After long, cold winter months of your being cooped up inside, there’s nothing better than firing up the trusty Jeep and heading out to the trail. That’s why the Tierra Del Sol run held March 5-7 in Southern California is known as the season opener. True, it rarely gets below 60 degrees during the day in winter, but after being acclimated to SoCal weather, that’s cold!
Hosted by the Tierra Del Sol 4WD Club of San Diego, this desert-badlands tour reaches epic proportions in Jeep vehicles of all varieties and vintages. Other vehicle makes are well represented, but the massive amount of Jeeps from stock to full-bore hard-core is a sight for sore eyes. We’re talking more than 1,000 vehicles, 80 percent of which are Jeeps, and with three trail routes to choose from, there’s literally a Jeep around every corner.
The trail is a single-file affair, which makes it take a while for things to get going in the early A.M. But alternate routes from easy to awesome split off and then rejoin the main trail every now and then, meeting back at major checkpoints. Tall hillclimbs in soft sediment, twisty notchos that tweak the body panels, and sandy river bottoms for the speed demons all help to create a full day run that can be negotiated by even the most mildly modified Jeep.
New this year was a manufacturer’s midway, which brought many of the famous industry names to one area to display their wares. Currie Enterprises, Power Tanks, Rick Russell Videos, California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, Off Road General Store, and more were out in force, much to the delight of the participants. Combined with a heady assortment of raffle prizes, this was one of the club’s best events.
For more information on next year’s run, contact the Tierra Del Sol 4 Wheel Drive Club of San Diego, Dept Jp, P.O. Box 437, San Diego, CA 92164.