Quadratec and Off Road Consulting once again paired up for another Jeep Jamboree USA event, this time at the Penn's Woods Jamboree in Bradford, Pennsylvania from June 23-25, 2016.
The Penn's Woods Jeep Jamboree, now in its 19th year, is one of the longest running Jamborees and with goody bags, catalogs and the Off-Road Consulting LJ on the trailer, we began the five-hour drive to Bradford.
But not before a pit stop!
First - Kinzua Bridge State Park, home of the Kinzua Viaduct that was once known as the 8th wonder of the world.
At one time, it was the longest and tallest railroad structure around at 2,053 feet long and 301 feet high, but the impressive framework was partially destroyed from a tornado in 2003. You can still, to this day, see the devastation that occurred to the railroad as the remains of the toppled structure still inhabit the bottom of the state park.
In 2011, this engineering wonder was resurrected as a new pedestrian walkway and visitors can walk 600 feet out on the remaining support towers. At the farthest point on the bridge you can see miles out into the Kinzua Gorge. There was also the addition of a partial glass platform at the end of the walkway where visitors can view the structure from a different perspective 301 feet down! This is not for the faint of heart!
After lunch we were back on track and next stop, Bradford.
With registration beginning Thursday evening, Quadratec and Off Road Consulting set up shop to hand out goody bags, meet event participants, and trail guides.
The line of registered event participants reflected the line at the Annual Quadratec Tent Sale, with all show goers waiting in line patiently until they were given the green light. When that happened, everyone ran over to make sure they got their preferred trail group space.
As registration was taking place inside, vehicles were being inspected and The Off Road Consulting LJ was quickly given a stamp of approval from Jeep Jamboree inspectors.
We were then able to select the trails we wanted, and even though the challenging trails looked enticing, we opted for the more easy and scenic trail ride. We signed up for Friday’s "White Trail Ride" and Saturday’s "Green Trail Ride".
Friday morning we had an early start so we could prep the LJ by topping off fluids, securing our gear, and lining up with our trail group.
Jeeps of all sizes, shapes, and colors soon started rolling in and before long, following an informative driver's meeting and a few words from the Jeep Jamboree Representative, it was time to time to fire up.
Our group of about 12 various jeeps had a 30-minute drive on back roads before our tires actually saw dirt, and once we were on the trail the group stopped for folks to air down and finish preparing.
Shortly after, with blue skies overhead and the sun shining down everyone, day one of the Penn's Woods Jeep Jamboree had begun.
We were not on the trails long before the day’s first trial, when a TJ became buried in mud. Not only that, its front axle was hung up on some unknown debris in that thick mud.
After numerous attempts by Jeep Jamboree trail guides, Off Road Consulting and Quadratec took a look and provided some safe recovery gear to assist - including a Bubba Rope and a Custom Splice soft shackle.
In no time at all the jeep was finally recovered unharmed and, most importantly, no one was injured.
However, that same TJ's string of bad luck continued soon after with a slice in its tire. Quadratec and Off Road Consulting were asked to assist with tools and on board air.
Following lunch, and some trail repair time, the group continued on encountering tight, twisty areas, muddy ruts and a few challenging rocky sections. Among the group was a stock 2005 Grand Cherokee which got stuck in some muddy ruts a few times. This was another chance for us to utilize the Bubba rope.
Off Road Consulting then took that Grand Cherokee under its wing and helped spot them through a few sections. At the end of the day the Grand Cherokee proved its trail-rated ability as it kept right up with the modified Wranglers.
Day one on the trails had come to an end and, while we didn't cover hundreds of miles, we certainly enjoyed helping new Jeep Jamboree participants navigate through the trails and seeing what each vehicle could do.
People say "Eat, Sleep, Jeep, repeat" is the best way to describe Jeep Jamboree, so we followed the saying and got dinner that night, slept, and then it was time to repeat Jeep.
Day two brought more sunshine and with it, some hot, humid weather. But said weather was perfect for our group because we were headed out for woods where its shade provided welcome relief from the sun.
We saw more trail action as our group ran up muddy hills, navigated tight/twisty areas, and made a few stream crossings.
After lunch, the trail guides led our group to a rather difficult rocky section that proved challenging for a few folks. Following an extended wait, and with a bypass available, we opted to skip the obstacle so that the group was able to get moving.
The area we were now in proved rich with oil history, and one of the trail guides stopped the group at a few points of interest along the way to point out landmarks.
As the day went on we sadly soon found it was time to navigate back, and the trail portion of the Penn's Woods Jeep Jamboree had come to an end.
The Penn's Woods Jeep Jamboree had brought Jeepers from all over the United States and Canada together for one weekend where we all had the same goals: friendship, camaraderie, exploration, trails and Jeep fun.
At dinner that night, Quadratec and Off Road Consulting enjoyed exchanging trail tales with all the participants from the past two days.
Be sure to check out Quadratec for all your trail recovery gear needs and other Jeep essentials.
For information about Off Road Consulting, including our 101 Off Road driver training classes and guided rides please visit here or check us out on Facebook and Instagram.
