This extended weekend we are in Flagstaff invented by Subaru to be part of Camp Subaru at Overland Expo West. We did a group drive earlier in the day to the End of the World Overlook and Trail above Sedona and then made our way to the reserved camping spot at the Overland Expo West. Unfortunately it is quite cramped with tents right next to each other which makes noises easily audible in each tent. In addition it is a surprisingly cold day day even with the sun and at night it is supposed to be freezing almost so we are not looking forward to the night. But first we have to unpack, put up our tent and just explore the area.
Part of the camp is the included dinner at they arrive late in the afternoon and then start preparing it on site. This takes quite a lot of time as they have to unpack, start the fires find the food as everyone is getting hungrier and hungrier and the air gets colder and colder.
As we are too cold and the food doesn’t appear to be finished soon we decide to walk on the outside of the camping area and see if there are any interesting birds or at least move our legs and warm ourselves. Also finding a toilet is high on our to do list. We find the toilet but getting warmer is more difficult as the temperatures are plummeting with the night approaching.
Getting back at the camp the food is ready and we enjoy the tacos even though they took a lot longer to produce than we expected. Then it is time to go inside our sleeping bags and the tent and maybe rest a bit as we started at 4AM towards Sedona for the drive. Unfortunately that is not possible, a group including the guides decides to make a camp fire right next to our tent shouting and laughing and drinking and in general ensuring that there is no way for us to go to sleep. That continues past the official quiet areas with their dogs also sniffing at our tent and who knows what else. So we decide to move into the car and car camp, it is both warmer and much more quieter and finally we can go to sleep.
We wake up early in the morning with the first rays of sunshine hitting the car and decide to go outside to see the nature wake up while waiting for breakfast. The squirrels for certain are already up likely soaking the rays of the sun just like us.
We are especially entranced by the violet-green swallows that seem to have a nest nearby and are flitting in and out regularly. We enjoy watching them before deciding to return back to the camp to see if breakfast is ready.
And yes it is ready and it is pitiful. It doesn’t even have coffee or any other warm drink, which would have been very welcome after the cold night.
After finishing with breakfast we make our way to the expo grounds. We are hoping to get warmed up by the sun and also find some warm drinks, besides simply exploring the expo.
We have a wristband to enter and it works, the entrance is also covered by Subaru Camp. Inside it is a different world with interesting campers all around and many useful camping things also being sold at the many stands in the Flagstaff Fairground.
First we just explore aimlessly, well mostly aimless as we are walking in the direction of one of the food courts near where the main tent for seminars is also located.
Here we buy some warm coffee and samosas and then sit at a table in the tent watching an interesting presentation about van exploration of Canada. This is especially relevant as we want to visit it again after our visit to Newfoundland last year which we really enjoyed.
And then we continue exploring the show. There are some specific trailer campers that we really like and could see ourselves using however the prices make them quite the luxury for just a few usages every year. Maybe if you would use them consistently it would be much more worthwhile.
We also stop at the Subaru booth where we can get free cold drinks and some swag. And the cold drinks are welcome, while it was cold at night now it is quite hot outside as there is no shade on the fairgrounds.
We entered through a side entrance from the camping area and vendor parking but as we explore we also find the main entrance that looks much more impressive. Nearby is another section of cool camper trailers including Bush Lapa with whom we also strike a conversation about what they offer and where can it be seen in the US.
A small section, really small, of vendors is inside an air conditioned building and we visit that one next to cool down a bit and examine what is on offer. We really like the cooling mist vest but it seems a bit of a gimmick to us in the end.
The food court area is next to buy some food before continuing to the Firestone stand to get some swag and visit their small museum.
And on and on we go exploring campers and camper trailers and various other camping implements before we get quite overwhelmed and decide we had enough for the day.
After the previous night in the Subaru camp area we are aching all over due to the need to sleep in the car and also are tired as we couldn’t sleep till 12 AM due to the campfire chatter. And also the cold didn’t help. So we decide to book a hotel for tonight which is probably one of the best decisions we made. The hotel is very basic but quiet and clean and we even have an indoor bathroom. And it is warm of course.
We skip the dinner at the Subaru Camp, as it wasn’t that impressive, and walk from the hotel to a nearby restaurant. It has multiple interesting options and we celebrate the escape from our cold hell.
The steak is quite good but we are enjoy the bread pudding, yum, and even our appetizer is very well made. Full we go to sleep to recharge for one more day at the expo.
Today we are focused more on seminars and try to attend a few and some are hits but most are misses as they somehow are not interesting enough even though the topics appeared so.
We deep dive into a few trailers we really liked before lunch when we sit in the queue to buy barbeque which is good but not exceptional.
And then we buy some items before exploring some areas we didn’t get to previously and then it is time to leave for the day after exploring this quite interesting expo.
Before leaving we buy a few items from REI with a gift card Subaru provided and then eat a late lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant, mostly soup but quite interesting.
Overall the Expo was a worthwhile visit but not the camping part. There was lots of swag and some very exciting campers and items to see and also some interesting seminars to attend and people to meet. Now it is time to return home but not without one more stop in the Kachina Wetlands to look for birds.
