Day two started
very similarly. Cool in the morning, but promising to warm up
and be sunny by mid-day. Mid 70s were the temperatures
just right for four wheeling. Mother Nature had a little surprise
in store for us, however. During the pre-trail drivers' meetings,
Jamboree participants were challenged to see who could get their
soft top back on the quickest, as a barrage of rain began to fall
without any prior warning. It was a blast to see all the people
scrambling to the 170+ different vehicles, attempting to get the
top up in time to keep the seats dry. Most did very well, while
others really didnt care. They just kind of grinned while
looking up at the sky.
Cliffhanger
on Saturday is run with a twist. Its called
Cliffhanger with a Twist because the trail has several twisty
sections that cause even some of the more modified Jeeps to
point a tire at the sky while traversing the added section.
Lunch on Saturday is held at Barn Rock, a natural rock structure
with an opening large enough to seat several people inside.
With 28
vehicles in the group, it was a slow go at times, so the group
was broken up into two packs. It was a blast watching the people
clutch the steering wheel in fear when the rear tire would raise
up in the air, or when the front tire would start reaching for
the sky. Huge washouts along with a large fallen tree were many
of the obstacles that posed problems for the trail riders. At
one point, I had to park my Jeep and walk due to a low hanging
fallen tree... it's no fun having to hike 1.5 miles back into
the woods when you know that you are leaving your baby behind.
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After lunch,
the climb back up out of the Twister is when the damage started
to occur. A brand new TJ suffered a kinked rocker panel on a
large tree obstacle, and another almost ripped off his side
steps on the same tree. As if that old dead tree hadn't had
enough already, it reached up and tagged one more TJ, almost
removing the Sahara edition panel off of the side of the Jeep.
The tree was definitely having a good time.
After strapping
one of the trail guides around an obstacle (he was getting ready
to turn it over so we held him down), the rest of the group
slowly made their way back up out of The Twist.
The rest
of the day was spent conquering a few obstacles and checking
out the scenery. If you've not been in the Kentucky and Tennessee
area for the fall, you really need to make it a point to visit
the Cumberland Falls Jeep Jamboree, the views are awesome, and
the towns of Williamsburg, KY and Jellico,
TN couldn't be more accommodating to us OHV users.
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