Siberian Trip with K&N Takes The Turtle Expedition Across Russia's Lena River

Russia's Eastern Siberia is not an easy place for a road trip. In fact, Turtle Expedition Team adventurers Gary and Monika Wescott were told it could not be done because there are no roads. “We found roads no one ever spoke about through aerial maps,” said Wescott. “We drove up the middle of the Lena River in winter when it was frozen solid.”

Siberian Road Trip for the Turtle Expedition with K&N Air Filter
Siberian Road Trip for the Turtle Expedition with K&N Air Filter
The Lena River is the 9th longest river in the world and is frozen for about seven months of the year. “We were on ice for 650 miles and after that we drove on frozen permafrost,” said Wescott. “When temperatures are 96.7 degrees below zero, metal can crystallize and snap. 5-15W Arctic oil can also turn to a heavy gelatin.”
A typical trip can last three years for The Turtle Expedition. They have used K&N air filters for more than 20 years on world expeditions.
A typical trip can last three years for The Turtle Expedition. They have used K&N air filters for more than 20 years on world expeditions.

The Turtle Expedition is Making Plans for a Silk Route Trip from Lisbon, Portugal to Shanghi, China
The Turtle Expedition is Making Plans for a Silk Route Trip from Lisbon, Portugal to Shanghai, China

Gary Wescott is a journalist and the founder of The Turtle Expedition, Unltd. He and his wife Monika crossed Siberia in The Turtle IV, a Ford F-350 equipped with K&N air and oil filters.

“There are a lot of things to consider when you go on an adventure,” said Wescott. “We carried enough fuel to travel 1000 miles and we pulled a support trailer. We had enough food for months and a supply of tools and spare parts. There were no car dealerships, telephones were sketchy and e-mail took hours if we could connect at all. We knew we could depend on our washable and reusable K&N air filter in Siberia.”

Gary Wescott is 63-years-old and has been travelling since 1969. His photographs and articles have been published throughout the world. “When we go on a trip we have a basic idea of where we’re going and we have lots of supplies,” he said. “We let the trip take us.”

In Siberia, they were self-contained and careful. The Wescott’s had fuel filters and heaters to keep dirt and water out of the injection pump. They also put in diesel additives to keep their fuel liquid.

“We have used K&N for at least 20 years,” said Wescott. “People from South America, Russia and all over Europe were intrigued as they watched us wash our air filter, let it dry and put it back on our expedition vehicles.”

The Turtle Expedition's next big trip will be the Silk Route from Lisbon, Portugal to Shanghai, China. The Wescott’s will drive their new Turtle V. It is an expedition camper based on a 1999 Ford F-550 4X4. It can carry 74 gallons of fuel, 40 gallons of water and the camper is solar powered.

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