A group of us from Ocean State Jeepsters attended the NEA4WD's annual Fall Poker Run last weekend. It started off a bit of a chilly morning. We arrived around 0900 and were patiently waiting for things to start. Many of the regional clubs were represented and some really great looking rigs showed up. It's funny how quickly your jeep shrinks when other jeeps roll in on 35's, 37's, etc.
We all drew cards from the deck and were given a piece of paper to track our poker hand. We were provided a map along with typed instructions to get to each check point. It was a mix of class VI roads and normal roads. We began at 1050. The first stretch of class VI was pretty easy and lots of fun. Great scenery, little bit of mud, little bit of rocks, some uphill, and some downhill.
We then hooked up with a regular road for a bit and had our first taste of being lost. It was quickly overcome and we were on the road back to the trail.
We came to the first real obstacle of the run. It was an uphill section with a rugged boulder and rock field in the middle. Within minutes we were all through and were able to draw our first card.
It was pretty tame for a while after that. Some mud but nothing impassible by stock.
We then hooked up with another group who had became lost. Back on track we all trekked on to a beautiful little pond with a fun water crossing about 1/4 mile long.
Shortly after we arrived at our second check point. We all drew cards and I was slowly building a winning hand. We continued on through mostly class VI roads through the NH woods. We, then, came to the hardest section of the run. It was a downhill that was well washed out by rain. Plenty of off-camber driving.
This was where the third checkpoint was. We stopped, chatted for a bit, and drew cards. When it was time to go, Jim wasn't paying attention and got his rear control arm stuck on a rock. Luckily, his virgin winch (not the one inside the car) was ready to go. A quick pull and we were back on our way.
Most of us had a little trouble with this section requiring not more than a spotter. Definitely doable stock. However, rock sliders are definitely recommended.
The rest of the run was pretty easy and we even ran back through the first class VI road we went on. We passed some pretty cool rapids and some brave souls in little kayaks who had tackled them. We arrived back at Deering Fish and Game and drew our final cards. I won the pot with an ace high flush. $380
All in all it was a great day. We had a ton of fun and it was comfortable wheeling. The people were very nice and it was great seeing some very modified JK's! Until next time...
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Ocean State Jeepsters
