Members of the Overland Trailblazers West chapter combined off-road fun and area exploration with good food and fellowship at a fall rally in Moab, Utah.
By Russ Hill, F398692
March 2022
The Overland Trailblazers West chapter is a fun-loving, adventurous group of RVers from the Western Area. We focus on two “Super Rallies” per year, plus our volunteering efforts at the Western Area Rally every January. Since 2009 we have held three rallies during the Calgary Stampede in Alberta. These rallies have been huge successes, resulting in numerous new members joining our chapter. Our next Calgary Stampede rally is scheduled for July 2023.
COVID-19 has really impacted our chapter rally schedule. With most of our members vaccinated, we held a full five-day rally in Moab, Utah, October 18 to 23, 2021. Moab is a great destination; for one, it is home base for two of Utah’s beautiful national parks. Both Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are located nearby.
We initially reserved 25 full-hookup spaces at the beautiful Portal RV Resort in Moab for the rally. Member response was fantastic, and before we knew it, we had 30 sign-ups. The resort was generous enough to accommodate the overflow.
Because the Moab area has hundreds of off-road trails, we decided to focus on these adventures. We started off with a catered meet and greet, during which we welcomed everyone to Moab and reviewed what to expect in the next five days.
The following morning, 18 vehicles ventured into Canyonlands National Park for an off-road tour of Potash Road and Shafer Trail. Along the trail we visited Thelma & Louise point, the cliff from the iconic final scene in the movie Thelma & Louise. Shafer Trail is rated “easy,” yet it provided its challenges, climbing out from the bottom of Canyonlands up a narrow gravel switchback road. The switchbacks provide fabulous scenery of the Canyonlands below.
Day three of the rally was more leisurely. First, we hosted a potluck breakfast, which was an overwhelming success. Then we devoted time for an on-your-own tour of Arches National Park. The park service limited the number of vehicles, so some attendees were unable to get into Arches and ventured elsewhere in the Moab area. That evening, the entire group went on a sunset cruise down the Colorado River; a delicious buffet dinner was included.
In order to explore some of Moab’s more challenging off-road adventures, all members went on a three-hour guided tour of the famous Hell’s Revenge trail. We had the pleasure this time to ride in a four-wheel-drive “Unimog.” Each vehicle held 12 passengers. To describe this ride as exciting would be an understatement.
Evening activities consisted of a catered Mexican dinner, followed with entertainment by a group of local Moab musicians. All members really enjoyed the band. We auctioned off the tablecloths that one of our members made, along with the beautiful table decorations.
The rally was a success, and everyone departed after truly enjoying the adventures of Moab. If you would like to join us on our next adventure, please contact chapter president Mark Whitmore (509-595-3927; whitfarms@gmail.com).