We know many of you enjoy the social atmosphere of Facebook, Tumbr, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, even Google+ and you can now get your fix of our off-road adventures.

Yes we have a Facebook fan page.  Although Facebook calls them fan pages, we prefer to think of everyone as friends.  Some we know well, some we know a little and some we hope to get to know. But we all have one thing in common.  We all love getting off the beaten path and exploring the road less traveled.

Beside our website you can find us at Last Great Road Trip on Facebook. If you prefer you can follow us at Last Great Road Trip on Tumblr or Last Great Road Trip on Twitter. See our pictures on Instagram Last Great Road Trip. If you like videos you can watch ours on our Off-Road Adventure You Tube channel or Off-Road Adventure Vimeo video channel. Like pinning your favorite things, you can find our pins on Pinterest Off-Road Adventure. We’re even of the new version of an old favorite myspace Last Great Road Trip.

If there is a way to share our off-road adventures you’ll find us there…  please join us and help spread the word.

Scott Brady overland journal

Anyone who considers them self an overland adventurer knows the name Scott Brady and Expeditions West. He also publishes the Overland Journal which is filled with amazing photos and stories.  Scott is one of the lucky few who has turned his passion for adventure into a business and now Forbes has recognized his efforts in a recent article “Going to Extremes”.

When we were planning our own Arctic Circle adventure it was Scott’s trip that inspired us to make a last minute 1,000 mile detour to Inuvik.

I was luck enough to spend time with Scott  at a recent media event where I had a change to get to know him over dinner, drinks and out on the track.  In short he lives up to the legend of overland explorer and entrepreneur.  Congratulations Scott and safe travels on your next off-road adventure.

Step right up, bargains galore. That’s right, you too can be the proud owner of the quality goes in before the name goes on.  We got service after the sales, in house service, drive up service! You need shirts? we got shirts, how ’bout a sticker? Something for the little lady, something for the big guy, we got it here, buy right now!

We got a year-end clearance, after Christmas red tag sale and we’re liquidating everything, take it away today.  Act now, and receive as our gift, our gift to you. Buy right now!

It comes in any color as long as it’s black, one size fits all.  No muss, no fuss, no spills.  Everything must go.  Slashing prices off original retail price, skip the middle man.  Don’t settle for less, buy right now!

How do we do it?  Volume, volume, turn up the volume!  Now you’ve heard it advertised right here, don’t hesitate.  Don’t be caught with your drawers down, don’t get left out, you can step right up now.  You sir, you’re next.  Buy right now!

That’s right, it slices it dices it makes a steaming cup of espresso in the morning.  Never wears out, lasts a lifetime, walks your dog, takes your kids to soccer, makes the bed, cleans the dishes, cooks your meals, it buys a round of drinks for your friends.  It gets rid of embarrassing age spots.  Removes unwanted facial and back hair.  Guaranteed to grow hair.  Removes the gray, add highlights, wont cause frizzes.  Strengthens teeth and puts a gleam in your smile.  Its only money, step right up young lady you’re next. Buy right now!

Order over the Internet, the web, the world wide web, never get out of your chair, add it to your shopping cart, don’t leave home without it.  Live the life you were born to live, meet hot singles they’re waiting to talk with you now.  Builds washboard abs, buns of steel without breaking a sweat, buy right now!  No spam email, no annoying dinner time phone calls, no newspaper fliers, buy right now!

And if you buy within the next twenty minutes we’ll double your order.  Don’t delay, operators are standing by.  Have Visa or Master Card ready, buy right now!

How do we do it?  We’re crazy, meet my dog spot.  The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away.  Please allow 30 days for shipping and delivery.  All sales final, with coupon receive our free brochure, free brochure with very purchase.  That’s a ten dollar value.  Step right up young man, you’re next. Buy right now!

We just thought we would announce our new store with a little fan fair.  The stuff we sell changes so keep an eye out as we add more items and take old ones off.  You can also support our off road adventures by becoming a Micro Video Producer.

The road less traveled on an off-road adventure is a long one and we need the gas money.  Buy right Now!

First of all THANK YOU to all y’all (y’all is singular)  who read our off-road adventure stories, watch our videos and of course click through a Google ad or two.  We just crossed the 100,000 visits mark for the year.  How do we know?  Is it through CIA Satellite spy cameras? Are we psychic employing mystical oil spot readings?  Have we asked your mother?

If you’re a Dad of a teenager you know what a big deal it is when I tell you that about a month ago my daughter saw the analysts, cracked a smile and showed her friends (translation: slightly impressed that so many (ok any) people follow her dad’s website).  She still thinks I’m a dork, just a more popular dork.

Turns out folks in Bahrain, Guam, Chile, Greece, all over the world have found the site.  Well 100,000 folks can’t be wrong so we will continue to share our stories.  OK we would put our stories out there even if no one read them…  but it feels good to think we are almost famous. And no matter how you found us, THANK YOU for following along. And don’t forget to click a Google Ad or two… We need the gas money.

Like so many brave whistle blowers before, we have to point out a government conspiracy that effects all our readers.  Mulder understood how government sponsored three letter agencies put together backroom deals with corporate giants who would agree to lean on the individual little guy in order to maintain control over their free spirit… That is clearly what is happening and explains why the Last Great Road Trip Rig showed up in Google’s new street level view feature.

Sure if you go with Occam’s razor, the simple explanation is that the rig’s appearance was the result of it being parked on the street when Google was out snapping their pictures  But we know there are no coincidences and this location is just blocks from Google’s office and the picture was discovered only days after our story mentioned President Elect Obama’s iPod. Clearly Apple, Google and a secret government agency are after us… Or Not!  I wonder if they caught us at any other address?  Let us know if you find our rig in other Google mapped locations.

And as complete proof of the conspiracy… The image of our rig has been removed since this was first published.  Coincident, I think not!

Another Baja 1000 (the 41st to be exact) is now complete and as we mentioned before this is the desert race to end all races. This years race set records for the ratio of starters to finishers with nearly 68% of the rigs completing the race.

In the coveted 4-wheel class Norman/Roeseler powered their way to the top of the marquee SCORE Trophy-Truck division and took home the victory.  And while we couldn’t be there, this video by Norman Motorsports captures the race from the winners perspective.

Toyota came up with a great marketing plan…  Put together a couple of teams of guys (remember gender neutral term use) in FJ Cruisers, send them out to hold workshops, run trails and give away some really cool swag that can only be had when you attend an event they show up for…  Really, you can’t buy the stuff (eBay excluded), they just give it away!

The Toyota Trail Teams have been making appearances at events all over the country for a couple of years now.  And in 08 Toyota even  came out with a special FJ Cruiser Trail Teams (TT) edition.   Besides the swag, they also give away good advice, holding workshops on driving, recovery and treading lightly.

I had the opportunity to meet up with them and they are great ambassadors.  They really want to help make your off-road adventure experience a good one.  They work hard… on the road for months…  and they play just as hard.  These are young guys so they have the stamina to drive all day and close the bars that night.

And for 2008, those hard day’s nights are over.  This year’s Toyota Trail Teams season has come to an end.  But worry not they are already planning for 2009.

In the mean time if you need your Toyota Trail Team fix, visit the Toyota Trail Teams site and check out the pictures, videos and stories.

Maybe next year they will give away those GORE-TEX® jackets of theirs.  It would go so well with the grill badge I have.

Please join us in thanking and paying your respects to the men and women of our armed services.  These brave individuals and their families have made tremendous sacrifices which enable us to enjoy the freedoms of this great country.  They serve 365 days a year and deserve our gratitude each and everyone of those days.

Growing up I did not know any military families and never appreciated what it was like to be in the service.  After moving back to the Northwest and locating next to a number of Naval bases it became clear.  Fathers and mothers we called friends would leave their families for six months to carry on without them.  And when they returned from their tour they still faced the same problems as all of us, doing the best they can to raise a family.

So thank you, to all the men and women in military service for the sacrifices you make to keep us free.  Our prayers remain with you and your families always.  Matt, this includes you!

The Internet has spread more urban legends like no other other media outlet before it.  You know what we’re talking about, those stories that continue to surface every year or two, such as McDonald hamburgers are made with worms, 10 foot alligators living in the New York sewers feeding on rats or how Vegas prostitutes are drugging their johns, removing their kidney and selling them on eBay.

For years rumor have been circulating through the Internet that Toyota is secretly discontinuing their FJ Cruiser.  Oddly enough this rumor has been fueled by user  discussions on Toyota’s own FJ Cruiser Forum, known as the Blue Room.  When we first heard this back in 2009, we quickly went to the source, Toyota’s Open Road Blog to get the facts.  According to Jon F. Thompson, Editor, Open Road, in his post, The FJ Cruiser Reality: It’s Alive! That’s just wrong. False. Not true.”

But alas the day has come when in 2013 Toyota has made it clear…  2014 will be the last model year for the FJ Cruiser.  This news comes after Toyota has been quietly encouraging aftermarket vendors to shift focus on new products from the FJ Cruiser to the 5th generation 4Runner which has become Toyota’s flagship 4×4 for the off-road adventure community.

We are glad that so many individuals have had the opportunity to purchase one of the best built rigs available today.  The Toyota FJ Cruiser has continued the long line of the cruiser legend.  We will see what happens in the years to come in both the USA and world markets.