Positive Vibes Overland Style
Jamie and I had a fantastic weekend at the Moore Expo. The turnout was great and the weather cooperated for most of the weekend. I headed out on Thursday from Bella Vista around 6AM as my set-up time was assigned at 8AM. I got there in plenty of time and as usual, the setup process was smooth, with no large issues.
After setting up I went down to Springfield and hit a “new to me” coffee shop and returned some emails. BIG Momma’s was a treat and we will be back. It was a nice quiet day. Little did I know that this would be the most I would sit for the next 48 hours.
Friday - Start of the MOORE EXPO
I departed the hotel and headed over to get some coffee and breakfast at Echelon Coffee. I found this place last year and it is a wonderful place to start your day. The coffee and bagels are a treat. Stop by if you get a chance the next time you are in Springfield.
I rolled into the Expo and you could feel the buzz! It was so cool seeing friends that we only see at these types of shows. Now I would be lying if I did not say that I stopped and gawked at some amazing rigs in the parking lots. It never seems to amaze me, how some folks set up their overland/camping experience. It is always a treat to speak with people and learn how they came up with their most recent build.
The gates open at 10AM and BOOM! It was busy for the rest of the day. Jamie was not there to help on the first day as she had to attend to her teaching duties. I had an enjoyable day, chatting with like-minded overlanding/camping enthusiasts. The positive comments and the warm smiles made for a great day. I did not get to look around too much, as the Moto Adrenaline Tours booth was busy from the opening. It is so cool seeing how folks enjoy their overlanding/camping experience.
There is a wide variety of individuals that attend these types of events. The hard-core rock crawlers, riders of adventure motorcycles, the adventure lite crowd, and those that want to go to a campground and just hang out. There are plenty of things that draw us to this wonderful hobby. It's awesome to hear how folks have gotten into the overlanding/camping lifestyle. Some were drawn in by following YouTube Channels, some were drawn out when they realized that there were many options in planning a trip. Many enjoyed the fact that they could take part in a guided experience, so they could “learn the ropes” in a relatively safe environment. I loved listening to how folks were drawn into our amazing hobby. There is enough room for all of us in the Overlanding/camping niche.
Story Teller Row
It was great speaking with many of these content creators. We enjoy our Youtube channel, and listening to these creators sparks a fire in us to continue marching forward. (So go subscribe to our channel! haha!)
As many of you, we watch a lot of overlanding content, it was nice getting to speak with those channels that we follow, but also talk to folks we did not know had a channel. Here are a few channels that we had not watched in the past, but have on our playlist now: All Things Overlanding AllOver Overland aMAYSing Life
We finished up the day with a nice cold adult beverage with friends at the Springfield Brewing Company. The first day of the Moore Expo was in the books and we had survived and thrived! We went back to the hotel to rest up and prepare to do it all over again. I will say my feet are screaming! It has been a few days since my retail management stint on concrete floors.
Saturday is FUN Day.
Jamie and I h