Hi, everyone. I'm Miles and I am out in Grays Harbor County. I'm married and have two little girls that love to go camping. So far, we have been sticking to state parks, but I'm hoping once they get older I'll be able to convince them to go along with you all on one of these trips.
About 4 years ago I purchased this 05' Expedition. Though I wanted a Wrangler, the practical side won out, and bought something cheap, large, and four wheel drive. Not the ideal choice for serious off roading, but so far it's been more than adequate for Forest Service roads, the beach, logging roads, etc. My ultimate dream would be to get a RTT, but for right now we have an old tent trailer (free is a great price!)
So far for mods, there hasn't been a lot done. Last week I finished installing a lift in the rear, as the truck came with a lift in the front, which made it look like the rear was sagging. Not sure why the previous owner installed a small lift in the front? I have cheap LED lights in the rear bumper for reversing, and cheap LED lights in the grill for my long driveway. Future plans involve making a molle panel to cover the rear side window, CB install, and purchasing taller/wider tires that fit on the stock wheel. What tires do you recommend? Obviously I wouldn't be rock crawling... The Expedition has a stock limited slip in the rear, and open diff in the front.
Because of my profession, (lets just say I work in outdoor recreation) it has been extremely difficult to get a weekend off in the summer and go out on an organized trip. In fact, it's been nearly three years since myself and a few work friends went a day trip across the Wenatchee National Forest. starting in Ellensburg and coming out near Leavenworth.
Anyway, here are some pictures from that trip, and how my rig looked before and after. Thanks for the awesome website!
Welcome aboard!
Thanks Miles, we hope our hard work brings our overlanding community together! We’d love to see some more trips go up on the calendar, ping us any time.
Thanks for the awesome post and for sharing your beautiful family and pics!
Welcome to the fun house. Looks like you'll have your hands full for years to come with 2 little girls :-)
Check the events page, Todd Cole has a Hoh River trip planned for early August, there will probably be a lot more in the Central Cascades planned as we get deeper into the season.
The BFGoodrich KO2 is a great tire, or look into the Toyo AT2. The Toyo is liked by people with heavier vehicles, stiffer side walls and heavier carcass