n a wonderfully warm, sunny February day in Southern California, it doesn't take much "tailgate twisting" to convince a small army of off-road enthusiasts to come to the desert and support a great cause like the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The third annual "Off Road for Hope III" brought together every type of off-roader and off-roading vehicle imaginable. Represented were an infinite variety of Jeeps, trucks, Suzukis, sandrails, quads, motorcycles, dune buggies, bajas and even a Unimog. One enterprising individual had lifted his Ford Pinto and drove it all over the desert!
"Without the off-roading community this event would not exist," said Eric Corens, chairman of the event and program director for the San Diego chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, "They are a generous, hard-working bunch and we appreciate so much what they do for the MDA." The event was held, again, at the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area near the Salton Sea.
Toying With The Rocks
Crowds gathered at many locations to catch a glimpse of the rock crawling action. This Toyota 4-Runner put on an articulating show while traversing the boulder-strewn canyon.
MDA helps more than 6000 families in Southern California who are affected by this neuro-muscular disease. They provide all patient services free of charge and are able to fund nine clinics; send hundreds of children to camps; fund support groups; assist with wheelchair and brace purchases; and fund more than thirty research programs. This year, "Off Road for Hope III" raised more than $50,000 for the MDA. Several families, representing all children with this disease, were there including; Brittany Kitchens (11 years old), this year's MDA San Diego/Imperial Valley 2001 Goodwill Ambassador, and her parents, Jim and Melody; Bobby and Daniel Collins (12 and 9 years old, respectively) and their parents Bob and Starla. They, too, bounced along on a few trail runs and took part in some of the events.
Got A Lift?
There doesn't seem to be a problem on
any
trail when you have trail hands who can lift you off of the rocks when the pumpkin-bashing becomes to harsh to handle. The Zina family went about all in good fun.
A set of B.F. Goodrich radial mud or all terrain tires was the prize for both the individual and the club that raised the most money. Other incentive prizes were awarded and every registrant had the opportunity to win something at the very popular Saturday night sweepstakes. Sweepstakes prizes included winches, tires, mufflers, and more. All prizes were donated by sponsors, and, according to Cohen, "This year we had more sponsors who were even more generous." Sponsors were varied and included California Association of 4WD Clubs, Inc., San Diego Off Road Coalition, CORVA (California Off-Road Vehicle Association, Inc.), Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation California State Parks, flagship sponsors B.F. Goodrich and Kawasaki as well as more than 100 other companies.
Slither Through The
Trails
Ocotillo Wells is
on the top of a
lot of lists when it comes to taking out the toys for a spin. Here, a Ford Ranger leads a VW Baja bug, a Manx and a handful of others through adventurous terrain.
Advertising was donated through a variety of newspapers, magazines, Internet, and local television stations. And where would an event of this magnitude be without its hard-working volunteers? Representing numerous off-road clubs, as well as individual riders, they were everywhere: cooking meals, registering participants, giving directions, helping people find things, leading trails, answering all kinds of questions, and handling an assortment of problems. Committee members, made up mostly of off-road club members, were responsible for all logistics of the event including planning, registration, advertising, donation requests, event set-up, mapping and leading runs, and many other things. Volunteers from the Army (Det1 640th out of San Diego) were helping out as well. Emergency and security precautions were taken in the form of the California Highway Patrol and State Park Rangers.
What?
When a man runs out of things to do, he resurrects the
'70's version of a grocery-getter and gives it a prominent
lift, four-wheel drive and monster mudders. As was the case
with this Ford Pinto. It's hard
to keep a good car down.
Registration was a busy place: t-shirts were available and participants could purchase meal tickets for a most excellent breakfast and/or bar-b-que dinner. A family-oriented event, there was something for everyone at most vendor booths. And with over a dozen trail runs to choose from, every level of off-roading ability could be accommodated.
Once a participant was registered, it was time to let the games begin. The fun started Friday with a new event, the "All Vehicle Mystery Run;" and then continued into the evening with the "Sunset Poker Run." While most participants and some vendors were still arriving, quite a few people signed up for these kickoff events. And people arrived in droves: camping caravans included pup tents to completely tricked-out motor homes and everything in between. Ocotillo Wells was lit up at night like a small city.
More On Their
Way
Evidently, the Unimog spotted on this
trail will not be alone in
months to come. Daimler Chrysler
is rumored to began importing new ones by the boat load in the near future. But then again, it is also rumored that the 'Mog will wear the Freightliner badge. Who's to know?
Saturday morning started bright and early with participants having breakfast, filling coolers, prepping vehicles and enjoying the anticipation of wondering what exciting adventures the day would bring forth.
Line-ups for trail runs were marked in designated areas with runs leaving as early as 7:45 a.m. and thereafter until 10:00 a.m. Stretched out along Main Street, runs were filled with 25-30 vehicles per run. The leaders were sharp and organized. Many of them had maps and information sheets for their participants. Starting times for the runs were staggered for efficiency and to accommodate late arrivals. Once all vehicles were lined up and the time was right, trail leaders gathered their groups, made announcements, and then performed a safety inspection on each vehicle. Various vehicle requirements were made depending on the difficulty of the trail. When business was all taken care of - away they went.
Runs were rated easy/moderate/difficult/hard/extreme and all runs were full. With names like Los Cucarachas Borrachas, Shoot the Moon, the Howl Enchilada, Wayne's World, Boogie to the Badlands, and Early Bronco Bustin' to name just a few, participants could only guess at what lay in store for them.
Ambassador
Brittany Kitchens is the MDA Goodwill Ambassador. Here she sits with a grin and a friend.
Trail runs were sponsored and led by various off-road club members like Frenchy LaChance from the San Diego Outbacks, Denise Wagner from Tierra del Sol, Wayne Miller from Tierra del Sol, Joe Monroe of the Early Bronco Club, Sharon Hivin from On the Edge, and many more. Other new trail runs this year included one specifically set up for full-size trucks; an improved, but still grueling 120-mile dual sport motorcycle run, coordinated by Alan Klumph of the San Diego Off Road Coalition; and an amazing rock crawling challenge.
Los Pretots Off Road Club sponsored a desert round up, led by Harold Soens, with some unique stops along their route.
Who Should We Support?
The sponsors who
went the distance in creating a successful MDA
III. Among the sponsors
were Off Road Wharehouse, Rubicon Express and the
San Diego Off Road Coalition to name a few.
A challenging place to go in the Ocotillo Wells area is The Slots, or as some of us know it, the Corkscrew. Wide enough for one vehicle only, this short, but exacting trail leads riders through a narrow canyon surrounded on both sides by ancient mud hills. Maneuvering the twists and turns takes skill and the use of all one's arm muscles - as many participants soon discovered.
And, of course, there were mishaps and mistakes and mis-judgments all along the way. A popular location, Shell Reef is a wonderland for bikers who like to jump or just ride straight up hill. The dunes are hard-packed, rising defiantly from the desert floor. Whoop-do-doos, u-turns, and ridges cover the area. For those parked at the base of this hill, the entertainment is endless. One participant, Jake Roberts of San Diego, decided to take his '98 Jeep Wrangler up and over one side. As many watched, he cruised up the hill, made a right turn, then stopped - unwillingly. Caught on a ridge, he was high-centered. Alone and stranded, he sat there for a bit while the rest of us took pictures from various angles. When it became apparent, he was not getting down by himself, several people took pity on him. A motorcyclist rode up to offer a hand as did two of our guys, Paul and Mark, who proceeded to drive our '69 CJ-5 up the hill along with a couple of tow straps. But it wasn't necessary. Jake, an easy-going self-reliant kind of guy, ambled down the hill after the enterprising motorcyclist gave him a little push. Said Jake, " I usually come out here on my motorcycle, but I can only use one arm , so I had to drive my Jeep."
On The
Edge
The backdrop of the event offered a
multitude of terrain to test your
skill on. Perhaps the pilot on this XR just plain ran out of talent before reaching the top.
Driving her '99 Jeep Wrangler, first-time off-roader Zena Ruiz, a college senior at USC, attempted an unsuccessful rock crawl through a narrow ravine. "This is fun," said Zena, "I just hope I haven't scratched my Jeep." After lots of shaking, bouncing, lifting, and moving rocks around, we were able to send her on her way.
One of the most exciting events of the weekend was Sunday morning. A new event - the "Rock Crawling Challenge" was co-sponsored by Goodyear and ARB. Anyone could try this and more than 25 hearty souls did. The course angled up a narrow canyon over boulders, loose rocks of all sizes, and scrub. The fastest time won, with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners taking home trophies. Tennis balls set the gate path for all contenders, and touching a tennis ball was a 30-second penalty. The drivers were a talented crew. Most vehicles were driven and spotted by two men with an occasional man/woman couple. But the event winners drove a '71 Jeep Scrambler "manned" by two women - sisters Kathy Crook, driver, and Kris Ritzke, spotter. They had it together with Kathy yelling directions and Chris hammering the accelerator. They won the challenge with a time of .56 seconds and one penalty, which brought their total to 1.26. They were a credit to their gender. As Kris explained, "It's like playing with a remote control car. I can see the obstacles and guide Kathy, as she does all the driving and maneuvering over the obstacles." JP Off-Road out of Washington State sponsors Kathy and Kris. Second place winners were driver Dustin Webster and spotter Kevin Platt with a total time of 1.40; third place was Randy "Rollover" Stockberger and spotter, Don McDonald with a total time of 1.44.
We Can Get
Along
Off Road For Hope III brought together an assorment of off-road enthusiasts, including Jeeps (like this TJ), dirt bikes (like this Honda CR) and a whole host of ATVs and 4x4s.
All in all, it was another successful fund-raising event for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and a bang-up good time for the off-roading community.
For more information, please call MDA at (858) 492-9792 or visit their website
MDA San Diego.
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