Off-road adventure seeker, Tiffany Legree has made her trips to the southwest an annual event. This year, she focused on overland travel, forging female friendships and exploring the terrain in a new way with her UBCO.
My annual southwest trip is always the highlight of my year. There’s something special about being down there; the dark skies, the expansiveness and diversity of nature, it’s really unlike anywhere else. On past trips, I’ve towed my vintage trailer, and while it’s super cute and cozy, it just isn’t able to go the places I want it to. This year, the goal was to camp overland style with my rooftop tent, explore deeper into the wilderness, and stay as off-road and off-grid as possible. I also wanted a way to explore without packing up camp. A challenge without having the trailer to leave behind.
The biggest downfall for me when camping in my rooftop tent is feeling stuck once I’m set up. When you camp on BLM land, every spot is first come first serve. If you go adventure for the day in your rig, then your spot might not be there when you get back. That predicament is what led me down the path to an UBCO. It was the perfect solution, and I was so excited to take it on its maiden voyage!
Three things I wanted to focus on during this trip; having fun with my girlfriends doing what we love, spending as much time on dirt roads as possible, and exploring in a new way on my 2X2. Social media has its down sides, but it can also be a great way to connect with like-minded people. I’ve made some amazing friends through Instagram, and when I was planning this trip, I decided to reach out on there to see who wanted to join me. I ended up with a rad group of women, some who came with me from Oregon, and some I met along the route. Some I knew, and some I was meeting for the first time. Focusing on building friendships while enjoying our mutual love for the outdoors and the off-road space, it was everything I was hoping for and more.
The itinerary had us leave Oregon and head straight to Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. This is where I got to unload my UBCO the first time and really ripped around on it. Experiencing the Salt Flats at dawn is amazing on its own but being able to jump on my bike and punch it full speed, that was a whole new experience, and I loved every minute of it.
We traveled to some amazing places on this trip; the Moon Overlook, White Pocket, Cosmic Astray, Edge of the World, and the Alvord Desert, to name a few. We also marked off some bucket list off-road trails; Hells Revenge and Top of the World, Barracks and Schnebly. Some were scenic, and some had us push ourselves and our rigs farther than we ever had before. We laughed, we cried, and our trucks came out *mostly* unscathed.
Of all the awesome places we went, the most memorable for me was the Alabama Hills. I’ve been before, but I have never been able to explore it like this. On my last trip it was setting up camp and exploring on foot – this time we were able to pull our UBCO’s off and experience it in a whole new way. The narrow dirt roads of the Alabama Hills can be treacherous in a full-sized vehicle, but they were easy to zip around on my UBCO. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike in one of the coolest places in the country.
This trip was a perfect blend of off-roading, hiking, and riding. Nights spent laughing by the fire, and days spent navigating dusty trails with some of my best friends, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Visiting the southwest will continue to be an annual event for me, and I am hopeful that I’ve started a new tradition of building friendships, taking the trail less traveled and making memories of a lifetime along the way.
Happy Trails!
Tiffany
Wanting some other inspiration for your next overlanding or camping adventure? Check out our guide to off-grid camping written by one of our team who charges his UBCO 2X2s by solar generator. Tim shares his tips for finding the perfect slice of wilderness as well as his packing essentials to make the most of the great outdoors.
Hollywood actor and producer, Brock O'Hurn, also shares his overlanding expedition. Being 6’7” 260lbs, he needed a bike that supported him and all his gear, giving him the opportunities to hit back country trails and bring some childhood memories back.