Off-Road Safety Academy - Blue Sky Adventures, Inc.

21/07/2024

Death Valley Miner’s Cabin Adventure Tour
October 31 - November 3, 2024

This Death Valley adventure is for those who either: 1) Tow their 4WD behind a motorhome or truck, 2) Like to basecamp (meaning camp in the same location each night), and/or 3) Like the challenge of a more difficult off-road trail.

Unlike Off-Road Safety Academy's overlanding-style adventure tours, the trails traveled on this tour are a bit more challenging. There will be some rock crawling on this tour so 4WD short wheelbase vehicles will generally do better than long wheelbase trucks.

The tour route includes visiting several remote backcountry miner's cabins, including a visit to Barker Ranch where Charles Manson was apprehended by law enforcement. History at its best! Few of these cabins can be found on maps.

Cost: $650.00 per vehicle. Bring as many passengers as you have legal seat belts. For details and to sign up, go to: https://discoveroffroading.com/4wd-adventure-tours

21/07/2024

Death Valley Overlanding Adventure Tour
October 24-27, 2024

Death Valley is iconic, fabulously scenic, and quite remote. Three days and three nights of overlanding exploring the largest National Park in the lower 48 States. Over 80-percent of this beautiful park can’t be seen from the pavement – you have to venture off-road. Off-Road Safety Academy takes you to the best sights. Sand dunes, canyons, hot springs, playas, craters, mines, and high-altitude trails are all part of this adventure tour. This tour plans to visit Saline Valley, Hunter Mountain, Hidden Valley, Tea Kettle Junction, Racetrack, and Ubehebe Crater.

This is an overlanding-style tour for 4WD vehicles only. You must be self-contained and self-reliant as we camp at a different remote locations each night.

Cost: $650.00 per vehicle. Bring as many passengers as you have legal seat belts.

Only a couple of spots left. Details and Sign Up Here: https://discoveroffroading.com/4wd-adventure-tours

21/07/2024

Off-Road Safety Academy invites you to explore the remote backcountry with like-minded vehicle-supported adventurers.

Details and Upcoming Adventures... See Here: https://discoveroffroading.com/4wd-adventure-tours

Worry Less – Explore More

Off-Road Safety Academy Adventure Tours help you explore the remote backcountry comfortably and enjoyably by:
1) Building community with other like-minded vehicle-supported adventurers. Our campfire gatherings are epic!
2) Being fully invested in making YOUR adventure fun and exciting.
3) Taking you to the most scenic locations and camping sites.
4) Providing you with 4WD instruction or guidance on the tour. Knowing your tour leader is the only 4WD Instructor in the USA that has written three complete “how-to” books for vehicle supported adventurers.
5) Completely knowing the area - the history, geology, biology, and most scenic trails perfect for your vehicle.
6) Knowing your tour leader is a Wilderness First Aid Instructor that carries both a robust first aid kit and an Automated External Defibrillator on every tour.
7) Carrying emergency satellite communicators and having emergency contacts should a vehicle breakdown or an injury/illness occurs.
8) Being a permitted outfitter and 4WD tour guide within BLM and National Park public lands.
9) Knowing your tour leader is a TreadLightly Master Tread Trainer and will help you off-road adhering to important environmental principles.

14/07/2024

Some land photographers think they have it hard. Hummmm - I think not. Try quality underwater photography - especially when cameras used 36 exposure rolls of film. One dive - one roll of film, unless you carried two bulky 35mm cameras in water tight housings. I have always admired professional underwater photographers. I have spent countless hours underwater photographing earth’s treasured aquatic creatures. Each image is special to me. In the early 1980’s I made my first dive in the California Current under So Cals offshore oil rigs. All are platforms with support legs that extend downward and are anchored to the seabed. Each platform is a majestic reef, humming with beautiful and abundant sea life. The platform legs themselves are alive with encrusting invertebrates - mussels, scallops, sea stars of many species, anemones, nudibranchs (sea slugs), and the like. Each platform is surrounded by mega-sized schools of pelagic fish balls with a variety of species darting in and out of the area. It’s pure magic to dive under these majestic artificial reefs, some of the most beautiful in all the world. All just a few miles from major urban areas. Go figure. Want to see more of my photos under platforms Edith, Elly, Ellen, and Eureka? Go here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/boemgov/11228235636/in/photostream/

(And you thought I just taught off-road safety courses and wrote books on the topic.)

03/07/2024

My old “stomping grounds,” the Windward island of Carriacou got “stomped” hard by Hurricane Beryl. Over 95% of the wonderful locals homes are damaged or totally gone. I’m in shock and prayers for the islanders. Get ready Cayman. Ugh.

This drone video, captured by storm chaser Brandon Clement, shows scenes of devastation on the island of Carriacou after Hurricane Beryl slammed into the coa...

27/06/2024

These wonderful folks took my Total Approach to Getting Unstuck Off Road Course this last weekend. It was hot where we trained, but we had a blast. Everyone did great. These fine individuals honored me with their trust and hard eared treasure to take my course. Thank you to each and every one of you. We had a wonderful time learning self-recovery and vehicle-assisted recovery. I had 5 people on my waitlist for this course. Guess I better schedule another course for the Fall! If you aren’t a subscriber to my newsletter, go to my website and opt in. My newsletter provides reviews of new equipment, training tips, and announces newly scheduled tours and courses. www.DiscoverOffRoading.com

18/06/2024

These wonderful new friends took my Introduction to 4WD course this last weekend. We had a blast. They honored me with their trust and hard eared treasure to take my course. Thank you to each and every one of you. We had a wonderful time learning together how to be safer and more comfortable when driving over challenging terrain and exploring through the remote backcountry. All of you became “one with your vehicle.”

Not bragging, but fact… I had 15 people on my waitlist for this course. Guess I better schedule another course for the Fall! If you aren’t a subscriber to my newsletter, go to my website and opt in. My newsletter provides reviews of new equipment, training tips, and announces newly scheduled tours and courses. www.DiscoverOffRoading.com

12/06/2024

You may have my book "The Total Approach to Getting Unstuck Off Road." Now is your opportunity to learn the skills in person, from me, the author. Two spots available for my June 22-23 weekend Total Approach to Getting Unstuck Recovery Course. Once the spots are gone, they are gone. I keep my courses small. Location: Prairie City SVRA; Near Sacramento, CA. Cost: $720. For course details and to purchase your spot go here: https://discoveroffroading.com/course-descriptions

14/05/2024

One spot left for my upcoming June 22 & 23 Total Approach to Getting Unstuck Off Road Course.

This is course teaches you the primary skills from my book "The Total Approach to Getting Unstuck Off Road - 4WD Self Recovery & Vehicle-Assisted Recovery."

Course Location: Prairie City SVRA, Rancho Cordova, CA.

For More Information: https://discoveroffroading.com/course-descriptions

24/04/2024

Honored to be interviewed by Rick Saez on his award winning Outdoor Biz Podcast. Episode 439 is live now here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7pg4bIgj2VJwSyei2Z9vpv

13/04/2024

Education... Adventure's First Acquisition. Take a recovery course from the “man that wrote the books - June 22-23, 2024. This is the ONLY course this year. For details and to purchase a spot in this course, go to: https://discoveroffroading.com/course-descriptions

06/04/2024

Shhhh… Secret Spots. Death Valley Miner’s Cabin Tour. A basecamp (camp each night in the same location) adventure tour for Short Wheelbase vehicles – Land Rovers, 4Runners, Jeeps, etc. October 31-November 3, 2024. A few spots still available. For tour details go to www.DiscoverOffRoading.com/4wd-adventure-tours

Cost: $650 per vehicle. Bring as many passengers as you have legal seat belts.

31/03/2024

06/03/2024

Ahhh… Baja California Sur! An entirely different world. Friendly people, delicious food, adventure, and a gazillion miles of off-road trails. I still have a few spots open on my upcoming Baja Adventure Tour starting April 25. Go to www.discoveroffroading.com for complete information. It’s an adventure like few others.

19/02/2024

A bit of Power Wagon work and multi check auditing prior to the upcoming Baja reconnoiter.

13/02/2024

The upcoming April 25-May 2 "Camp on Baja Beaches Adventure Tour" still has a few spots available. Hesitant to journey into Baja Mexico? Don't be - travel in a group and with a leader that's been going to Baja Mexico for 54 years. Worry less, explore more. This is an overlanding-style 4WD adventure. We camp at a different location each night. Details and tour purchase? Go here: https://discoveroffroading.com/4wd-adventure-tours

12/02/2024

Thanks Toyota for showing folks tearing up the environment in their 4WD vehicle in front of the huge Super Bowl audience. Talk about non-TreadLightly driving. I’m sick of all the vehicle manufacturers making these commercials, not just Toyota. Believe me, people mimic this type of insane driving style in the remote backcountry. I see it often.

02/02/2024

I'm totally honored to announce that my December 2024 "Heart of Baja Adventure Tour" filled after only eight days of initial announcement. I'm so excited for the new route we will be taking on this Baja adventure. Thanks to all that signed up and paid. As of today, I will be forming a waitlist for this overland adventure. Call or email me if you wish to be placed on the waitlist. Off-Road Safety Academy - Blue Sky Adventures, Inc. teaches you how to explore Baja safely and with the right frame of mind.

I do have spots still available on my April 2024 "Camp on Baja Beaches Adventure Tour," June "Death Valley Overland Adventure Tour," and my November "Death Valley Basecamp Adventure Tour" for short wheelbase Jeeps, Land Rovers, Toyotas, etc.

Go to DiscoverOffRoading.com to learn more and sign up.

29/01/2024

I've decided to conduct some backcountry Adventure Tours in 2024. I'm honored by the hundreds of emails and phone calls I've received since announcing that I no longer have time to organize my tours. Thanks for the pressure to get out of my office!

I am offering two types of backcountry tours - Basecamp and Overland. For dates, locations, and type of tour go to my website DiscoverOffRoading.com. If after reading about the tours you still have questions, I've scheduled a ZOOM call for this Friday, February 2 at 6:30 PM (PST). I can accomodate 100 callers. Here's the link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89879196803?pwd=LB4AAd92y1kDyKwkBTrqOfDp7Uqav0.1

02/12/2023

California vs Arizona magazine and rife laws. You need not read the text in the screen grabs, but the first 9 images show the tyranny in California on the topic. The tenth image shows the magazine and rifle laws in Arizona: “No magazine restrictions found for this state.” Here endeth the lesson on tyranny. Source: USCCA state law reference.

02/12/2023

California vs Arizona magazine and rife laws. You need not read the text in the screen grabs, but the first 9 images show the tyranny in California on the topic. The tenth image shows the magazine and rifle laws in Arizona: “No magazine restrictions found for this state.” Here endeth the lesson on tyranny. Source: CCW App, updated 9/2023 state law reference.

30/10/2023

It’s not an overland adventure without bush in your racks…

30/10/2023

Oh California… you are SOOOO broken. Taken today, Oct 30, 2023.

30/10/2023

That’s a wrap! 2023 Fall “Camp on Baja Beaches Tour.” A most excellent group of adventurers. Thank you to all. An honor to guide you to the Sea of Cortez, peninsula desert mid zone, Mission San Francisco de Borja, and the Pacific coast. Miles of smiles and remote landscapes.

23/10/2023

Another full Baja Tour! Eating local is a fun part of Mr “Camp on Baja Beaches” adventure. more to come…

29/09/2023

And so another Applegate/Lassen Trail and Black Rock Desert Tour begins with a fun pre-tour dinner. Not everyone on the tour could attend the dinner, but the entire group will gather tomorrow for three days of adventure and off-roading.

28/09/2023

Full moon and the Nevada desert… ahhhh.

16/08/2023

Just had a Camp on Baja Beaches Tour dropout. ONE ticket now available - first come first served. Fall tour, October 22-29, 2023. To reserve this single spot, go to https://discoveroffroading.com/4wd-adventure-tours. This is an overlanding adventure not to be missed! Viva Baja!

15/08/2023

It’s a wrap! First ever, Merus Adventure Park 4WD instructor training course. What a great group of adventurers. Such an honor to get to know these future educators in Texas. The new Merus educational program will help off-roaders Protect People, Protect the Environment, and Protect Vehicles. Go Merus!!

05/02/2023

Today we celebrate a hero of mine… Rosa Parks. I wish I could have known her. In my opinion her push against tyranny, government lies, amoral cultural laws/beliefs, injustice, and a degradation of civil rights. Her push back against racism was important for America and the globe. I salute you Rosa Parks. “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight…”