Brewster County, Texas, is one of the last bastions of truly wide-open space. It sits in the southwest portion of the state, and while it's larger than the entire state of Connecticut, it contains only six small towns. It's here, near the town of Terlingua, that the Texas Superlift 4xAdventure made its re-appearance in 2001 after a four-year hiatus, drawing almost 100 4x4s to the proverbial middle of nowhere for some of the most rugged, scenic, and challenging four-wheeling available.
Untamed, Rugged, and Isolated
The terrain in this area consists of sand, rock, and an amazing variety of thorn-bearing plants and shrubs. Summers boast furnace-like heat as temps hover in the 100-degree range, although 70- to 80-degree days are the norm in March when the 4xAdventure is held. Event headquarters was the Longhorn Motel, which resembles an oasis in the desert and features a restaurant, pool, and comfy (but telephone-less) rooms. Existence in this area is fragile and high-maintenance, and water is a precious commodity that is trucked to the motel on a regular basis. Cell phone service is non-existent in the area, gas stations are limited, and you can forget about listening to the radio. The nearest major town is Alpine, and that's an 80-mile drive on two-lane Route 118, with virtually nothing but desert in between. As you can imagine, living out here requires a very reliable vehicle.
We're not trying to scare you by telling you this; we're just making sure you understand the remoteness of the region before you throw a sleeping bag and pillow in the back of your truck and make tracks to the area. The upside is that this part of Texas is stunningly beautiful, with a total lack of heavy traffic, urban sprawl or noise, which explains why people endure the inconveniences of living out here.
Trail rides during the Superlift 4xAdventure take place on a private 12,000-acre ranch that features an unbelievable amount of varied terrain, including deep gorges and mountains. The event registration fee includes your choice of daily trail rides, from a schedule of eight, that vary in difficulty level. Additionally, the event includes a Superlift Tech Talk on Friday evening and a Saturday evening all-you-can-eat BBQ dinner and Superlift 4xRaffle. Throughout the event, Superlift Suspension staff is on hand to answer questions about its product line as well. Since four-wheeling and breakage sometimes go hand-in-hand, the Texas 4xAdventure was lucky to have the Jeep doctor Keith Marchand from Huntsville, Alabama, throughout the weekend with a trailer full of parts and accessories. His foresight prevented many participants from having to endure the three-hour round-trip drive to Alpine for parts, and he even had plenty U-joints available so folks could continue and not miss out on any of the action.