Expedition Preparation LINKS

In preparation for our future adventures....
These are a few valuable links I have found for expedition and overland travel. They are most directly related to desert or jungle travel, as those will be the two more common environments requiring specialization in certain aspects, in which we will be traveling.

Tropical Forest Expeditions. Royal Geographical Society document.

"If you can control your imagination, then the tropical rain forest can prove to be a
fascinating and beautiful place; it is a world so utterly unlike anything else."

Desert Expeditions. Royal Geographical Society document.

"All sand offers better flotation and traction when cool, dewy or damp; a bad bogging in the heat of
the afternoon will be easier to get out of around dawn (and will cost less water -see Desert
Survival)."

Vehicle Dependent Expeditions. Royal Geographical Society document.

"Use the smallest and lightest vehicles appropriate
for the task and terrain"

Expeditions West: Adventure Resources Scott Brady and others.

Expeditions West has several resource papers and great links. As well as a wealth of information for vehicle setup, trips, and equipment lists.

Wow, a year has gone by...

So, yes, its been well over a year since my last post. Many adventures have been had!

Here are a few photos from my last year of adventures, starting with the most recent!

MexTrek 2009. Full ride report here

Chasing a donkey around the top of a mountain. This youngin didnt know what to think of motos. I was ahead of the group and decided to get off the bike to video them, when they rounded a bend, the donkey, who was just up the hill from me charged down at me. Nearly running into me!

Kevin and his sister who I brought a soccer ball to. I talked with Kevin earlier this year on another motorcycle trip.

Returning to the US after 5 days in Mexico.

June 28-ish, 2009: A turning point and major bummer of my life. The passing of my dad.
All the Brown kids after my dad's funeral. I'm going to dedicate an entire post for my dad later.

Left to Right, Brendan and Rebekah, Mark (my cousins), David, Jason (my brothers), Me, Jamie, and Kaley.

My next adventure was moving to Denton, TX and starting a new job. Not many pictures of this adventure, but we have our own house and garage!

July 17-ish: While at work, I met a young man from Canada who was returning home from a several month long journey through Central America. He had originally driven down with friends, but parted ways with them, stayed longer, bought a moto to tour around on and return home with.

May 8-ish, 2009: Graduation. Four years of Hades.


Dad, Mom, Kylie, Kacy, Me

May 1-ish, 2009: My first enduro race. Was a great time! My parents wife and youngin joined me in the woods to watch me compete. I had only ridden the bike like 4 times before this race... not at all was I ready, but I did it. I couldn't eat that morning, too nervous. That affected me. But overall, I finished 99 out of 290 some odd, and 4th of 9 in my class.

Weekend of Feb 14, 2009: We spent the weekend in Arkansas. Our first time to stay in a "Cabin." The cabin was more of an attempt to fancify one of those pre-fabbed wood barns you buy at Home Depot.... well, it was nice to get away.

Little Missouri Falls

Airing down the tires for a smoother ride.


Having fun near the LMF.

December 28, 2009 and January 3, 2009: The Mexican "Titty Bar Tour". Aptly named... to attract attention on Adventure Rider. Ride Reports HERE (ADVrider, Rated PG-13) and HERE (Expedition Portal, PG)








Will update more tomorrow... But that is all for THIS year, gotta catch up to my last post, I've got a couple more small adventures in the bag.

Saline Bayou (National Scenic River). South of Goldonna, Louisiana.

My wife and I have been wanting to buy a canoe. Well, a friend said I can borrow his whenever I want, because it sits there "three hundred and sixty four days a year.""How about this weekend?" I asked him. Sure, where you going to go? "Ummm, I was thinking Bayou Pierre..." Then he was like "nah, that one's pretty much just an irrigation canal. Go check out Saline Bayou. It used to be great before they dammed it off at the river.""I've passed over it a few times. Looks like a good one to go try out." I tell him.

So today my wife, daughter, and I loaded up the truck and went down to da bayah'. This was my 2 year old daughter's first canoe trip. GPS tracks indicated 4 miles of (ME) paddling. Was a great time. Didn't see much wildlife other than a few herons and egrets.We weren't too impressed with this section of the river, so we decided to check out the Bayou where it entered the north side of the lake.

Loaded up the canoe....strapped in the wild child then traveled down an awesomely BAD paved road to Goldonna, La. Took a right on a semi-residential street.

(think of a town with only 2 blocks of housing and this as the post office...)

Well, the road we turned down was paved for about .25 miles and quickly turned into this....

Not complaining... but check this out.
So you know we were in Goldonna. The road we are on is the one that goes from Goldonna to the intersection of 1233 close to the "F" in forest.

Things being as they are, progress comes, old roads go..... we are stopped by this.

And to top this off....... someone didn't do their honey do list and left a pile of shotgun shells only feet from this letter.

Good times.

On Sunday, I took another ride up into the hills north of Natchitoches. This time, to make up time I went up the interstate, close to the picture taken above. This is the old Allan-Marthaville Road. Long since detoured and re-routed. Which path did I take? Of course the old one. But not for long.

I spied a nice trail to my right that went down a pipe line. I didnt see any posted signs so I proceeded. This is definately not the place to be when wet.



I hate logging. Unfortunately, it looked like this area needed it... It looked like a lot of the pine trees had bugs. The others were just cut for timber, I reckon.


Where I came from...

Where I'm going...

It hasn't rained in a few days. I reckon there is a spring on top of the hill. The machines going back and forth probably helped heave the water out of the ground...

I picked up a cool little hitch hiker on the pipeline. I love praying mantids. I bought a cup of them one time from a garden supply store. You put them in your garden and they eat the pesky bugs that eat your crops in your garden. I had something like 100 in the cup. Had hundreds more the next year. The year after that... didnt see a one.


I hate ignorant rednecks who kill innocent snakes. This guy was in the middle of NOWHERE! Pisses me right off.... killing these awesome snakes. This snake was in the middle of no where with NO houses within miles. But, it was run over and rattles cut off and from the look of it, beaten with a shovel. It would have never hurt anyone.

This is a canebrake rattle snake, a subspecies of the timber rattler. This one is about as big as they get in the wild. This ole girl was probably 20 years old or older. Stupid ass rednecks. Its a shame people are afraid of animals so much smaller than them.


I had seen some horse tracks in the sand a few miles back... when I rounded a curve I was suprised to see these folks.


I had stopped at an intersection to consult the map, giving the folks time to catch up so I could ask them questions...The ol coger on the second wagon asked if i "needed the mules to 'rastle that ther bike." I said nah, i reckon i'm good. They asked what if I was lost... I told them I'm not lost but I dont know where I'm going... they got a kick out of that so I explained my trail and that I am just exploring new places to go and connecting more dirt. They were like... oh... alright!I asked what they were doing and they said just enjoying the sunday and out for a ride. (atleast I'm not the only one)They lived just up the road at the house in the photo... on a chicken farm. Chicken farmers.

I picked a smelly spot to stop... Chicken manure.



I wanted to check out a town I had never been to before to make sure they had gas just in case. Yep. $4.10/gal when prices are 3.90 elsewhere. Cool little general store. When I pulled up, the pumps had a little sign saying to double the cost when pumped. Cool.Onward.Was checking a "road" that showed up on my GPS. It was grown up and gated/fenced at one fork and sure enough on the other. It was fun and tight.Nice hog wallow on the Old Marthaville Rd



The fence. The GPS indicated the road went between those trees. Shoot. Turn around...And ride through this....



Miles later.... I thought this was cool... looked better in person for some reason.

Diseased chicken farms! Keep out. Makes you wonder what you are eating....