Slow and Steady

For 28 years, Gary and Monika Wescott have been traveling the world, first separately and, since 1977, jointly (The Turtle Expedition had existed since 1972). From the arid deserts of Afghanistan to the deepest jungles of the Amazon, the two photojournalists have driven and trekked across untrammeled backroads with sometimes no more than a camera and a backpack.

The Wescotts do most of their wandering in a specially prepared Ford-350, four-wheel drive truck. Replacing three previous travel/research vehicles, The Turtle IV  used to cross Russia was carefully outfitted with equipment of proven quality and reliability and would cost over $70,000 to replace. “Over the past twenty years, we’ve systematically found out what works,” said Gary. “In the places we go, reliability becomes all-important! This is not a vacation.”

The Turtle Expedition, Unltd. is sponsored by BFGoodrich, Rain-X, Ford Motor Company, Auto Meter, Alcoa, Rain-X Oil Energizer and Four Wheel Campers. To receive a comprehensive list of Turtle Expedition equipment supply sources compiled during twenty years of full-time travel, send your name and address, with $3.00 to cover copies, postage and handling, to: The Turtle Expedition, Unltd., Dept. RL, 12036 Nevada City Hwy., #205, Grass Valley, CA 95945.

In 1989, The Turtle Expedition spent 14 months circumnavigating South America and crossing it twice, driving over 50,000 miles. The 16,000 mile drive across Russia, begun in the Winter of 1996, from Magadan in the East, to Karelia in the West, will be serialized in Russian Life over the next several months.