Nothing Special's 2022 SMORR Trip

[Nothing Special]

Today we got back from a long weekend trip to Southern Missouri Off Road Ranch (SMORR). Some of you might recall I went there in 2020, driving the Bronco the 650 miles, 'wheeling a couple of days and driving it home. I had met up with some guys with old Jeeps (out of 12 vehicles my '71 Bronco was the third newest!).

Lesley didn't want to go on that trip, so I took my dog. But last month in Sand Hollow she said she might be willing to go on a trip like that one from 2020. Happily enough I had just received an invitation to join the same group again this October! So that is the trip we just finished.

Lesley did go with me (I left the dog with my son), and we went for the comfort of the motorhome rather than going for the bragging rights of driving the Bronco. I don't have the video of the trip pulled together yet, that'll take a while. So I thought I'd start this thread with just photos.

There were 11 vehicles in the group this time, and there were 3 newer than my Bronco. The four "new" vehicles are at the right end of the lineup below. The silver buggy on the far right is a '91 Toyota pickup (with a few modifications!). The next one is a pretty radical side-by-side (driven by a professional "rock bouncer", so he provided some entertainment!). All of the vehicles to the left of my Bronco are relatively stock looking Jeeps from the '40s and '50s (but most of them had 2 lockers and some had a lot of other modifications).

There are a number of easy, scenic trails through the park

But the fun for the weekend was the harder trails that those trails accessed. With other vehicles and more experienced drivers as support, and knowing that I could still get home in the motorhome if things went south, I was able to try some even harder obstacles. To keep Gary from worrying TOO much, the only damage I did was a little more "rock rash" on my bumpers, rock sliders and axles.

Here was the obstacle that probably scared me the most. A V-notch like this is easy if you do it right, but the cost of failure can be some pretty significant sheet metal damage.

Here's what happens if you get off your line

It was very entertaining and educational watching some of these guys tackle obstacles that look impossible! They didn't always succeed, but they did always exceed my expectations!

In this picture he actually had both front tires off the ground! No, he didn't make it up. But all three of the vehicles newer than my Bronco actually did!

I tried to stick with the more adventurous in the group. Sometimes that wasn't possible and I (and a few others) had to take a different trail to meet up with them at the end of their trail. But sometimes there were bypasses to the hardest sections. All three of these pictures are different ways to the same point

And sometimes things just don't go according to plan! This driver said that it's important to whatch where you are going rather than watching the Jeeps in front of you, even when you aren't on a difficult section of the trail! We didn't get there until the recovery was well in progress. He dropped the right front in a HOLE and was saved from rolling over by landing on his fender and grill. A little tug from behind got him righted.

As I said, I didn't do any real damage to the Bronco. I did need to winch once, and as I noted, I didn't go for the hard lines and passed entirely on some trails. But I pushed myself and my Bronco farther than I have before (and that only a month after saying the same thing about Double Sammy in Sand Hollow!). Lesley said she had a lot of fun and would like to go on more trips like this! So it was a huge win all around!

I'll add video after I get it posted, but that'll likely take at least a few days.

[BigBrother-84]

Lesley said she had a lot of fun and would like to go on more trips like this! So it was a huge win all around!

WOW!!!

Bob, I am totally astonished!

And I admit that, reading at your post, I was wondering about Lesley reaction during this action trip.

Reassured by your conclusion!

 

[grumpin]

Wow, is right! Very cool!

[Nothing Special]

Wow, is right! Very cool!

There were a number of points in the trip when I thought I might be making a pretty big withdrawal from Lesley's emotional bank account! But she kept assuring me that she was having fun (and she's not a very good liar about that, so I do believe her). It helped that this is a really nice group of people, and there were a few other wives along who also rode or walked rather than drove, so she wasn't the only woman / passenger.

[Gary Lewis]

There were a number of points in the trip when I thought I might be making a pretty big withdrawal from Lesley's emotional bank account! But she kept assuring me that she was having fun (and she's not a very good liar about that, so I do believe her). It helped that this is a really nice group of people, and there were a few other wives along who also rode or walked rather than drove, so she wasn't the only woman / passenger.

I'll third the WOW! That was quite the trip, and she's quite the trooper to not only go but have fun at the same time. It speaks volumes on how much trust she has in you and your abilities. Well done!

Btw, we've signed up for something called Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party with our kids and grands.

[Nothing Special]

I'll third the WOW! That was quite the trip, and she's quite the trooper to not only go but have fun at the same time. It speaks volumes on how much trust she has in you and your abilities. Well done!

Btw, we've signed up for something called Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party with our kids and grands.

One other couple on this trip is probably in their 70s. They only started 'wheeling a couple years ago. They were in the silver Toyota-based buggy on the far right of the first picture. With 39.5" tires and LOW gearing they were taking all of the hard lines, getting over things that very few others could do. She rode with him the entire time! At the end of the weekend I told her that Lesley thought she was a real trooper for staying in over everything. She told me that early on she had got out for one of the harder obstacles. Her husband drove over it safely and she slipped, fell and broke her wrist while she waited for him! So she figures it's safer in the truck!

As to Lesley having confidence in me, yes, she does, which is nice. But she also wanted to make sure I knew that she wasn't going to have as much confidence when we're alone. Having the safety net of more experienced drivers and other vehicles around does make a difference to her. And to me! I wouldn't have done a lot of what I did on this trip if we were alone.

And Gary, have fun at the Christmas party! I'm sure your grandkids will! (I think Lesley is looking forward to having grandkids that we can take there some day!)

[Gary Lewis]

One other couple on this trip is probably in their 70s. They only started 'wheeling a couple years ago. They were in the silver Toyota-based buggy on the far right of the first picture. With 39.5" tires and LOW gearing they were taking all of the hard lines, getting over things that very few others could do. She rode with him the entire time! At the end of the weekend I told her that Lesley thought she was a real trooper for staying in over everything. She told me that early on she had got out for one of the harder obstacles. Her husband drove over it safely and she slipped, fell and broke her wrist while she waited for him! So she figures it's safer in the truck!

As to Lesley having confidence in me, yes, she does, which is nice. But she also wanted to make sure I knew that she wasn't going to have as much confidence when we're alone. Having the safety net of more experienced drivers and other vehicles around does make a difference to her. And to me! I wouldn't have done a lot of what I did on this trip if we were alone.

And Gary, have fun at the Christmas party! I'm sure your grandkids will! (I think Lesley is looking forward to having grandkids that we can take there some day!)

Glad to see that other 70+ year olds are getting into things like 'wheeling. It is good to have a passion.

And I agree with Lesley that going in a group is the way to do it when going on serious outings like you are doing. The odds of something happening are pretty high, and having others to help pull you out of a hole or get you to the ER when you fall down is highly beneficial.

As for the Magic Kingdom, we are stoked! We get to have all of our kids and grandkids together under one roof again. And doing something they'll love is icing on the cake!

[Nothing Special]

Glad to see that other 70+ year olds are getting into things like 'wheeling. It is good to have a passion.

And I agree with Lesley that going in a group is the way to do it when going on serious outings like you are doing. The odds of something happening are pretty high, and having others to help pull you out of a hole or get you to the ER when you fall down is highly beneficial.

As for the Magic Kingdom, we are stoked! We get to have all of our kids and grandkids together under one roof again. And doing something they'll love is icing on the cake!

Lesley hadn't ever wanted to go 'wheeling with a group before. But after enjoying the day in the ad hoc group on Double Sammy she was open to it.

Normally she does try to talk me out of some obstacles, so I kept expecting her to be uncomfortable when I was trying the harder trails. But we did find that being in a group did raise her confidence level significantly.

[Nothing Special]

Lesley hadn't ever wanted to go 'wheeling with a group before. But after enjoying the day in the ad hoc group on Double Sammy she was open to it.

Normally she does try to talk me out of some obstacles, so I kept expecting her to be uncomfortable when I was trying the harder trails. But we did find that being in a group did raise her confidence level significantly.

I finally got the first video of the trip posted. This was the first trail of the trip, so it wasn't the most exciting, but it was a pretty steep, loose hill with a big ledge to climb near the bottom and a rutted out section at the top that challenged the smaller tires in the group. And lest anyone be too impressed by how easily I conquered the ledge compared to the others, I took what I thought was the easiest line. All of the Jeeps in the video took a harder line, and the silver Toyota buggy took the hardest line.

[Gary Lewis]

I finally got the first video of the trip posted. This was the first trail of the trip, so it wasn't the most exciting, but it was a pretty steep, loose hill with a big ledge to climb near the bottom and a rutted out section at the top that challenged the smaller tires in the group. And lest anyone be too impressed by how easily I conquered the ledge compared to the others, I took what I thought was the easiest line. All of the Jeeps in the video took a harder line, and the silver Toyota buggy took the hardest line.

You sure made it look easy! And I can tell it is really steep given the problems that many had.

Apparently the last guy, the blue Jeep, doesn't have a front locker? It looked like he should have been able to make it if he'd had one.

And that silver thing has a Toyota part in it? What part? It isn't recognizable but sure seems to work.