On behalf of Ocean State Jeepsters, All Things Jeep, and the Quaboag Riders M/C I would like to thank everyone who helped make GTD 2014 a successful event. The rain was still pouring at 5:00 am but the skies were blue when the gates opened at 9:00 am and we were treated to a gorgeous day. When all was said and done we counted over 600 Jeeps entering the facility.
In addition to All Things Jeep the vendors included Clayton Offroad, Central Mass Offroad, Jeepin' Stuff, Cutting Edge Graphics, Dragline Offroad, Jeep Tweaks, Offroad Elements, Paul Baileys Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Smiths 4x4, and All Parts Racing. The list of organizations at the event included Crawling for a Cure, Great American Jeep Rally, Northeast Toyota Crawlers, Maine 4x4 Warrior Salute, and East Coast Offroad Jeepers of CT.
Many other companies made generous donations to the raffle including Superwinch, Crown Automotive, Poison Spider, Tom Woods, Snap-On, Ruff Stuff, Warn, Mickey Thompson, Firestik, and Angry Offroad.
Trail rides were one of the event highlights and feedback so far has been positive. This was no small feat when you consider that Mother Nature dealt us a wild card in the form of heavy rain the night before the event. Trail 1 (Easy) was able to remain on schedule all day with groups of 20 departing every half hour. Midway through the day we did have to reroute the tail end of Trail 1 when vehicles started getting stuck in the mud. Trail 2 (Difficult) was more challenging to manage. Under normal conditions rigs with 33's-35's and a locker could get through with perhaps the occasional tug. With the hillside saturated by rain the first obstacle at the entrance to Trail 2 became virtually impassable forcing us to reroute the trail before the event started. It did not get any easier from there and basically became a free-for-all. Lots of carnage. You know it was a good day when many more vehicles leave on trailers than arrived on trailers! We were also pleased to see a handful of buggies show up to test out Trail 3 (Extreme) which was new this year.
THANK YOU again to everyone who showed up! Events such as this strengthen our community and we are thrilled to be a part of it.
See you in 2015!!