Author: Karrie Steely
Karrie Steely
Hendley, NE
"Karrie is a 'Jackie of all trades'. She has been living off-grid and off-roading for the past 3 winters in the southwest desert. Though most of her experience is in the passenger's seat, she has recently been in the driver seat learning about recovering, wrenching and emergency fixes. She works in Nebraska doing grain cleaning and homesteads on the farm. She writes articles for homesteading magazines, and enjoys the challenge of designing, building, adjusting and fixing things. Karrie paints, draws, creates collages, crafts 3-D sculptures and makes ceramics. She also enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, rock crawling, cooking, fermenting, gardening, foraging for wild food, drinking craft beers, re-purposing antiques and making how-to videos."
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Tell us about yourself, hobbies, etc:
“I am a Jackie-of-all-trades. I work in Nebraska at our grain cleaning business, and homestead on our farm there. Part of my time is spent in my little vintage ‘glamper’ in Colorado to be with my family and friends. My partner and I spend the winter months living off-grid in a larger camper in the Southwest. I also write articles for homesteading magazines. I get to do things that I love, and write articles and take photos of/about them. Designing, building, adjusting, and fixing things takes up much of our days, whether it is at the business or on the farm. We strive to be as self-sustainable as possible, partly because we enjoy the challenge and partly because we believe in being independent. I’m also a visual artist. I paint, draw, collage, create 3-d sculpture, and make ceramics. Some of my other interests include hiking, snowshoeing, rock crawling, cooking, experimenting in the kitchen, fermenting, gardening, foraging for wild food, drinking craft beers, repurposing antiques, making how-to videos, and anything else that happens to cross my path and pique my interest.”
How long have you been offroading?
“About 3 and a half years.”
How did you get into offroading?
“When I started dating my boyfriend, I spent the winter with him rock crawling in the Southwest. I didn’t want to try driving at first, but as I got more comfortable, I got behind the wheel. He continually pushes me out of my comfort zone. It has taught me a lot about trusting my intuition and the vehicle.”
Tell us about your vehicle:
“Rock Dawg is a completely custom built crawler with 36-inch frame extension, each wheel has 12-inch hydraulic lift in addition to shock tower travel. Rear steer. VW 1.9 TDI turbo charged 100R4 diesel engine and a GM700R4 transfer case is an Atlas II. Front and back axles are Spidertrax Mega 9 with a 5.40/1 ratio. Front and rear suspension are 4 link, and tires are 42" BFGoodrich crawlers. This is the 5th crawler that Alec has built.”
What has been your favorite off-road experience?
“The thing that I really enjoy more than anything is watching Alec figure out how to get out of a sticky situation, or how to fix Rock Dawg or a friend’s car that has been broken down. He is so creative and thinks outside the box, and it is amazing to see the ideas he comes up with. So far I haven’t seen anything that he hasn’t been able to get out of or fix.”
What was your most exciting off-road achievement?
“Winning the W.E.Rock competition this spring in Congress was a huge rush. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, but I am so glad that we did it. I have a lot more confidence in myself now as a driver, and in general.”
What excites you about off-roading?
“I love to see the trails and landscape when I am riding. I also love the excitement and challenge of getting over rocks and through obstacles while I am driving. It is a great feeling when you get to the top! It’s also a lot of fun to share a sport with friends who are equally as excited about it.”
What do you think is the most challenging aspect of off-roading?
“The most challenging aspect for me is figuring out how to get up a trail, or over a rock on an extreme trail. I go through a lot of head games with myself, and spend a lot of time talking myself through a rough spot. It takes mind over matter to get through the fear and frustration. I think the biggest one lately was Full of Love at the Hammers this spring. Alec insisted that I drive up a huge slab that I had been scared to death of from the very beginning of the trail ( I knew it was up there waiting for me). He didn’t let me back out, and I just focused….and up I went! Getting over my fear and being able to function while I’m outside of my comfort zone is the biggest challenge.”
Which aspect of off-roading do you think is the most fun?
“Waking up in the morning and having no idea where we will end up or on what adventure the day will take us. Things change in a heartbeat, especially with groups. It is fun to watch or drive Rock Dawg, and it is fun to watch other people having a ball while getting through obstacles. Most of the sport involves a lot of adrenaline, which translates to fun for me!”
What does prepping for an adventure look like in your world?
“We go wheeling several times a week during the winter months while we are living in a toy hauler. So adventures happen almost daily! Pack a lunch, sunscreen, lots of water, and an extra jacket. We inspect and grease the crawler, check tires and fuel, make sure nothing is loose or cracked from the previous day. Sometimes we get out a map, and sometimes just head for the trail and see where we end up.”
What is on your off-roading bucket list?
“I’d like to do the Rubicon Trail someday, whenever it works into our schedule. I would also like to do some wheeling in Mexico. Going on a multi-day trip and camping is also on the list. Maybe even competing in the Unlimited W.E.Rock when we build another buggy. I would also like to help and learn how to build a crawler, but it will be a few years until we get to that point.”
Tell us about your typical off-roading companions:
“I always go with my boyfriend, Alec. We have a group of friends at each place we visit. So in Moab and Utah we go out with Kevin Carroll, Jeff McKinley, and the Idaho Red Dot Boys. In Arizona, we go with Justin Keilman, Bubba Jordan, and some of the Arizona Undertaker crew. We have new and old friends in southern California that we spend time with on the trail as well. I love that we are always meeting new, interesting people everywhere we go.”
What is a piece of advice you have been given that you instill in your offroading adventures?
“Don’t doubt yourself and never say never. There is always a line, you just have to find it.”
Do you have anything else you would like to add?
“Pushing my own limits and challenging myself on the trail has been very therapeutic for me. I struggle with a disease that involves a lot of chronic pain. Most of the time I function normally, and it doesn’t affect my ability to go about my daily life. There are other times that I spend most of my day talking myself through it, even though I just want to curl up and give up. Driving on a hard trail is like getting through those days. I take them one step at a time.”
Click here to see all the 2017 Ladies Offroad Challenge Entries.
Author: Karrie Steely
