The Defender

In June of 2019, David bought his dream car: an Arles blue Land Rover Defender 110.

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it here before. And I know there are multiple posts in here featuring pictures of the truck wagon, including the one I wrote just yesterday. When David built that thing, I don’t think either of us ever thought we’d own the real deal. Now we have a matching set!

It has become a major driving force (see what I did there?) in our family’s activities. Well, the Defender and its Instagram account.

We sit in the middle of kind of a weird Venn diagram of people who like Land Rovers, parents traveling with their children, folks who modify their vehicles or build their own gear, and outdoorsy photographers. So we’re on social media, sharing photos and videos of our adventures, making friends, and planning our next day trip.

I never would’ve imagined that for myself even a few years ago, and yet it’s been weirdly fun! (The account is @wrongsideoftheroadtrip if you want to follow us!)

David enjoys working on the Defender. He’s currently getting it set up to install an air conditioning unit. Until that’s done, our outings are limited to cooler weather only. He has done a full back bumper rebuild, reupholstered the interior, and even built a full bench seat and car seat mount so all four of the kids could ride in there safely. It’s a tight squeeze, though, and these kids of ours keep insisting on growing, so he’s brainstorming some other options for down the road.

I enjoy photographing the Defender. It’s an interesting challenge, with its sharp geometry and shiny sides. I’ve found a handful of angles that always make it look good, but it’s fun to play around with and experiment. Plus it’s a much more patient model than my busy or camera shy family. I also really like photographing nature, and going out for drives is a great excuse to practice my landscapes.

The kids enjoy going to new places and seeing cool things. They’ve only complained a handful of times; mostly they’re eager to go on our next adventure. (To be fair, they have to sit in pretty tight quarters, and the truck itself is loud and kind of slow. We try not to insist on taking it out too often so they don’t start resenting it. Or us.)

It’s been so good for us. We’re exploring our state more. Even better, we’re doing it slowly and intentionally. Because we can’t drive as fast, we’re more likely to take scenic back roads. We are getting good at making plans for short trips and following through on them. The kids are getting better at road trips in general. (Less car sickness, better communication about potty breaks, helping each other get snacks or entertain the baby.) We are connecting with people in our community too: artists creating murals around town, companies who make t-shirts and things, neighbors and friends we wouldn’t have met otherwise.

I’m so weirdly grateful for this big blue British beast of ours.