Outskirts Overland Podcast
Welcome to the Outskirts Overland Podcast, your go-to source for all things overlanding! Hosted by a seasoned adventurer with over 15 years of experience, this podcast offers a genuine and down-to-earth exploration of the overlanding lifestyle. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just starting out, join us as we delve into the essentials of gear and equipment, share captivating stories from the road, and provide practical tips for your next adventure. Tune in for insightful interviews, expert advice, and a community of like-minded explorers who share a passion for discovering the world beyond the beaten path. Get ready to fuel your wanderlust and embark on unforgettable journeys with the Outskirts Overland Podcast!
Outskirts Overland Podcast
Overlanding With a Full Plate: Kids’ Schedules, Chores, and Big Trips
The adventure lifestyle often creates a fascinating tension between our wanderlust and our responsibilities at home. This raw, unfiltered episode dives into the reality of balancing frequent overlanding trips with the mundane necessities of maintaining a house and meeting family obligations.
Ever notice how your living space starts to show signs of neglect when you're constantly on the road? From pressure washing siding to repainting shutters and patching air mattress holes caused by an overly enthusiastic dog, the small maintenance tasks pile up when you're spending "at least two nights every other weekend" exploring. There's a certain humor in watching neighbors suddenly tackle similar projects when they see you working on yours - that subtle "keeping up with the Joneses" pressure that seems so foreign when your priorities are focused elsewhere.
The adventure calendar fills quickly as summer wanes, with exciting events on the horizon. The AUSA Jeep show in Waynesville offers a perfect opportunity for Midwest enthusiasts to connect, while Overland of America (September 12-14 in Oklahoma) and Rendezvous in the Ozarks (October 16) promise memorable experiences before the winter season closes in. For overlanders juggling work commitments, family birthdays, and other responsibilities, strategic planning becomes essential. The challenge intensifies when coordinating logistics for three children as a single parent, making each adventure that much more precious.
Have questions about overlanding, gear maintenance, or balancing adventure with daily life? Send them my way! During these quieter periods between trips, I'm looking for topics that resonate with you. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just beginning your journey into the overlanding community, your curiosity drives the conversation forward. Subscribe to join this authentic exploration of the adventure lifestyle in all its messy, beautiful reality.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Outskirts Overland. It's Monday the 11th already halfway through August. It's freaking crazy. So, yeah, sorry if you guys can hear I'm on Gravel Road, I apologize for that. Yeah, nothing, I've been looking a lot at uh, man, I don't really have a lot.
Speaker 1:I've been looking at a lot, wanting to have a lot of content for you guys for whatever reason. It's like slow right now for me, for me not. I mean, I'm sure that other people might be picking up or having more or doing more or whatever, but it has been pretty slow for me and uh, so, yeah, that's, I just don't know what, I just don't have a whole lot, but leads me to just kind of BS about anything else. So I've been dang, I've been getting my house together, because you go camp it like this is relatable, but I go, I do go camping or overlanding or road tripping or whatever you want to call it. A lot, a lot, a lot. I think yeah, a lot, just that's all that matters At least two nights every other weekend at least. And so my house was starting to pay for it. So I got outside. It's just a funny story. So I got outside and, uh, I was pressure washing my house and like repainted my shutters and stuff, and then I was outside screwing with my air mattress, got a hole in it, so I was patching that this weekend and like my neighbors across the street and next to me are pressure washing their houses, which just makes me. It just makes me laugh. Like if we aren't keeping up with the Joneses, stuff we have we like can also we also have to keep up with the Joneses on like that kind of stuff. Like it's like a mowing the ground, like I'm not letting Steve have the better grass, you know, like it's just a weird. It just makes me laugh. It just makes me laugh. I just wonder what. I wonder how different my life would be if I cared. I don't know, it's just weird. I most things that I do, I because I want to do them. Not much do I do for somebody else except my kids, you know. Know, like I actually really quite honestly, like I make sacrifices for my girlfriend and my kids and that's it, and that's actually it. That's actually it. Um, interestingly enough, yeah, whatever, it just makes me laugh.
Speaker 1:Like everybody, I pressure washed my house, I don't know, last Sunday, like I did it over the course of like the whole week this was like not a thing. I wasn't like I had all my shutters off and I was scrubbing the siding like I did the back one day and the front side one day and then I took all the shutters off and then I painted the shutters and put them up, a pair at a time they didn't even match all last week, like whatever. And then I go outside Saturday with my kids, we're playing something or other, and I see two other neighbors pressure washing their houses. Oh, it's funny, it's so funny, it's just so funny to me. I'm out there. Yeah, it just cracks me up, man. So, yeah, that's just some funny from the weekend. But I was patching a hole in my uh air mattress because I went camping with Marvin and Marvin got um, like he was like rooting in the if you guys know I don't know if that's like a common term, but like rooting to get comfortable and he poked a hole in the air mattress. So I I had patched it like right then and there, and it was okay. But now it's like good, I patched it really good. So I did that this weekend to make sure that we're straight. I did not camp at all this weekend? I didn't. I didn't do anything with the truck this weekend except go grocery shopping and I bought a bunch of groceries so I took the truck because that's where the bigger fridge is In the vehicle. So I took the truck to carry the frozen stuff in the fridge. But that's about it.
Speaker 1:I'm going to this AUSA thing it's in Waynesville, I think this weekend. It's like a Jeep show. I don't really know a whole lot about it. I'm going to this AUSA thing it's in Waynesville, I think this weekend. It's like a Jeep show. I don't really know a whole lot about it. I probably should know more than I do about it.
Speaker 1:Newfound Overland interviewed the folks and Midwest Adventure Outfitters will be there. It's like real, it's like pretty close to my house. Not that I don't think it's a good cause, I believe it's a non-profit for military members and I think they do a lot of different things. I think specifically in Waynesville, missouri, this time they're doing a Jeep show, which is so cool. I mean that falls right in line with me as a veteran. I want to get involved with that to some extent, because I can. So I'm going to go do that camp there friday night and saturday be at that um, at midwest adventure outfitters and then I think I'm gonna camp it. I mean, I'll think I'm gonna go camping saturday night, I don't know where, so I'll be doing that.
Speaker 1:But if you guys are local and some of you guys I know listen to this are don't overland or want to get into overlanding, uh, there's not a lot of stuff like kind of mid-Missouri wise, so that'll be cool to. That'd be something to go to if you want to. It's free to get in, it doesn't cost anything to go. I think it because it's a Jeep show, I think you have to pay to like enter to show your Jeep or whatever, like any car show, but it's free to. It's free to come roam around like any car show, but it's free to. It's free to come roam around. So that would I mean I would highly recommend doing that If you're anywhere local. I I've. Maybe I should learn a little bit more about it so I could pass that on to you guys. But I'll be at that, not I mean, just as a person like you know, if I can help Benji in any way, I will at Midwest adventure outfitters if he needs it, or if not, I'll kind of just be around. I probably won't even be promoting the podcast or anything. Just, you know, there'll probably be some Q&As and different things I could probably get in on and hopefully I could, you know, go do something good there. But I'll be doing that this weekend and other than that, guys, I've just been working doing that this weekend and other than that, guys, I just been working.
Speaker 1:It is it's at the end of every year in my, in my job, the way I usually work. It is I go on. These expos are like all of September and almost all of October. I'm gone, like a couple of years ago I went to Colorado for two weeks, came back for four days, went to big iron, came back for a week, went to rendezvous. Okay, that's what I did, like that's a pretty normal September, october deal for me. This year I'm going to um, overland of America, then a couple of weeks later I'm going to go to rendezvous. During rendezvous I'm gonna go the whole week, though it starts on Thursday and I'll I'm going on Monday so to get some time out and it was. But that's pretty normal. But then pretty much from I could probably go camping one more weekend in October and then, uh, it's till Christmas. I got to.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's pretty much locked to work due to what I, given what I do for a living, with all the holidays, it kind of gets jacked up with just the holidays, mess with closings, and, given what I do, that usually triggers me to be a little busier. So I work pretty pretty much all of November and December until the end of December. So, um, it's, it's coming up like yes, like it's already here. So that's a little bit of a. That's always a little bit of a bummer when you start planning stuff and you're like man, you're looking through your schedule and you're like man, that's already here, like dang.
Speaker 1:I do have like both my kids' birthdays in September. Well, my oldest daughter, my nine-year-old daughter's 10, 10-year-old this year, her birthday's in august, um, and then my other two is early september. So I got all that too. But yeah, just whatever. Three kids, a lot of kids, and I'm not married, so there's a lot of orchestrating going on there, logistics, so, but that's, everybody works with it, so it works out fine. But yeah, nothing, nothing really going on.
Speaker 1:I'm going to that thing on sat friday. I'm going to camp friday night. I don't think that's a thing. So I don't know, I mean I might get the camped in benji's yard patch, I don't know, like I don't know where we're camping friday night. But I'm going that on Friday night because it starts kind of early Saturday and I don't want to get up all like early early to drive Saturday morning to our camp. But I think it's a pretty short event. I think it only goes to like 2 pm or 3 pm or something, nothing late, nothing later, all day even really. So that'd be cool and if you guys can get out to that, I highly recommend you do so.
Speaker 1:And then over land of America is coming September 12th, 13th, 14th, jay, oklahoma. If you guys want to buy tickets to that and save a little money, use Outskirts10. I have a code. It can save you some money. I mean it looks like it's going to be a blast. If you guys are interested in what that's about, I did an interview with them. I did a podcast with them where they went over everything, not a couple weeks ago, so you guys can go back and look at that, see what that's all about. Sounds like it's going to be a blast, just actually a blast. So I'd highly recommend checking that out.
Speaker 1:And then Rendezvous in the Ozarks is October 16th. October 16th or that week, thursday, friday, saturday. The week that week, the Monday is the 13th, so I think it starts at 16th. Um, and that'll be rendezvous in those arts. That'll be me and the crew that you heard on the podcast last week, uh, me and the boys, and we'll all be there with families and everything. It'll be like our, our.
Speaker 1:We usually do a yearly get together somewhere. One year we did two events together one time and ever since then we've had larger groups, so we haven't actually all been together. So this will be the first year in two years, two years, two or three years that we're all going to be together. We're usually missing one here or there for a wedding or a birthday or something's or a you know something's got family stuff. We're always missing, missing one somewhere, and uh, it'll be nice that we're all together at rendezvous.
Speaker 1:I've had a couple of people, kind of from far away, say that they really would like to make it to hang out with us. Uh, and they're like you know, they're from a ways away, so hopefully they can make it to you. You know, I definitely Brian from Boondock Haverlock came out last year and, uh, to rendezvous and I had a great time with him. Like he came from North Carolina People travel for that event, seemingly but I had a really good time with him and I hope he could make it again too, seemingly, but I had a really good time with him and I hope he could make it again too. I don't know if it's in the cards, but it would be sick. So, anyways, that's what I got for today. I might have something a little more specific tomorrow.
Speaker 1:It's just a slow time for me. I'm doing you know I'm just doing house stuff. You know I'm doing getting my house situated. I think I've talked about this. I talk about it maybe once or twice a year on here, like I don't live full time on the road, so like it's this real weird. Like the house suffers, like the house just suffers at times. You know, laundry suffers. Just sometimes I gotta, I gotta take a, take some time and get the house back in. You know an order. I'm happy to be in get the house back in. You know an order I'm happy to be in.
Speaker 1:I'm not in it as much. Pretty much January to uh, I'm not in it as much. Pretty much January through August, honest to God. So it's like not a big deal. I'm like this I'm there four days, you know, like really a week, and I just make it work and go from there, but it's nothing. I mean, it doesn't bother me. Now that I've been home like a week, I think I was home like I don't know. I've been home like three weekends, I think I don't know. I've had kids stuff, so I don't even know. I don't want to look at it and be upset about that. Um, I've had kids stuff, like a lot of it. So I don't, you know, I carved that out. Now's the time to get the house situated, cause I'm going to be here. So I've been doing that.
Speaker 1:Football started, like those of you that listen to the podcast, no, like freaking football and hockey man, like it's everything to me. So that's really big and I'm really really like gotta, that's a must for me. So gotta, make sure I can watch it or be about it. Even when I'm camping, I try to make sure I'm good to go with that. So, yep, that's what's going on. Nothing really crazy. Just it's a down time for me which makes it hard to come up with content. I mean, that's what it is. So I will talk to you guys. Another day I'm probably going to try and get somebody on.
Speaker 1:I've been getting a lot of emails lately people wanting to be on the podcast. I'm really I have never had somebody on the podcast that wanted to be on the podcast. I've only had people on the podcast. I've asked to be on the podcast. I've only had people on the podcast. I've asked to be on the podcast. So, and due to the nature of me wanting to be as genuine and authentic as absolutely possible, I am always a little like leery when people ask to be on, so it's always a little weird for me. So yeah, it's weird, so I'll see what I do with that. But I'll probably have some guests.
Speaker 1:I got a couple of people that I want to have on to just chit, chat and stuff and I introduced you guys to all my friends. I'm sure they will all have their own episode at some point. That was kind of like the icebreaker to get them, to get them on and get their feelers out for it. They've all been with me the last few years and they know what it looks like and kind of how it works. That's the first time I've gotten all them on. Tyson's been on before. I never had Corey, chris or Johnny on, so I got them on. That. That breaks ice, and now I'll get them on individually. You guys will get to know them. They each have a their own unique story and it's worth hearing. So I think that's something that I will try to do, if I can get them pinned down. So anyways, guys, that's what I got.
Speaker 1:If you guys have anything for me, if you guys have anything you want me to talk about, that always helps me out and I'm more than happy to bring that to your attention. I did get a message from an individual last week and maybe I'll cover that tomorrow. Um, it was a good question and I had covered a lot of it previously, but man, going back into my podcast would kind of suck, I think. So I wouldn't expect him to do that, to be honest with you. So I may I may kind of cover his question, just live and give you guys my opinion on what he's asked. But if you guys also have any questions you'd like like answered or like to hear me talk about anything I mean anything about anything, not just overlanding, just anything If you guys just value my opinion and want to hear what my opinion on something is shoot it at me and uh, we'll go from there. I'll catch you guys later and have a good Monday.
