We’d like to thank everyone that came out to the Tar Holloween 4WD Expedition. While it rained quite a bit, everyone had a great time. We’d like to thank the land owners for allowing us to use the land.
If you took any photos, we’d love to see them! Forward them over to jamesh@ok4wd.com.
This was our 2nd Tar Hallow trail ride this year and like the first it was a awesome time. The course was 24.7 miles this time and if you’re not familiar with our Tar Hallow adventures, it’s not a typical trail ride. Our great hosts Art and Bill along with some great helpers lay out a different course for each event. The courses are at least 20 miles long and take 2 days to cover. Along the way you are encouraged to “play” in the many stone quarries or natural rock obstacles and hills. There are also hero sections, which are trails for the better equipped vehicles or the brave.
On Friday we got our camp set up by 5pm and ate a nice dinner around the camp fire. At 7 pm we all gathered for the night trail ride which was a 3-4 mile trail through the woods and over the mountain. We had one girl blow out a sidewall and we pulled the spare that was sitting in the wheel well for probably 20 years plus and inflated it and installed it with the help of a HiLift jack under the stars. At the end of the trail some of us decided to take a ride into town to get icecream and some went back out on the trails.
Saturday morning we were surprised that the rain we heard all night had stopped and we awoke to the smell of coffee and breakfast cooking at Art’s snack shack. For $3 you get a great breakfast sandwich and a hot coffee which beats trying to make your own. Since town and civilization is over 10 miles away it’s nice that Art has a great camping compound with his snack shack, a diesel generator and running water. Everyone left for the trails at their own pace between 8 and noon and since it’s not a guided trail ride you just follow the orange arrows on the trails. Bill and his crew do an unbelievable job of clearing, marking and this time, even decorating the trail. For almost 25 miles they put up arrows, list miles on them and give you a mile marker sheet to follow with descriptions. For the Halloween theme they put up stuff all over the camp and throughout the entire 25 miles of trails. These guys really do an awesome job!
During the day, I lost a front body bushing in my old CJ which caused the radiator to hit the steering column and it put a hole in my radiator tank. The people I was with helped me remove the radiator, epoxy it, dry it and then when that didn’t work Adam came through with some heavy duty Bars Leak that saved my weekend. Later in the day Adams tie rod end separated itself at the pitman arm of his TJ and he came through again because he carried a spare one. We changed it and continued and we actually went 16 miles that day and covered every hero section. We were the last ones back for the famous and delicious garbage can chicken dinner and there was still plenty chicken and macaroni salad left, but no baked beans. What is camping if a man can’t fart? After dinner Art got the big bonfire going and before long Brian Dean Moore showed up and performed his music for us as we sat around the fire. Out in the middle of nowhere with friends a fire and some great music after a day of wheeling-priceless. Towards the end of Brian’s last set the rain came and everyone retreated to their camps except a few die hards who had a oak shot glass, JD and the fire to see what they were pouring. As the rain got heavier and the music ended so did their howls.
Sunday morning again we were surprised that the cold rain that came down most of the night had ended. We saw some patches of blue sky which encouraged us to head back out and finish the last 8 miles of trail. By the time we climbed to the top of the mountain the whole sky was blue and it was the first time in over a week there were no clouds. Just as we were soaking in the sun. Andrew told us his Bronco had a hole in the trans pan so we had to make a gasket on a screw and put the screw in the hole to seal it. Andrew caught the fluid coming out and put it back in the trans along with the collection of various trans fluids we all had and limped back to camp while the rest of continued on. We finished the last few miles by lunch and got back to camp to eat, pack up, say goodbye and head home. What a weekend! If you haven’t been on a Tar Hallow weekend yet I would strongly encourage you to make it out to one next year. They are planning to have 2 again in 2012.
