Dan Cronin #55 Seasoned Adventure Leader

Hello Team 4X and fellow adventurers!

My name is Dan Cronin and my wife, Carrie and I reside up in the Pacific Northwest, Tacoma, WA to be exact. I have known Scott Leuthold for going on nine years and recently was invited to be part of the Team 4X community. It's been a real honor to have crossed paths with Scott years ago, as we share quite a bit of similar interests and conversely, we don't, but that's what makes learning about and from others so rewarding.

I am the Principal Founder of The Northwest Overland Society and the Head of USA Engineering for Vision X Motorsports. I was born in a little ole town in Southwest Texas, Beeville. At the time (1966) my dad was going through Naval flight training at Naval Air Station Chase Field. We eventually moved to the bay area of California, where I spent most of my childhood. My dad was big into the outdoors and exploring the Sierra Nevada and Coastal Mountains of California. That's where he influenced me to get outside and enjoy the goodness that our amazing planet has to offer. So, we did. A LOT!

My Dad eventually retired from the navy in 1978 and we moved to Iran (yes, Iran. And yes, right before the Iranian revolution). I was enamored with the people and country, however, politics had a different end game for us, so we eventually escaped on a U.S. Air Force C-141 out of Iran and into Germany. More about that later, but suffice to say, it was an amazing experience and wetted my appetite for global travel.

We relocated to an area South of Seattle where I finished up school and then enlisted in the Navy. Throughout the seven years of active duty, I experienced some really amazing countries and people. The Navy took me to Sicily, Italy, France, The Balearic Islands, Mykonos, Tunisia, Gibraltar, The UK, Norway, Bahrain, Oman, UAE and the Caribbean. I definitely got my fill of global experiences.

I eventually was discharged from the Navy after Operation Desert Storm and made my home back in the PNW. I started dabbling with Land Rovers, as my first Land Rover experience was in Iran and then again in Gibraltar. That's where the quest of continuous adventure travel was born into my world.

Fast forward to 2005, when I started the Northwest Overland Society. An online adventure travel community that brought together a myriad of people that love to "car camp" but only a little more ruggedized, I guess. What started out as 10 friends and family members in 2005, has erupted into a member base of nearly 3000 fellow adventure travelers. It has been a passion of mine and it brings me joy to share experiences with others and now, as a seasoned adventure travel leader, to educate others in the art of "Overlanding".

I am super stoked to get to meet all of you at some point in the near future and share experiences with you all, as well. Scott has built an amazing platform for all of us to share and enjoy and now with Scott and Heather as a team, I cannot wait to see what's in store in their future. Thanks for the warm welcome and we will see you out in God's country very soon!

Danno