We have been looking forward to getting back to Red Cloud Off Road – minus the snow and sub-zero temperatures we experienced back in February. This past weekend we made it back out there with some fellow Dirt Road Trippers for some really excellent local Northern Virginia wheeling and perfect Virginia Spring weather.
Brian’s impressive Land Rover LR4 handled the terrain extremely well despite being limited by all-terrain tires
Since our last trip out to Red Cloud, Jim and his great group of volunteer staffers have built more trails on the property, so in addition to running the familiar routes from February, there was no shortage of completely new stuff to run.
We had a great mix of rigs of different makes/models and build levels — everything from a late 90’s stock Jeep Cherokee to a cushy (and impressive!) Land Rover Lr4 in addition to our normal cast of Toyotas. The Red Cloud guys are mostly Jeep JK guys and have some impressive builds as well — they routinely can run circles around us in their back yard…
The trails are fun, but the human element is what it’s all about.
The conditions were a little sloppy from all the rain we got in the past week, but most of the trails were still passable for a stock high-clearance 4×4 (think Tacoma, 4Runner, or Jeep) with decent all-terrain tires. If you’re new to offroading, one of the Red Cloud staffers will gladly lead you on a run of more mild trails as an introduction that won’t get you too far out of your comfort zone.
To hit the harder stuff, 33″ mud terrain tires and sliders are probably the minimum. With some of the drop-offs and breakovers, bumpers, sliders, and skids are a also good idea.
This section felt very much like Vermont…
We spent the entire day, from about 9:30AM-6:30PM out on the trails with a long break for lunch (because we were close to home, Alex’s fiance brought us a fried chicken lunch, and Becca sent some great carrot cake cupcakes along with me – my favorite). Because we were running harder trails (and we are practicing some new-found self preservation philosophy) we did a fair bit of spotting, winching, and generally just being careful on obstacles. It was a ton of fun, and really good practice using our recovery equipment and doing some winching with snatch blocks. Always better to practice in a more controlled environment!
We camped for the night with the Red Cloud guys and enjoyed some well-earned beverages and good company. That and something else that we’ve never come across while camping: Karaoke. Not just ad-hoc sing-along either. We’re talking full generator-powered professional Karaoke PA system setup like you’d find on a Tuesday night at the local bar.
There you have it – Full-fledged karaoke by the campfire!
The weekend really felt like a getaway, providing some of the most challenging legal wheeling in the state, with great company and camping — all about 20-30 minutes from home.
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