Camp was quiet, as the sun crept over the horizon the second morning of the Overland Trail Tour (read the day 1 recap here). Not long after sunrise, our chefs Jason, Daniel, and Jacqui were at work, cooking up a literal heap of breakfast sandwiches. If the sun’s golden rays didn’t wake the members of the group, as it shone through their tent canvas, the smell of breakfast on the grille certainly did the trick.
Within 25 minutes, camp went from silent to swirling. The journalists and support staff folded their tents away, poured some freshly brewed coffee into their cups, and congregated around the outdoor dining room we’d created.
The dining room was composed of a massive banquet table we’d crafted from the six KOVEA Bamboo One Action tables. We sat Field Luxury Chairs that encircled the tables and rested atop the three Casbah Camp Rugs that brought both a sense of fashion and flare to the campsite — all lent to us by NOMADICA Outfitters.
After a breakfast feast worthy of our surroundings, Chris and Jim gave another preview of the day ahead and complemented the crew on their driving habits and attitudes.
The second day of the Overland Trail Tour took us from our first camp over to Marble Canyon. Along the way, we were able to keep in close contact with everyone on the tour thanks to the excellent Midland Radios that we had in each one of the vehicles. The middle vehicles had handheld units while the lead and trailing rigs had hardwired units. Each offered a crisp channel to chat on.
READ MORE: Overland Trail Tour, Day 1 Recap: From Springdale through Arizona Strip
Most of the journey was dry. It had rained the night before the journalists arrived in Springdale. The majority of the precipitation had evaporated in the warm Arizona Strip sun before our trip event kicked off. A single muddy stretch of track had formed along the track, however, and awaited our arrival.
This bog gave each drive a chance to send their vehicle a bit. Miscalculating just how hard one driver would send it, Josh, the videographer, was covered in mud. Luckily, though, his camera wasn’t damaged. Everyone, including Josh, had a good laugh at his soggy state.
Just before sunset, we arrived at our second camp at Marble Canyon. The dusky light offered a unique vision of the canyon below. We mingled a bit, soaking in the scenery before we made our way back to the top of the bluff to our approved campground.
There, the chefs got to work outdoing themselves. For dinner the second night, we were treated to flank steak, salmon, potatoes, and kale salad — a meal so good that it’d make Gordon Ramsay blush with envy. The hearty meal was capped off with Tillamook ice cream and small chocolate cookies. With Jeff mixing even stronger drinks than he had the first night, we were all in a full, happy state when we bedded down for our final night on the OTT.
Before we did, however, I insisted we test the brightness of the KC Adventure lights mounted on top of Overland Expo’s Ultimate Overland Vehicle. Before I flicked them on, I joked that the set of lights would prove brighter than the sun. I wasn’t far off. After I concluded the light show, we all hit the hay, sleeping soundly in the cool desert air beneath a ceiling of stars.
