WOW!!!!

            Where do I start.  There is just so much I would like to tell you  and show you, but that would be impossible, so I’ll just hit some of the highlights.  It was an incredible weekend.  The folks that put this event on did an excellent job.  This event was started 7 years ago by John Sumners of John Sumners Machine Works.   It was started as an event for his customers and has grown into this extremely large open run. 

            This year there were over 250 registered drivers and registered rigs.  There were far more that didn’t register and just showed up to run the trails, play on the rocks, watch the action, and cheer on those that were more bold and had come to give it their all.  You know ya' just can’t bring out the cameras (Super Lift TV and Crawl Magazine) when you are in Oklahoma without things getting wild.

            Well, we all started off early Thursday afternoon with the first wave of Austins to start gathering in Disney.  Myself, wife Judy, and Matt and Jenny landed at Hogan’s RV park and set up camp.  We enjoyed a quiet evening and woke to the start of the migration.  Brad and Nik showed up mid afternoon bringing our rig total up to 5.  Andy and Tracie rolled in late Friday evening to finalize the core of the Austin Clan with our last Jeep.  We enjoyed a few more guests throughout the weekend.  My Dad, Kenneth Austin and wife Carol drove down Friday to spend a few hours on Friday and enjoyed a Jeep tour of the area.   

This was the first time they had ever came out to see how we spend all of our time and money.  We really enjoyed their short stay and we thank them for taking time out of their schedule to spend some with us.  Also, Jenny’s folks, Mike and Eileen Cullen, came and rode with us for a couple of days.

            OK!  Now back to the event.  With the total number of trucks topping the 500 mark, the support at each obstacle was great.  The event would be totally freelance. You could go where you want to go and do what you want to do, just have fun and put on a good show.  As usually, a large group drifted right down to the Rock Garden and Stair Case area first thing out.  This is where everyone begins to stretch their wings and get warmed up.  The action was great right off the get go.  With the large number of rigs, the room was tight and the ledges were lined with spectators as everyone hit the rocks. 

 

            After about an hour and a half, we headed up the river to the Water Fall.  This is an ever-popular obstacle and a favorite location for the spectators to come and watch.  As you can see the action was great here and it was a good show for all. 

            Then, as noon approached, the Austin’s Wheels Up crew headed over to “Viagra Hill”.  This is the hill that had been so largely talked about on 4X4 web sites across the country.  According to the best information that I could get, it had been climbed only 5-6 times before this weekend.  The challenges had been flying freely across the internet.  With pictures hitting the net over the last few weeks of Brad Austin’s successful climb a few months ago and brother Matt’s very hard roll over in his attempt, and knowing that another show down was coming, the crowd quickly followed as we drifted that way.  There had been a few attempts made before we arrived, and 1 successful climb. 

            After the crowd had settled in, Brad rolled into position, heated his tires and felt out the hill a few times.  He then pinned the ears back on the Blue Beast and cut it loose carrying the front tires over the lip and screamed to the top.  SUCCESS!  Next Matt line up his buggy and stared up the mammoth hill.  Fighting the memories of his last attempt, this had left him, both shaken and stirred. Dusting himself off at the bottom and trying to put his buggy back together.  After testing the water a few times and making one great save, he mashed on the gas, leaped  atop  the ledge and appeared to have it made when we heard the sound of breaking metal that we all know so well.  The rear output shaft of his transfer case had snapped off leaving him with just front wheel drive.  He was able to hold it straight and slide back down the hill without showing off the under carriage of the orange buggy.  Although he failed the climb on Saturday, he would come back after repairs and conquer the hill on Sunday.

   Larry Jordon of Bluementhals transmissions also powered his way to the top successfully as did 2-3 buggies that we we're aware of.

  There were also a few whose luck would not be as good as you can see.  The big white buggy performed some aerobatics while being piloted by our buddy Wes Harkins from 4Wheel Parts.

Then the action moved over to Little Blue.  This is also a very popular play ground with some places that will test your rock crawling ability and your vehicle's flex. 

 

            There is no way for me to express how awesome an event this was.  The sponsors for the raffle were great and I have never seen so many freebies given away.  There is no way I could ever remember all of the sponsors and I know this is just a few of the many.  Sorry for any that I missed.

SPONSORS / PRIZE DONORS

Sumners Machine Works – Arkansas City, Ks

Green County Offroad – Vinita, Ok.

MudBug Motorsports – Muskogee, Ok.

Harmon’s Four Wheel Drive – Tulsa, Ok.

Days Inn – Poteau, Ok.

Extreme Offroad – Poteau, Ok.

Muchado Productions

Ouverson Engineering & Machine

Moser Engineering

Winchline.com

Northwest Fab

Rancho

Interco Tire

CMPCHIPS.COM

Custom Offroad

Corbeau Seats

Joe’s Hand Cleaner

And many others …….

 

            All said and done, it was a great weekend and we were able to drive all of our rigs back onto the trailers and put them to bed and tuck them in. Later, we will start prepping them for the next time.

            The Long John's Big Meat Run is one that I will surely put on the calendar for next year.  Maybe you should mark it down as well.  Until next time, “Keep them u joints greased and the fluid levels checked”.  See Ya next time…

Okie – Out (Wheels Up)

God Bless You and Yours

Special thanks to Dan Dibble for many of the pics in this article.