expocruiser: 2009

Marcus and I made the long 6+ hour drive from San Diego to Pismo Beach in my FJ40 Land Cruiser for the 8th annual Surf 'n Turf event (November 2009). Slow, loud, unrefined, with no radio or AC, it was an incredibly monotonous journey out, save for the beautiful drive along the coast between Ventura up past Santa Barbara and finally arriving at Pismo. This was our second straight year attending Surf 'n Turf, which is the largest gathering of Toyota Land Cruisers in the Northern Hemisphere. Land Cruiser owners from all over the U.S. converge on the sand dunes of Pismo Beach to camp out on the beach once a year. There is everything there from the original FJ40 inspired FJ Cruisers, to all years of Land Cruisers, from stock to custom builds, including rare non-U.S. imports.

When Marcus and I pulled into camp, there were already hundreds of people already there. We set up in the next available spot, and lucked out by having wonderful neighbors. Our neighbors were from Central California, and Marcus and their kids were instant friends. They spent the weekend playing football, digging in the sand, playing in the ocean, etc., etc. Our neighbors told me about how they loved to do extended camping trips where they would explore and check out as much as possible and explained "expedition" style vehicle based camping. They were equipped to go to remote locations where they had to carry their own provisions including food, water, ice, supplies, fuel, etc., for many days at a time while they went and explored remote locations away from all services and civilization. This idea of traveling remotely, off-road, relying on what I carried, and seeing things most people don't get to see appealed to me greatly. They mentioned they were planning a small group trip to Death Valley that next spring and invited us along. Although this was the first weekend I had met them, I accepted their invitation and we started making plans for a week-long trip into Death Valley. As I started researching more about this "expedition"-style camping, and how it incorporated off-roading with camping with exploration, I realized this was exactly what I enjoyed doing.

My blue FJ40 next to a similar green 40 series

My first exposure to roof-top tents. We spent the weekend on the ground (on the right), but after seeing people set up with RTT's, I knew that was the direction I wanted to go.