Our 2014 NW Overland Rally experience started about 10 minutes before we were supposed to talk about our Vancouver to Costa Rica trip. Traffic at the border and along Highway 2 added a couple of extra hours to our journey. We rolled in at 6:50pm, just in time for our 7:00pm presentation and finally allowing the organizer, Ray Hyland, to relax.
This event was well planned with plenty of activities to do throughout each of the days… our only problem was that we were so busy chatting that we only got a chance to participate in a couple of things! We finally met with Luis from Lost World Expedition, camped beside and were fed by Taisa and Ernesto from Overland the Americas, and shared drinks with Sarah and Bryon from Exploring Elements. There were so many others we met and talked to that made for a fantastic time at the rally!
The crew from X Overland talk about their first two seasons and their plans for next season. It was awesome being able to chat with Clay one on one and talk about trucks and travel. If you haven’t seen Expedition Overland check it out on Youtube here.
Last time we saw Taisa, Ernesto, and their 4Runner Sooty, was a month before leaving on our trip. It was great seeing them again!
Another familiar face was Matt Glass from ARB 4×4! (He’s not actually in the photo, but the ARB 4×4 Tacoma is!)
Mule Expedition Outfitters brought their awesome Suzuki LJ81 and VW Syncro.
Nitro Gear & Axle‘s awesome Land Cruiser BJ73 was on the grass and on the trails.
Sarah and Bryon from Exploring Elements are making their way North to Alaska. It was great to finally meet Sarah after meeting Bryon at last years SoCal Mountain Rendezvous. 
Bryon ran his #EEXP Dodge through the offroad course for the ’embarrassing wetness’ challenge.
Sarah is Ashley’s new girl-crush. Yes, that’s red wine in a mason jar.
We felt like old friends even though we had only met Ernesto and Taisa once and Luis never… except for on facebook. That counts right? 
The ever popular bonfire raffle. We didn’t win, but for those 60 minutes, we had hope!
We’re so sorry we weren’t able to make it to NW Overland Rally but next year for sure! In comparison to our , not as favorable experience at Overland Expo at Mormon Lake, this looks smaller, and far far less dusty!
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Rhonda this even was so much fun. This was my first overland expo, but certainly not my last. Being a member of NorthWestOverland.com we got the opportunity to volunteer, which as it turned out was a great way to meet people as they arrived and were leaving. I already told Ray and Marianne to put me on the list for next year. The best thing about this even for me was how many people were there, but how absolutely laid back it was. I am actually new to Overlanding, but not to 4 wheeling/offroading. Just hanging out with these people just makes you want to keep doing it. So I am looking forward to my first trip, someday….