TDS 2007
Ocotillo Wells, SVRA
by Chuck Seeger
The 2007 Tierra del Sol Safari was held over in Ocotillo Wells after the TDS club feared that a lawsuit over their use of the Truckhaven hills area where Safari had been held for 44 years would possibly cancel the whole event. Luckily there is lots to do in Ocotillo Wells, but the even definately seemed different in this location. I don't know the exact numbers but there looked to be well over 2000 registered participants, and as with TDS every year, probably two or three times that number of actual rigs out there.
As always Geared 4 Fun lead our own run to get away from the crowds. On our run we had drivers Chris, Ang, Mark, Kevin, Ralph, Scott, Carl, another new guy with silver Rubicon (sorry) and Chuck as tailgunner (at least initially). We headed east and caught up with the TDS folks on Cross Over trail. We saw their line of rigs snaking through the hills for quite a distance and decided to turn around and find something more fun than waiting on the 405 during rush hour.
by Chuck Seeger
The 2007 Tierra del Sol Safari was held over in Ocotillo Wells after the TDS club feared that a lawsuit over their use of the Truckhaven hills area where Safari had been held for 44 years would possibly cancel the whole event. Luckily there is lots to do in Ocotillo Wells, but the even definately seemed different in this location. I don't know the exact numbers but there looked to be well over 2000 registered participants, and as with TDS every year, probably two or three times that number of actual rigs out there.
As always Geared 4 Fun lead our own run to get away from the crowds. On our run we had drivers Chris, Ang, Mark, Kevin, Ralph, Scott, Carl, another new guy with silver Rubicon (sorry) and Chuck as tailgunner (at least initially). We headed east and caught up with the TDS folks on Cross Over trail. We saw their line of rigs snaking through the hills for quite a distance and decided to turn around and find something more fun than waiting on the 405 during rush hour.
At this point trail leader and tailgunner switched and I lead the group over to Pole Line road 
where we climbed a big hill - the view of Salton sea was great.
where we climbed a big hill - the view of Salton sea was great. We headed up Pole Line Rd to S22 and then back to some fun hills where we proceeded to get Scott and Lani's Explorer Sport Trac stuck twice! It was fun to watch Scott push his vehicle to the edge of its capabilites.
We headed West and into Anza Borrego State park and checked
out the 5 palms - a pretty oasis in the desert - although we couldn't see any water. It was just a short hike up the hill but you got a good view of the Borrego Badlands.
out the 5 palms - a pretty oasis in the desert - although we couldn't see any water. It was just a short hike up the hill but you got a good view of the Borrego Badlands.We then looped around to Pumkin Patch and headed through the hills there. There was a group of Jeeps coming up the Pumpkin Patch trail so I went Right and climbed a bit of a hill to see how 
long this group would be - I didn't realize everyone would follow me but once again they did! This hill downhill had a tight turn at the bottom and the road had been banked. This caused the front and rear bumpers of the Trac to make simultaneous contact with the ground and the wheels to loose traction.
long this group would be - I didn't realize everyone would follow me but once again they did! This hill downhill had a tight turn at the bottom and the road had been banked. This caused the front and rear bumpers of the Trac to make simultaneous contact with the ground and the wheels to loose traction. Kevin who was behind Scott got his first taste of strapping another rig - Ralph directed from the top of the hill as Scott and Kevin couldn't see each other with the strap attached. Great Job.
Figuring that we had stuck Scott twice already and it was getting late we headed back to camp. Along the way we stopped and helped a guy riding a quad who ran out of gas. Turns out he works with Cal-Rocks. Ralph had a full Jerry Can and we got him going in just a few minutes. Its amazing how a hundred people could pass this guy pushing his quad down Shell Reef Expressway and not stop.
At the Raffle, new guy Carl hit a jackpot with TJ parts - oops he drives a Sammi. But hey if you need an aluminum TJ gas tank skid or PRP seats he's the guy to talk to, if he didn't already sell the stuff he couldn't use.
Later we stopped by the Geared 4 Fun Campfire and ate dutch oven cobbler - YUM!
Sunday morning I took a friend up to the top of Blowsand hill and surveyed the already dwindled crowd.
Ocotillo Wells is a fun place - but lets hope that the Truckhaven situation is resolved and TDS can once again host Safari where it belongs.
posted by powerchuck at 4:05 PM
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