Well that was a lot of fun! My daughter and I made the drive up from Florida for this event, and we'll do it again next year. For a first time event, I think it was run pretty well.
4Runners were sadly under-represented, but there were a few there. The event was clearly dominated by FJs and Tacos, but there were quite a few 5th gen, maybe three or four 4th gen, and a couple of older 4Runners. A 40 series or two and at least one 80 series rounded things out.
Toyotas...Toyotas everywhere...
There were some neat set-ups in the vendor / camping area
Our 'not quite so neat' set-up.
The camp sites at Windrock are pretty nice. There is no power or water, but the shower facilities are clean and modern. But a word of caution for those used to staying in quiet, sleepy state parks (like me), Windrock is an OHV park, with trails open at night, so don't be surprised to have quads and full tube buggies driving by your campsite at 1 in the morning. I didn't sleep much the first night.
Our little group heading off to do the easy trails. I was in the 'pretty much stock' group, who needed to drive their vehicle home at the end of the event, and couldn't afford to break anything. We had 20 rigs in our group, and with over 100 vehicles registered, there were at least 4 other groups like ours.
Pictures never tell the full story--the next few shots are from a pretty good incline / decline, but you can't really tell from the pics. Trust me, it was pretty much near-death terrain. Well, almost.
With a little less ground clearance than the FJs, I had to work a little harder choosing lines, but I'm happy to say that the grocery getter went everywhere all of the lifted FJs in our group went.
The only damage suffered in our group was two blown tires, on the same rig, within a few hundred yards of each other. You can't tell by the picture, but we were at a steep hill here--steep enough that the vehicle had to be secured to the vehicle in front of it via winch to make sure it didn't roll back while changing the tire. The next blown tire was in an even more difficult spot, and took considerable time and winching and rock stacking to get the tire changed safely.
You never know who will unexpectedly photo-bomb your selfie.
'Keeto,' now formally known as 'Trail Dog,' spent much of the trip here.
Navigator getting her first driving lesson
All in all, we had a great time. They served good food, had some incredible door prizes, and live music including an authentic blue-grass band that was incredible to watch. Two thumbs up, and we'll be going back next year.