Well, it worked so well the first time that a repeat seemed like great idea. With that, the Calico Christian Jamboree was put on the calendar and planned for. The base camp was the campgrounds at the Calico Ghost Town which was an upgrade in accommodations from last years dry camp on BLM land.

Not so much of an upgrade was the nice surprise of finding the two main 4 wheeling canyons, Doran and Odessa, closed to through traffic by a movie crew under the direction of Clint Eastwood. However, the event organizers found a way around the blockade and ran the canyons from the top down, turned around at the impasse, and ran back up to the beginning. That worked, but it did create some traffic issues among the group and with other clubs in the area that weekend. Still it was all that could be done.

The turnout was good and the weather that moved over the area provided more wind than rain and definitely made for a cold night around the campfire.

Organized by several Christian 4x4 clubs, 4x4him.com leader Rick “The General” Kremer led the weekend’s festivities, raffle, etc. He had his new little tow rig there that he created to haul his Toyota around. Out of the box thinking, for sure.

I was in the group that ran Doran Cyn. My son and I snuck a ride in Doug Cousin’s (Extreme Wheelers for Christ) capable green CJ (above) and found that I could fold, spindle, and mutilate my body into a Jeep rear bench seat even if it had been moved forward to make room for a gas tank! We had a wide variety of rigs on the run, including a 2WD Tacoma truck with a rear locker. He actually did quite well, but needed the strap when it got steep and loose.

As you can see from the pics, the Calico area offers a good variety of easy to just above moderate wheelin’ although there are no bypasses in the narrow canyons for anything that is above the capability of your vehicle.

The evening wrapped up with a brief time of encouragement from the Word from Pastor Paul and a time of shared testimony from event participants. There was a communion service for those who wanted to partake and then the raffle began. The prizes were gobbled up by the lucky ticket holders until it was all done.

Sunday offered more wheelin’ and a visit to Calico Ghost Town, a treat in itself. Despite the challenges of the weekend, it was another blessed time with great people, good wheelin’, good food, and God’s blessings in abundance. Stay tuned to www.christian4x4jamboree.com (note: may be changing to .org in the future) for details on upcoming events.