Overland Expo 2014

Mormon Lake did not disappoint. It was windy as hell. Again. For the third year in a row. They advertised this years expo as the largest yet. And apparently they advertised well, it was packed. We arrived around noon on Friday to find the camping area almost full and utterly chaotic. They did not put thought into it and several of the "roads" had been claimed as camping spots. We smushed ourselves in a corner and began erecting camp. We kept it fairly simple: Pete and Mandy used their roof top tent and Foxwing and we declined to set up the tag a long, only setting up the Foxwing and walls. (whoops, I didn't take a picture of camp in the daylight)

We lassoed up the dogs and went to check out the vendors and rigs.

Chillin while mom and dad shop.

The actual expo was okay. I don't think it was their biggest yet. The vendors always change every year, with only a few coming back every year. We landed ourselves some awesome chairs from OzTent, an AZ BDR map, and some sweet KC lights (at a steal). And AEV gave us some sweet hats for being loyal customers.

The rigs never disappoint.

 
John from Canyon Country Teardrops was with Adventure Trailers. We caught up and showed our trailer to some potential customers. We even ran into Joe, who bought our Howling Moon Tent from us a few months back. It's pretty cool to see how thrilled he and his wife are with it and it sounds like they have already used it more than we did. 

We watched a few rigs do the vehicle course. And yeah, the wind got worse as the weekend progressed.

The sky on Friday night was killer.

I wasn't thrilled to be camping so close to people. But by the days end I came to the realization that while we were all packed into the camping area like sardines, we all view camping as a passion. People were generally very quiet, clean, courteous, and friendly. There were no generators, loud music, piss drunks, or obnoxious pets. It's nice to camp with a huge crowd of people that value camping.

As antisocial as I am, i found the social experiences more rewarding the the actual expo. Overlanders, campers, outdoor enthusiasts are so easy to get along with. Conversations flow easily and no matter what our rig is, we all value the same thing: life off of the well beaten path, full of adventure and wilderness.

I had a few good days with friends, my wonderful husband and awesome dogs. Camping is so important and necessary for my psyche and mental health. Each trip is an enriching experience in itself and helps recharge my batteries.

After all: