The latest in the 48-year dynasty of Turtle Expedition research trucks, The Turtle V and its European-style Tortuga Expedition Camper have gone through a continuous process of refinement since it was conceived in 1999. Back then it was an experiment. Now, with over 200,000 miles on the odometer including a two-year/40,000-mile expedition through 26 countries following […]
Certainly one of our secrets over the years has been that during the months that we are off the road and The Turtle trucks are parked outside, they are always protected by Custom Covercraft Covers. As much as we love our vehicles and as much as they cost nowadays, and considering how much of them are made of plastic and rubber, it just makes sense to protect them. Covercraft Custom covers come in a variety of styles and materials. Our favorite has been Evolution, designed to stop just about anything that might fall from the sky.
Waking up in Sintra we looked out the window to find out there was an antique motorcycle show in progress. Since Gary used to ride a motorcycle, (Kawasaki 350 Avenger and Honda 750), we couldn’t resist taking a few pictures. The Motorcycle Club of Sintra is the oldest in Portugal, and this is their 29th […]
On the road and looking for a good place for the night, the modern gas stations and truck stops in Germany are often ideal. They have clean restrooms but it will cost you a Euro to use them. If it’s a big truck stop, parking areas are large and easily accommodate small motorhomes like ours. […]
We have been working with Murphy for many years. We know his 1st law; “If anything can go wrong, it probably will.” We waited patiently in the dusty parking lot of A1 Escort Service near the Port of Baltimore. In order to enter the Port, either to pick up something or to deliver something to […]
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!!! We’re not shipping to Germany after all. Just two days before we were scheduled to deliver The Turtle V to the port in Baltimore, we received the following email from a member of The Silk Road Caravan Club: A couple of years ago, a couple shipped their RV to Germany and were […]
Not that we were worried or that we didn’t trust the hard-working longshoremen in Baltimore or in Belgium, but we had read about the horror stories of campers being broken into and equipment being stolen. When you’re shipping a vehicle overseas, replacing equipment is much more difficult. The Turtle Expedition’s Tortuga Camper will not fit […]
One of the last minute projects we took care of in Wrightsville PA was to have the experts at Safelite (in York) replace the windshield. It was not broken, but it had acquired the normal little bug and sand pits over the last 50,000 miles. We wanted to start fresh. Admittedly, I am a little […]
Our last stop before shipping The Turtle V to Europe was Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, home of Hoak’s Four Wheel Drive Center. This was a safe harbor to do a final oil & filter change, remove all lights, cameras, GPS, etc. from the outside and the cab for safe transport in the double-locked camper, and finish up […]
Leaving the Espar Headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario, we headed south towards New York State. Crossing the Rainbow Bridge we snapped a picture of Niagara Falls and it occurred to me that we were not “traveling”. This was just “driving”. Our typical travel day might only involve 150 miles and maybe 4 or 5 hours on […]
