Heavy winds blew through Southern California in the days leading up to the 50th anniversary of the popular Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari, but just prior to the event the winds slowed, the sun popped out and one of the most beautiful weekends the Southern California desert can offer was on tap for the weekend.

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50th Anniversary Tierra Del Sol Photo Highlights

Thousands of off-roaders ventured to Truckhaven in the Ocotillo Wells SVRA are for off-road gathering organized by the Tierra Del Sol 4-Wheel-Drive Club of San Diego. The club organized its popular trail ride on Saturday with a huge turnout. At first count, the club says it hit a new attendance record of 1768 registered participants for the ride. The ride is only one aspect of the weekend, however, as many in attendance enjoyed the festivities of the weekend by off-roading on small groups runs, checking out the vendor area in Truckhaven, or exploring the new 4x4 Training Center.

Last year, a 31-acre Truckhaven 4x4 Training Center was introduced to offer off-roaders the chance to tackle obstacles, test out their new rigs, practice their skills or test their mettle on some of the more challenging obstacles. Being just a short walk from the vendor area, it also serves as a great spectator area where people can take a break from the trails to watch the action and some of the unique vehicles in attendance at the event.

One of the biggest events of the entire weekend is the massive raffle on Saturday night. Registered participants for the event get a raffle ticket for the huge raffle that nearly runs into Sunday. This year the prize total reached $165,000 in off-road parts! Extra raffle tickets could also be purchased for other prizes such as tire sets from Goodyear and BFGoodrich, a Dynatrac Unlimited Dana 44 front axle, a winch from Superwinch, Premier Power Welder and more.

 There were plenty of other fun events occurring during the 50th TDS event. Raceline Wheels and Falken Tire had a customer appreciation party on Friday night, complete with a band that rocked the vendor area well into the evening. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the event, the California Jeep Dealers also donated a Jeep Wrangler to the San Diego 4-Wheel Drive Club that is equipped with a host of Mopar parts, Goodyear tires and custom Tierra Del Sol Katzkin leather seats. The vehicle will be later raffled off at the end of the year, with the proceeds going to the club to help keep events like TDS running strong for another 50 years. For information about the tickets, visit the club's site: http://www.tds4x4.com/.

The 50th Anniversary of the Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari hosted an amazing weekend of off-road fun, adventure and action. Offering everything from mild to wild throughout the weekend, TDS truly is a great family event that highlights responsible off-road use. We’re looking forward to another 50 years of this great event.

MORE TDS
50th Anniversary Tierra Del Sol Photo Highlights