2007 Texas Spur Trail Report (1st draft)
2007 Texas Spur Jeep Jamboree; Fact or Fiction???
At exactly 12:01 am EST on December 1st an e-commerce server located somewhere on the East Coast clicked on; and began allowing eager participants to start reserving space for one of the hottest Jeep Events in the country. By the morning of December 6th all of the 125 Jeep Spots were sold leaving a lot of people saying “How could they already be sold out, it’s not even Christmas yet?†I’m speaking of course about the 3rd annual 2007 Texas Spur Jeep Jamboree hosted on the historic Ink’s Ranch, located in the gorgeous Oxford Texas area nestled in the Texas Hill County between Llano and Fredericksburg.
You might find yourself scratching your head and asking; “WHY???â€; Why, would nearly 300 Jeep Enthusiast traveling in from as far away as13 states, pay a hefty $265.00 a seatbelt, not a Jeep fee… to come and play on the pink granite boulders for two days? Over the weekend I visited with over half the participants and I asked many of them the same question, the responses were as diverse as the guest and the rigs they were driving. Each of the participants I visited with has their own reasons for being here but all of them agree this event offers a tremendous value in Off-Roading, and it’s worth every penny of the admission price! You see in Texas over 90% of the land is private and the only way for you to off-road your Jeep on this particular property is under the Famous Brand of Jeep Jamboree USA and Mark Smith Off-Roading Inc.
A good number of guests have been coming to the Texas Spur Jeep Jamboree since it started three years ago, a few of us have been attending the area Jeep Jamboree from its beginning 16 years ago when it was hosted at the YO Ranch. But; quite a few guests still raised their hand at the Friday morning Driver’s Meeting when asked “How many of you are here for the first time?â€
I don’t think there is one item or element you can put your finger on that makes this event so successful year after year. It is the magic blending of several key components. For starters, the ranch is magnificent, offering brave participants spectacular vistas of the beautiful Texas Hill County from the top of the massive boulders we affectionately call; Watch Mountain, Hunters Hill, Balancing Rock or the arduous hill climb we nicknamed Moab. The trails can be as difficult and risky as you might want to make them, while others are just plain scenic, offering a variety of topography and challenge. A hefty part of the praise belongs to S.A.J.E. San Antonio Jeep Exclusive the area host & guide club, offering Texas Spur JJUSA Guest: encouragement, help, support and when need be; an expert repair service.
A large part of the recognition needs to also go to the area Jeep Jamboree USA Coordinators, Tony & Nancy Winkler, who selflessly donate their time to take care of every detail making sure this a fun filled vacation for all of their guests. Still, a significant part of the credit needs to go to the Oxford Ranch Campground who cater our meals and provide RV Hook-Ups as well as the public showers for tent campers wanting to wash of the mud and trail dust after a day of wheelin’; also the area hotels and lodges that go out of their way to offer Legendary Texas Hospitality to every visitor.
However, in my not so humble opinion the real successes of the event should be credited towards the participants themselves. I’ve been to many Jeep Jamborees over the last ten years and I have to say there is an unusual dynamic created by the diversity of the participants that makes this event so much fun. As I bounced from campfire to campfire looking for energetic conversation and colorful tales from the trail I was always amazed by just how diverse each group was, if variety is the spice of life; the magic seasoning for a successful Jeep Events is DIVERSITY with the only common DNA being that we all own and love the Jeep Brand even when we break something on the trail.
All of the participants were treated well by Mother Nature for their timely diligence to an early JJUSA Registration, after nearly 18 months of near drought conditions throughout South Central Texas was treated to charitable rainfall in October of 2006 ensuring a vibrant and colorful wildflower season. Most of the families who drove in were greeted to South Texas by our bright purple roadside carpet we affectingly call The Texas Bluebonnet. About twelve days prior to the start of the Texas Spur Jeep Jamboree South Central Texas was washed clean by nearly 8†of much need rainfall.
We all benefited from the additional rainwater because it added a few scenic water crossings to the low lying trails and riverbeds and made the ranch foliage explode with vibrant colors. As I visited with Tony Winkler on the phone Thursday afternoon I could sense the concern in his voice as the rental company was erecting the massive dining tent; our home away from home for the weekend the workers were pounded a heavy rain shower. He knows that if the rain continued it would force us to abort several of our favorite trails for the weekend. Somehow our prayers were answered on Friday morning we had a light drizzle. So most of the groups were able to run the trail we had scheduled.
After a hardy County Breakfast we gathered our sack lunches and organized into our color groups and hit the trails two days of off-roading fun. Rachel Bruner form JeepTales.com did her job Friday and Saturday evening setting new record collecting over 6,900 participant photos from the event. My written review only sets the stage for the weekend the photos we have hosted on JeepTales.com will tell “The Rest of the Story†I hope you enjoy our coverage of The 2007 Spring Texas Spur Jeep Jamboree and take pleasure in perusing all of the photos albums below.
As I was preparing to close my review Tony Winkler called me on my cell phone and told me that the Second 2007 Texas Sour Jeep Jamboree scheduled for September 14-16 is already over 50% sold out. If you missed the spring event you might want to consider joining us again later this year for Texas Spur JJUSA II, 2007. Jeep Jamboree USA added the second event to help accommodate the demand for this memorable trip. Last year in my review of this event I predicted the March 2007 Event would sell our before Christmas. After the overwhelming response and success of this spring’s event Plan on the 2008 Texas Spur Jeep Jamboree selling out faster than a Garth Brooks concert if tickets last more then three days I’ll be amazed.