just looks cool to that guy. We have someone in our club with a D2 that looks like it crashed into a 4-wheel parts showroom and made it out the other side with EVERYTHING attached. Maybe the guy does beat off to a JC Whitney catalog... who gives a shit? it is his pleasure and not my loss. I only care what others do when that action directly effects me; like trail damage, trash, destruction of flora in a pointless manner.
Just like Dan (via Burke) said, we are literally losing ground (due) to the moron horde. I have been avoiding wheeling or travelling in groups lately since I can't control the stupid actions of others. I care more now about the people I am associated with and I just don't want the hassle of being associated with trail destruction. Plus as others said, when there are too many chiefs on a trip I end up going South. I'd love to meet up with other dwebbers on the road and on the trails... so long as the trip isn't EPIC; back in the old school I liked when stuff was radical and awesome.
maybe this is just a quiet period?
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p m said:
Peter, I think you and Mike Rupp have summed it up succinctly. I understand why the Moron Hordes will not be doing a Hole in the Rock trip anytime soon; those trucks would never make it, even if they could come up with the cash to get down there. Most of their trucks seem more set up for the local mud hole than a five-day, 150-miles-from-anywhere trip over rough roads in questionable weather.
I want to do another big trip and I want to get some old DWebbers out for it. I don't dare post up a free-for-all because most of the old folks wouldn't come and most of the new folks wouldn't have trucks or the cash to make it happen. What I'm trying to figure out (and thus, the point of this thread) is why the old timers don't do these trips anymore and what it would take to motivate three or four trucks to get out again for a real adventure.
ptschram
Well-known member
I can only speak for myself.
I finally have a business that is somewhat self-perpetuating. If there is work, I'm too busy trying to get it done. When there isn't work, I don't have the $ to do much of anything but push a broom int he shop and try to drum up work.
When I was going on long-distance trips, it was either on credit or it was done when I had a real job, paid vacation and made enough to do such things.
Just like water-fowling, apparently, I prefer to work than hunt.
OTOH, I got really tired of having a truck that couldn't keep up and as a result, I built a truck that can. The down side is that it is not the kind of truck that anyone with half a brain would want to drive on the highway and sure as Hell wouldn't want to drive it several days, wheel it and then drive back.
Of course, I got a truck built just in time to realize that if I'm lucky, I might get to go wheeling once or twice a year and at that, it's a challenge. the wife doesn't want to go to any place too 'industrial" and any place that isn't too "industrial" is five to ten hours away, eats fuel and the logistics of getting Gary's pick-up from Indianapolis makes it unwieldy at best.
I finally have a business that is somewhat self-perpetuating. If there is work, I'm too busy trying to get it done. When there isn't work, I don't have the $ to do much of anything but push a broom int he shop and try to drum up work.
When I was going on long-distance trips, it was either on credit or it was done when I had a real job, paid vacation and made enough to do such things.
Just like water-fowling, apparently, I prefer to work than hunt.
OTOH, I got really tired of having a truck that couldn't keep up and as a result, I built a truck that can. The down side is that it is not the kind of truck that anyone with half a brain would want to drive on the highway and sure as Hell wouldn't want to drive it several days, wheel it and then drive back.
Of course, I got a truck built just in time to realize that if I'm lucky, I might get to go wheeling once or twice a year and at that, it's a challenge. the wife doesn't want to go to any place too 'industrial" and any place that isn't too "industrial" is five to ten hours away, eats fuel and the logistics of getting Gary's pick-up from Indianapolis makes it unwieldy at best.
chris snell said:
Chris, there is at least one epic trip coming together right before your eyes:
http://discoweb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=75974
A bunch of volunteers from around the country heading to Mexico to be part of a support crew for a 4-day desert endurance race? Could be epic. Unbelievable trail fixes highly likely. Amazing photos guaranteed. So far most of the participants are west of the Mississippi, with the exception of Marty and PT.
If it wasn't for Dweb I never would have met Elias, never would have done my own head gaskets, and never would have had the idea to be a part of a Rover race team. I'll be posting photos and live updates during the race on the team's Facebook page plus several other guys from here have generously offered their trucks and skills for the support crew. Far from being dead, I'd say this is an innovative "open source" approach to having an epic trip.
We've always got a handful of cool trips on our schedule. Though I enjoying darting off on my own somewhere without clients just the same.
I have December off and am hoping Mongo will play with me in Copper Canyon.
I think it's just hard for people to take two weeks off in order to really complete a good trip that takes the time necessary to make it worth while.
The trip I run to Newfoundland/Labrador is 14 days and that's just barely enough time. I could easily spend a month up there and not see enough. Amazing place.
I have December off and am hoping Mongo will play with me in Copper Canyon.
I think it's just hard for people to take two weeks off in order to really complete a good trip that takes the time necessary to make it worth while.
The trip I run to Newfoundland/Labrador is 14 days and that's just barely enough time. I could easily spend a month up there and not see enough. Amazing place.
Tugela said:
That sounds pretty sweet. Who all is going? It would be fun to just follow it and shoot photos. Is there a big enough support team to be self-supporting (recovery, etc.) without interfering with the truck that's racing?
Roverrocks said:
Hey guys please don't stop being nasty about everything and anything just cause it bothers this guy. Thats what I like about you the most.
I enjoy the nastiness. It comes with a large helping of invaluable knowledge.
It's akin to a group of friends sitting around a campfire and giving each other shit. The ones that cry about their hurt cunts are often the ones that you're better off without.
It's akin to a group of friends sitting around a campfire and giving each other shit. The ones that cry about their hurt cunts are often the ones that you're better off without.
Chris
The Easter Trip we do has people from all over and most are on Dweb. Next years trip we have a few people on the list form TX wanting to go. I will stress the wanting. It would be a 30 hr drive to the start, and then the Trip and 30hrs back. That is a lot of seat time, plus the cost of fuel and time off of work it makes these kinds of trips harder to do in one of the worst economies we have seen in this great nation. I know for a fact it is not that people do not want to go but the finical burden can prove too much for some. That said some how we have the trip every year and last year we even had a Guest from the UK.
The Easter Trip we do has people from all over and most are on Dweb. Next years trip we have a few people on the list form TX wanting to go. I will stress the wanting. It would be a 30 hr drive to the start, and then the Trip and 30hrs back. That is a lot of seat time, plus the cost of fuel and time off of work it makes these kinds of trips harder to do in one of the worst economies we have seen in this great nation. I know for a fact it is not that people do not want to go but the finical burden can prove too much for some. That said some how we have the trip every year and last year we even had a Guest from the UK.
Honestly, I can't really help but to feel apart of the beginning of the "moron hoard".
I joined this site sometime in 2006 after the purchase of my 1998 DI. (Which replaced my XJ, Ironically).
I don't feel the need to go on "epic trips". I don't feel the need to have "un-real trail fixes". Preferably, I enjoy going wheeling on the weekends about 4 times a year if Im lucky and making it home.
I like running bigger and bigger obstacles as I grow with my experience and as my truck grows. Even though I've owned 4-5 rovers, and worked on a few more than that, I've really only wheeled 1 of them. And my intent was never to travel the world with it. I did have an idea to take it across Canada once but, then I got a real job, a mortgage, and Im getting married in about 45 days. It's just out of the picture for me.
I don't live for epic travels and being away from safety and hours away from electricity and all that. I do enjoy conquering new obstacles at Uwharrie that I haven't been able to reach before. Sometimes that is because my truck is more capable, sometimes its because I don't give as much of a fuck as I did the time before.
Almost as soon as I bought my DI and started modifying it, I dreamed of buying another car as a daily driver so I didn't need to worry about the reliability of it. I wanted to be able to drive wherever the hell I wanted, then get a AAA membership and wheel hard without worries on the weekends.
I might be part of the "moron hoard" but, you know what? I don't give a flying fuck.
I have learned so much from this site, from the lifelong friends I have made here, and from my personal experiences from dealing with a vehicle that I truly love. I am in love with my DI. Call it gay, I don't really give a fuck.
So, keep throwing around the term "Moron Hoard". There are a few of you that I think are complete fucking idiots. But, I'll call you out and tell you to your face. Ask anybody, they'll tell you I will.
But, moving forward, Im probably never going to go on an epic trip but, I will share much of the knowledge I've learned so far and the knowledge I will gain in the future with my children, and hopefully they will carry on most of that (maybe more) to continue the love affair I have with these old eurotrash cars.
I think that any real mechanical knowledge passed on is good knowledge compared to the bullshit these kids are fed these days. Not to mention the "knowledge" that most of the 20 somethings have these days.
I may be part of the "Moron hoard" but Im not a complete fucking retard like most of the youth these days. I have a career, a mortgage, a woman I love, a future father in law that I hate, and 3 land rovers in the driveway.
Im 25 btw.
Thanks if you're still with me.
I joined this site sometime in 2006 after the purchase of my 1998 DI. (Which replaced my XJ, Ironically).
I don't feel the need to go on "epic trips". I don't feel the need to have "un-real trail fixes". Preferably, I enjoy going wheeling on the weekends about 4 times a year if Im lucky and making it home.
I like running bigger and bigger obstacles as I grow with my experience and as my truck grows. Even though I've owned 4-5 rovers, and worked on a few more than that, I've really only wheeled 1 of them. And my intent was never to travel the world with it. I did have an idea to take it across Canada once but, then I got a real job, a mortgage, and Im getting married in about 45 days. It's just out of the picture for me.
I don't live for epic travels and being away from safety and hours away from electricity and all that. I do enjoy conquering new obstacles at Uwharrie that I haven't been able to reach before. Sometimes that is because my truck is more capable, sometimes its because I don't give as much of a fuck as I did the time before.
Almost as soon as I bought my DI and started modifying it, I dreamed of buying another car as a daily driver so I didn't need to worry about the reliability of it. I wanted to be able to drive wherever the hell I wanted, then get a AAA membership and wheel hard without worries on the weekends.
I might be part of the "moron hoard" but, you know what? I don't give a flying fuck.
I have learned so much from this site, from the lifelong friends I have made here, and from my personal experiences from dealing with a vehicle that I truly love. I am in love with my DI. Call it gay, I don't really give a fuck.
So, keep throwing around the term "Moron Hoard". There are a few of you that I think are complete fucking idiots. But, I'll call you out and tell you to your face. Ask anybody, they'll tell you I will.
But, moving forward, Im probably never going to go on an epic trip but, I will share much of the knowledge I've learned so far and the knowledge I will gain in the future with my children, and hopefully they will carry on most of that (maybe more) to continue the love affair I have with these old eurotrash cars.
I think that any real mechanical knowledge passed on is good knowledge compared to the bullshit these kids are fed these days. Not to mention the "knowledge" that most of the 20 somethings have these days.
I may be part of the "Moron hoard" but Im not a complete fucking retard like most of the youth these days. I have a career, a mortgage, a woman I love, a future father in law that I hate, and 3 land rovers in the driveway.
Im 25 btw.
Thanks if you're still with me.
I've never been one for epic trips or taking the extreme line just to see how much shit I can break. But for the first few years after I got my Rover I was out constantly offroading. Always in a really small group, and sometimes they were quickie 1 hour in n' out trips. But I had an absolute blast in the early years! Since I've moved to Missouri I admit I've only gone out twice. Once with a club group, which no offense, reminded why I dislike club adventures. Then once for a week solo trip to LBL which was phenomonal and I would love to do again. Sadly, my enthusiast time has been relegated more to hobby vehicle repair and having a kick ass driveway ornament since I just don't have the time to finish my truck. Time will be even more limited if I take the promotion at work next month.
My Rover enjoyment now just comes from hearing what other people are doing, learning tricks n tips (that I'll probably never get a chance to really use) and just cutting the bull with my cyberfriends that I have something in common with. Obviously, I don't really fit in very well with most people so here is where I come to be myself.
I'm grateful for the old Dweb and I still enjoy hanging out here. Nothing stays the same and to hold on to the past is an effort in futility. Roll with the changes baby!
My Rover enjoyment now just comes from hearing what other people are doing, learning tricks n tips (that I'll probably never get a chance to really use) and just cutting the bull with my cyberfriends that I have something in common with. Obviously, I don't really fit in very well with most people so here is where I come to be myself.
I'm grateful for the old Dweb and I still enjoy hanging out here. Nothing stays the same and to hold on to the past is an effort in futility. Roll with the changes baby!
chris snell said:
Ha! Got a bite! Good. From this site there's Elias, who is the leader of this crazy trip, Mongo has volunteered to help and bring enough radios to equip a tank battalion, and knewsom has threatened to come and film all the action. Plus Marty, who has been supplying the race truck with parts, and if we're lucky PT will be out there, too. And me, whose mechanical expertise is a little short of "aspiring shade tree mechanic" but makes up for it with an attention to detail for planning. So a pretty strong D-web showing. I'm looking forward to meeting these folks. That's part of the beauty of this trip- complete strangers coming together united around a shared love of Rovers, a sense of adventure, and a competitive spirit.
Opportunities to participate span a range from "I want to park along the course and stand on the roof of my truck drinking beer and cheering as Elias thunders past" all the way up to "I want to spend all night in the pit under the truck with oil dripping in my face and turning wrenches". What's your pleasure?
garrett said:
You have no idea. I have a lot of friends that only get 2 weeks per year. Throw a family into the mix and it makes it eben harder. Even people that have more than two weeks are hesitant to take it in this shitty economy.
I'm one of the few lucky guys that gets about 7 weeks off every year.
That Newfoundland trip sounds sweet . My mother has been bugging me to visit that place.
garrett said:
Yeah, that's a major problem. Even though I have close to 200 hours of vacation time and 150 hours of comp time banked up, our staffing is to low for me to ever take off time when I want it. UVA is complaining about how they request 25 Officers to work home football games and we can only provide 15-20 each time. Games pay $40 an hour and in past years we could just comp out from work and work the game instead, but now we don't have enough people to even do that so only people scheduled to be off are able to fill the spots and with only one saturday off a month I probably won't get to work any games. So it hurts your wallet and trip plans. It was like pulling teeth just trying to get off the thursday to go to URE and that could be canceled at anytime. Luckily I'm off that weekend no matter what. When I get the TDI truck finished I want to drive it out west, but that will require knowing when and for how long way way in advance.
LRFlip said:
I think you've just summed up the essence of "Moronic Hordes." (no offense intended).
The appeal of the Discovery was the "jack of all trades" nature of the vehicle - unlike most others, you can take it on a very long highway ride, and then do some serious wheeling. For local "bigger and biggerr" obstacles, you'd be better served with a Sami or Bronco or K-5/10/20 or Dodge or widetrack Cherokee. which is what the local guys do. You even own one.