Ray Hutchinson
Moderator Emeritus
- Joined
- January 20, 2000
- Messages
- 924
- Reaction score
- 64
- City, State
- Dana Point, CA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 22 Bronc BadSquatch
- Callsign
- AE6H
We got back, early this morning, from Truckhaven where the Tierra Del Sol offroad club of San Diego, CA Held their 39th Annual Desert Safari. Whoo Wee, What an extravaganza! 
First let me say that we Ford Explorer enthusiasts were pretty well represented. In attendance were (in no particular order) Rick & Char, Paul Bredehoft, Colin "Fenderguy" Ignacio, his Dad, and friend Winter, Blaine "Blue Dog Bandit", Peter John DiLorio, Tom "FarkarWee" Rios, Bill "Ranger-X" Collins, Juan Felsman, Jeff"Jefe" Glancy, and of course, Deb and I went down, just for the day. It would have been great to have more, too Perhaps next year...mark your calendars.
I was extremely impressed with the high level of organization That Tierra Del Sol puts into this event. TDS Desert Safari, this year, had about 1200 registered 4x's and drivers. There were several hundred unregistered vehicles and drivers, hundreds of support vehicles (trucks, trailers, motorhomes etc.) and probably over three thousand people in attendance! It all went off very smoothly, and with only a few minor glitches. An amazing feat given the location (Barren Desert) and the thousands attending.
There was a "midway" area, with many major vendors and manufacturers, and smaller players in attendance. Notable exhibitors and products included (again in no particular order): 4 Wheel Parts Wholesalers, Micky Thompson, BFG , Sun Performance (Quickair), Warn, Rancho, ProComp, ARB, Detroit,
Atlas, Superwinch, Extreme4X4 online magazine, Offroad, 4 Wheeler, 4WD and Sport Utility, Pro Gear, Best Top, Optima, and more, Some new products and companies, and smaller shops were also there. On Saturday night there was a giant raffle, with about 100 "prize packages" given away. Total Value, I'm told, was about $70,000.00!!
Unfortunately, none of the Explorers won
Of interest to those who have manual transmissions, Clutch Masters formally specializing in import vehicle clutches, is branching into the domestic market. Darien, known to many of us as Paul Bredehoft's mechanic, is now working with Clutch Masters developing, we hope, a super HD Explorer/Ranger clutch.
I'll leave comments on the runs to the other guys, when they get back, as we didn't arrive in time for the Sat runs, and had to leave for other commitments today. But, not going out on the runs gave lots of time to schmooze, see old friends, check out the organization, talk to the officials, vendors, etc. Even scored a deal from Sun Performance on a new QuickAir compressor to replace my dying "brand X" for my on board air system and ARB's.
All in all, GREAT EVENT! Try to make it next year. We will!
First let me say that we Ford Explorer enthusiasts were pretty well represented. In attendance were (in no particular order) Rick & Char, Paul Bredehoft, Colin "Fenderguy" Ignacio, his Dad, and friend Winter, Blaine "Blue Dog Bandit", Peter John DiLorio, Tom "FarkarWee" Rios, Bill "Ranger-X" Collins, Juan Felsman, Jeff"Jefe" Glancy, and of course, Deb and I went down, just for the day. It would have been great to have more, too Perhaps next year...mark your calendars.
I was extremely impressed with the high level of organization That Tierra Del Sol puts into this event. TDS Desert Safari, this year, had about 1200 registered 4x's and drivers. There were several hundred unregistered vehicles and drivers, hundreds of support vehicles (trucks, trailers, motorhomes etc.) and probably over three thousand people in attendance! It all went off very smoothly, and with only a few minor glitches. An amazing feat given the location (Barren Desert) and the thousands attending.
There was a "midway" area, with many major vendors and manufacturers, and smaller players in attendance. Notable exhibitors and products included (again in no particular order): 4 Wheel Parts Wholesalers, Micky Thompson, BFG , Sun Performance (Quickair), Warn, Rancho, ProComp, ARB, Detroit,
Atlas, Superwinch, Extreme4X4 online magazine, Offroad, 4 Wheeler, 4WD and Sport Utility, Pro Gear, Best Top, Optima, and more, Some new products and companies, and smaller shops were also there. On Saturday night there was a giant raffle, with about 100 "prize packages" given away. Total Value, I'm told, was about $70,000.00!!
Unfortunately, none of the Explorers won
Of interest to those who have manual transmissions, Clutch Masters formally specializing in import vehicle clutches, is branching into the domestic market. Darien, known to many of us as Paul Bredehoft's mechanic, is now working with Clutch Masters developing, we hope, a super HD Explorer/Ranger clutch.
I'll leave comments on the runs to the other guys, when they get back, as we didn't arrive in time for the Sat runs, and had to leave for other commitments today. But, not going out on the runs gave lots of time to schmooze, see old friends, check out the organization, talk to the officials, vendors, etc. Even scored a deal from Sun Performance on a new QuickAir compressor to replace my dying "brand X" for my on board air system and ARB's.
All in all, GREAT EVENT! Try to make it next year. We will!
Sounds cool! 
