Preparing for the expedition
Wednesday, 21st December 2005 - final preparations... see you in January...
Tuesday, 20th December 2005 - Final orders are in. Packing shoud begin soon.
Monday, 19th December 2005 - Mounted the roof tent on Tiny...making good progress now!...
Sunday, 18th December 2005 - Went off-roading!...What an adventure...
Saturday, 17th December 2005 - Sound-proofed the dog house....hopefully it will be a bit quieter (and less hot) in the cab!...
Friday, 16th December 2005 - Mounted the solar panels on the roof rack...and connected them to the batteries...now we can power the electronic equipment we need with the sun's power!...yippee!
Thursday, 15th December 2005 - Got the car back in working order...drained the fuel tanks and all seems to be working!...great news!...
Wednesday, 14th December 2005 - Finally back working on the car!...Still working on the car's power issues...also securing the cabinets and painting little bits so they won't rust!...
Tuesday, 13th December 2005 - We picked up Tiny (the mog) today... great to finally have it back... still some minor problems though, so the story continues...
Monday, 12th December 2005 - Finalized all plans to go pick up the MOG tomorrow!....yippee!!...Had to make some alternate route plans since the oil depot fire (outside London) has closed some motorways...Have you seen who WON the car naming contest?
Sunday, 11th December 2005 - Took a bit of a break today!...Have you seen who WON the car naming contest?
Saturday, 10th December 2005 - Did you see the car naming contest winner?...Finished up some admin work...and took a little break!...the countdown continues!...
Friday, 9th December 2005 - We have a Car naming CONTEST winner.... CONGRATULATIONS Jared G. from Northampton Area Middle School,Pennsylvania, USA....you have submitted the official name of the TIRE TRACKS MOG....TINY.... Great work!....
Thursday, 8th December 2005 - Our last shopping spree (mostly on ebay!)...we are just about finished buying the odds and ends we need!...
Wednesday, 7th December 2005 - Tried to find new tyres for the mog... the ones we wanted are all sold out in the UK until January... too late for us... looks like we'll have to go for a set of (very expensive) Michelin tyres... not too happy!
Tuesday, 6th December 2005 - A good day....the mechanics fixed the Mog!...We are so happy!...We will pick it up this week, we hope...
Monday, 5th December 2005 - Corinne had her last rabies shot today!....No more immunisation jabs needed for us!...Great news!
Saturday, 3rd December 2005 - ...A bit of a relaxing day, as yesterday was a very long day sorting out the car...but we will be back working tomorrow!...Sunday, 4th December 2005 - An online shopping day!...lots of odds and ends to order before we go...not too much longer before we leave...cross your fingers the car is ready tomorrow!...
Friday, 2nd December 2005 - A bit of a disappointing day...went to pick up the UNIMOG and there were some last minute issues...it had to stay in the shop!...
Thursday, 1st December 2005 - ...Finished the Expedition website!...Now your parents and friends can also watch the Tire Tracks team in Africa...
Wednesday, 30th November 2005 - ...Can you believe it was another admin day?...there is always lots to do to prepare for a big journey like this...so it wasn't the most exciting day, but we got a lot done!...
Tuesday, 29th November 2005 - Received a personal donation...we are so happy!...this helps us make sure we can deliver more photos, videos and stories from Africa to you!...
Monday, 28th November 2005 - More admin today, including meeting the accountant...Admin work is not always fun but it is very important!...
Sunday, 27th November 2005 - worked on putting the expedition website together... not very exciting, but it has to be done... anyway, it's almost finished...
Saturday, 26th November 2005 - ... figured out how our new Panasonic video camera works...
Friday, 25th November 2005 - ...did some final research for the country info pages on the website... they should be up soon...
Thursday, 24th November 2005 - Received our Panasonic camcorder in the mail!...Time to learn about the video...stay tuned for videos using the camera!...
Wednesday, 23rd November 2005 - Ordered the roof tent....hopefully we will have it up on the car soon so you can take a look...
Tuesday, 22nd November 2005 - Sorted out the work left to be done on the car the specialized mechanics...they are working hard to make sure we can pick the Mog up on Friday...
Monday, 21st November 2005 - Got technical today...Patrick started building the expedition website...and Corinne had her 2nd rabies shot today!...only 1 more to go...
Sunday, 20th November 2005 - Prepared the list of questions for the travel clinic experts at Fleet Street, to be sure we have all the right medical gear with us...Corinne is going for her 2nd jab for rabies tomorrow!...
Saturday, 19th November 2005 - Spent time planning and organizing our first aid kit...we want to be prepared but also know that we can buy some things in Africa...
Friday, 18th November 2005 - Decided to leave the Mog with the specialist mechanics and go back to London...a bit more work to do...and we don't want to leave until our roof rack is on!...will be back next week to pick up the Mog...
Thursday, 17th November 2005 - Up in Lancaster in northwest England...beautiful place...guys in the shop are working on the Mog...awaiting to hear what needs to be fixed...we hope not too much!...
Wednesday, 16th November 2005 - ..Off to the specialist Unimog dealer to get a full check-up for the Mog...It is going to be a long drive!...
Tuesday, 15th November 2005 - Great news...we received sponsorship from Inmarsat!...we can now easily send you reports from wherever we are in Africa, via satellite communications...thank you Inmarsat!
Monday, 14th November 2005 - ...Water-proofed the water can storage cabinet, with two coats of paint and an orange tarp...Also finished laying the tile...we are getting there!
Sunday, 13th November 2005 - Installed the electronic ignition...the Mog runs better than it ever has before!...great news!
Saturday, 12th November 2005 - Patrick played with the distributor today...as we works towards installing an electronic ignition...while Corinne went to work painting and putting down tile so we can try to keep the Mog clean!...
Friday, 11th November 2005 - Went to the Fleet Street Clinic for travel advice...Talked with an expert about malaria medication...Corinne also got her first rabies jab...only two more to go!...
Thursday, 10th November 2005 - Gave the storage cabinets their 1st coat of paint...and built our desks! What color do you think we painted the back?
Wednesday, 9th November 2005 - ordered the fridge for our car - in Germany... a lot cheaper than in the UK... those foreign laguages always come in handy...
Tuesday, 8th November 2005 - Today we got our new UK license plates! Stay tuned for photos....
Monday, 7th November 2005 - Talked to the RAC (who were very helpful!) about arranging our Carnet (car passport)...all it takes now is to send in the papers tomorrow!
Sunday, 6th November 2005 - ...A day of paperwork!...read through the carnet (the car passport) which we hope to get soon...
Saturday, 5th November 2005 - working on the car... almost there on the inside of the car... and we celebrated Patrick's birthday...
Friday, 4th November 2005 - Have made some real progress...have ordered almost everything we need for the trip...and the car is really starting to look the way it should...it has been a good week!
Thursday, 3rd November 2005 - Spent the morning cutting and sanding wood for the back of the car...but it started raining...so spent the rest of the day doing website work!...
Wednesday, 2nd November 2005 - Wanted to finish cutting and sanding the wood for the back of the Mog, but it rained most of the day...Instead, visited the bank (did you know we need a car 'passport'?) and did some work on the website...
Tuesday, 1st November 2005 - It has been a big day...the MOG passed MOT without any problem!!!...
Monday, 31st October 2005 - Made a sketch of our roof rack...we hope to have it designed for the car soon!
Sunday, 30th October 2005 - Researched what visas we needed for the countries we are visiting...and figured out that we can get most visas (for the first 6 months) on the road!
Saturday, 29th October 2005 - Needed a separate brake light to get through MOT...Turned out NOT to be an easy job...But we figured it out in the end!...
Friday, 28th October 2005 - we had a new exhaust fitted, but are still working on our MOT... we need to change our tail light and break light to the British standards...
Thursday, 27th October 2005 - We brought the Mog in for a MOT (standard UK road worthiness test).... it has to stay overnight and we are really missing it!...
Wednesday, 26th October 2005 - looked into some alternative routes... things are never certain on a journey like this, so we have to be prepared for chages as we travel...
Tuesday, 25th October 2005 - Cut more wood for the storage units in the back of the Mog...step by step...we are getting there...
Monday, 24th October 2005 - Did some more research on winches for the Unimog and are now looking for a good 2nd hand one. The Unimog hopefully won't get stuck too often but if it does, we will be happy we have a winch to pull us out (we hope!).
Sunday, 23rd October 2005 - nothing... we took a day off... the first one in a loooong time... we'll be back preparing for the trip tomorrow...
Saturday, 22nd October 2005 - Figured out the amount of wood we needed for the back storage space...and then bought huge sheets of plywood...and had a great time cutting to size with the circular saw
Friday, 21st October 2005 - looked into insurance... boring...
Thursday, 20th October 2005 - researched the tires we need, and tried to get them sponsored
Wednesday, 19th October 2005 - Asked some questions on a forum of Unimog owners from around the world. Received some great advice on the equipment we need and upgrades we need to do to the Mog.
Tuesday, 18th October 2005 - Brought the Unimog in for a MOT test (if it is ok for driving on UK roads), but the Unimog was too big for the testing equipment!....Now we have to bring it to a specialist!
Monday, 17th October 2005 - Did some searching on sites like ebay for decent priced, equipment like solar panels, roof tent, a fridge, etc. There is a lot of stuff we still need for our trip!
Sunday, 16th October 2005 - ...Bid on ebay for a roof tent...but it looks like we will have to buy one from a supplier nearby...
Saturday, 15th October 2005 - Found a great car boot sale and picked up odds and ends for our trip!
Friday, 14th October 2005 - more car work... built the framework for our water tanks...
Thursday, 13th October 2005 - Went hunting for gear and equipment for the trip at a car boot sale....didn't have too much luck, but will try again....
Wednesday, 12th October 2005 - Still working on the car... more paintwork, and we reseached how many and what kind of solar panels we need
Tuesday, 11th October 2005 - More work on the car - started to do some work on our 'kitchen'. Also tried to figure out where to put our 2nd spare tire and where to position our winch...
Monday, 10th October 2005 - We need to replace the exhaust system in the car, so today we tried to find the best place (and best country) to buy it....looks like we may buy it from Belgium!
Sunday, 9th October 2005 - More car work... we sanded the floor in the back of the car and gave the inside a paint job...
Saturday, 8th October 2005 - We did a full check up on the mechanics and electric system in the car.
Friday, 7th October 2005 - Visited the local mechanic. We bring the car in next week for a check-up so it is ready for Africa!
Thursday, 6th October 2005 - Researched and found a good deal for the Africa driving maps and guidebooks we need for the trip!
Wednesday, 5th October 2005 - Still doing some more country research...there is a lot to do!
Tuesday, 4th October 2005 - Did research into the countries we'll visit the first 6 months
Tuesday, 3rd October 2005 - Checked into visa requirements and made arrangements for first 4 months of our trip
Sunday, 2nd October 2005 - more car work: planned an off roading day, and put together a list of spare parts we need to bring
Saturday, 1st October 2005 - Finished the next bi-weekly report...have you checked out the back of the car? or the videos?
Friday, 30th September 2005 - ...Cleaned and emptied out the back of the car...
Thursday, 29th September 2005 - Applied for a special award for the Tire Tracks program...
Wednesday, 28th September 2005 - Checked out the visa requirements for the countries we will visit in the first half year. Lots of planning work to be done before January!
Tuesday, 27th September 2005 - We brushed up on our French...we have to keep practicing!
Monday, 26th September 2005 - Today we made loads of phone calls so we can import the car from Holland to the UK. We also made some plans for an off-road driving course. We can't wait to test the Unimog!
Sunday, 25th September 2005 - Put stories and photos from the Road Show on the website. Check them out!
Saturday, 24th September 2005 - taking a break... our first day off in 4 weeks...
Friday, 23rd September 2005 - cleaned the carburettor of our car and edited some of the videos we took during our Road Show...
Thursday, 22nd September 2005 - Had the second day of our Road Show. Today we visited Dragon School in Oxford and Heronsgate in Milton Keynes. We had so much fun...
Wednesday, 21st September 2005 - We kicked off the Kids program today with the 1st day of our UK Road Show. We visited students at Langford school (London) and Caterham Prep (Surrey, just outside London).
Tuesday, 20th September 2005 - did an interview for the team profile page...go check it out!...packed the car for the Road Show...
Monday, 19th September 2005 - More Road Show prep, sponsor letters, and website updates... not every day can be an exciting one...
Sunday, 18th September 2005 - prepared for the UK Road Show, we'll be visiting 4 schools next Wednesday and Thursday....
Saturday, 17th September 2005 - measured the back of the car, and worked on a first draft design of what it will look like... we will show you what we came up with soon...
Friday, 16th September 2005 - sending out letters to potential sponsors... maybe we'll get some support....
Thursday, 15th September 2005 - more work on the website, but this time the teacher website....
Wednesday, 14th September 2005 - worked really, really hard on getting some final changes on the website done...
