Road's End to Road's End: The Epic Voyage of the Sand Ship Discovery by Misti Tokarsky

Before GPS, satellite phones, and modern overlanding rigs, Loren Upton and Patty Mercier set out to do what few would even dare to imagine: drive a 1966 CJ-5 Kaiser Jeep around the world, from Road's End to Road's End, by land wherever land existed. Their vehicle, the Sand Ship Discovery, was more than transportation. It was home, workshop, shelter, lifeline, and sometimes their only defense against heat, cold, jungle, desert, bureaucracy, and mechanical failure. Built by hand, repaired in the field, and pushed far beyond anything it was ever designed to endure, the Jeep carried them into some of the most remote and unforgiving places on earth. What began as Loren’s lifelong dream became a five-year expedition across continents and a test of endurance, faith, ingenuity, and partnership. From the brutal challenge of the Darién Gap to the vast emptiness of the Sahara, from the frozen edge of Prudhoe Bay to the southern roads of South America and the long push north through Africa and Europe, every mile demanded a price. There were broken axles, failed parts, missing paperwork, dangerous roads, endless delays, and moments when the journey seemed impossible. There were also strangers who became family, landscapes that changed them forever, and victories won one stubborn step at a time. Read more