1st anual Jeep Jamboree Tillamook Oregon. 2015

WOW what an experience!

Welcome

David and I have never been to a Jeep Jamboree.  We got lucky enough to be friends with a man and his wife who have been to many and trail guide on several.  They decided they wanted to have a Jeep Jamboree in the Pacific Northwest and set out to make it happen.  And boy did it happen!   They invited David and me to be trail guides, I was beyond excited.

Day 1,  July 11

Bushwacker

Our long weekend started on Thursday at the Bushwhacker facility in N Portland Oregon.   They did an awesome job.  They had Donuts and coffee in the morning and BBQ pulled pork and beef for lunch.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos on the tour. So I have none to offer. BUT it was really cool to see how they designed flares and then walk through the process from creating the mold to producing the final product.  I’m surprised by how much of it was still done by hand.  Not sure why but that gave me a comforting feeling. Bushwackers has been a sponsor for years, but this is the first time they have been able to host a factory tour. They were very excited about having us come and hang out with them. 

Air Down Station

 After the tour of Bushwackers, the trail guides headed to Tillamook Oregon to set up and prepare for the participants to arrive.  We had vehicle evaluations, registration and trail sign ups.  I ran the “Air Down Station”.  I had props and information on why airing down off road is a good idea.   When you can show someone the difference between the foot print of a full tire and that of a lower PSI it makes it more real to them.

On the The Trails, Day 2, July 12th

Friday Line up

We arrived at the fairgrounds around 6:30 am. No I was not fully awake! Heck I couldn't even figure out how to get off the elevator when someone wanted to get on after me getting off LOL. You had to be there, I was not fully awake at that point. 

We got everyone lined up for the trail they had chosen the night before, then off to breakfast. 

I have to say that the Tillamook Fairgrounds did an awesome job of feeding us.  I ate better there than I do at home. They provided hot breakfast, a sack lunch and dinners each day, the meals were fantastic. Friday night they did Tri Tip, OH MY! It melted in your mouth! David who mostly eats childlike foods thought it was wonderful. I was shocked. I give HUGE Props to the Tillamook County Fairgrounds staff and the 4H club for all their hard work. 

John has owned this Jeep for 38 years

 After Breakfast we headed out to the trails.  What an awesome line up of Jeeps we had. We had everything from a 1977 CJ7 all the way up to a 2015 JK. Each body style of wrangler between the two was represented by at least 1 rig. We even had an XJ. One of the Gentlemen in our group has been on 25 Jamborees.  One of the Cjs had a fuel issue  before we really got started so he had to head back to home base, but he was able to get it fixed and go out on Saturday.  The other CJ lost his water recovery cap on the trail. They thought they maybe out for the day too. BUT WAIT another participant found his cap on the trail. After a little duct tape and zipties he was back on the trail with us and was able to finish the day.

Fox Glove

The Green of Jones Creek Road

Our Group ran Jones Creek Rd, Truck Dent, Ample and Alluring, and Bates Rd. Not only was it a fun day of moderate trails, but the forest was in full bloom.  The Pacific Northwest is so Beautiful in the spring with all its fresh greens and colors of our wonderful wild flowers.

Beginning of Truck Dent

                                                       
The trail Truck Dent was featured in a  2012 Jeep
Wrangler Rubicon review video.  Click here to watch the video.  That makes it a special trail to drive for Jeep owners, and  especially during a Jeep event.  

Going back up the end of Truck Dent

Kris learned she could do more than she thought! way to go Girl!

We had a few newbies in our group on Friday. I love working with newbies.  My favorite thing to do as a trail guide is to teach someone they can do things they think they can't. As well as watch their self confidence grow by leaps and bounds throughout the day.  I got to see a lot of that on Friday.  Those smile at the end of the day just make the whole thing worth it to me.  Hearing things like "I had no idea my Jeep could do that" or "I almost didn't do that but I'm glad I did" thrill me to no end.

Day 3 July 13th 

At the fairgrounds waiting to leave

Day three started out a bit slower than Day 1 and 2.  The breakfast crowd dwindled in, instead of stampeding.  We still arrived at the fairgrounds around 6:30ish to make sure we were ready for the participants.

Originally we only had 3 Jeeps signed up for the day, by the time we rolled out we had 8 participants plus the 3 of us trail guides.  

The driver's meeting went a bit faster on this day. Everyone had been on the trails now, and the newbies were not such newbies anymore, they had graduated to novice.  They didn't need as much help getting ready as well as on the trails. Places we did a lot of spotting the day before we didn't have to on Saturday. We ran about an hour ahead of schedule all day. Even though this group was a bit quieter than the day before we still had a lot of fun.

Day two's group.

On Saturday we had the pleasure of the Bushwacker team joining use. We had Ken and Dan from Bushwacker and from GA,  James with Lund International the parent company of Bushwackers. 

Dan and the Bushwacker Jeep

James  had never been off road before so Ken let him drive the Jeep. I think we have created another monster. He seemed to really enjoy himself. 

We got done about an hour earlier than we planned, but it worked out. Everyone took off and hit the Ice Creamery before dinner.


It is hard to put this experience into words. It was so cool seeing the people that have been into Jeeping for many years, welcome all the newbies into the lifestyle. The comradery is unbelievable. 


I want to thank Mark and Terry for all the effort they put in to make this a wonderful event! I don't think it would have been the same without them.