Most of our podcasts are full of stories, but not many cover the globe from end to end. Patricia Upton and her husband, the late Loren Upton, have completed expeditions that most of us only dream about. Patricia is still adventuring. Listen closely, the trips have twists and turns in countries many of us have never heard of. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

7:02 – I don’t remember being afraid of spiders until we were in Okinawa 

15:42 – I was in Panama for 17 years. I got off the plane down there and said, okay, eternal summer, this is where I need to be.             

25:06 – That’s when the spark for me to go full-time with the expedition with Loren

31:14 – Loren was away when he got word that Larry had been shot and killed.

41:45 – He wanted a romantic high adventure in the classical sense of an expedition 

52:30 – Nowadays, you can’t get anywhere near the plaque that says you’re at the furthest road south on the African continent

1:00:33 – that night, near the Nile, was the only night of the entire trip that we were faced with the reality that we got out butts someplace that could be pretty bad

1:17:14 – we worked because we were desperately out of money

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

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Falling into automotive without a plan, Gary Haugley has made a career of buggies, cars, and off-road. From building to appraising, car show judging and building stories. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

7:52 – I had no clue, no clue what was going on… 

13:33 – I walked into B&R Buggy, the guy who owns it says, “you’ve got to buy this place;” he goes, I got in trouble with a little side job, I’m leaving.             

21:22 – I need to know what I need to do to be an appraiser, Tony was real quiet, then he goes, “no, you don’t have questions for me, I got questions for you.”

27:12 – I thought this guy was going to take me out, he goes, “I own a lot of cars. I have a lot of money. I pay a lot of people a lot of money to make sure it’s perfect. You’re the first one to notice it’s not.” He put out his hand and said, thank you.

35:41 – We got him a brand new car, big four-seater, and donated it to him, that’s how I got involved with Warfighter Made 

41:18 – The Sergeant Major hated me because I was non-military, he called me out of the blue one day, “I need some help.”

54:39 – they busted their butts with side jobs, and got to keep the buggy, it’s a great story

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

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Serial entrepreneur, John Williams, owner of Impulse Off Road shares the journey to now, with all the twists and turns. John has had some interesting experiences and is sure to have many more. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

5:08 – our front yard corner was worn to dirt; that was our goal, was to wear through the grass every year on our motorcycle 

13:02 – when I got done with the Land Cruiser, I got 33 1250’s and I thought I was king of the world             

20:39 – I had my friend’s dad’s credit card and ordered a lift, I thought, this is the coolest thing ever, I tell people I work for Roberts Auto and I don’t have to pay full price.

27:19– we’ve just been compatible in that aspect; my strong points are not his and his are not mine.

34:03 – they gave me the opportunity to pitch a Raptor program to the higher-ups at Ford when they came out to the track; We created the Raptor Assault program together. 

43:34 – You realize you don’t win and lose races in the first 100 miles, it comes down to the last 2-3 miles – it’s how you manage, mitigate risk, and make sure the car is staying together

50:53 – the whole time you’re thinking, why am I here? Why am I doing this? But when you’re done, you can’t wait to do it all over again

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

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Outdoorsman and Renaissance man, Andrew Paulson can do anything – if he’s interested. In the last fifteen years, we’ve watched Andrew build anything he set his mind to. The stories are fun. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

4:16 – this is why I always fought the educational institution, I had enough of it when I was a kid 

10:08 – I was taught to earn my allowance, I think that was great. You work for it, that has taken me far.             

20:03 – I didn’t realize a nail gun at the time was a thousand bucks, it was grand theft, adolescent charge.

36:50 – “I’m sorry, you didn’t get the rock climbing wall attendant job, we’re going to put everybody under you and make you the lead!”

46:15 – If I had the skillset to build it – why not? Why not capitalize on that? 

51:19 – On the water, whether I’m catching fish or not, that’s my decompress, where my brain slows down, where the noise shuts down.

1:11:53 – I meet Dustin and Becca Webster, it’s about this time, I realize I’m in way over my head. Four minutes after the National Anthem and I’m on my lid.

1:18:58 – “Hey, we’re going to need help with recovery, we’ve got a car in a tree!”

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

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No matter your age, follow your passion. That’s what Toby Lavender has been doing for life. Automotive to hunting, Toby excels at all of it, and he’s not done yet. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

8:15 – I always preach to everybody that real formal education in the automotive repair industry is critical these days 

18:17 – We flew in just so green to life and travel and didn’t know what the heck to expect and made the best of it             

24:01 – I remember the first time we did a Million dollars in one year in sales, my accountant said, yeah, but it cost you $999,000 to do it!

29:48 – My first 10+ years in off-road was in desert racing, I learned you better have a lot of money or you better be able to build your own junk.

35:51 – I didn’t set out to do any of this, but I loved it and we just went with it and grew; Lavender Brothers grew into this 99% four-wheel-drive off-road shop 

48:40 – One of my big life passions is hunting and everything related to that

54:19 – the paradigm shift was when I realized my employees were relying on me to provide the opportunity that they were showing up for

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

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The original hot-rod kid is still playing with V-8s; but now he’s taking them off-road. Tim Ryan, owner of the V8 Swap Shop is revving up as your go-to guy. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

3;36 – I got knives pulled on me daily because they knew I had a nickel for milk money 

12:08 – they organized the high school drags and all the high schools were invited to participate; me and my friends rand the show because we all had hot rods             

21:52 – A buddy of mine had a CJ5, it was an eye catcher; we’d meet girls like crazy when in his Jeep, I was the same guy as the one in the old car, but girls liked Jeeps.

28:48 – My wife says she only wanted a guy with a normal nose and a small truck. Maybe God had a reason to make me buy that truck so I could meet her.

38:49 – So, I ended up ultimately back in the automotive world which is where my heart always was. 

43:35 – When is it going to be your Independence Day?

51:22 – Each build is difference, we’re not a cookie-cutter shop.

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

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 From the garage to where it is now, everything happens with hard work and innovation. Aaron Wedeking shares the PRP Origin Story and where they are going now, through the ups and downs and twists and turns. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app. 

9:58 – I did well in school, but mostly, I was just waiting for the weekends! 

16:53 – I’ve never set a goal, I just analyze the situation and think, What’s the smartest thing I can do today?             

20:00 – We made six seats, I put them in the back of my Ford Ranger and this guy says, I’ll take them all. That’s how we started. 

25:08 – I had two weeks of paternity leave from my CPA job, I ditched my wife at the hospital and picked up all the parts of that business to move it. A pretty crappy dad move and a real crappy husband move. 

31:54 – It’s either work hard or be really smart, and I’m not, so I had to work hard 

38:23 – it’s weird, when you’re in it, everything is stressful, it really fogs your vision. 

43:01 – Nobody has come up with a lab test that can recreate exactly what happens in an off-road vehicle. 

53:12 – We’re constantly innovating at PRP, and a lot of it comes from use. 

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast. 

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We love couples that work together. Paul and Keri Porter have been together since high school, now with the kids grown, they’ve dropped into four-wheel drive with a vengeance. Training trips, shows, and adventures keep them away from home for more than half the year. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

8:35 – It was definitely a struggle in those days, but we had a lot of fun. 

16:49 – I got invited to the Badlands with a girlfriend and came home and told Paul he needed to buy me a Jeep             

21:14 – They told us it had a lift on it; it didn’t but we didn’t know what we didn’t know

26:20 – During the club years we met so many who bought this adventure vehicle and didn’t know what to do with it

30:57 – Our business had two parts, we run adventure trips and offer training courses

37:23 – we’ve got big rig trips and beginner trips and not much in between, so we’re trying to fill that gap

46:22 – I love KOH, but I’m thankful we had something to do because we’re not people who just sit around 

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

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Jeff McKinlay, a man of experiences, from milking cows to construction; building steel buildings and rockcrawlers. Jeff has the work ethic to knock everyone out of the park; he’s the best at all he has done. Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

5:38 – Wrestling was what I was good at; ended up four-time state champion, that’s what taught me a good work ethic is the wrestling and the training 

12:58 – I realized it’s really hard to get paid when you’re not the guy in charge of the money             

20:45 – Kevin was at his shop and had an old Twisted Customs rear steer buggy, I was like, “what in the world is that?”

26:20 – Anybody that’s crawled with Kevin knows that you don’t spot and you don’t help, you better keep up or you’re just getting left. 

34:10 – I remember at my youngest son, Kade’s funeral, people were saying, “you did more with that kid in 17 years than most people do with their kids in their entire life.” That was a compliment I feel really good about. 

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

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Tuff Country has been through some changes, from the founding 35 years ago to it’s purchase by a private equity firm to being back in the hands of the founder, Kelly Davis. Kelly shares all the details and what’s coming next. We wish him all the best in his reboot! Be sure to listen on your favorite podcast app.

3:07 – I guess we’ve always been off-road entrepreneurs 

6:54 – He said, “swim or sink, it’s up to you. You control your own destiny here.”             

12:26 – we really engaged with grassroots events all over the country

16:45 – one thing we really tried to do was control our growth 

22:06 – we thought, if we can survive 2008 and climb back out of this hole, we’re going to be some tough dudes 

33:02 – they buy you because you are a well-earned machine, you’re profitable, you have value, and then they get away from your core values 

43:05 – we made an offer, they accepted and the work started, we had to reboot this thing.

51:13 – Quitten’s easy, man, so easy. The harder you work, the luckier you get. 

Special thanks to 4low Magazine and Maxxis Tires for support and sponsorship of this podcast.

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