Another shot in the hotel parking lot. My Ramcharger seemed really out of place surrounded by Hummers. One lady in a white Grand Cherokee quipped, "I feel like we showed up in a Yugo!"

Introduction

The Big Texas Outing is two days of trail rides at the Ft. Hood Army Base north of Killeen, TX. Ft. Hood is the largest US army base. It occupies vast tracts of land stretching many miles north of Killeen. Amazingly, the base keeps a large area (Area 34) open for four-wheeling. To use the area, a person must stop by the "Area Access" office, sign a liability waiver, and view a brief video.

The Big Texas Outing is organized by Eddie Runner of River Oaks Car Stereo and other Houston area Hummer owners. Their organization is the Houston Area Hummer Association - yes, that spells HAHA. The event is dominated by Hummers; however, unlike many events (like Jeep Jamborees), it is open to all other four wheelers (even ATVs). Non-Hummers aren't just tolerated, they are invited and accommodated.

Here are some of the about 50 vehicles that showed up waiting in line before breaking into four groups at Ft. Hood.

This year, the Big Texas Outing was held on 14 and 15 Feb 98, Valentine's Day weekend. The event featured about 50 vehicles. After signing in with the base, the vehicles were divided into four groups. First, Mike offered to lead a hard core group, and about 10 or 15 vehicles offered to join him. The rest of us divided into three other groups. Once our CBs were set to the appropriate channels, we set out. I was in group two, and the rest of this account details the adventures of group two on the first day of the outing (I, among others, was unable to stay for the second day, as I had to be at work on Monday).

This is the HUMMER ONLY ascent with the curve and rock step. The picture doesn't do it justice. Kevin is just about to encounter the rock step with his right front tire.

Unfortunately, the day before the event I dropped my wife's camera in a creek in Oklahoma. So, I'm relying on a handful of photos I took with a disposable camera and those provided by fellow trail-riders.

Group Two's Makeup

Group Two consisted of eight Hummers, a Land Rover Defender 90 (D 90), a Land Rover Discovery, and our essentially stock 1983 Dodge Ramcharger (the Old Gray Mare). I would estimate the average value of the vehicles in this group, excluding our Ramcharger, at about $50 - 75K. I'd estimate that we had about 5% of the average investment of the group in our Ramcharger. Needless to say, we didn't feel too much pressure to outperform anyone else in the group!

Trail leader Allan shows us how gravity can be your friend (but it could easily have been his enemy!). This was a VERY daring maneuver - a steep curving decline over loose rock with a utility pole and trees at the bottom. He made it without incident.

Group Two's Excellent Adventure

Our group was ably led by Allan's Red Hummer. Allan, Eddie Runner, and others had scouted our area for good trails on a prior weekend, and their hard work really helped us to enjoy our time at Ft. Hood. Allan used a GPS and a base map to ensure that we didn't repeat any obstacles. And, other than one initial monster climb (which the Land Rovers and I observed safely from the bottom), he endeavored not to leave anybody behind.

Unlike many off-road adventures, the Big Texas Outing at Ft. Hood did not involve a lot of driving between obstacles. Thanks to some recent rain, the entire drive consisted of navigating fairly challenging muddy trails, or in some cases, making your own trail, in and through ledges, streams, and many beautiful vistas.

This was the first notable climb. At the time, it seemed like a big deal - I even scraped my transfer case skid plate a little bit. However, by the time the day was done, this was strictly small time! This was one of many points where we paused, which gave me a chance for a group shot.

Ft. Hood is not controlled by the Bureau of Land Management. Area 34 is used as a practice ground for military Hummers and tracked vehicles. Therefore, the principles of TREAD Lightly need not be observed. While everyone endeavored to behave as courteous guests, we didn't hesitate to light out across an open field if it looked challenging or interesting.

We started our adventure by fording a small stream. The entry to the stream was fairly tame, but the opposite bank presented a pretty challenging mud bank. Early on, it appeared that we might be in for a few problems, when the Disco seemed that it might have trouble at this first obstacle. However, despite initially pausing halfway up the opposite bank, the Disco powered its way up. Other than that brief moment of doubt, we all had a good time splashing mud as we passed through. The Disco never hesitated again, and proved that big performance can come in small packages.

We then drove a short distance, and Allan stopped and climbed out. He passed by the D90, the Disco, and us, and said that, while we were welcome to try, he recommended that we pass on this obstacle. The Land Rovers and we pulled off the trail a bit, as did one sensible and reluctant Hummer. I got out to witness this first hand and take some pictures. The obstacle was a steep, curving climb with a large rock step in the middle. After watching the Hummers struggle up, I felt confident in my decision to let fame and glory wait for another day.

This proved to be one of the easier water crossings of the day.

The trip down from the plateau was only somewhat less harrowing. Joel took a bad line, and almost rolled his Hummer down the hill. However, eventually, all made it back down safely. That was the only "Hummer only" obstacle Allan included. From then on, it was all for one and one for all.

To be honest, the remaining obstacles all ran together in my mind. There were steep climbs to plateaus overlooking beautiful valleys, rock step descents that beat the heck out of my receiver hitch, and lots and lots of mud and water. Using good CB communication, we avoided any major delays due to the group becoming separated. We did have spacing problems from time to time, but, amazingly, despite taking on some very challenging obstacles, nobody sustained any damage. The Disco even held onto its cute little mud flaps.

My moment of glory - yes, I high centered. Instantly. You can see my front wheels in the air. I dropped immediately onto my transfer case skid plate. Kevin freed me with a gentle tug from his winch. I need to get one of those handy receiver shackles.

Our nineteen month old son Joe, despite a lot of truck bouncing, slept through most of the morning, while his four year old brother John had a ball. Both boys enjoyed a playground near where we ate our lunch (the Huntsmen's Club, a greasy spoon on the base). Joe promptly fell back to sleep when we went back out in the afternoon!

At one point, I foolishly failed to inspect a descent, and tried to simply follow the Hummer in front of me. Hummers have much better ground clearance than Ramchargers, and I immediately high centered, perched solidly on my transfer case skid plate. Fortunately, a gentle tug from Kevin's green Hummer pulled me back, and, at my wife's insistence, I took a still challenging but less demanding alternate down. It took us a few minutes to catch up to the group. My only other mishap was taking a deep water hole fairly quickly, fearing that I'd end up swamped in the middle. Apparently, my fan sprayed water throughout the engine compartment, and my ignition cut out. Momentum carried me to higher ground with my front end high out of the water. While Allan made plans to pull me out, the engine heat dried the moisture, and the Old Gray Mare sprang back to life. Thank goodness I didn't suck water into the engine! After that, I bypassed quite a few mud holes.

My Ramcharger throwin' some mud on a moderate climb

The only other winch action took place within a few hundred feet of dry pavement at the very end of the day. Poor Lance and Kim somehow got into a ditch without much momentum, and didn't come out the other side. A little wheel spin dug them in pretty well. However, in a convoy of several Hummers, nobody stays stuck very long. After fighting over who had the honor of pulling them out, the Hummers got them out, and the D90 scampered up onto the road where the rest of us (some of whom, including me, avoided the ditch after seeing them buried in it) were waiting.

One thing you'll never see on Forest Service land is a good exhibition of synchronized Humming. Two or three of the Hummers went back out a ways from the road on a large, mud skid pad and danced pirouettes, spinning ungainly mud donuts across the field. It was quite a spectacle.

The Old Gray Mare near the end of the day. She had just made a challenging water crossing in which submerged rocks bashed her skid plate, only to fight her way up a long, muddy slope. Cool.

Although I gained a very healthy respect for the abilities of the Hummers, I must admit that I felt that they missed out on much of the fun. On many trails, the Hummer pilots sipped coffee and enjoyed the scenery as their amazing vehicles made short work of the ruts, mudholes, and trenches. Meanwhile, my heart was pounding as I did my impression of Gilligan steering the SS Minnow through the typhoon, throwing my steering from side to side trying to keep enough momentum to avoid getting buried in the mud.

Wrapping Up

Overall, it was a wonderful day. We had tempted the fates, but avoided provoking them. We took on plenty of challenging obstacles, but sustained no damage. The ten vehicles who remained together for the whole day (the yellow Hummer left at lunch) looked as good as new. If there is one complaint I'd make about off-roading with owners of very high priced machines, it's that they are terrified of scratching their nice paint jobs.

Here are Kevin and Lisa Curry, whose pictures have allowed me to put this story up before I get my own scanned

We had to be off the base by 6PM. We returned to the hotel, washed our trucks, changed our clothes, and met with the other three groups at a nearby Fuddruckers (a hamburger place) around 7PM. There, we regaled one another with exaggerated tales of off-road heroism, and watched video of our misadventures. Eddie Runner and some of the other organizers awarded prizes and received our gratitude for organizing such a great event. Far too soon, it was time to return to the hotel. I only hope that those who remained for the second day had as much fun as we did on the first!

	Here is Kevin Beebe and family. Inside that Hummer are Kevin, his wife, three children, and two dogs! On day 1, "Green Hummer Kevin" ran tailgunner, and made sure we or others didn't straggle
Here is a pretty good water crossing. This was on day 2, and I wasn't there to witness it. Looks like the sort of thing to pour water into my engine!	d
	Unlike many Jeep and other vehicle specific club events, all makes are welcome at the Big Texas Outing. Even Jeeps!