Huasteca Potosina is a less visited area of Mexico, most tourists you”ll see here are Mexican. At least, when visiting in May or June. I was on a family visit/holiday in Mexico when a friend of my father suggested to visit the Sierra Gorda in Queretaro. This mountainous region is known for its foggy mountains, steep canyons and has an immense diversity of plant and animal life.
As an audio engineer I’m obsessive when it comes to protecting my ears from hearing loss. I’ll never forget the first time I shot a 7×64 rifle without hearing protection. When fired, most hunting rifles will produce around 156 dBa to 175 dBa. By comparison, a jet engine taking off produces ‘only’ around 140 dBa. Just think about how many shots you fire during a regular training session… The human ear will suffer damage from a single high intensity noise greater than 140 dBa. Most hearing loss is irreversible, so never ever shoot without hearing protection!
We have been testing the Mepablu TWIN-TEC EXCLUSIVE hearing protection especially designed for hunters.
We usually avoid mass tourism but for natural wonders we sometimes make an exception. The Antelope Canyon in Arizona seemed impressive enough to bend our own rules a bit…
The town of Page has no shortage on god’s mercy.
Located near Page Arizona in Navajo country the Antelope Canyon is a spectacular display of eroded sand stone due to flooding. There are 2 different canyons to visit, Lower Antelope Canyon and Upper Antelope Canyon. We chose to visit the A-shaped LAC as it is the less visited one. The UAC is easier to acces and far more popular. Still, you”ll be far from alone.
Cattle being driven to the money pit
In 1997 flash floods in these canyons killed 11 tourists. Because of this incident, you are not allowed to visit without a guide. Too bad visiting the canyons has become tourist “business”. Be prepared to be treated like cattle with a wallet…
The fun starts when they charge you 20 $ to park your car, 8$ Navajo park entrance fee and 25$ admission fee for the actual visit. A tour starts every 20 minutes. There’s also a “special photographer’s tour” for 47$, this ticket buys you more time in the canyon. We opted for the normal tour, as a consequence we were pushed to complete the tour as quickly as possible.
Is it worth it? You should definitely visit but too bad it leaves you with a uncomfortable feeling of being squeezed like a lemon. Nonetheless, you”ll make great pictures. The guide will advice you where and how to take the best pictures. What setting -Chrome filter- your iPhone should be set at, where to take a picture with your loved one, etc…
On finishing the tour, I had a big argument with a Navajo tour guide. I was trying to take a picture of the exit of the Canyon without Japanese tourists on it. However, as our guide had already rushed out to drink his coffee, my lens was blocked by the hand of another guide. She did not let me take the picture as it appeared I was without a guide. Anyway, I still managed the take the shot.
Keep exploring!
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Running water is the ultimate luxury on any adventure trip. We have tried many different systems. First we tried US army 20 liter jerrycans: simple, very strong en reliable but far from practical. Expensive integrated water containers have the disadvantage of freezing in the winter rendering them absolutely useless. We tried water bags with & without built-in manual pumps, they seemed to be the perfect solution. But,… Read more
Bougainville is a small group of islands north of the Solomon Islands that form an autonomous region within the country of Papua New Guinea. The region has a massively intriguing wildlife, people and history. It is a unique location comparable to very little else on our planet. Tourism has only recently slowly started to develop here, but thanks to a chance encounter in the Philippines, I got the opportunity to visit Bougainville earlier this year.
BATTLE OF THE FRIDGES
Waeco CFX 35 vs Engel MT35F. Long term review
A portable cooler in your expedition vehicle makes life much more comfortable. Most important reason to get yourself a cooler must be cold beer off course. Read more
Hunting season has finished so it’s time to review the gear we have used. We’ve been invited on driven and stalking hunts for Roebuck and did all nighters hunting for Wild Boar in Germany. Weather conditions here when hunting were mostly miserable, very cold and rainy. It’s essential to wear quality clothing or you won’t enjoy the hunt at all. Being cold or having wet feet will definitely ruin your experience. Read more
Fjällräven’s Duffel No 6 is part of the numbers collection which is the premium line. Well-thought-out functionality and the use of heavy duty eco-fabrics that should last you a lifetime. So, I hauled this 50 liter bag everywhere in the last year and gave it some dirt time. It travelled with me through deserts and jungles, hunting trips and work related city trips.
The shoulder straps can be stowed away. Read more
So, you like wild camping, desert dune bashing, wildlife spotting, desolate white sandy beaches with pristine blue water and are put off by crowds of tourists? Then Oman should definitely be on your bucket list. We packed some basic camping equipment and booked a flight to Oman last November. Being one of the least populated countries in the world and a wild camping allowed policy, this looked like a very promising destination. Also, a 30° C average daytime temperature made the decision to go very easy.
Wadi Shab
One of the most asked questions about preparing a 4×4 vehicle for a trip is: “What tires do you recommend?” On any 4×4 forum a search about tires should keep you entertained for a few hours. So, when we took delivery of the new Explore More crew truck, a 2015 Toyota Hilux, we asked ourselves the exact same question. And hours were spent researching the internet for the holy grail tire. I used to run BF Goodrich AT’s and Muds on most of my previous trucks. But the BFG AT seemes very old technology today and the Cooper Discoverer AT3 was getting raving reviews from some very reputable sources.
The Cooper Discoverer AT3 tires left everybody speechless on our trip trough Croatia, they look good too!
The Toyota is our daily driver and is used to eat highway miles to haul photographic equipment around one day, carry dive gear for four people to the beach the next and leave for an overland adventure the day after that. So we were looking for a tire that stands out on the black stuff, but also performs on gravel, rocks, mud, sand and snow. It should also be comfortable, quiet , puncture proof and last forever. Does such a tire exist? Are we expecting too much? We will see, because the above is exactly what Coopertires promise about the Discoverer AT3.
