May 24 2026 - Encounter Overland Reunion Ends Epic Journey

Location: CanadaSummary;May 24th, 2026 marks the final recording of my epic 8.5-month journey. On May 20th, the day after arriving back on Fashion Island, I turned right around and drove to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, Canada. I took the Black Ball Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria and then drove up to Nanaimo for a very special event — an Encounter Overland reunion organized by Dennis Cornell. Dennis and I share a connection: we both worked for Encounter Overland, a British commercial expedition company that started around 1964 and ramped up in 1968. In about 1979, I got a job with them working in their workshop an hour north of London, repairing and converting Bedford trucks purchased from the British Army into passenger vehicles with coach seats. My experience crossing the Sahara Desert at age 19 in 1973 and my time in the Dutch Army in South America helped me land the role, even though I wasn't really a mechanic. I ended up doing several journeys — my first was London to Johannesburg with Martin Crabb as co-driver, an intense 16-week trip with 20 people. On the return journey I was on my own for the company, and we even went through Uganda. After about 10 months in Africa, I returned to London where they gave me just 5 days off before sending me back to Johannesburg for the next trip. That's how I met my future wife, Corinne Pettit (now Chandra) — she was a passenger on that trip. I only drove half the journey to Nairobi before being replaced, but our connection was made. After one more trip from Panama City to San Francisco in Central America, my Encounter Overland employment concluded, and Corinne and I traveled together for over a year. The reunion brought people from New Zealand, the UK, Canada, and the US. While most were reminiscing about 30 to 50 years ago, I had just come off my trail, which was a fun contrast. Adding to the excitement, I connected with Seth Scott from the Hold My Gear YouTube and Instagram channel. Seth and Ollie Jenkins hold the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous journey in a Reliant Robin three-wheel car. Seth happened to be in Victoria and ended up joining the reunion too — a wonderful full-circle moment. This journey has no equal, and I hope people will contribute to bridges2development.org and burndesignlab.org through my website bridgingthecontinents.com. Nathan has done an amazing job keeping it all together. I appreciate everyone who came along and shared this journey with me. May it inspire you to do the things you feel like you shouldn't but absolutely should. Make it happen.