Overlanding to the Limits - Part I

Conquering the roads of Alaska and exploring the extensive Pan-American Highway became a reality for this adventurous wheeling enthusiast.

by

Words and photos by Dan Grec

YouTube: @TheRoadChoseMe

Driving a Jeep 65,000 km (40,000 mi) is perhaps not the first aspiration when most people think of an overland trip, but that's exactly what I did. After extensive planning and hoping my modest savings would cover the adventure of a lifetime, I finally set out on my journey leaving Calgary, AB, and driving north to The Arctic Ocean at the northern tip of Alaska before swinging south on The Pan-American Highway to Tierra Del Fuego, the southernmost point of South America.

The Trip Planning

I’ve always dreamt about driving a 4x4 along beaches with the roof down or discovering the isolated beauty of the true North and the strong, simple build of a Jeep Wrangler was the perfect choice for such an adventure. I prepared extensively for this trip acquiring the proper visas, immunizations, not to mention conducting maintenance and accumulating a variety of spare parts for my Jeep.

Always planning for the unexpected, I kept my rig as stock and simple as possible so it would attract less attention and I would lose less money in the event of theft, a serious accident, or other unforeseen and serious circumstances. So, the only modifications I did was build a plywood storage box (with the help of my brother)  that fit nicely in the back for $70 CAD and mounted a new set of 31” x 10.5” all-season Dunlop RV XT Radial Rover tires.

When it came to planning for spare parts, I brought along everything I thought would give me trouble or leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere. I settled on radiator and heater hoses, a serpentine belt, all major fluids, filters, and a large selection of tools. In case of an ancillary failure like an alternator or starter, I hoped to get it rebuilt. Failing that, my friends in Canada could always ship me parts. Nonetheless, I realized I would have to deal with situations as they came up. And as long as I didn’t give up, I would eventually find a solution to every problem that I would encounter.

To cut costs, I planned to sleep in my tent and cook my meals to stretch my tiny budget as far as possible. Whenever I tried to plan too far ahead, I would get overwhelmed and start to doubt the possibility of this trip. Additionally, several people told me that I would never make it for various negative reasons yet at some point, I began ignoring the naysayers and spent my time speaking with people who had extensive travel experience and took their advice.

Setting out

After saving and planning, I quit my job and set out on a mid-June morning driving north with my head filled with beautiful images of Alaska. The amazingly beautiful Campbell Highway in the Yukon was an excellent side tour and the Top of The World Highway from Dawson City, YT, across to Alaska has to be seen to be believed. The fabled Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay lived up to its reputation and crossing the Brooks Range was one of the most impressive mountain passes I’ve ever experienced. I camped two nights near The Arctic Ocean, watching the sun circle the sky, never getting remotely close to the horizon. Wearing sunglasses at 3 am is a novelty that plants a permanent grin on my face.

Travelling South Bound

Following my experiences in the great white north, I began my journey south down through Western Canada and into the Western U.S. As I settled into a routine of camping, cooking, and replenishing gear, life on the road became fairly straightforward and relatively easy. I visited many of the major national parks, and hiking was my entertainment during the days and nights. But with winter slowly approaching, I became more and more motivated to keep travelling south to warmer climates. With an abundance of BLM land, supermarkets, and gas stations, overlanding really doesn’t get much easier – though in the back of my mind I knew my trip would soon become more difficult.

As I crossed into Mexico, I sensed the beginning of a new life in Latin America. Every day provided new experiences meeting interesting people and enjoying stunning landscapes. Baja was an easy introduction to this part of the world, but my lack of Spanish became a problem. I could fumble my way to get the essentials I needed, however after a couple of months I took a week-long, one-on-one Spanish lesson in El Salvador, which helped me a lot. It wasn’t long before I was saying all kinds of horrible sentences in Spanish.

I didn’t plan an exact route in detail for this trip as I listened to the advice from locals along the way. If someone recommended a highlight and they pointed vaguely south, that was good enough for me. Originally, I thought my expedition would span about a year, yet it soon became clear that wouldn’t be enough time. The adventure took on a life of its own and I soon relaxed into a slower pace and let the experiences roll on.

Central America is packed with endless opportunities for adventure and as the months passed by, I continually had experiences that pushed my limits and opened my eyes to the world around me. For instance, in Mexico and Belize, I hiked through the jungle to see Mayan temples while monkeys swung from branch to branch, while in Guatemala I hiked up an active volcano and stood next to a river of flowing lava. I got close enough to poke it with a stick and it instantly evaporated. Marshmallows roasted over lava have a special flavour and there’s nothing quite like the flame-roasted variety.

When I travelled through El Salvador and Nicaragua, I surfed and swam in pristine waters, enjoyed the white sand beaches, and camped among the palm trees and ocean for just a few dollars a night. In each country, my confidence grew, and it was always entertaining to wander the narrow streets of rural villages and experience the local cuisine. The hot sauces varied from spicy to insanely hot, and everyone always smiled and laughed when I tried my best to ignore the tears streaming down my face. The variety of food was always delicious and plentiful – I also couldn’t say no to the price – $1 for a heaping serving.

During my travels, I heard nightmares about safety in Honduras, so I drove clear across the country in a 14-hour push. I was stopped by corrupt officials several times and though they tried to separate me from my money, I always left without paying a cent. Pretending not to understand a word of Spanish was a great help. I said No Entiendo (I do not understand) so many times that even I got sick of hearing my lame excuse.

I avoided driving at night whenever possible for two main reasons; highway blockades by bandits are much more likely and the chances of road accidents increase ten-fold. Countless times I saw cars appear out of the darkness doing 100 km/h (62 mph) without a single light or reflector. Pedestrians, animals, and farm machinery were also likely to be in the middle of the road around every bend without warning. The risks are simply not worth it, and what I enjoyed most was finding a place to camp early in the afternoon so I could relax in front of a quickly setting sun.

Countries in Central America are fairly small, which meant border crossings became common and unique. Despite all the hype, I successfully crossed each one without paying a single bribe. There are many bureaucratic hoops to jump through set up by governments and they believe paperwork is God.

The requirements to drive my Canadian-plated Jeep into each country were always the same. I would stand in line at immigration to get a tourist visa valid for a month before wandering over to Customs for a Temporary Import Permit for the Jeep. These were usually free and sometimes just $10. In a few countries, I was required to purchase mandatory liability insurance for $20 or $30. But with all of that complete, I drove my Canadian Jeep through each country as a tourist. Most borders are chaotic places, but I quickly got the hang of it and it just became another highlight (and the perfect place to practice my Spanish).

Keeping the Jeep running in top condition was also high on my list of priorities, and after every 10,000 km (6,214 mi) or so, I would inspect everything under the hood and complete oil changes and tire rotations. Nothing was ever amiss and the Jeep performed flawlessly.

Driving over the Panama Canal on the enormous Bridge Of The Americans just outside Panama City felt like a huge milestone on my overland expedition, and signaled the end of exploring Central America. Getting to South America will prove to be the biggest and most difficult logistical challenge of this whole undertaking.

Follow Dan’s ongoing global adventures on Instagram and YouTube @TheRoadChoseMe