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10th Annual Truckhaven Challenge was the Best Yet! 

TRUCKHAVEN CHALLENGE X
JANUARY 15, 2005
By Rick Fisher

If we built it, would they come? It had had been raining for three weeks in southern California. The deserts were now swamps. People had been calling, "Will you have the event?" We put on the web site, "Rain or Shine". The weather was supposed to clear up Wednesday, so we were optimistic. Steve Santa and I had to head for Truckhaven Monday to start marking the course. I packed the motor home in the rain and we headed out.

We got there after dark and waited until morning to cross the wash. The mud was slippery on the hill and the plateau but we made it. The sun had come out Tuesday morning and the rest of the week was perfect. All the washes had been swept clean and the damp sand was fast. There was some mud in the canyons that we figured would add to the fun. The worst place we found was in the small mud arch canyon. We both almost got stuck getting through.

In ten years of pathfinding for this event, I have gotten pretty familiar with it. I almost know my way around. Back in the day we were lost most of the time. Now of course I have a GPS in my Jeep with all the landmarks waypointed. Still, finding a route that is different every year and meets our criteria is quite challenging. To add interest we reverse the rotation every year. This year we proceeded counter-clockwise. My usual cohort and main marker, Geoff Teare, was missing his first event because of job demands. Steve Santa volunteered for the task fortunately and we did half the trail Tuesday.

That night a few more friends including Terry Work, Joe McGinniss, Rick Bates and Tom Paris joined us. We did the second half Wednesday. Thursday we tested the red course and added the green routes. Friday is reserved for final testing and adjustments. Many of the checkpoint workers pre-run the course Friday and the feedback was good. At fifteen miles, the course was a little shorter than past ones and the hard sand made for fast driving but I still felt it was technical enough but not too difficult.

We opened registration Friday evening and here is where the spouses really work. Judy Fisher, Mary Jane Bates, Linda McGinniss, Judi Santa and others worked most of the time. Cindy Teare sold the event t-shirts. Although pre-registration had been good, Friday volume was low and I was worried. This event is the largest fund-raiser CORVA sponsors and had to succeed. Had the rain scared off too many people?

Saturday morning start was efficient and the first group was gone in an hour. This too was disconcerting because it usually takes two hours to get everybody out. My orange hair is still popular and people often remember me that way. Then something exciting happened. People kept coming in. Apparently they decided not to try the mud after dark and waited until Saturday morning. Since the start is open until 11 am, this is a good idea and lightens traffic significantly.

Like every year, people had a blast at the checkpoints and our games of skill. This year, we had the "Wheel of (mis)Fortune", "Paintball" and the Checkpoint 2 Crews' new "Redneck Horseshoes", in which contestants threw toilet seats trying to make a ringer around a plunger. Fun!

Ultimately we had nearly three hundred registered vehicles. This number was probably affected by the rain, but is about the same as last year. We had every type of vehicle you can imagine, including a two wheel drive Rokon motorcycle and a Mercedes-Benz Unimog! We had the CORVA raffle Honda on site and sold tickets for it and gave away tickets to new members as a promotion.

We had a great selection of raffle prizes, most collected due to the outstanding effort of Faith Work. Her husband Terry has been our Master of Ceremonies for years and did his usual great job with the crowd. Terry and Faith also organize the kid's games on Sunday that drew quite a crowd. 

Our Satellite Safari made it's debut on Sunday. We set out 26 markers and randomly assigned five to each player to find by co-ordinates only. They were given a time limit of 3 hours to find their 5 markers. Unfortunately, it turns out we had hidden many of the markers too well (too much "Challenge"?) and most of the players wandered in vain. Two players got all five locations and returned in two hours. Everybody was a good sport about it and we will make "adjustments" next year. Due to the gaining popularity of GPS navigation, we feel the "Safari" is going to have more participants each successive year. Everybody had a fun time and it will certainly be back next year!

This year's event was definitely a financial success and a crowd pleaser. I want to thank the many volunteers who helped on the trail, at the checkpoints, registration and the start line. This would be impossible without them.

As a head's-up, we are planning to have next year's event one week later on January 21-22, 2006. This will avoid some other event conflicts and give you more time after the holidays.

Here are the event winners. Congratulations everyone!

POKER RUN HANDS:

1st- Paul Grierson (4 Aces)
2nd- David Freuert (4 '2's)
3rd- Jackie Stemmer (fullhouse A/K)

POKER RUN GAMES:

1st- Guy Aiello (230 points)
2nd- Andrew Lynn and Eddie Knox (220 points) TIE

CANDY JAR WINNING GUESS:

Eddie Knox and Michelle Smith (guessed 2200, actual amount 2205) TIE

SATELLITE SAFARI

Winner- Jason & Rebekah Roberson


As always, this event would not take place without the help of many individuals and the planning alone takes several months. In no particular order, they are:

Rick and Judy Fisher
Rick and MaryJane Bates
Tom and Linda Paris
Geoff and Cindy Teare
Steve & Judi Santa
Terry and Faith Work
Travis Work and pal Jessie
Joe and Linda McGinnis
John and Kathy Oldham
Wayne Berg
Jim and Mike Arbogast
Bob Campbell
Bud and Jason Pond
Carol Samons

And the Checkpoint 2 Crew:
Ed and Kathy Crook
Kris Ritzke
Tom
Lisa
Jack
Leslie

Once again, the Trailmasters Club fixed another great BBQ dinner, and there was a long line for the wonderful chow! All the money they took in was donated to CORVA. Thanks guys!

Another big word of thanks goes to the Ultimate Traction Off Roading Association for bringing in all the porta-potties to the event. This is always greatly appreciated!

And what would this event report be without thanking all the off road businesses and manufacturers who donated such great stuff for our raffle! Please shop these places FIRST when you need parts etc…..

ALL PROCEEDS TO GO TO CORVA'S LAND USE FUND!

Need more info? Call Geoff:(800) 42-CORVA ext. 512 (leave message)
or email:  geoff@corva.org

Pictures from the 2005 Challenge

TRUCKHAVEN weather report!

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This page last updated March 13, 2010