The Final Recording: Full Circle After 8.5 Months
Good day, May 24th, 2026. This recording is the last recording for an epic journey that took 8 and a half months. On May 20th, the day after I arrived back on Fashion Island, I turned right around, picked up my car, and drove to Canada — more precisely to Nanaimo, which is on Vancouver Island. You have to go to Port Angeles in the US at the Olympic Peninsula and take the Black Ball Ferry to get to Victoria, and then another 1.5 to 2 hours gets you to Nanaimo.
The Encounter Overland Reunion
So what’s the event? Well, the event is kind of a full circle event. Dennis Cornell lives in Nanaimo, and he and I have something in common. We both worked for Encounter Overland. Encounter Overland was a British company that started off around 1964 and more intense in 1968 as a commercial expedition operator or tour operator.
Getting Hired at Encounter Overland
In about 1979, I was able to get a job with Encounter Overland, which meant that I would be working in their workshop an hour north of London and get my hands dirty to repair and replace parts on Bedford trucks which they purchased from the British Army. They were personnel carriers and they came with trailers. Those trucks then were converted to be able to carry passengers by putting in coach seats in the back, with the coach seats facing each other.
Because of my experience having gone through the Sahara Desert already when I was 19 in 1973, as well as my army time in the Dutch Army in South America, that somehow made it possible for them to hire me. The hesitation part was being a mechanic, and I still do not consider myself a mechanic, but there was enough persuasion going on that I did get the job.
Journeys Across Africa
So then I ended up doing a few journeys with Encounter Overland. The first one with Martin Crabb as a co-driver, and that took me from London to Johannesburg. There were 16-week trips and they were very intense with 20 people. Then on the way back, I was on my own as far as working for the company. But we did have a second truck going the same direction at the same time, and we’d run into each other once in a while. At that time we went to Uganda even.
Meeting My Future Wife
So after I did about 10 months away in Africa, I went back to the London office, where they suggested that I take 5 days off and fly back to Johannesburg to take the next trip out. Well, that seemed a little short vacation, but that is what happened. I ended up flying back to Johannesburg and took out the next trip. Well, guess what? That is how I met my future wife, Corinne Pettit. She was on that trip, and even though I only did half that journey, only to Nairobi, and they flew in someone else to take my place, that is how we met.
Then we ended up meeting again after I did another trip in Central America for Encounter Overland, from Panama City to San Francisco. So that then concluded my employment with Encounter Overland. Met up with Corinne, who is now Chandra, and we traveled extensively for another year or more.
The Reunion in Nanaimo
To be able to meet up with people that did work for Encounter Overland, even though the majority I had never met before, I had heard the names and we had lots of things in common doing those journeys or river rafting, anyway working for the company. Dennis had basically organized this reunion and people came all the way from New Zealand, from the UK, from Canada, from the US, and it was an amazing thing to be part of. Most people were reminiscing about how things were 30, 40, 50 years ago, and I just came off the trail, which was a fun part.
Meeting Seth from Hold My Gear
Then to add to the excitement, I was on my way back and was going to see if I could meet Seth. Seth is basically part of Seth and Ollie, who have their information handled through Hold My Gear on Instagram and YouTube. Seth and Ollie now hold the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous journey with a 3-wheel car called a Reliant Robin. So I called up Seth because I thought he was in Vancouver. It turns out — Seth Scott and Ollie Jenkins (Jenks, who lives in the UK) — Seth was actually in Victoria, which I had passed. And before you know it, Seth ended up at the reunion as well, even though he wasn’t part of Encounter Overland. He got to meet some of the people that used to do that stuff way back when.
Coming Full Circle
So we came kind of full circle in many, many a way. It makes a good conclusion for a journey that has no equal.
Supporting the Causes and Final Thanks
I hope that people will be able to use the donate button for contributing to bridges2development.org as well as burndesignlab.org, both on my website bridgingthecontinents.com. And again, Nathan — Sir Nathan — has done an amazing job to keep this all together. Coming up still, there might be more additions under the menu. If you haven’t explored the menu and everything that’s on there, you haven’t gotten to the bottom of it yet.
Everybody that’s been on this site, I so appreciate you having come along and sharing this journey. It gave a very good angle to my journey and makes so that I have memories all stored away, not just in my head. So thank you all for being along for this journey, and may it inspire you to do the things that you maybe feel like you shouldn’t, but you should do. Make it happen. Thank you for your participation.
