This day started on a total whim—me sitting at camp off Lockhart Basin, checking the Jeep Badge of Honor app, and deciding, “Heck yeah, free badges close to Moab.” I rolled into town, topped off water at Gearheads (free, filtered, and it doesn’t taste like city chlorine), aired down, and headed for Wipe Out Hill. The trail is scenic as all get-out skirting under the cliffs, with just enough obstacles to keep it interesting. With my Gladiator on 35s, manual, and no lockers, that “level five” kind of difficulty is my sweet spot—spicy enough without turning the whole day into a body-damage stress fest. And no, I’m not driving up the actual Wipeout Hill off-camber madness. Not happening. From there, the best part ended up being the “in-between.” Instead of hopping on pavement, I stitched dirt routes together and wandered into Rainbow Rocks, where the Red Rock Four-Wheelers had done some seriously clutch trail work on an undercut ledge—stuff that would’ve kicked my butt without lockers. After a little navigation comedy (yep, wrong trail first), I dropped into Lost World and found a tucked-away campsite that felt like stepping into another planet. Storm clouds rolled in, I windproofed the awning with rock bags and a DIY PVC brace, and I ended up staying way longer than planned—camping, hiking, and even getting some remote-work life in. That’s overlanding to me: ingredients coming together into something that fills your soul, not just your gas tank.