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Update #1: Photos uploaded! I've embedded some highlights in their relevant spots below. I'm still working on the videos.
Original post:
My girlfriend and I went to the Bronco Off-Roadeo in Horseshoe Bend, Texas (west of Austin, and the only location Bronco Sports can participate right now) last weekend on Oct 30.Imgur is giving me fits and won't let me upload photos. Once I get it fixed, I'll add some. In the meantime, this wall of text is a summary of our experience.
We drove down the day before and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Marble Falls. Orientation started around 8:30 am, but it was recommended we arrive half an hour early for some paperwork. We showed up around 7:45 and hardly anyone was there. That allowed us to breeze through the paperwork and peruse the grounds to check out the various Broncos and Bronco Sports they had scattered around Basecamp (the main building). The weather was beautiful, but a bit chilly that early in the morning.
The Bronco Sport class consisted of 8 owners and their guests (though not everyone brought a guest). We sat outside on the patio and had a little introduction, got an overview of the schedule for the day, talked about some basic vehicle componentry/off-road mechanics, then took a short break before heading over to the Sports. There was some more talking, then we watched a couple owners navigate through some man-made features while we talked more about off-road mechanics, and then we took another break.
When we regrouped, we finally got to pick our vehicles. Each vehicle had a radio in it for the trail guide/instructor to talk to you and for everyone to talk to each other. Once everyone was situated, we hit the trails.
The first trail feature we tackled was a dry, rocky creek crossing where you had to maintain one side of the vehicle along a ridge of rocks. We all got out and looked at the crossing, had some discussion on how to pick the most suitable line, and then the instructor guided everyone across using hand signals. For each crossing, people were outside their vehicles watching other drivers cross. There’s a lot of standing along the trail observing people navigate features. It sounds boring but it’s not. It helped me understand how the Bronco Sport tackles obstacles and how you can best use adjacent trail features to get over things without tearing your vehicle up.
From there, we drove along some more trails to get to Goodyear Hill. The Big Broncos go up Goodyear Hill and then down the backside. The Sports went up the backside and then down Goodyear Hill. The hill is so named because it was the first feature to blow out a Goodyear tire on a Bronco (likely one of the reasons the Baby Broncos go down the hill instead of up). It’s pretty steep, with lots of holes and large, loose rocks.
Once everyone made it back down, we went back to Basecamp for lunch. It was basically a taco/fajita bar catered by (I think) Horseshoe Bay Resort. The Off-Roadeo was partnered with the resort, linking you to them for lodging if you so desire when you sign up and providing a shuttle service to and from the event. The food was good and there was plenty of it. Once everyone was fat and happy, we piled back into our Sports.
We took some of the trails we traveled earlier in the morning, but in opposite directions. We went back to the first feature of the day but crossed it from the opposite direction, relying on our guests to signal us over the obstacle (those that came solo were guided by the instructor). I liked that we got to do some obstacle-signaling ourselves.
After some more trails, the next feature we drove through was sort of like a deep dip. Like a mini-valley? It was kind of like a dry creekbed but it wasn’t very rocky. You drove down a short, steep hill that bottomed out less than a car length, and then climbed the other side. It wasn’t super exciting, but still allowed for people to get out of their Sports and watch/take photos. Nothing hairy.
Again, more trails. The next obstacle was a hill. It was fairly steep with lots of holes, loose rock, and plenty of opportunities to slip wheels. Unfortunately, since I was at the back of the pack, and the hill was after a few curves, I didn’t know what was up ahead. This was one of two features I didn’t get out of my vehicle and watch other drivers climb. I wish I would have because I really struggled on this hill. The idea was to carry momentum but not go too fast. I kept failing to carry enough momentum to make it through the holes. But at least I provided a learning opportunity for the rest of the group, I guess?
When I finally made it up the hill, we took some more trails to a narrow, paved road that snaked up to the top of one of the hills. There were some nice pavilion-type structures up there. We hung out, enjoyed the view, used the restrooms, then learned about off-road recovery equipment.
The next obstacle we crossed was basically a big rocky section that challenged our limited ground clearance. I didn’t watch other drivers cross this one, but my girlfriend got out and watched because she was going to guide me over it. When it was my turn, I nearly bonked the shit out of the undercarriage. Luckily, she saw it coming and frantically signaled me to stop a fraction of a second before our instructor noticed the impending catastrophe and also frantically signaled me to stop. I backed up, was signaled to a slightly different line, and proceeded without breaking anything.
Our final obstacle was really two-in-one: a short but steep descent at an angle (to avoid getting high centered) followed by crossing a trench at an angle. Most of the features we drove across during the day resulted in three-wheeling, but this one was one of the more photo-op-worthy. Watching other drivers, it looked like it would be super exciting. But actually driving across them felt pretty uneventful, which I think speaks to how competent the BS is on trails.
After we all made our way back to Basecamp, we had BBQ for dinner, courtesy of the same people that catered lunch. I can’t remember what all was offered, but I made myself a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw. They had some pumpkin cheesecake and some kind of spice cake for dessert. After we ate, we bought some things from the merchandise section, and headed home.
The Bronco Sport group was really cool and we met some really nice people. Special shoutout to a forum member I met, @JamesT, who was a super cool dude.
Several things to note:
STICKERS!
Complimentary Yeti bottles
Shirts we bought
Original post:
My girlfriend and I went to the Bronco Off-Roadeo in Horseshoe Bend, Texas (west of Austin, and the only location Bronco Sports can participate right now) last weekend on Oct 30.
We drove down the day before and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Marble Falls. Orientation started around 8:30 am, but it was recommended we arrive half an hour early for some paperwork. We showed up around 7:45 and hardly anyone was there. That allowed us to breeze through the paperwork and peruse the grounds to check out the various Broncos and Bronco Sports they had scattered around Basecamp (the main building). The weather was beautiful, but a bit chilly that early in the morning.
The Bronco Sport class consisted of 8 owners and their guests (though not everyone brought a guest). We sat outside on the patio and had a little introduction, got an overview of the schedule for the day, talked about some basic vehicle componentry/off-road mechanics, then took a short break before heading over to the Sports. There was some more talking, then we watched a couple owners navigate through some man-made features while we talked more about off-road mechanics, and then we took another break.
When we regrouped, we finally got to pick our vehicles. Each vehicle had a radio in it for the trail guide/instructor to talk to you and for everyone to talk to each other. Once everyone was situated, we hit the trails.
The first trail feature we tackled was a dry, rocky creek crossing where you had to maintain one side of the vehicle along a ridge of rocks. We all got out and looked at the crossing, had some discussion on how to pick the most suitable line, and then the instructor guided everyone across using hand signals. For each crossing, people were outside their vehicles watching other drivers cross. There’s a lot of standing along the trail observing people navigate features. It sounds boring but it’s not. It helped me understand how the Bronco Sport tackles obstacles and how you can best use adjacent trail features to get over things without tearing your vehicle up.
From there, we drove along some more trails to get to Goodyear Hill. The Big Broncos go up Goodyear Hill and then down the backside. The Sports went up the backside and then down Goodyear Hill. The hill is so named because it was the first feature to blow out a Goodyear tire on a Bronco (likely one of the reasons the Baby Broncos go down the hill instead of up). It’s pretty steep, with lots of holes and large, loose rocks.
Once everyone made it back down, we went back to Basecamp for lunch. It was basically a taco/fajita bar catered by (I think) Horseshoe Bay Resort. The Off-Roadeo was partnered with the resort, linking you to them for lodging if you so desire when you sign up and providing a shuttle service to and from the event. The food was good and there was plenty of it. Once everyone was fat and happy, we piled back into our Sports.
We took some of the trails we traveled earlier in the morning, but in opposite directions. We went back to the first feature of the day but crossed it from the opposite direction, relying on our guests to signal us over the obstacle (those that came solo were guided by the instructor). I liked that we got to do some obstacle-signaling ourselves.
After some more trails, the next feature we drove through was sort of like a deep dip. Like a mini-valley? It was kind of like a dry creekbed but it wasn’t very rocky. You drove down a short, steep hill that bottomed out less than a car length, and then climbed the other side. It wasn’t super exciting, but still allowed for people to get out of their Sports and watch/take photos. Nothing hairy.
Again, more trails. The next obstacle was a hill. It was fairly steep with lots of holes, loose rock, and plenty of opportunities to slip wheels. Unfortunately, since I was at the back of the pack, and the hill was after a few curves, I didn’t know what was up ahead. This was one of two features I didn’t get out of my vehicle and watch other drivers climb. I wish I would have because I really struggled on this hill. The idea was to carry momentum but not go too fast. I kept failing to carry enough momentum to make it through the holes. But at least I provided a learning opportunity for the rest of the group, I guess?
When I finally made it up the hill, we took some more trails to a narrow, paved road that snaked up to the top of one of the hills. There were some nice pavilion-type structures up there. We hung out, enjoyed the view, used the restrooms, then learned about off-road recovery equipment.
The next obstacle we crossed was basically a big rocky section that challenged our limited ground clearance. I didn’t watch other drivers cross this one, but my girlfriend got out and watched because she was going to guide me over it. When it was my turn, I nearly bonked the shit out of the undercarriage. Luckily, she saw it coming and frantically signaled me to stop a fraction of a second before our instructor noticed the impending catastrophe and also frantically signaled me to stop. I backed up, was signaled to a slightly different line, and proceeded without breaking anything.
Our final obstacle was really two-in-one: a short but steep descent at an angle (to avoid getting high centered) followed by crossing a trench at an angle. Most of the features we drove across during the day resulted in three-wheeling, but this one was one of the more photo-op-worthy. Watching other drivers, it looked like it would be super exciting. But actually driving across them felt pretty uneventful, which I think speaks to how competent the BS is on trails.
After we all made our way back to Basecamp, we had BBQ for dinner, courtesy of the same people that catered lunch. I can’t remember what all was offered, but I made myself a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw. They had some pumpkin cheesecake and some kind of spice cake for dessert. After we ate, we bought some things from the merchandise section, and headed home.
The Bronco Sport group was really cool and we met some really nice people. Special shoutout to a forum member I met, @JamesT, who was a super cool dude.
Several things to note:
- You do not drive your own vehicle. Ford provides Badlands and First Editions to drive on the trails.
- When signing up, you have the option of paying $75 for damage insurance. Our instructor said they’ve never had anyone tear up a BS enough to need to use it. He also said someone managed to tear off an exhaust hanger (not in our group). So I guess you have to do some serious damage to need that.
- Everyone bonked and scraped their undercarriage a lot. If the missing exhaust hanger was the most notable of the damage, and these things have been going for months, I think the undersides of our Baby Broncos can take much more of a beating than I imagined.
- With every rainfall, the trail changes. One week they had a plain ol' section of trail. Another week (and some rainfall) later, and the instructor had to hop out and guide us through a section. We got a surprise bonus feature!
- Guests rode in the same vehicles as the owners with whom they accompanied. It was up to the owner/guest to decide how they wanted to share driving time. The instructor rode with one of the owners (or walked).
- You earn stickers by answering questions. And they’re nice stickers. Learn all the things and shout answers. Don’t even put thought into what you’re shouting. You can earn stickers by shouting random things. One of our trivia questions (remember, Halloween theme) was what colors pumpkins come in. We had one more color to guess and everyone took the obvious colors so I just randomly shouted blue and it was right. I was probably more surprised than anyone.
- Each participant and registered guest got a Yeti tumbler with the script “Bronco” logo on it. But they’re too big to fit in the cupholders.
- There's merch to buy at Basecamp. There are short sleeved T-shirts, long sleeved T-shirts, sweatshirts, Yeti cups, a Yeti soft cooler, hats, and some other things I can’t remember. The merch that is specific to the Texas Off-Roadeo location can only be purchased on site. You can’t find it online.
STICKERS!
Complimentary Yeti bottles
Shirts we bought
Sponsored
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