Just got back from Virginia yesterday. Glad I decided to forgo camping out. Most all of those who opted to camp slept in their lavishly outfitted vehicles. And the ground was saturated with water and mud after having been inundated with the tail-end of Helene that had just passed thru.
Of note at the expedition exhibit was that I stopped off at the Goose Gear exhibit. They are the ones who make the rear seat delete for the Grenadier. I ordered mine the first week in July, for delivery in 6 to 8 weeks, but that was 13 weeks ago. Had it arrived on time, my plan was to be on the road by or right after September 5th. As it turns out, it seems that my order fell below their radar screen. Brian from Goose Gear promised to get it out the door today to the outfitter near Philly that will install it. Hopefully, it will arrive this week. As soon as it arrives, I am off to Pennsylvania for a few days to get it installed. I cannot hit the road without it, especially with the cold weather already hitting the Sierra Nevada area., where we are headed.
I also stopped at the exhibit of GP Factor, the fabricator that makes the only brush (AKA bull) bar made in America for the Grenadier. They just announced the first lot of 50 that day, and I immediately placed my order. (See below photo of it on another Grenadier). When the company rep asked me why I wanted on, I told him the three reasons. First, there are some trails I want to take that require crashing through overhanging branches to get to the camp sites (e.g., wonderful Lake Bukemega in northern Ontario). Second, there's one bison reserve I camp in in Manitoba where I have to gently nudge the bison out of my path. (Yellowstone, too.) Third, when I revisit Newfoundland, a brush bar is well-advised in case you suddenly come upon some humongous moose jumping out of the woods as you are going 50 miles an hour at night. Ironically, two days later, an article appeared in the NY Times on encounters in Newfoundland with the moose. (Click here.) There are as many "Watch out for Moose" signs in Newfoundland as there are "Watch out for Politicians" signs in D.C.
I also picked up a number of other ideas for things I have to do to outfit the Grenadier. For instance, I cannot store my extra fuel jerry can on the roof rack (as I do in my Defender), so I found out that GP factor also makes an accessory to attach one to the spare tire on the rear door. (See below photo.) I can get 345 miles on a tank of gas on good roads, much less off-road, so this attachment will increase that range by 45 miles. I have run out of gas twice on all my road trips (when I had a spare jerry can), so this spare can is not something you want to be without.
At the exhibition, mine was the only Grenadier among the thousand or so attendees. But many of the exhibitors had brought along specially outfitted Grenadiers, adding testament to the belief that the Grenadier is now the preferred off-road vehicle, that is, if you have the bucks to spare to get one.
All in all, it was a wise decision to detour to this exhibit. Months ago, before I knew about this exhibit, I was planning to see the new Adam Driver play off-Broadway in NYC on Thursday night, but am glad now that I never finalized those plans.
ED and Annie
