Rasa is an experienced off-road driver and overlander, who has been driving and co-driving her 2004 Toyota Tacoma with precision and speed all over the desert southwest for more than 15 years (mostly while looking for historic airplane crash sites). She is an aerospace engineer who has been wrenching on this truck alongside her husband since it was brand new.
LeeWhay is an experienced world-traveler, and is an expert at reading maps and navigating best routes through unfamiliar territory; she is equally comfortable with map/plotter/compass as she is with GPS for route- and checkpoint-finding. LeeWhay is an excellent off-road driver herself, and an invaluable asset to Rasa when spotting and marshalling are needed in the toughest terrain.
Rasa and LeeWhay met a decade ago and have been traveling and overlanding together (along with their signifiant others) ever since. Last year’s Rebelle Rally was the first time they had ever partnered in the same vehicle together. The rally deepened their friendship and their trust in one another, brought them loads of laughter and fun, and at the 2021 finish line, they both said, “heck yeah let’s do this again!”
PHXTaco is the HoneyBadgersRally trusty steed: a 2004 FirstGen Toyota Tacoma, clocking in at almost 300,000 miles on the odometer! This truck has been built for and exercised almost weekly on desert and mountain adventures, and is in constant refinement mode in its Phoenix, Arizona home garage.
PHXTaco performed magnificently in the 2021 Rebelle Rally, bringing the HoneyBadgers to the finish line with zero mechanical issues along the way!
AT Overland Equipment (www.atoverland.com)
Aviation Archaological Investigation and Research (www.aviationarchaeology.com)
Aerospace Programs Director
Phoenix, Arizona
Never underestimate the power of a girl with a book. Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Just one?? I foster rescue kitties... I was the lead in a musical once... I have cooked Thanksgiving dinner at the bottom of the Grand Canyon 10 times... I played hockey in college (D-league intramural!)... I'm a rocket scientist, but I develop engines for airplanes and helicopters...
The Rebelle Rally is a truly unique time where you and your teammate get the unquestioned right to do things your own way, to be who you are, to succeed on your own terms. You get to build upon your bond of friendship and partnership in a way that raises you both up to be your best self and to do your best for each other. We had to come back. We had to see what feats we can accomplish together as Rebelle Sophomores, now with a bit of experience in hand and a lot of laughter and fun to look forward to!
People who generously give their time, knowledge, and energy to others as mentors and coaches, with no ulterior motive besides lifting others up.
The Secret Knowledge of Water by Craig Childs
Drive Nacho Drive / 927 Days of Summer by Brad & Sheena Van Orden
The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy by Katherine Arden
It started as a Sunday drive. A fun little winter day trip to Arizona's Verde River the hard way. Just a few flurries expected. On that chilly late afternoon, on the steep side of a canyon, 25 difficult miles from pavement and people, our Tacoma's spindle knuckle catastrophically broke (you know, the thing that holds the wheel on). The cold and dark hike out to our rescuing friend whose truck couldn't quite make it all the way in to us, our return 2 days later to field-repair the truck on that snowy shelf road, and our race to get out before the incoming storm dumped its 40 inches of snow -- THAT was the adventure of a lifetime. It's also why our spindles and knuckles now have Total Chaos gussets welded in place!
2021
Physical therapist & beginner homesteader
New Hampshire
"Solvitur ambulando" Latin for: "It is solved by walking" - Saint Augustine
I was raised by my paternal grandparents and they were two amazing humans. I also have pseudo parents who were / are important parts of my life.
After last year, which was our rookie year, we just had to come back. It's such an amazing experience and I have an incredible partner! I'm ready to laugh so hard I cry again.
People who have bountiful gardens and have the knowledge to preserve their fruits and veggies.
Blink – Malcolm Gladwell
Being Mortal – Atul Gawande
The Notebook – Nicholas Sparks
It's hard to pick just one. In my 20's, exploring New Zealand with two girlfriends in a camper van. In my 30's, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. In my 40's, being locked down in Morocco for 6 months during the beginning of the pandemic.
2021
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