It was purely an impulse decision. Connie and Patty both tend to make quick decisions and then wonder what the hell they had gotten themselves into. Then they set about making it happen. The love of a challenge, the adventure of off-road driving, having a good time, and not taking things too seriously are common threads in their friendship. The defining moment would have been at Overland Expo, PNW 2024, when Patty opened her big mouth and said something to the effect of maybe the Rebelle will have to be her next challenge. Connie immediately jumped on that idea, and TNT-Tried N True had begun! We feel we have been tried by adventure and we are true to the finish.
AEV-Conversions, Overland Passage, Overland Glovebox Guide, Goose Gear, Global – A 1st Flag Ship Company, Equipt, Freedom Recovery Gear, Morrflate, Walt Middleton Photography, Adventure Tool Company, Medical Points Abroad, Glue Tread, American Adventure Lab
I wholesale Native American arts and crafts. This is something I was raised with and have spent my life involved in.
Louisville, Colorado
CU Boulder, University of Arizona, University of Northern Colorado major in Theatre Arts
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind." — Dr. Seuss
I have done almost all of the remodeling work on our 1898 home myself; drywall, reframing, insulation, refinishing floors, etc. My husband likes to make the inside joke that I am a part time “homemaker”.
My grandmother lived to be 97 and I watched her comfort zone grow smaller and smaller as she aged. I try to do things that will keep pushing my comfort zone outward as I get older, this is part of that.
Compassion. People can be rich, talented, attractive, and the world tends to admire them for those traits, but true compassion is so inspiring.
Show: FireflyPodcast: Hidden BrainBook: – I couldn’t even begin to choose
Driving from London to Cape Town 30,000 miles 225 days.
My objective is to finish the competition, not let my teammate down, and display the value of our sponsors. I am absolutely NOT in it to win it. Our sponsors understand this.
I have a passion for turning things into something that is more useful. I can sew, do woodworking, take things apart and rebuild them. It is said that “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”, but I believe you can. I don’t have to accept things the way they are, I can turn them into what I want them to be.
My background is in Overlanding, so similar concepts, but MUCH slower. Over many thousands of miles of off-road travel I have developed a keen sense of mechanical sympathy. The easiest repairs are the ones you don’t have to make.
I have driven from London to Cape Town South Africa, and purchased a vehicle, sight unseen, in Australia and then outfitted it for Overland travel (Largely at IKEA) in two days.
My first car (purchased the day I turned fifteen and a half and got my learners permit) was a 1956 Dodge Custom Royal. I stopped at an antique auto sales place on my way to look at a used sports car, and there it was: Four flat tires, springs popping through the seats, headliner falling down, huge crack in the windshield, faded paint and I was instantly in love. My grandparents had an auto body shop and restored it for by birthday. It was beautiful.
I have had several careers over my lifetime. My first job was as a secretary/receptionist/camp for the Canal Zone Girl Scout Council in the Canal Zone, Republic of Panama. Then, I served as the office manager/field director/camp director for the USA Girl Scouts in Panama after the Panama Canal Treaties took effect in October 1979. I have also worked as a substitute teacher for the Special Education program in Salmon, Idaho. I have worked as a cook at remote hunting camps during the fall hunting season in Salmon, Idaho. For 29 years, my husband, Loren, and I worked as facilities managers for four residential properties, also located in Salmon, Idaho. I have always enjoyed the work I’ve done. My theory is that you shouldn't spend time “hating your job or boss” when you can do something that makes you happy and do it well. As we say in the West, “ride for the brand.”
Salmon, Idaho
Canal Zone Community College, Balboa, Canal Zone, Republic of Panama. Majored in business and retail.
""What I dare, I will. What I will, I do." Loren Upton"Dare mighty things." Theodore Roosevelt"
Maybe not really a “fun” fact, but definitely a bit out there! I have floated in the Nile River for 2.5 days, looking for some form of civilization after our Jeep broke an axle in northern Sudan. We had already used our spare axle, and when we broke down, we had no idea where we were; in fact, no one knew where we were. Fortunately, the Nile was only about a mile’s walk from where the Sand Ship Discovery broke down. We secured the Discovery, made a raft from our supplies and native materials, and entered the Nile. We held on to our raft and floated down the river.
Why not? I certainly am not getting any younger, and I need to keep challenging myself. Some of my body parts are beginning to show wear and tear, so it's now! I need to see what lies behind those far-distant ranges.
Loren, my late husband, was and always will be my inspiration. Others throughout history whom I found inspiring: Ernest ShackletonGertrude BellBeryl MarkhamMartin and Osa JohnsonSamuel and Florence Baker
Books, I have an attic full…but here are four that were inspiring: The Endurance by Caroline AlexanderWest With the Night by Beryl MarkhamThe Desert Queen by Janet WallachI Married Adventure by Osa Johnson
The incredible thirty-five years of adventure with my late husband, Loren. He gave me the world and the confidence to tell our story.
-To finish the Rebelle Rally.-To not let anyone down; each other, fellow team members, and our sponsors. -To find or have at least one positive experience or outcome every day.
Reading, journaling, and traveling around the US to various overland events to tell the story of my late husband's (Loren) and my CJ5-Jeep expedition around the world. Presenting slide shows of your journey and inspiring people to have a dream, and then work towards achieving it.
I have virtually NO motorsports background. Traveling in a vehicle does not, in my mind, equate to motorsports. That is not to say I haven’t changed the oil, helped lube the vehicle, changed a tire, bled and adjusted the brakes, and assisted Loren with countless repairs of our Jeep during the expedition. I believe this will be helpful during the Rebelle because I am not afraid to get down and dirty and to do what it takes to keep moving forward.
I have been on two expeditions through the Darien Gap, one with the Sand Ship Discovery, a 1966 CJ-5 Jeep, and another with a two-wheel drive Rokon motorcycle. The expedition around the world in the Sand Ship Discovery was to take one American-made vehicle around the world from the furthest road north in North America (Prudhoe Bay), to the furthest road south in South America (38 miles south of Punta Arenas, Chile) all on land including the Darien Gap of Panama and Colombia. That crossing of the Darien Gap is recorded in the 1992 Guinness Book of Records. We then shipped the Jeep to Africa and began at the furthest road south in Africa (Cape Agulas, South Africa), and drove to the furthest road north in Europe (Gamvik, Norway), all on land. This expedition included: - the first all land crossing of the Darien Gap – 741 days to go 125 miles.- 4000 miles of four-wheel drive in Africa- Life-threatening breakdown in the Sahara- Journey through the then Soviet Union- A 30-year delay in completing the expedition due to a political situation in the Mid-East. The Rokon motorcycle expedition was just through the Darien Gap, all on land and took 49 days. Cool experiences outside of the Rebelle? I have been on two expeditions through the Darien Gap, one with the Sand Ship Discovery, a 1966 CJ-5 Jeep, and another with a two-wheel drive Rokon motorcycle. The expedition around the world in the Sand Ship Discovery was to take one American-made vehicle around the world from the furthest road north in North America (Prudhoe Bay), to the furthest road south in South America (38 miles south of Punta Arenas, Chile) all on land including the Darien Gap of Panama and Colombia. That crossing of the Darien Gap is recorded in the 1992 Guinness Book of Records. We then shipped the Jeep to Africa and began at the furthest road south in Africa (Cape Agulas, South Africa), and drove to the furthest road north in Europe (Gamvik, Norway), all on land. This expedition included: - the first all land crossing of the Darien Gap – 741 days to go 125 miles.- 4000 miles of four-wheel drive in Africa- Life-threatening breakdown in the Sahara- Journey through the then Soviet Union- A 30-year delay in completing the expedition due to a political situation in the Mid-East. The Rokon motorcycle expedition traversed the Darien Gap entirely on land and took 49 days. This expedition included:- Having the Rokon chained to a post and we held for ransom in a village in the Darien Gap.- A breakdown that required an entirely new engine to be flown into Medellin, Colombia, so that we could complete the Darien Gap.- Not one but two face-to-face interrogations with the Colombian FARC guerrillas.
My first car was a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, and I drove that little thing just about everywhere a vehicle could go (and sometimes where it shouldn’t) in Panama and Costa Rica. But my heart is with the Sand Ship Discovery, the 1966 CJ-5 Jeep that Loren and I took around the world. Furthest road north in North America to the furthest road south in South America, including the first all-land crossing of the Darien Gap of Panama and Colombia. Continuing to South Africa, we began at the southernmost road and drove all on land to the northernmost road in Europe. 56,000 miles of no GPS, no cell phones, no digital photography, and no internet.
