Our trip to Mountain Home was spectacular. I really believe it was more than what we expected, when Mike from the San Angelo off road club mentioned that if you are concerned about scratching your vehicle this might not be the place for you, he wasn’t kidding. We all had a great time and it’s not as bad as it could have been.

We left Houston on Friday the 31st of January and met at the McDonald’s in Columbus at 4:00. Trey had the misfortune of breaking down in Houston and did not get to make the event at all, which was very unfortunate since he was the one that did all the leg work so the rest of us could go. (Thanks Trey) From McDonalds off we went Mica, Chris, Shannon & his son (Trey’s Neighbor) Mary and I. We arrived there around 9:30 or so and quickly set up camp. The first night was cold in the tents but we all survived.

Scotty and his two sons had made it in around 1:30 am and Scotty forgot his tent poles so they ruffed it on the ground in their zero degree sleeping bags. Fraser and his son, Alasdair, Antonio and one of Fraser’s friends, Brian, made it in around 3:30am they found that the gas station closest to the event closed at 7:00pm so they had to go back to Junction for petrol. We then started the next morning with a quick breakfast and it was off to the trails. Our first stop was a dried up waterfall that when I first looked at it I said there was no way we were going to make it up that, but sure enough everyone made it up. Fraser’s 109 was incredible and so was the Jeep Willy's, Scotty’s bone stock Range Rover made it with only a slightly dented center muffler. Fraser dented the corner of his bumper but other than that it was truly awesome to see all the vehicles make it. Chris found out later that he bent a tie rod when his foot slipped off the gas and the motion jarred the Disco on the rocks.

Mica chose not to try that and it was very understandable since he is leasing his Disco.

We then went on some other moderate trails that were very scenic, we stopped and explored the caves that were there and then back to more trails. We stopped for lunch in a small clearing where Kenneth showed us the only natural spring on the property. We had just heard about the shuttle so everyone seemed a little caught up in the moment.

We finished lunch and cleaned up and headed back out.

I was mentioning to Mary as we were on a very scenic trail that it’s been a great trip with no problems and not 5 minutes later I heard air escaping from somewhere. It was a flat tire on the right front. We still don’t know what it was that caused it but everyone stopped and pitched in and we were back on the trail or so we thought.

Our guide for the day was Kenneth and he had to stop us to finally say he was lost.

Kenneth said he saw the trail from the peak we were on but he could not find the markers to get us to where he wanted to go. We then found ourselves heading back to tackle a different trail. We meet up with the extreme jeep group at a large rock quarry. It seems we were waiting to watch them and they were waiting to watch us. Next we headed for the bowl; this was where as Chris puts it my eyes were bulging out of my head from the blood pressure.

The trail guide in his jeep made it up on his third or fourth attempt with Mary riding shotgun (traitor). Shannon went next and got really close to the rock wall on his left.

Then it was my turn, but I could not climb the same spot because of ground clearance (damn it) so we wound up building a small ledge out of rock so the front bumper would clear. Looking back I think if I had given more throttle I would have made it up. But hell I will admit it, it was scary.

I had already scratched the quarter panel and after two attempts up and continually sliding to the left I said strap me. Chris had to go up the same place as I did for the same reason (damn clearance) he made it with the strap as well, but we made it. The last obstacle was a very narrow rock on both sides of the trail where I wound up high centered, frustrated, scratched on the other side and had to be winched out.

Chris opted for being winched up prior to the narrow rock walls.

A good call on his part I wish I had done the same.

That was it we went back to camp cleaned up and everyone brought their own food and we cooked on several different grills, had a huge bonfire,some spirits and some sleep.

The next morning we said our goodbyes and thanked them for their hospitality and started back home.

More pictures available on Page Two - Click here!

-- Steve McDonald

Extra Special THANKS to Fraser Gourlay for taking and providing the pictures for the Web site!

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