MID ATLANTIC RALLY (MAR) 9/29- 10/2 Registration Open
- Thread starter DividingCreek
- Start date
I Leak Oil
Expedition Leader
Ohhh muddy, muddy MAR! I haven't been in 5 or so years but I'm still cleaning that red, muddy clay from Pearl's Pond off every time I crawl under my truck!
DividingCreek
Explorer
It gets more tenacious the further South you go. For instance the red clay @ Uwharrie in North Carolina is incredible- takes a pressure washer to get it off if you let it take hold.
This weekend was one of the "work weekends" where club memebers got together to get the site ready. Go figure today was called off because of rain. Hopefully the fire in the peat bog in the Great Dismal Swamp will be extinguished. I'm 200 miles north and the smoke has been thick here.
This weekend was one of the "work weekends" where club memebers got together to get the site ready. Go figure today was called off because of rain. Hopefully the fire in the peat bog in the Great Dismal Swamp will be extinguished. I'm 200 miles north and the smoke has been thick here.
Last edited:
DividingCreek
Explorer
Working on it. For the record Pearls Pond is out because a couple of last years attendee's went out of bounds through yellow tape clearly marking it as out of bounds and drove past the owners house @ 7am. This violated the clubs agreement with the land owner. It only takes one bad egg to ruin things for everyone. There were 185 trucks that were in attendence last year-no one was happy about that.
DividingCreek
Explorer
Trails this year will be on three different properties-roughly 300+ acres.
The largest most developed trail network is the Esmont property is accross the James and can be accessed by the Hatton ferry http://www.thehattonferry.org/ the nations last remaining hand poled ferry. No camel trophy raft, but the next closest thing you will find in Central Virginia.
Or the route 20 bridge @ Scottsville. Here's the trail map for that property overlaid on a topo map. The red lines are the trails.
Special thanks to our sponsors thus far:
Overland Journal
Land Rover North America
Land Rover Owner International (writing a feature article about the event as well)
Land Rover Richmond
Red Mountain Rovers Birmingham Alabama
Rovers North
Atlantic British
RovaGuy.com
Rover Bones
Camping Lab
Hi Lift Jack co.
Master Pull
Warn
Rovertym
The largest most developed trail network is the Esmont property is accross the James and can be accessed by the Hatton ferry http://www.thehattonferry.org/ the nations last remaining hand poled ferry. No camel trophy raft, but the next closest thing you will find in Central Virginia.
Or the route 20 bridge @ Scottsville. Here's the trail map for that property overlaid on a topo map. The red lines are the trails.
Special thanks to our sponsors thus far:
Overland Journal
Land Rover North America
Land Rover Owner International (writing a feature article about the event as well)
Land Rover Richmond
Red Mountain Rovers Birmingham Alabama
Rovers North
Atlantic British
RovaGuy.com
Rover Bones
Camping Lab
Hi Lift Jack co.
Master Pull
Warn
Rovertym
Attachments
![Esmont property trail map[1].jpg](/data/attachments/41/41723-b590b2e4ab7a7e9e993b7d0920207f2f.jpg)
Last edited:
Roverhound
Adventurer
This isn't the whole story at all. There was a bit more to it.
This is the official version put out by ROAV to alleviate thier embarrassment.
DividingCreek
Explorer
registrations @ 100 trucks with 9 days to go. Looks like 150-200 trucks is probable. Should be a great time.
Yup...
It was the first event I brought my new gf and my little brother to. I had mentioned that it wouldnt be a weekend of guys getting drunk, being idiots and sideswiping barns with their trucks...
DividingCreek
Explorer
So what did happen? Since you're in the know, why don't you go ahead and tell everyone rather than posting the above comment?
DividingCreek
Explorer
What Walter is referencing is that last years event had access to a property just down river. The property is owned by a Mr. Adamson who is a retired atty. Mr Adamson has several farms in Va and has given his three children the "management" of that particular property. Last year the club approached Mr. Adamson about using a portion of that property as it has a well developed trail network that the club built over the past decade. The club usually works out a "lease" with a land owner for the weekend and the Adamsons didn't want to do that.
Mr Adamson replied that the club would have to work with his son. Last years board did and obtained permission from the son with the requisite that the upper portion of the property not be accessed. The entire family knew about the event including Sr. His daughter and her husband as well as the son and his wife were attending the event but staying in the home on their property. @ 7:30 am a couple of trucks exited the property past the house because a log bridge across a stream had caved in and they had no exit.
The daughter called Sr when the out of bounds group passed the house. Sr. got in his car and drove the 2hrs out to the property from Richmond. In the mean time Jr and the event organizers decided to close the property because of 2 inches of rain the night before (prior events had cut the property up in places to the point that a dozer had to be brought in to smooth things back out and Jr wanted to avoid this). This decision was communicated by driving around and advising every campsite as well as being written on the board @ Rally control. Unfortunately there were people already out and on the property and when Sr arrived he was angry and told folks they needed to leave and that he had no idea the club was going to be on his property that weekend-not quite accurate. Mr Adamson is friends with my parents and is often over @ their home. He knows my brother and I have been members for years and the story he told them was that he gave his son permission to make the decision but wanted the ability to veto.
This family offered to host a ROAV leaf sprung rally this past summer-but only leaf sprung vehicles in exchange for a load of gravel. We bought them the load of gravel as a good will gesture but after some debate and the short timeline didn't pursue a leaf sprung only event. We responded by asking Sr about using the property for this years MAR event and his response was "I'm not in favor of it but I'll let Jr decide". Given what happened last year the club dropped it and never asked Jr.
This years attendence was approx 159 (148 before board members trucks which weren't numbered) registered rovers and many more visitors and tow vehicles etc through out the 4 day event. Attendence was over 325 people. The pictures I have posted were just a few sent to me -I'll load more as they come through.
Mr Adamson replied that the club would have to work with his son. Last years board did and obtained permission from the son with the requisite that the upper portion of the property not be accessed. The entire family knew about the event including Sr. His daughter and her husband as well as the son and his wife were attending the event but staying in the home on their property. @ 7:30 am a couple of trucks exited the property past the house because a log bridge across a stream had caved in and they had no exit.
The daughter called Sr when the out of bounds group passed the house. Sr. got in his car and drove the 2hrs out to the property from Richmond. In the mean time Jr and the event organizers decided to close the property because of 2 inches of rain the night before (prior events had cut the property up in places to the point that a dozer had to be brought in to smooth things back out and Jr wanted to avoid this). This decision was communicated by driving around and advising every campsite as well as being written on the board @ Rally control. Unfortunately there were people already out and on the property and when Sr arrived he was angry and told folks they needed to leave and that he had no idea the club was going to be on his property that weekend-not quite accurate. Mr Adamson is friends with my parents and is often over @ their home. He knows my brother and I have been members for years and the story he told them was that he gave his son permission to make the decision but wanted the ability to veto.
This family offered to host a ROAV leaf sprung rally this past summer-but only leaf sprung vehicles in exchange for a load of gravel. We bought them the load of gravel as a good will gesture but after some debate and the short timeline didn't pursue a leaf sprung only event. We responded by asking Sr about using the property for this years MAR event and his response was "I'm not in favor of it but I'll let Jr decide". Given what happened last year the club dropped it and never asked Jr.
This years attendence was approx 159 (148 before board members trucks which weren't numbered) registered rovers and many more visitors and tow vehicles etc through out the 4 day event. Attendence was over 325 people. The pictures I have posted were just a few sent to me -I'll load more as they come through.
Last edited:
DividingCreek
Explorer
yeah I'll reload it later but it was me mouthing "oh damn" as the front end starts into a hole. Unfortunately no shots of the water over the hood and rushing in the bulkhead vents which were open