MWest Blog

The Four Risk Responses Before Planning Your Overlanding Adventure In the late 19 th and early 20 th century, ranchers would drive their cattle to new grazing lands or to market annually, which was commonly referred to as a cattle drive. Australia, on the other hand, referred to the cattle drives as Overlanding the cattle. History has taught us moving cattle across the country was hard, tedious work. Cowboys drove cattle all day and made camp wherever their journey took them. As the cattle drives began to fade away due to more efficient modes of transportation, such as the railroad and automobiles, the well-beaten paths trodden down by thousands of head of cattle where transformed into new roadways. In the United States, many of these trails were eventually paved, making travel quicker and smoother. Trails cutting through Australia's Outback were a different story. While used for automobiles, many of these trails were not paved, or even improved much since the last

I recently learned of some decent trails just minutes from my home. Looking for something to get my kids out of the house, I loaded them up and headed out to do some off-road adventuring! Primarily known as the Tahitian Village subdivision, this once-prominent development was a victim of the 2011 Bastrop forest fire. While there are many homes that survived and several other connected subdivisions, many people stopped building for fear that another fire could happen at any time. The Lost Pines area of Bastrop, TX offers scenic views  This left the western portion of the subdivision undeveloped, neglected, and left to Mother Nature's doing. Despite the lack of maintenance, the forest on this side was untouched by the fire, making it full of dense growth and wonderfully scenic place! Another geographic curve ball that is thrown into this area is the hilly and very steep rocky terrain! As we left the pavement,  it became quickly evident these roads have been neglecte

It was time to say goodbye to my ‘ol Ford F-150 4x4 Lariat Super Crew. Although it was paid for, it was already starting to show signs of expensive repairs. The A/C was beginning to go out, and the transmission was starting to buck here and there. Most importantly, my 60-mile round trip commute every day was taking a toll on the pocketbook with an average fuel economy of 12-14 miles per gallon. Although we had good times, I realized it was time for another! This 2017 Subaru Outback immediately caught the eye of the author! Figuring I could get a decent trade-in, I began my vehicle search for a low-mileage pre-owned vehicle. I wanted something that got decent gas mileage, room enough to haul tents, ice chests, and whatever else you would need for outings with my kids’ Scouting adventures! As much as I tried to convince myself, on the contrary, I decided on no more trucks. I needed something that was easily maneuverable in a low clearance parking garage as well as being able

After Google updated its Blogger site, I decided to jump back on and give it whirl! A huge majority of my prior blogs centered around firearms and law enforcement, which stemmed from my law enforcement career. During the latter part of 2015, an injury at work put the brakes on my full-time law enforcement career and forced me to focus on a different career and new goals. With a new career and busy family life, I decided to focus my efforts and endeavors in a different direction! Just as I have moved my career in a different direction, I want to do the same with this blog. Aside from blogging about my future journeys, expect to see a bit more variety and opinions on social issues as well as honest product reviews. If you find my blogs interesting, I ask that you please share! Take care and Godspeed! -Matt

Growing up as a kid and teenager, I use to go camping several times a year. In Scouting, we usually camped at a Scout Reservation in a canvas tent (no floor) and on a cot. With my granddad, camping consisted sleeping in the camper shell in the bed of his truck when we would go on fishing trips. After getting my driver’s license, I would tent camp during the summer when I was out of school using tents that I bought from the local chain store down the road. Remember, I was young and broke! After I went off to college and started my career, camping took a side seat, along with fishing, and everything else, so it seemed! When my wife and I were still dating, we decided we were going to go on a camping trip to Rusk State Park and ride the Texas State Railroad’s steam train. Using one of my old tents I had packed neatly away about 4 years earlier, I was proud of my thriftiness and was amazed that my tent was still in good shape, or so I thought. After enjoying a restful night at the