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PROFILE / Robert Nimkoff
THE LAND ROVER MUDDY CHEF CHALLENGE
Proust/Solihull Questionnaire
1. If Land Rover made an aircraft would you fly in it? Why/Why Not?
Yes, but it would have to be a glider.
2. Tell us a little about your background, your career and where you live.
Ex Seafood industry exec from Westport, CT currently living in Weston, CT. Punted the corp arena in 2008 to professionally pursue auto racing career and that’s how I’m depleting my retirement funds now!
3. How many Land Rovers have you owned and which was your favorite?
My 1982 Stage One SIII is the first Land Rover for me. Ever since my Uncle bought a SII back in the 70’s (named Ralph) I’ve wanted one. Still want an 88 as well.
4. What’s the best thing about owning a Land Rover?
Just being different and not having a carefree easy to drive car. It’s also very utilitarian for camping and farm work.
5. What’s the worst thing about owning a Land Rover?
Not being able to smoke, drink and text at the same time because I’ve got to watch the road at all times!!!
6. Been on an adventure? – tell us about it
Since it’s a new acquisition the Muddy Chef 3 was my first foray off road. Needless to say I had an adventure at Orvis when she rolled on the side in the articulation section. See photo!!
7. How do you plan to beat the competition this year at the Muddy Chef Challenge?
Mario Batali is my co camper this year so I don’t need to say much more than that.
8. If you could ask Land Rover for a particular type of vehicle what would it be?
Probably another gnarly basic off Series like vehicle. Jeep have taken this segment. Take it back.
9. What upgrades/modifications does your Land Rover have?
Pretty stock. US trailer hitch.
10. If you were on safari which three people would you pick to bring along?
Richard Leakey, Jim Carrey (most recently in Dumb and Dumber to), and my son.
Richard Leakey is Kenyan politician, paleoanthropologist and conservationist.
PROFILE / Max Simmons
THE LAND ROVER MUDDY CHEF CHALLENGE
This week we interview attorney, new father, style icon and sunroof-less Discovery owner Max Simmons.
Proust/Solihull Questionnaire
1. If Land Rover made an aircraft would you fly in it? Why/Why Not?
I’d always trust a Land Rover to get me to the remotest location. I’d want an aircraft carrier there waiting for me in the event that it assumed the British position when I went to start it the next morning.
2. Tell us a little about your background, your career and where you live.
Blue-eyed blond welfare baby born to a teen single-mother in small-town central Illinois. After working my way through college (and I do mean working — ask me sometime about some of those jobs!) I spent nearly a decade working for non-profits and politicians in Wisconsin till opting for law-school. I now live in New Haven with my perfect wife, Abigail, and our perfect children, Emma-Marguerite and Francesco. My eyes are still blue but the hair is gray.
3. How many Land Rovers have you owned and which was your favorite?
My ’97 Discovery is my first. It’s perfect for me. Stepped roof, alpine windows, and super-robust frame and drivetrain echo the original safari-mobiles while the ABS, airbags, A/C and side-impact beams update it just enough (my friends say it’s perfect for me because it’s a little bit redneck and a little bit elitist). After a long region-wide search (I wanted one without sunroofs) I found it hibernating mostly rust-free in an East Haven garage. The owner bought it as a project that he never got around to starting.
4. What’s the best thing about owning a Land Rover?
Two things: (1) Seeing it waiting for me in the parking lot: It promises adventure and escape, even if only once in a while, and (2) the friendship with my mechanic.
5. What’s the worst thing about owning a Land Rover?
The friendship with my mechanic.
6. Been on an adventure? – tell us about it
Besides the Muddy Chef? So far the adventures have been the steep learning curve in roadside repairs using bubblegum and duct tape.
7. How do you plan to beat the competition this year at the Muddy Chef Challenge?
Lock Eric Archer and Chris Copeland in the basement till August 3rd.
8. If you could ask Land Rover for a particular type of vehicle what would it be?
An updated NAS Defender 110 (or a 130!). I’m a family guy, and I’d love to have a suitably sized Rover for hauling the whole herd into some more remote locations.
9. What upgrades/modifications does your Land Rover have?
TrueTrac diffs, front diff guard, JATE rings, and . . . new headliner!
10. If you were on safari what three people (living or dead) would you pick to bring along?
I probably should say Selous, Stanley and Schweitzer, but more likely I’d prefer Groucho Marx, Julia Child and Ansel Adams.
PROFILE / Keenan Langlois
THE LAND ROVER MUDDY CHEF CHALLENGE
This week we are interviewing Keenan Langlois – Muddy Chef competitor, professional Chef, LR4 owner, and the man with one of the coolest campsites at last year’s Muddy Chef Challenge.
Proust/Solihull Questionnaire
1. If Land Rover made an aircraft would you fly in it? Why/Why Not?
Yes. I would imagine if Land Rover made an aircraft it would be a helicopter, luxury on the inside with amazing maneuverability.
2. Tell us a little about your background, your career, and where you live.
I am a chef at The Sinclair Kitchen in Harvard Square, and I live in Salem, MA just outside of Boston. My family were Jeep owners since the seventies until I drove my sisters 2003 Disco a few years back. I bought my first Land Rover in 2014.
3. How many Land Rovers have you owned and which was your favorite?
I have had the good/bad fortune of owning my first TWO rovers in one year. This due to a wreck that totaled my first one in February. I soon was on the hunt for another same year and color, which I picked up four weeks ago.
4. What’s the best thing about owning a Land Rover?
This year’s snowfall in the Northeast was abominable. Loved just getting in the LR cranking it up, raise suspension and put it in drive. No shovel required! This car also saved me a lot of pain from the wreck. I walked away from a 60 mph head on collision.
5. What’s the worst thing about owning a Land Rover?
The temperamental warning lights. What’s going to light up next?
6. Been on an adventure? – tell us about it
My only great Land Rover adventure was MCC3, had a blast and looking forward to MCC4!
7. How do you plan to beat the competition this year at the Muddy Chef Challenge?
I’m not looking to win anything in the chef challenge. I just want to meet great new people and get into some serious mud.
8. If you could ask Land Rover for a particular type of vehicle what would it be?
I’ll leave the planning up to the experts. Looks like they are going in the right direction with the Evoque and the new Disco Sport!
9. What upgrades/modifications does your Land Rover have?
Since recommendations from new friends at MCC3 I had added Johnson Rods and General Grabber AT 285/65/18. Lost in the accident, but I will rebuild.
10. If you were on safari which three people would you pick to bring along?
- Bear Grylls-because who wouldn’t want a survivalist by their side?
- Gene’s Beans (Gene Schubert) – to gently guide me through the rough terrain.
- Kate Upton-because why the hell not?
Join us next Monday for the next installment of “PROFILES”
We get a shout out on Jalopnik
We Adopted A Terrible Toyota Truck To See How Reliable They Really Are
Andrew P Collins
This is no diamond-in-the-rough. It’s not an “oldie but goodie” like Bowman’s well-storied Ram. This ravaged third-gen 4Runner a mean-muggin’ non-fucking-giving beater, and now we have the arduous task of taking care of it. Or, you know, destroying it.
Last night this lifted, bent, ratty Toyota 4Runner appeared at my doorstep like an abandoned baby in a basket. It smells faintly of Mexican food and everything aft of the front seats seem to have been converted to a sleeping/storage area.
At least somebody did put the wheel back where it’s meant to go, here’s the 4Runner as it sits at Truck Yeah HQ right now:
The whole thing is this cool militaryish green/grey with a Rhinoliner’d hood (why?). The front grille is definitely not straight and neither is the (aftermarket?) trailer-hitch rig. But really, all it needs is a light bar and maybe some funky Plasti-Dip on those wheels. Next stop Wal-Mart, baby.
Okay the real story is the owner (a former colleague) lit off to San Francisco and didn’t feel like paying for parking, I think, so he bequeathed it to Truck Yeah!/Jalopnik for an undefined period of time “as long as we promised to document its destruction.”
I dunno, the whole arrangement’s pretty vague but I’m basically running a rusty orphanage up here and I just couldn’t turn those sweet three-spoke wheels away.
After a brief assessment and lap around the driveway, I’ve concluded it may be too nice to simply suicide… sounds okay, tires are great, and the 3″(?) lift looks professionally executed.
So what are we going to do with this hog? Chase polar bears up Canada way? Mud racin’? Make it my new guest bedroom? Should be a good rig to teach my fellow NY-based bloggers how to off-road this summer… at the very least.
Your turn: Ideas. Go.
Andrew P. Collins is Jalopnik’s off-road and adventure guy. Shoot him an email atandrew@jalopnik.com or hit him up on Twitter @andr3wcollins to talk trucks.
Come to Rausch the weekend of the 24th. There will be a 5 speed Disco I in attendance.
You should come to Rovers on the Rocks this year, or Muddy Chef challenge up at Lime Rock if you want something more local to you.
Hillrock Estate Distillery in Whisky Advocate
Hillrock Estate Distillery: tiny, vertical, and beautiful
July 2nd, 2012
Whisky Advocate’s managing editor and contributor Lew Bryson reports on his visit to Hillrock Estate Distillery.
I recently took a trip up to Hillrock Estate Distillery, near Ancram, New York. The distillery is east of the Hudson River, near the Massachusetts border, in a rolling, wooded valley near the Berkshires, an area that was settled by Dutch grain planters. This is a part of the country I’m well familiar with; my wife grew 
up here, and we were married about fifteen miles away. So I wasn’t surprised to find that the roads to Hillrock were narrow and winding, or that the place itself was beautifully rural.
Hillrock is the baby of Jeffrey Baker, who made his money in banking…but has a farming background. He’s been involved in small-scale farming as a sideline for over 20 years, having started with a dairy farm in 1989, then organic beef, finally moving down from the Vermont border to Ancram, where he became interested in the concept of field-to-glass distilling. He was particularly interested in the idea of tasting a difference from grain grown in one field vs. another, and eventually hooked up with well-known distilling expert Dave Pickerell.
Dave’s spent quite a bit of time here in the past year, and was there when I arrived at Baker’s 1806 farmhouse. They were in a mood to celebrate: they had just that very minute received an approval email from ATTTB for their solera bourbon label. We went out on the porch, looked down on the distillery, sitting in a sunny spot between a barley field and a rye field, and talked.
Hillrock’s all about details. The rye and barley is grown here and on another 100 or so acres in the valley (the corn is grown by local farmers); it’s being grown organically, but they haven’t received their certification yet. They built a malthouse with floor maltings, what 
they believe to be the first such in-house distillery maltings in the country since Repeal. They’re using a variety of smoking techniques for some of the malt (and looking at old maps to find local peat sources). They are distilling on a combi-still (a pot still with a column) with a series of adjustments applicable to the type of spirit produced that Pickerell would take pains to show me (distillation began in October, 2011). They are currently aging spirit in seven different barrel sizes.
It was the seven different barrel sizes that led Pickerell to laugh and admit, “Sometimes I do things that are a pain in the ass.” His day-to-day distiller (and maltster, and warehouse manager, and bottler…), Tim Welly, grinned in tacit agreement.
That in turn led Baker to admit that he went along with all of it, and instigated some of it. That’s why he’s the sole investor. “I’m a detail-oriented guy,” he explained. “If you’re going to do this, something this insane…do you really want an investor looking over your shoulder?”
We did sit down and taste the solera bourbon, which includes aged stock they bought and mingled with small-barrel aged Hillrock distillate. It is a good whiskey, with a cinnamon-spicy, fruit-laced finish. Dave recalled his excitement when that spicy note appeared. “That’s from that field,” he said. It was proof of the terroir concept, when they knew they had something with the estate-grown grain concept.
The solera bourbon will be available in New York around the beginning of October, as will a single malt whisky that is about to begin a wood finishing process. Dave was a bit cagey about that, only saying that he’d done research and found a dynamite wood to season whiskey; further pressure would only get that it was a type of fruit tree. Or maybe a nut tree. And he wouldn’t tell me more.
The tasting room is more like a small vineyard than most small distillery’s, with graceful wood furniture and samples of locally-grown foods. The whole place is simply elegant, and will make a great tour once it’s open.
There’s not going to be a lot of whiskey out of Hillrock, but I suspect we’ll be seeing more of them, and more of this type of high-end distillery; like Distillery No. 209, a high-end gin distillery in San Francisco that I visited last fall. This is going to be part of the future of whiskey distilling, a small and very interesting part.
From: http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2012/07/02/hillrock-estate-distillery-tiny-vertical-and-beautiful/
In The News / MCC on NELRC
KRMG TV / 2014 Land Rover Muddy Chef Event
The Land Rover Muddy Chef Challenge 3
Where
Lime Rock Park
497 Lime Rock Rd Rt 112
Lakeville, CT 06039
Upcoming
9:00 a.m. Thursday, July 31, 2014
Registration for the 2014 Land Rover Muddy Chef Challenge PLEASE NOTE – IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETELY FILL OUT THE REGISTRATION FORM AND COMPLETE THE “CONTACT THE ORGANIZER” SECTION YOUR REGISTRATION WILL BE CANCELLED. We need the info to register your vehicle and a way to contact you. A blind e-mail is not enough information for us to process your registration. Please provide the following information by clicking the “Contact The Organizer” button. The year and model Land Rover you will be driving. The name of your Challenge Meals (e.g. – Texas Tornado BBQ)If you would like to be located in the “family” areaIf you are bringing petsIf you have additional equipment (pop up awnings, etc)Please note, registration is limited so be sure to reserve your spot today!Be sure to visit www.muddychef.com for updates, news, challenges and more!If you have any questions please e-mail info@muddychef.com
hey event listing / 2015 MCC4
Muddy Chef Challenge 4
Muddy Chef Challenge 4
The date has been selected! July 30 – Aug 2, 2015. We are excited to continue our relationship with Lime Rock Park as event host. Also, since last year several million dollars has been invested there in infrastructure and grounds. That means all new showers and facilities! Heck, we even have a Tequila sponsor. It’s going to be great!
New this year – pick your campsite through an interactive map. We have VIP spots in reserve also.
Please visit …
American Harvest / OFFICIAL SPONSOR
Like America itself, American Harvest was built on a promise. From field to bottle, a promise to create the finest quality product, without compromise to the environment or our nation’s natural resources. American Harvest is proudly handcrafted in small batches from organic American wheat, certified organic ingredients and water from deep beneath the Snake River Plain, yielding a distinctly smooth and silky spirit with a crisp, clean taste.
What is American Harvest?
- Distinct taste: American Harvest is organic vodka to which a proprietary blend of organic ingredients has been added, creating a truly unique vodka specialty. It’s a revolutionary way to look at the vodka category. The addition of these ingredients results in a distinctive, smooth, clean and crisp character.
- American made: American Harvest is handcrafted in small batches from organic winter wheat grown on a family owned and sustainably managed American farm, and from water from aquifers deep beneath the Snake River plain.
- Quality: American Harvest has been developed with great care for the quality, organic nature and sustainable growing practices of all of its ingredients. It has no artificial additives or preservatives. The American Harvest Distillery located in Rigby, Idaho is independently owned and operated and is USDA Certified Organic.
Why Organic?
- The USDA’s national organic program certifies products as organic based on select practices:
- No antibiotics or added growth hormones
- No synthetic fertilizers or prohibited pesticides
- No GMOs
- No ionizing radiation
*Source: USDA.GOV - American Harvest is USDA certified organic by the Oregon Tilth
How is American Harvest Supporting the Environment?
- Sustainable agriculture: The producers of American Harvest support sustainable agriculture by using organic materials and an organic production process.
- Wind power: The American Harvest Distillery supports renewable energy. One-third of the monthly electrical consumption at the distillery comes from local wind generated power. Additionally, unused materials from the distillation process are used as cattle feed along with most of the water.
- Recyclable glass: The American Harvest bottle manufacturer is dedicated to a sustainable development approach and to preserving natural resources through the efficient use of raw materials, water and energy. American Harvest bottles are 100% recyclable and are coated and decorated with organic inks and water-soluble varnishes.
Teams and Food / 2014 Muddy Chef Challenge
A whole bunch of photos from the cooking challenge. Just CLICK the image. Please enjoy and distribute however you like. Please be sure to thank our sponsors by tagging, hyperlinking, and with social media. Most of the apparent duplicate photos in the directory are HDR images.
It’s impossible to view these and not start smiling!
Eric
Land Rover lovers, it’s the Muddy Chef Challenge at Lime Rock; created by Madison man
Published: Wednesday, July 23, 2014
LAKEVILLE >> Calling all Land Rover enthusiasts. Pack up your oriental rugs, leather chairs, Land Rover flags and signs, gourmet grub, camp grills and lots and lots of gusto and head up to Lime Rock Park for a weekend of off road adventure, fine food and drink and lots of camaraderie.
The Land Rover Muddy Chef Challenge 3 is an adventurous weekend for Land Rover drivers who want to push their vehicle to the limits in rivers, over mountains and through woods, all under supervision, of course. No wonder its founder calls it “part Great Race and Iron Chef.”Planned for July 31 through Aug. 3, Land Rovers will descend upon Lime Rock Park and spend the weekend at area venues and proving what rugged, sturdy vehicles they really are built to be.Muddy Snack from Christopher Macecsko on Vimeo.
Preregistration is required at http://muddychef.com/.
Aside from a camping fee of $35 a night, the event is free. Proceeds from a weekend raffle will benefit Autism Speaks, for more info visit http://www autismspeaks.org#sthash.iaELlP2p.dpuf.
“Land Rovers are your sort of rugged, safari, adventure-type vehicle,” says event creator Eric Yohe. As an owner of an unrestored, 1961 Land Rover Series IIA, the Madison resident is passionate about all things Land Rover and is a foodie.
Yohe arranged the first Muddy Chef in Stowe, Vermont and went on to host last year’s event in Mystic. Bringing the road race/cook-off to Lime Rock was a natural progression and embraced by the park’s Director of Business Development Walter Irvine, another Land Rover enthusiast, and former owner of a Land Rover LR2, who enjoys the “culture.”
“Off-roaders (are) very adventurous, typically very philanthropic, really up to doing crazy stuff like off-roading all day and then coming back and putting on a blazer and making a gourmet meal AT their truck,” Irvine explains.
Cooking a gourmet repast is part of the challenge. Attendees may cook whatever they can transport in their Land Rover. The dishes are then judged by an esteemed panel of fellow epicureans. No one walks away hungry and everyone has lots of fun concocting what they think is the tops in haute cuisine.
“It’s exciting and it’s nerve-wracking and you have to adapt, but it’s tons of fun,” says Madison participant Kristen Feeney.
How do fresh Nantucket bay scallops on a bed of local roasted sweet corn sound? To Yohe it sounded like a winning entry last year. Alas, other venturesome gourmands apparently served entries better tasting, better presented and better liked by the judges.
Away from the rugged terrain, attendees will put on their best cocktail attire – blazers and shorts and Lilly Pulitzer shifts – and visit two local venues.
The Falls Village Inn, complete with a taproom designed to honor the Lime Rock legacy, is “intimate and comfortable…A feel that honors not only Falls Village, but also that of Lime Rock Park, our famous neighbor,” says their website, http://www thefallsvillageinn.com/taproom.php.
Up the road in Dutchess County, New York, a long winding road will take guests to the Madava Farms where Crown Maple Syrup is tapped and refined to make a one of a kind maple syrup. While feeling like they have entered a Napa Valley winery, guests may partake in a maple syrup tasting in a finely appointed tasting room complete with a copper bar, website: http://www.crownmaple.com/visit-madava-farms.
Some of the events sound outrageous: “For those of you who want super rock crawler, smashed body panel gnarly you have access to Old Florida Road and MaBelle in Western, MA,” according tomuddychef.com. Yet Yohe stresses there is something for everyone.
“What I like about it the most is, despite the stressful things you have going in your life you really can’t think about anything else in your life except how am I going to get this vehicle and myself through these woods, over this obstacle,” Robert Wollschlager says. “It’s fantastic.”
Wollschlager, of Mystic, will join in on the fun with his dad, James. They will bring two of their four Land Rovers – a 1972 Land Rover Series 3 88 and 1982 Series 3 Stage- 1 V8 109.
Each morning there will be vehicle inspections and safety talks. The only prerequisite is that “your vehicle should be in good repair without any serious frame rust and able to handle basic off-road challenges.”
“The majority of our vehicles are the rare ones, the early ’60s ones, the ’70s … the classic Land Rovers,” Yohe says. In addition, the event draws drivers of “the Defender, which is what you see on safari…we get lots of those.”
Every morning, before venturing out there will be vehicle inspections and safety talks. The only prerequisite is that “your vehicle should be in good repair without any serious frame rust and able to handle basic off-road challenges.”
In need of a break from the rigors of off-roading, guests can head over to Orvis Sandanona Shooting Grounds in Millbrook, New York to experience sporting clays at “the oldest permitted shotgun shooting club in the country,” they boast on http://www.orvis.com/sandanona.
Back on the road, how about the Overland Challenge in the Housatonic State Forest?
“It’s sort of a high-tech Easter egg hunt,” says Yohe. “Drive to a spot with the GPS, get out and use the compass to go in the direction we tell you to go, start walking and you will find what ever it is. Somewhere in that forest is something to find like an orange flip-flop nailed to a tree.”
Whether you are an experienced off-roader or want to try it for the first time, love adventure and the thrill of the ride, or want to spend a weekend in the country learn more at Facebook/The Muddy Chef Challenge.
OutdoorX4 Magazine / MEDIA SPONSOR
The mission of OutdoorX4 is to promote responsible 4×4 adventure travel along with the utility of 4×4 and dual-sport vehicles to enjoy all forms of outdoor recreation. In essence, we want to help create solidarity amongst all communities of adventure enthusiasts because at the end of the day, enjoying the great outdoors should be a right of which we all share rather than a privilege.
The Magazine
So what makes OutdoorX4 different from other publications? Well, for one our content is a hybrid of all areas of outdoor recreation and adventure. Whether you’re an avid 4×4 adventure traveler, mountain bike enthusiast, camp cooking aficionado, world-class fisherman, dual-sport motorcyclist or weekend warrior, OutdoorX4 is focused on providing the most engaging and unique content to appeal to the broadest range of outdoors enthusiast while providing expert advice in the field, suggestions on places to visit along with an expanded perspective on the history of the areas we travel, as well as dynamic photography that inspires the outdoors enthusiast to choose the road less traveled.
Frank Ledwell, Editor-in-Chief
Frank is an avid explorer, adventurer, and advocate of responsible outdoor recreation and off-highway travel. Frank has had the fortune of traveling throughout the world, including destinations throughout North and Central America, as well as across Eastern and Western Europe. When he’s not cycling across Texas on his road bike or climbing in the Swiss Alps, he is touring the backcountry in remote destinations throughout the United States and abroad in his diesel Grand Cherokee.
Frank is the Editor-in-Chief of OutdoorX4. Additionally, he was the Co-Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of JPFreek Adventure Magazine from 2006 through mid-2012 as well as publisher of several industry journals. He is a member of the Texas Auto Writers Association, and his articles on off-highway travel, adventure destinations, and product reviews have been featured in numerous publications. Frank resides in Texas with his family.
John Herrick, Publisher
With a deep and varied background in business and a nose for keeping work fun while doing what he enjoys, John Herrick publishes OutdoorX4. John makes sure the book gets to subscribers and the newsstand while enjoying as many adventures as possible the rest of the time which also includes producing CRAWL Magazine as well as producing special outdoor events.
He’s been published as both a writer and photographer, an avocation he took up in his late teens.
An avid Jeep owner, John also enjoys desert racing, rock crawling, and other motorsports. With an eye towards responsibility, he heads the CRAWL Trail Foundation which promotes grass roots trail preservation.
John lives in Northern Nevada in the shadow of the Eastern Sierra, with his wife Pam of 30 years.
Phil Golden, Director of Technology, Contributing Editor
Phil was born with a determined desire to explore. Whether by Jeep, dual-sport motorcycle, mountain bike, road bike, kayak or on foot, Phil pushes himself to go further and do more. Phil can often be found alone on his adventures as he enjoys the purity of being surrounded by nothing but wilderness. He recently traveled solo on the Continental Divide trail from Mexico to Canada, self-support by Jeep and completely off-highway. Additionally, he has logged over 6,000 miles and numerous legs of the Trans America Trail via dual-sport motorcycle from Tennessee to Oregon, and owns the oldest active geocache in the state of Louisiana.
Phil is an avid endurance cyclist, randonneur, and runner. When Phil is not pushing himself to the limit, he is on a mission to raise awareness for the rare terminal disease his son has called Adrenoleukodystrophy. He has written numerous articles and conducted several interviews regarding his awareness campaign – Expedition Awareness. While his passion runs deep for the great outdoors, it does not compare to that of his family.
Phil resides in Wichita Falls, Texas with his wife and three children.
Jonathan Hanson, Overland Columnist
Jonathan Hanson’s expedition experience encompasses land and sea-scapes from Baja, Mexico to the Beaufort Sea, from the Libyan Desert to the Namib, and modes of transportation from sea kayaks to sailboats to bicycles to Land Cruisers and Land Rovers.
He has traveled among and worked with cultures as diverse as the Seri Indians and the Himba, the Inuit and the Maasai.
Jonathan has taught wildlife tracking, natural history writing, 4WD techniques, and other subjects for many conservation and government organizations. He is an elected fellow of the Explorers Club, and a charter member of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. His writing experience spans a dozen books and two dozen magazines, including Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Nature Conservancy, Sea Kayaker, and Backpacker.
Jonathan and his wife, Roseann, are the creators and owners of the Overland Expo, the largest adventure travel event of its kind in the world.
Kraig Becker, Gear & Adventure Author
Kraig is a freelance writer and world traveler who covers mountaineering expeditions, polar exploration, adventure travel, and other outdoor pursuits.
He has served as the Media Director for the Primal Quest expedition adventure race and is the editor of The Adventure Blog.
He is a regular contributor to travel site Gadling.com and the outdoor blogs for The Clymb and the Wenger brand. He has also published stories with Outer Edge Magazine, National Geographic Adventure amongst others.
Kraig resides in Austin, Texas.
Wes Craiglow, Contributing Author
Wes was bitten by the adventure bug at a young age, spending his boyhood exploring the family farm from sunup to sundown, annual vacations on lonely backroads across the rural South, and dedicating his summers to staff employment at a Boy Scouts camp.
When not on extended paid vacations to Southwest Asia for Uncle Sam, Wes can be found guiding backcountry trips and documenting routes, destinations, and stories in the U.S. and Central America.
Wes is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Central Overland, an online magazine dedicated to vehicle-based adventure travel, and resides in central Arkansas with his wife and two kids.
Mark Stephens, Contributing Author
Mark is an adventurer who was born of, reared by, and educated in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.
He has climbed the walls of Devil’s Canyon, trekked the trails throughout the Rocky Mountains, slept on the ground in most National Parks, rope-swung into a river here and there, driven the back roads of the southwest U.S. and Mexico, enjoyed song and cerveza in the cantinas of the Baja peninsula, and otherwise traveled like a backpacking pilgrim from British Columbia to Peru.
Mark holds a degree in English from Arizona State University; he learned from composition maestros such as Jeanne Dugan, Robert Krut, and G. Lynn Nelson. His work has been published in Overland Journal, Nissan Sport Magazine, Arizona Outdoorsman, and JPFreek Adventure Magazine. Mark and his wife are also the curators of Adventure Parents, a resource focused on the adventures of raising children to enjoy an active, outdoor lifestyle.
Mark resides in Arizona with his wife and two children.
Allan & Jackie Ellis, Contributing Authors
Alan & Jackie are avid off-highway enthusiasts who have immersed themselves into a lengthy list of outdoor activities, be it land, water, or air.
Their primary recreation vehicle is a Jeep Rubicon and it has traveled all over the continental United States on backpacking, mountaineering, rock climbing, sailing, and skydiving adventures.
Additionally, Jackie and Alan are professional skydivers and work as instructors at Skydive Dallas in Texas.
You can follow their adventures on their site at Jackie and Alan’s Outdoor Adventures.
Andrea Ledwell, Contributing Author
Andrea is the better half of our Editor-in-Chief.
Born and raised in Mississippi, Andrea spent her time as a child adventuring while on her bicycle and called the Smoky Mountains her second home.
Andrea is an avid explorer, artist, musician, mother, wife, adventurer, seeker of truth, and on a quest for all things beautiful and good.
YETI Coolers! / Event Supporter/Sponsor
We are pleased to announce Yeti coolers will be providing gifts, stickers and materials for The Muddy Chef Challenge! Yeti and Land Rovers go together! What a great way to support the MCC than via great stuff. Stay tuned for more information about Yeti Coolers!
Crushed!
TELL US YOUR STORY! / Submit your favorite story about your Land Rover (and win a prize!)
New Event / Overland Challenge!
Our Charity – Autism Speaks
The Muddy Chef Challenge is a unique event. Unique in that it’s completely FREE and run entirely by a dedicated VOLUNTEER staff of Land Rover lovers and enthusiasts. This is no a “not for profit” event, it’s a ZERO profit event. So when you consider other events that charge registration fees. Ask yourself where does that money go? This year we decided to go the extra step and find a charity to donate to. Classic Car Performance has donated a High Torque Land Rover (Series or V8) for a charity raffle.
We will sell raffle tickets at the event and donate 100% of the funds collected to Autism Speaks.
We figured if Wayne did it, we should too!
Register now – less than 30 spots left!
In this case, good things DO NOT come to those who wait. We are rapidly running out of registration space for the event. Remember registration is free, the event is free too. The only thing you have to pay for is camping fees to Lime Rock park at a reasonable $30.00 per night! Tons of prizes and free swag. Shooting at Orvis Sandanona, beautiful Lakeville, CT location, race cars, Land Rovers, Crown Maple Syrup, what else do you want?
