Tillamook Jeep Jamboree
For the 7th Tillamook Jeep Jamboree USA event, Malo and Joe repped team Northridge4x4 again hoping to repeat the great times they had the previous year. Needless to say, expectations were high for this year’s event. Unsurprisingly, Tillamook didn’t disappoint as the sights were still incredible, the trails were even more fun, and the people were nothing short of stellar.
Taking what they learned last year, the guys stuck together and tackled the Archer’s Fire Break 5 trail on day one with Joe’s 4-door JK. It was another rainy and windy day but that didn’t slow anyone down. All it did was made the trails more challenging and way more fun. To their surprise, the Northridge4x4 2021 Jeep Gladiator Giveaway winner Wayne and his wife Nicole just happened to be on the same trail. Obviously, the team followed closely with Wayne to see the giveaway Gladiator in action.
Rain Doesn't Stop Jeepers
The rain made every bit of the trail sloppy and muddy but that didn’t slow the pace of the group one bit. That is until the group came up to the Waterfall obstacle. Waterfall is a large rock shelf that’s over 10ft tall. The “chosen” way up it is to drive up the right side and use a perfect blend of technical driving and a bit of oomph. Our trail guide Paul showed us how to do it in his CJ but only a couple of others tried the same. Two brave souls attempted the feat and one, driving a 4-door JK, snapped a driver-side U joint. Quickly, the trail guides sprung into action to assist in the most complete trail repair I’ve ever seen. Everyone helped by lending tools and parts as needed to make sure the JK was back in working order as soon as possible. After a short delay, the group was back on the move working their way to the next challenge, Rocky Uphill.
Just as its name implies, this “obstacle” is a long rocky uphill climb. The wind and rain were very strong during this portion of the trail making everything extra slick for everyone. Joe and Malo zipped around the back side of the trail and worked their way to the top of Rocky Uphill to get photos of the group as they completed this challenge. “Mother Nature doesn’t want us up here,” Malo said while trying to find the perfect spot to grab photos. Although the wind was hollering and the rain was dumping, the group made it up without any issues.
On day two the weather cooperated a little better which was perfect since the guys were headed back to Sand Lake. Last year they had a blast in Malo’s 2018 JL but they wanted to see what they can do in Malo’s 2021 Gladiator. Remembering the guys from last year, trail guide Jon was happy to see the team back for more. The blue skies were doing their best to fight off the clouds but the views were stunning nevertheless.
Sand Wheeling
The first obstacle was a washed-out part of the beach that offered a couple of dips and small crawling opportunities. This was a great introduction to what wheeling in the sand is like. One of the drivers got high-centered and gave the group the perfect opportunity to use some Jeep recovery gear. A tow strap and a quick tug proved to be easy work to get the stuck JK off the bump.
Recommended: Jeep Tow Straps
After a group photo and cutting a few cookies on the beach, the trail guide lead the group out towards the dunes for some speed and hill climbs. They spent a good amount of time here playing in the sand. Mostly because Malo couldn’t quite make it to the top of the hill. After successfully making the climb, Joe noticed that the Gladiator wasn’t in 4-wheel drive. Apparently, it was knocked out of gear by a rogue knee while hitting a few whoops too hard. Fun fact, did you know driving up sand dunes is way easier in 4-wheel drive? ;) After the dunes, the group made the long logging road trip for another epic photo. Then it was air up and head back to town.
This year seemed to be even more fun than last year and the team can’t stress enough what a great job the trail guides do. They 100% put the attendees first and make sure that everyone has the time of their lives. If you’re looking for a trip that has a little bit of everything, Tillamook is a must-have on your off-road bucket list.
