Fresh off The Last Overland, a retracing of the iconic 1955-56 First Overland expedition, the iconic Land Rover Series I “Oxford” is ready to conquer its next continent: North America. Plans are in the works for the truck to spend 2020 cross-crossing the USA and Canada, visiting Land Rover clubs and events along the way.
The tour will be coordinated by the Rover Owners Association of Virginia, who are coordinating the financial and logistical aspects of the tour. They’ve set up a website to follow the Oxford visit.
Oxford will be heading over soon, with the first stop on the tentative itinerary being Maine Winter Romp in Benton, ME from February 14-16, 2020. A classic Northeastern Land Rover event, Romp will be even better this year, because Land Rover enthusiasts banded together in 2019 to acquire the land the event is held on, securing its long-term future. There are new trails, better vehicle flow, and a number of special things to look forward to.
From there, Oxford will head down to Virginia for ROAV’s Rovers at Wintergreen (RAW), on April 3rd. This is a fun annual event at the Wintergreen Resort in Virginia, one of the earlier events on the social calendar.
June will bring Oxford to Canada, and the Ottawa Valley Land Rovers’ Birthday Party, June 26-28. One of the oldest events in North America, the Birthday Party is a staple of the club scene in both Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States. The event is the weekend before Canada Day, in case any Canadian Land Rover enthusiasts from further afield wanted to make a longer trek.
September brings Oxford to Moab, Utah – the off-road heart of America. There, the Great American Rover Rally will merge two events – the National Rally, held annually since 1989 in either Colorado or Moab, and the Western National Land Rover Rally, which was held in two iterations in 2015 and 2018. Oxford will get to tick off something every Land Rover dreams of doing: wheeling Utah's iconic red rock trails.
There’s tentative plans to bring Oxford back east along the Trans-America Trail, a network of dirt and back roads stretching from Oregon to Tennessee.
On October 3rd, Oxford will go to ROAV’s Mid-Atlantic Rally, bookending the North American adventure. Another classic event, the MAR takes place in southwestern Virginia, with good trails and camaraderie just before the seasons turn.
From there, Oxford will head back to England, with a return home by December 2020. From there, where will she go next? Having conquered Asia, Europe, and North America, there’s four continents left to go....
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