Hosted by the
Mountain Road Resort in
Stowe, Vermont, the 2008 Inaugural Muddy Chef Challenge took place.
This was a chance to throw down the gauntlet and show your stuff when it
comes to cooking something up out of the back of a Land Rover.
The Mountain Road
Resort has a history of being Land Rover Friendly. More so
than just friendly, Land Rovers are encouraged... there's always a few
there.
Previous Land Rover themed events have been held here, and many
more to come.
Rovers as far as you can see! The driveway was lined with US
flags and Union Jacks to set the mood.
Rovers from all over the
country and Canada were represented. Early Series to a brand new
2008 Range Rover and just about every model in between.
The
Land Rover Experience Driving School from the Equinox, Manchester VT
brought along one of their new Range Rovers. Sporting a winch but
otherwise stock, this Rover got a lot of attention throughout the
weekend.
Skip the fluff on the front page- Muddy Chef makes the newspaper!
Locals didn't seem to know exactly what to think of all these unusual
vehicles all in one place. A confused Unimog driver rolled
through- and took the heckling quite well.
Lining up for a little off-road action. At this point, more
scenic than technical- a rocky hill climb awaits.
The rocky hill climb had a few people sweating just a little.
Here, Kevin Willey struggles to make his way up while Land Rover
certified instructor Gene Schubert looks away to shield his eyes from
the rock shower. Turns out Kevin forgot to lock the CDL and made
the climb much more difficult for himself.
Rob takes his turn at the climb, traction control working hard to
bring his DII up the trail.
Rob's DII formerly belonged to ARB and is
decked out in all ARB gear.
Note the windshield wipers- it's a bumpy ride and any switch near the
steering wheel is in jeopardy.
Technology wins the day as the Land Rover Experience Range Rover
walks the hill as if it were paved.
The rocks didn't even move as the
Range Rover's bank of computers reacted to the terrain and made some of
our old trucks look a little silly.
There were a few comments about computer failure etc and "what if"
scenarios, but the fact is- this Range Rover pulled off the climb easier
than any of the other Rovers.
At the top- the view is incredible. The weather was perfect.
At this point a couple people asked "how do we get back down" and
when they heard that we go back down the rock climb, I think a few were
a little on edge.
Everyone made it up and everyone made it down without incident.
Group shot before road tripping on the backroads of Northern
Vermont.
Quick stop at Rovers North for a tour and a snack. Kevin
Willey won the contest where you have to identify five Land Rover parts
by feel only.
Keegan points out to the uninitiated that this truck
parked in their lawn is, in fact, a Land Rover.
Everyone lines up for the Muddy Chef Challenge.
From bacon-wrapped
prawns to kabobs made from local produce and organic beef, the food was
amazing.
Prizes donated from Rovers North, Atlantic British, DAP, MuddyOval
and Mobil 1 made the competition even a little more fierce.
Check out the video!
VANDALS!
Vandals strike and "pimped" my ride. I
highly suspect that these vandals had sneaked in from Canada.
Stick-on exhaust pipes and light-up dice on my rear view mirror.
Oh, the horror. This is what happens when Gordon or Fred from VA
don't come along.
The worst part- I left these on until I got home and I had at least
three or four people comment on how cool my exhaust system is.
Back on the trails the next day. Here's Ray airing
down his 110 as the trail gets a little more technical... ok, a lot more
technical.
Pit-stop on the trail- Part of the climb in deep
ruts, wet mud and LOTS of rocks meant some less than gentle technique OR
a winch was necessary. I should have gone slow and maybe busted
out the winch.
One of my beloved Destination MT's took a rock to the sidewall and is
dead now. Rob volunteers to remove the wheel while Ray watches and
I take pictures- great guy, that Rob.
Speaking of Rob, here he is explaining that he is better
at going UP hills than DOWN hills while Brandt pretends to believe him.
After all, he's the only one who made it up the last hill on the trail.
The 110 had no traction control and my DII couldn't even get lined up on
the slick off-camber mud covered rocks.
Well, now Rob grounds his
"Cape York" show truck on what we now call "Rob's Rock."
A gentle pull from the back by Ray's 110 and we're back in business.
"Rob's Rock"
Brandt's newly modded Discovery II.
Just a few short
weeks ago, this was a stock grocery fetcher. Now it's a built
trail rig with 2" long travel suspension with DAP/ProComp HD shocks, BM
bumper and TMax winch sporting Destination MT's.
It's always that last trail ride at an event that'll get
you. The rocks were just a little too much for us that day since
we all had long drives ahead of us. At that point we headed back
for a swim at the resort before calling it a weekend.
Special thanks to The Mountain Road Resort for the great
food and endless supply of
Old Speckled Hen. Thanks also to the sponsors Atlantic
British, Rovers North, DAP, Land Rover Experience and MobilOne.
