Texas Toyota Trail Ride - 2007 Lone Star Toyota Jamboree

By now, everyone from California to New York City has been hit to some extent by the massive cold front that slapped our country in the face this past winter season. But that wasn't going to put a stop to the 2007 Lone Star Toyota Jamboree, which took place January 12-14 at Barnwell Mountain OHV Recreation Area near Gilmer, Texas. Rain, sleet, or snow, this year's participants were ready to wheel and wheel hard. This year's event was represented by the Toyota Trail Riders (TTR), the Lone Star Land Cruisers (LSLC), the White Trash of the Elwood Chapter, and Bayou State Land Cruisers Club (BSLC), all of which are established chapters of Toyota Land Cruisers of America (TLCA).

Barnwell Mountain is a vast, 1,800-acre park with numerous well-developed and well-maintained trails for all levels. It features camping accommodations and is recognized by organizations such as Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Blue Ribbon Coalition, Tread Lightly!, the United Four Wheel Drive Association, and many other regional and state organizations. The primary sponsors for this year's event were Toyota of Dallas, ARB USA, Demello Offroad, Marlin Crawler, TRD Parts 4 U, and FJ Cruiser Off-Road. All of these sponsors contributed to the more-than-generous raffle at the end of the event. 4 WHEEL DRIVE & SPORT UTILITY even gave away some magazine subscriptions to a lucky few. Ninety-six vehicles and over 200 attendees made up the roster for this year, making it the largest Lone Star Toyota Jamboree ever.

When Chris King, club president of the Toyota Trail Riders, called to give us the 411 on this year's event, we packed a bag, booked a flight, and made our journey to Texas for some fun. We landed two days before the event and are extremely happy that we did. Since camera equipment does not like water, that extra day came in very handy. As Friday night approached, the storm system was getting worse and eventually brought heavy rain, hail, and ice storms our way. Although it did keep some of the wheeling and events to a minimum, everyone still had a great time. Nothing wrong with a little mud, right?

Barnwell Mountain is part of the Texas Motorized Trail Coalition and is one of the most well-maintained parks in the country. Nearly every trail in the park has been adopted by one of the local clubs, whose members include not only Toyota owners but Nissan and Jeep owners as well. The park also features some of the most unique trail names we've ever encountered: Saturday Night Live; Humdinger; Weenie World; Chaos Canyon; Shake, Rattle, and Roll; Nose Dive; Porterhouse; and many more.

Afterward, we asked Chris what his thoughts were on the event and he said, "If I had to characterize the success of the event in one word, it would be 'teamwork.' The members of TTR pulled together and ensured everything was planned and executed without a hitch. The TLCA chapters pulled together with LSLC to provide manpower, and BSLC handled the cooking. Everyone pitched in and made sure it was a fun event - weather be damned!

"For most of us, wheeling is more than a hobby - it's a way of life, and one that requires a certain tolerance for nature. You have to take the bad with the good, but in the end it's all about getting out and enjoying yourself and the company of others and not limiting yourself to being a fair-weather wheeler."