Go for the community. The rare and special experiences attending brings. The technicality and beauty of the trails. The vehicles –– from uncut Early Broncos to all-new builds –– and the opportunities to talk directly to manufacturers and suppliers about your own wishes and desires.
Whatever your reason: Go to events like Bronco Driver’s recently held Super Celebration West.
The Setting
Soaring peaks, rapid-run rivers, unobstructed views, miles of trails … and among all this, a field of Broncos, nestled right at the base of the Collegiate summits on the Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds in Colorado –– to say the setup was perfect would be an understatement. Whether you grew up with this terrain or it’s a landscape brand-new to you, it’s worth being there.
Ryan Kimel, Early Bronco owner (and Bronze Show ‘N Shine winner) attends as a vacation from the daily grind. “The event is awesome and truly sets my mind at ease. I like being surrounded by like-minded people, seeing all the different Broncos with all the different parts, and taking part in the trails with different people, like fellow LUBR owner Jay Patterson.”
The Early Birds
Bronco Nation arrived in town Saturday night with a Bronco Badlands and Bronco Sport Badlands. The goal: to do some trails with community members Jon Melton of Nashville Early Bronco and Mitch Creel of Wild Horses before the event officially began. You’ll be seeing videos from them soon, ones you’ll want to watch on repeat.
Vendors and Ford Motor Company pulled in not long after, setting up booths and unloading Broncos of all years. By Tuesday night, excitement for the show’s start was running high; we were ready to welcome the attending members of the Bronco family and their Broncos onto the show field.
The Core Group: Wednesday-Saturday
September 8-11 gave attendees four gorgeous days of fun, fellowship, and hours of off-road driving. Last year (the first run of Super Celebration West) was excellent, and this second hosting seemed even better: There were more Broncos, more visitors, and no snow.
Ashley Gill, known to the Bronco community as 618TRVLWILD and on Instagram as @adventures_of_maepearl, was one of these attendees new to West but not Super Celebration as a whole. We talked at East in Tennessee about her bringing her 2021 Bronco to Colorado.
“Well, I was slated to have mine,” she says. “Unfortunately, it’s awaiting the new MIC 2.0.”
She showed up anyway and had an amazing time, proving there’s no reason to hold off attending Bronco events until you have one. “Going to Super Celebration with no Bronco … sounds terrible, right?!”
“It was the most awesome experience ever,” she says. “I would highly recommend going. You meet so many cool people and see Broncos of all generations. Catching a ride on the trails is as easy as asking who’s got an open seat. Most likely you’ll find one. Otherwise, the experience is one of a kind – Bronco or not.”
And if you are hitting the trails and don’t want your fun dampened? “Bring chapstick and water!” She brings up a good reminder, and we’ll tack on snacks and sunscreen as well.
Lauren Putnam, Bronco program management, also came without a Bronco. It worked in her favor, because as Ashley said, it’s all about who has room. In this case, thanks to the large number of Broncos at West, we had more open seats than takers. Lauren got to hop in Fun-Haver’s 2021 Bronco with Loren Healy himself for her first hours-on-end trail run. “Riding with Loren was so fun. I expected to learn a lot, and he’s just a great guy with so much knowledge and experience. He asked what I thought of the 37s and Fun-Haver’s suspension as well as shocks, and I couldn’t believe how nice their Bronco felt and how it handled.”
“I drove for about four hours on the trail with Loren, and the Fun-Haver Bronco didn’t even flinch.”
The trails are a great place to bond and learn, as Lauren experienced, plus share responsibility –– and parts.
“I appreciated that the group was always treading lightly on the trails, not making paths where they don’t exist,” says Lauren. “I got to experience some safe high-speed ascents and descents as we were working to get supplies and recover a classic Bronco that lost a belt on the trail. It was such a good day.”
The Trails
Undeniably, the more hours you spend driving or riding, the better your experience will be at an event. Tom Broberg, Bronco Driver publisher and Super Cel organizer, planned a massive set of organized drives. Scenic pavement routes to the Continental Divide, Dirt Drives to Weston Pass, and Danger Drives on Holy Cross were just a sampling of the runs on the agenda.
Bronco Nation had plans to add to the fun as well and hosted a Night Ride powered by Rigid for anyone who wanted to join. Miles of dirt, dust, rock, and water were illuminated by Bronco lights as we snaked through the woods in the dark –– one more memory that will stick with folks for life.
In addition to the daily meetups and roll-outs, attendees split off into small groups to tackle trails on their own, making the most of the location in the way they wanted to.
Special Activities
Beside the trail adventures, there was plenty to do on the show field. Also happening was the Show ‘N Shine judging, the raffled parts and prizes, the Flex Ed and drive challenges, Ford-offered chances to ride with Brad Lovell, Vaughn Gittin Jr., and Loren Healy, and Ford’s Ride and Drives for the Broncos and Sports, a dull moment was nowhere to be found.
If you needed a moment to relax though, you could stop by our tent: We had hot coffee and fires going in the mornings, and camp chairs, shade, and cold water from our Yetis in the afternoon. You could also pick up your “Trail Guide” coin for completing a Danger Drive. Tag #thebronconation with where you’re mounting or placing yours!
We had fun hosting a cookout for the community on Friday, and a pancake breakfast on Saturday. While anyone present can pop by for these meals, don’t forget being a Bronco Nation member gives you additional perks, like getting your Super Celebration entry covered by us.
So, if you couldn’t attend a Super Cel this year, mark your calendar now for next. You’ll be joining a great and growing group of Bronco enthusiasts:
“September 2021 was good times, and I can’t wait until next year,” says Ryan. “I’m planning on making it to Tennessee and Wisconsin in ’22.”
We hope you are too!
Images courtesy @Broncotroubadour and @Bronco_cowboy_schaffer.
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