gasiorv
I'm a new world samurai, and a redneck nonetheless
Original poster
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
https://www.crawltheozarks.com/
I don't typically enjoy large events but the group that puts this event on is friends of @AMS417 and I have wheeled with them in the past, so I figured I would give the event a chance. Happy I did, it was a good event and my wife and I had a great time. The event is at SMORR in Seymour, MO and this is my third time at the park this year (and probably my 5th or 6th time overall), so I am somewhat familiar with the park, and signed up for a moderate/hard group.
They have groups for all levels, from mild to wild, and I recommend this event for anyone from basically stock on 33"s to full blown buggy, they will have a group for you. They will also help you pick the right group if some assistance is required.
We arrived Thursday night and met up with everyone at camp. I may have had a few too many drinks because Friday morning was a little rough to get going.
Friday Guided trail rides::
Morning:
Michael Stark, Dixie Trail, Stampede, Disturbed, Largo, Why Not, Bronco Buster, Curly Wolf, VNotch, Upper Vnotch. Back to camp for Lunch.
After Lunch;
Iron Horse, Buck Rub, Down Rocky Road, Double Whammy, Larry's Hill, Honky Tonk and back to camp.
An undercut step that gave me some problem:
Waterfall on Upper Vnotch. I crawled this the last time I was here in July; however, it was much drier. This trip it rained pretty hard Friday morning which made this waterfall pretty wet, there was also a large hole full of muddy water that you had to go through to get to the ledge. On this one, my shorter wheelbase and being narrow helped me get to the ledge while the longer/wider rigs had a lot of trouble because they had to take a line that put their rear pax tire in a big undercut hole. Once I got my tires up on the ledge, it was just giving it a little bump.
Friday night they had a great dinner (taco bar) and a live band at the pavilion.
Saturday Group Trails:
Morning:
While group played on Larry's Hill Tonya and I ran out Brixey Creek and did Brixley Hill (up), Cherokee Pass, High Mtn Pass (down), then we ran out Cliff Creek to Whitey’s Hideout and then rejoined the group at the bottom of True Grit. We then ran the following with the group; True Grit, Wrangler Ridge (down), Adventure Hill (I shot over to Larry’s hill), Honky Tonk, Backwoods over to Cold Mountain, Colt 45 Level 4 section, Snow Trail to Ranch Road and back to camp for Lunch.
It was the first time that I ran True Grit and it is definitely a "rowdy" Level 5 trail. it is basically up a creek with several large, very slick, wet, and muddy waterfalls which my short wheelbase TJ on smaller tires is not cut out to do:
1st ledge has a step in the middle and since it is so slick you can't crawl it at all, you actually got to use momentum to carry your front wheels from the top of the first step to the top of the 2nd step and then the momentum (and a little throttle) will carry you the rest of the way up. I watched multiple longer wheel base rigs do it successfully and a few not so successful (you had to be willing to commit). With the short wheel base I could get my front wheels up, but my rear wheels would hit the undercut ledge at the top of the first step and drop the front wheels before they would clear the second step.
This is one of a few attempts and I eventually had to pull cable:
Pics of a few other attempts:
2nd step was shorter and steeper and of course just a little undercut, I tried several times and eventually just had to pull cable. Amazingly my wife who was in the passenger seat never said a word.....
After Lunch; Rocker Knocker, Lone Wolf, Old Crow, Get ya some (down). From here Tonya and I split off from the group who wanted to watch and play on Copperhead. Tonya and I ran the following trails solo; Get ya some (up), Lone Wolf to deadbeat son, down adventure hill, Logjam (up), Iron Horse and down top side of Rocky Road, up Holy Cow over to Brixley Hill(down), up left side of Larry’s Hill, Cougar Crossing, Cold Mtn, Red Bull, Snow Trail, Stampede, Dixie Trail, Rumble Bee, Guardrail (backwards).
Back at camp I noted that my front axle Pax side upper control arm was hanging down. Further investigation showed that the upper axle side bracket broke off right above the welds. There was going to be a night ride and I wanted to participate, so before dinner I quickly welded the bracket back on.
Saturday Night: Rocky Road, Cheap Trick (down), Larry's Hill (I did middle line for first time), Deadbeat, Doe Skid, Red Bull
Overall a great event and I recommend anyone who is in the general area or who wants to wheel SMORR to sign up for this event next year. All proceeds also go to charity, this year it was Jeeps for Heroes.
I don't typically enjoy large events but the group that puts this event on is friends of @AMS417 and I have wheeled with them in the past, so I figured I would give the event a chance. Happy I did, it was a good event and my wife and I had a great time. The event is at SMORR in Seymour, MO and this is my third time at the park this year (and probably my 5th or 6th time overall), so I am somewhat familiar with the park, and signed up for a moderate/hard group.
They have groups for all levels, from mild to wild, and I recommend this event for anyone from basically stock on 33"s to full blown buggy, they will have a group for you. They will also help you pick the right group if some assistance is required.
We arrived Thursday night and met up with everyone at camp. I may have had a few too many drinks because Friday morning was a little rough to get going.
Friday Guided trail rides::
Morning:
Michael Stark, Dixie Trail, Stampede, Disturbed, Largo, Why Not, Bronco Buster, Curly Wolf, VNotch, Upper Vnotch. Back to camp for Lunch.
After Lunch;
Iron Horse, Buck Rub, Down Rocky Road, Double Whammy, Larry's Hill, Honky Tonk and back to camp.
An undercut step that gave me some problem:
Waterfall on Upper Vnotch. I crawled this the last time I was here in July; however, it was much drier. This trip it rained pretty hard Friday morning which made this waterfall pretty wet, there was also a large hole full of muddy water that you had to go through to get to the ledge. On this one, my shorter wheelbase and being narrow helped me get to the ledge while the longer/wider rigs had a lot of trouble because they had to take a line that put their rear pax tire in a big undercut hole. Once I got my tires up on the ledge, it was just giving it a little bump.
Friday night they had a great dinner (taco bar) and a live band at the pavilion.
Saturday Group Trails:
Morning:
While group played on Larry's Hill Tonya and I ran out Brixey Creek and did Brixley Hill (up), Cherokee Pass, High Mtn Pass (down), then we ran out Cliff Creek to Whitey’s Hideout and then rejoined the group at the bottom of True Grit. We then ran the following with the group; True Grit, Wrangler Ridge (down), Adventure Hill (I shot over to Larry’s hill), Honky Tonk, Backwoods over to Cold Mountain, Colt 45 Level 4 section, Snow Trail to Ranch Road and back to camp for Lunch.
It was the first time that I ran True Grit and it is definitely a "rowdy" Level 5 trail. it is basically up a creek with several large, very slick, wet, and muddy waterfalls which my short wheelbase TJ on smaller tires is not cut out to do:
1st ledge has a step in the middle and since it is so slick you can't crawl it at all, you actually got to use momentum to carry your front wheels from the top of the first step to the top of the 2nd step and then the momentum (and a little throttle) will carry you the rest of the way up. I watched multiple longer wheel base rigs do it successfully and a few not so successful (you had to be willing to commit). With the short wheel base I could get my front wheels up, but my rear wheels would hit the undercut ledge at the top of the first step and drop the front wheels before they would clear the second step.
This is one of a few attempts and I eventually had to pull cable:
2nd step was shorter and steeper and of course just a little undercut, I tried several times and eventually just had to pull cable. Amazingly my wife who was in the passenger seat never said a word.....
After Lunch; Rocker Knocker, Lone Wolf, Old Crow, Get ya some (down). From here Tonya and I split off from the group who wanted to watch and play on Copperhead. Tonya and I ran the following trails solo; Get ya some (up), Lone Wolf to deadbeat son, down adventure hill, Logjam (up), Iron Horse and down top side of Rocky Road, up Holy Cow over to Brixley Hill(down), up left side of Larry’s Hill, Cougar Crossing, Cold Mtn, Red Bull, Snow Trail, Stampede, Dixie Trail, Rumble Bee, Guardrail (backwards).
Back at camp I noted that my front axle Pax side upper control arm was hanging down. Further investigation showed that the upper axle side bracket broke off right above the welds. There was going to be a night ride and I wanted to participate, so before dinner I quickly welded the bracket back on.
Saturday Night: Rocky Road, Cheap Trick (down), Larry's Hill (I did middle line for first time), Deadbeat, Doe Skid, Red Bull
Overall a great event and I recommend anyone who is in the general area or who wants to wheel SMORR to sign up for this event next year. All proceeds also go to charity, this year it was Jeeps for Heroes.
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. I’m ready for one more trip this season before I take the jeep apart again.
. I think I ran PuppyLicker 3 times that trip and twice was at night. Running puppylicker down earlier this year was also very interesting and a different type of stress level.
