October 2012

As our journey toward building our TRD FJC into a capable overland/extended camping (See Tacoma Magazine, Sept 2012 for my rant on that subject) has progressed, it became very clear that we would need a portable fridge sooner rather than later. Like many of you, we combed Expedition Portal and back issues of Overland Journal, along with other forums and recommendations from friends on which fridge to go with. While we’ll be using the fridge often, we have no expeditions across Africa planned. Since we have a custom storage shelf in the back of the FJ, we didn’t need a complete array of accessories. A basic, quality, easy to install and use fridge would do fine for us.

As the hot days of summer start to fight the cool evenings that speak the forever tale of fall. It is once again time for the New Mexico gathering of FJ’s “Thrill on the Hill”.

It’s hard to believe it has been a year already since our introduction into the FJ community, and it all started with the purchase of a used VooDoo blue FJ Cruiser. Our FJ (Abby) was intended to be a tool used as means to depart from the hustle and grind that is our life, as so many of us often need. What was unexpected is the persona this particular FJ Cruiser has seemed to take on. It could be the warm introductions of new friends, the explorations of magnificent landscapes, or the feeling of relying on our FJ to carry us back to the comforts of home. Whatever the cause, it is hard to deny that wherever our ventures take us; Abby is there, just like that weird neighbor kid that would always winds up in the background of family videos.

Our trip to OR started with a visit to DeLorme to check out their new inReach two-way gps/satellite messaging system.  We had the opportunity to use the Spot Connect during the Idaho Overland Expedition and wanted to talk to the folks at DeLorme about the differences between the two systems.
The inReach message system connects, via bluetooth, with any iPhone/iPad/Android device through the DeLorme inReach app.  The system offers gps tracking, S.O.S. messaging, and two-way messaging, a feature the competition does not offer.

Photography by Angie Williams, Jim Akers, & Shane Williams

July in the FJ Cruiser world really means just one thing: the annual pilgrimage to Ouray, Colorado for the FJ Summit. This year marked the sixth time we’ve taken over ‘Switzerland of America’ high in the San Juan Mountains. There was something a little different about the event this year though that was obvious from the second we pulled into town: Toyota trucks!

At over 275 registered vehicles (and a few un-registered), the FJ Summit is once again the largest Toyota 4x4 event in the country. While our beloved FJs were by far the most common truck, the organizers made it clear from the beginning that the 2012 Summit would welcome all Toyota trucks and SUVs. The logo for the 2012 event even includes a truck, solidifying the Summit as THE Toyota event of the year.