
Nomad Overland Rally Highlights: Week Eight
As Week 8 of the Nomad Overland Rally came to a close, the competition was really heating up. Six teams passed the 4,000 point-level, and the gaps have really narrowed…
As Week 8 of the Nomad Overland Rally came to a close, the competition was really heating up. Six teams passed the 4,000 point-level, and the gaps have really narrowed…
Week Seven of the 2024 Nomad Overland Rally saw a lot of activity, with our strongest Stewardship week so far, as multiple Teams participated…
The Sixth Weekly Challenge of the 2024 edition of the Nomad Overland Rally examines how well teams can read rally roadbook tulip diagrams and translate the roadbook instructions onto a paper map…
(Checkout the full Leaderboard for all the Teams’ Week 10 scores)
Week 10 of the Nomad Overland Rally, was the final week of the competition and a scramble to the end, as Teams tried to eke out a few more points. So many of our Teams finished strong this year and the points gap narrowed so much that at the end only one point separated First and Second Place, and Third Place was tied! Ten Teams finished with more than 5,000 points! Team 110 Smigiel finished in First Place with 5,474 points. Team 101 Mercer cane in Second Place with 5,473 points. Third Place was a tie between Team 114 Dolbow and Team 117 Lucas who each earned 5,468 points. The final Weekly Challenge, “Recovery Basics,” gave the Teams one more opportunity to add points to their scores by demonstrating their knowledge of vehicle recovery techniques.
Here are some Week 9 highlights from around the 2024 Nomad Overland Rally. Team 101 Mercer, moved into First Place, this week after going all out to search for a few more PhotoQuest items, and finishing up the final Navigation activity. Team 117 Lucas, dropped back to Second place Place, but is steadily checking off their last few activities. Team 110 Smigiel moved into Third Place, continuing to systematically go after every point. Team 130 McClellan is pushing forward, going out in search of some of the harder-to-find wildlife. Team 129 Astor (NC Oldman Overland) is checking off their last few activites and preparing for a strong finish. And most of the other Nomad Teams are making a final push for points as they enter the last week of the event. Check out the Leaderboard to see how everyone ranked at the end of Week 9.
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The Rally started on June 3rd, and a number of teams were already beginning their first Overland Stages, while others were still in the planning stages. Here is a curated collection of recent images from our social space to give you a peek into the teams and their progress.
Photo quest - Erosion - Ruts on trails are a good example of erosion. The water flow washes out the dirt and causes ruts. #nomad24 nomadoverlandrally
Stage 12 nomadoverlandrally was another long day from just east of Boise, ID to Great Basin NP. I`ve been trying to add Great Basin to one of my overland trips for a couple of years and made it happen this year. It was penciled in as a potential destination and when planning my trip home from WA, I was able to include it on my route.
We stopped at Hagerman Fossil Beds, the visitor center, plus a monument to the sheep industry in the area. Later, when gassing up in NV, a U-Haul had information about one of the animals I had seen fossilized earlier.
This route was very remote, US-93 does not have the small towns US-95 has but there were 2 Love`s Travel Centers that I was able to stop at for fuel.
onxoffroad treadlightlyteam
#nomad25 #nomadrally #onxoffroad #treadlightly
Stage 11 nomadoverlandrally was the first day of my 1300+ mile return home. As I had never been to Idaho before and in order to attach the sticker to my water bottle, I needed to sleep/ camp there. I found BLM land east of Boise in onxoffroad and I saved a couple potential campsites as waypoints.
I drove through parts Washington, Oregon, and Idaho and was on part of the historic Oregon Trail. While this day was a lot of interstate miles, I still managed to find some interesting places to stop and stretch our legs.
One of my waypoints had previously been used as a campsite, treadlightlyteam likely by other weary travelers that also sleep in their vehicles. When we first arrived, it was still rather toasty and the fan I`d ordered before my trip came in handy. Once the sun was down, the temps dropped quickly to a comfortable level for sleep.
#nomad25 #nomadrally #onxoffroad #treadlightly
Stage 10 nomadoverlandrally was a long day, more than 400 miles traveled, and it was 13 hours from campsite to campsite. There was a really good reason for such a long day, I needed to wash my hair! I learned on this trip that at day 4, I need a shower for my sanity! I joined friends for PNW4WDA Trail Jamboree and was at the same campsite for several days so the dog`s Woof Den was set-up, again.
onxoffroad treadlightlyteam
#nomad25 #nomadrally #onxoffroad #treadlightly
Stage 9 nomadoverlandrally was spent exploring the northern portion of Whidbey Island. The day started with a ferry ride, we visited state parks - Fort Ebey, Fort Casey, and Deception Pass, a sculpture forest, and ended at the drive-in.
#nomad25 #nomadrally #onxoffroad #treadlightly
Stage 8 Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally was also spent exploring the Olympic Peninsula and several parts of the national park were visited. The morning started in line to enter Hoh Rainforest. I severely underestimated how long it would take to get in and did not pack up and leave the campsite early enough. Due to how long I waited in line, I skipped visiting the Hall of Mosses. We didn`t get to the parking area until after midday and I didn`t want to leave the dogs alone in the truck because the trail is not dog friendly.
After Hoh, I decided to head to Lake Ozette so I could cross the most NW point (continental US) in the NPS system off - I`d been to the most NE park units years ago, Acadia and Campobello (just over international border with Canada). The drive was a long one but reminded me of driving along the coast in Maine. At times, the only radio station available was from across the Salish Sea and in Canada! Next on the list was Sol Duc Falls and Salmon Cascades. As it was after 7p, I felt better leaving the dogs in the well ventilated truck, with plenty of water when I went on the hike to the falls. Once back to the truck, it was off to find camp for the night. I had saved several potential sites in onX Offroad east of Port Angeles. I had a ferry reservation in Port Townsend the next day and wanted to be as close as possible so I wasn`t late.
Tread Lightly!
#nomad25 #nomadrally #onxoffroad #treadlightly
Stage 7 nomadoverlandrally was my first day/ night on the Olympic Peninsula. I had purchased a Discover Washington Pass at Walmart in Yelm, WA prior to heading off to the peninsula in order to be able to disperse camp on Washington State Lands. I had saved several potential campsites as well as a few campgrounds that are free with the pass as waypoints in onxoffroad . It was a holiday weekend and all of the campgrounds were full but I found a great campsite not far off US 101.
The dogs and I went to Kalaloch Beach to see the Tree of Life, I went to see Big Cedar while they remained in the truck, and we also went down to Ruby Beach. I made sure that I knew which beaches were dog friendly as both are part of Olympic National Park. This was their first time ever seeing, smelling, and experiencing the ocean. Both really liked the beach and Binkley discovered he really likes it, when we were exploring some of the Washington State Parks, also free with the Discover Washington Pass, he made sure we got down to the water every chance he got.
treadlightlyteam
#nomad25 #nomadrally #onxoffroad
Stage 6 nomadoverlandrally is when I reached my destination! I had applied to be in the Showcase/DIY area at Overland Expo PNW and was selected! This was the first time I set up all the gear I had packed as we were in Redmond, OR for 4 nights. After one of the sessions in the education area, I improved the shade structure I had setup - it`s a spare tire shade I used with the jeep that was rained on and sagged.
#nomad25 #nomadrally #treadlightly #onxoffroad
onxoffroad treadlightlyteam
Stage 5 was from the Oregon coast to central Oregon with a stop at Crater Lake National Park. Once again, I was not able to complete the drive through the park due to snow. The east entrance was closed. I added significant mileage to my total by turning on OR State Route 230 to enter the park from the south entrance, this turned out to be the West Entrance, according to the park sign. Camp was made just outside of the North Entrance to the park in Umpqua National Forest.
#nomad25 #nomadrally #treadlightly #onxoffroad
nomadoverlandrally onxoffroad treadlightlyteam
Stage 4 Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally was almost 300 miles with lots of stops - 3 Visitor Centers, I missed Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, a hike to Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Big Tree Wayside, plus driving a dog friendly dirt road, Cal Barrel Rd in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Another stop just before the Oregon State Line for a bottle of Eagle Rare and a stop in Gold Beach for a bottle of Blantons, both made it home, untouched!
#nomad25 #nomadrally #treadlightly #onxoffroad
onX Offroad Tread Lightly!
Stage 3 for nomadoverlandrally - I saw my first deer of the trip after entering the park, it crossed the road a few hundred feet in front of me, I`m glad I stopped at the park sign for a pic as that may have saved it (and me) a headache (or worse). My planned drive through the park and route for the day changed when I discovered the road was still closed due to snow! Snow was not on my late June/early July bingo card. Then again, living in the Phoenix metro area, snow is never on my bingo card!
#nomad25 #nomadrally #treadlightly #onxoffroad
onxoffroad treadlightlyteam
Stage 2 of Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally was Walker Lake to Lassen National Forest. This was the first day of traveling through new areas. From the time I exited I-80 to US 395 N in Reno, everything until mid-July when I hit US 89 at the Arizona border was I place I`d never been to before. Daye Sloope and I were able to meet for brunch, and catch up in Reno.
#nomad25 #nomadrally #treadlightly #onxoffroad
onX Offroad , Tread Lightly!
The 2024 edition of the Nomad Overland Virtual Adventure Rally ran from June 3rd and continued for ten weeks, ending on August 11th. You can follow the rally progress on this page, on Instagram at @nomadoverlandrally and on Facebook at @nomadoverlandvirtualadventurerally. (If you are interested in competing you can register here or get more information about the rally here).