Nevada Off-Roadeo: My Experiences!

Excellent summary, you over achiever! Like yourself, I was the first to register for Off-Roadeo New Hampshire. I got a sticker! First Tracks! They said it might become a collector’s item! Ha-ha! The experience is the reward that will last a lifetime.

As in Part 1, excellent summary! Thank you.
Many of us, who are patiently waiting for our Broncos, are reading forum posts several times per day. We experience all the up and downs of emotions. When I attended Off-Roadeo, I got a welcome change in routine. Like yourself, I was surrounded by happy joyful people. We all need this! ;)

So, inquiring minds want to know. Did you receive a site specific Off-Roadeo sticker? I got an OR NH.

Deepshag

View attachment 17291
PART 2 of 2
When I booked the Off-Roadeo I was very concerned about the mid-August Nevada desert temperatures. A week before our trip, it showed Vegas at 97°and then it was “upgraded” to 104° a few days closer. Luckily, the Mt. Potosi site is smartly set in a canyon with surrounding mountains and a consistent breeze with a lower average temp than Sin City. I may be pioneering a new thought process here, but it was a “dry heat”. The old saying about a dry heat is tried and true. At times standing in the direct sun during trainings got a bit warm but I did see structures that looked like future shades over the ORX training course. Short story, don’t let the heat deter you. Amazingly cool, fresh and mineral filled well water is supplied around every corner with Easter egg covered western spigots, and damn it was good. Bring a hat. Wear layers.

Now it’s time – I had an opportunity to be driven by a professional driver (Brad Lovell) in Moab last April. He lit up a Rapid Red FE in the red sands and showed us (5 total grown men packed in a 4 door) the new features etc. I also saw a wild Bronco at my dealership and was able to get in and log some dimensions and look closer at the fit and trim. All fun and good, but driving one is a totally different experience. I pressed the round start button to the lower right of the steering wheel and exhaled.

The driver seat was very comfortable and I did not have any issues with visibility throughout the day.

We caravanned to the first set of obstacles and I was a pleasantly surprised to see how quickly we were submerged into some fairly challenging rock crawling within minutes. The group was made up of some serious Bronco and off-roading enthusiasts. Some had never been off road. Some have been off-roading since Bronco was introduced on the 60’s. All had a passion for the sixth gen. That said, this group was very serious, prepared, attentive and punctual. I made a joke about someone who didn’t show being their “first Vegas casualty”. The strip calls, but don’t be the guy/gal who shows up unstable or hungover. Wait for another time to indulge or rick a sour day or worse.
View attachment 17292
The always calm and thoughtful Trail Guide Instructors quickly earned the group’s respect by straight talking important encapsulated information relevant to the day’s trail. Their expertise and trust in the trails and rigs was conveyed in their confidence to spot newbies in hairy situations driving a 4X4 they have never driven. It was clearly stated that if you trust your spotter, you will succeed. That was luckily the case for our group that day.

Some things that stood out in no rationale order:

OFF-ROADEO

• Too many positives to list.
• A lot of thought was placed on the signage and building designs. It is so new, yet the humble layout and zero visible construction made it look in place and established. I don’t like it when openings aren’t really complete and you see a lot left being worked on. This place was ship shape.
• The catering was dead nuts on. For lunch we had lighter food with nothing spicey or potentially stomach threatening – Think rice and chicken. Dinner included a steak option and they nailed that. It was tender and grilled to perfection.
• As stated, take this seriously and the reward of accomplishment and knowledge is there for the taking. It is not a simple joy ride.
• My recollection is of about 14mph as a top speed for the day. No G.O.A.T. mode or camera technology was taught. This site was a near pure crawling experience. I believe that will change under the discretion of the “Rock Stars” who know the trails and how best to pack in a full day. Again – going a maximum of 14 mph leaves a lot of the Bronco untold. As a driver, my interest was piqued the entire time, but as a passenger, or a young passenger, this may become redundant.
• The site was amazing, classy, comfortable and well thought out from the buildings to the trails.
• We scratched the surface of 1,100 acres trails – Expect new experiences down the road.

The Bronco

• If you have an itch to drive a Bronco now, do it. If you have an early reservation and this experience will be paid for by Ford, even better. The was a quote in an advertising email that came out Tuesday, August 17 stating:
• “This was the adrenaline shot I needed while I wait for my Bronco to arrive!” – I said and meant that!
• This beast is wild and bad-ass. Loved the look and feel. It’s fairly basic visibly, but what impressed me most was the drivetrain and suspension. Smooth as butter, and the Bronco I received, like the others was brand new from the factory. Untouched and you could smell the newness.
• The horn is touchy as stated elsewhere in the forums. I made a joke to the instructor saying, “You got an on-the-fly sway bar disconnect, why not a horn disconnect?” I honked it twice accidentally.
• Only maximum of 14 mph leaves a lot of the Bronco untold. If they would invite me back, I’d love to explore a different dimension of the truck.
• The tire pressure showed 40-46psi on all tires and had Detroit air in them. No airing down at all and the Broncos rolled boulders like nothing. I had not experienced that in my time crawling.
• The entire day we traveled roughly 6.5 miles. No movement on the full gas gauge but the one I had showed 9mpg. No surprise considering the idling and slow parameters.
• I drive with a “man-spread” and was kneeing the inner door handle which left a striped mark on my leg. No big deal.
• The A/C was no joke. These amps go to 7! A weird number for you anal retentive folks. The air was freezing and we never got hot in the black soft top. Very impressive insulation and air conditioning. Weird note: I have never seen a vent as recessed as the one to the driver’s left. But it works well.
• We almost exclusively used M1 transmission gearing. Started in a 4L and then went manual using the shifter arrows on the side of the automatic transmission handle. When you go to manual there is a “step” that forces you to go from Park through Reverse and Neutral and then release the grip button and then press it again to go into Manual. From there you use the Arrows on the shifter handle to go from M2 to M1. If you turn off or go to park, the transmission resets and you need to go through these steps again. This caused me two situations where while waiting for the rig in front of me to traverse an obstacle and in Park I went to Drive and that is quite a bit faster and less tamed than being in M1. When I went to hit the gas, it jerked quickly compared to being in M1. Lesson learned and passed on to you.
• To get him back to his normal routine, my son needed some “screen time”. He easily hooked up my phone to the Apple Car Play and navigated through a nicely done interface.
• Many people mentioned how nice the White trucks looked with the strong black contrasts.
• We did go into Rock Crawl G.O.A.T. briefly to see the set-up. Sway bar disconnected and rear lockers on. Fairly straight forward.
• The power steering was legit. I could feel the bulk of the vehicle, but not through the steering.
• The light switches are in an awkward position that will just take time to get used to.
• The gauge cluster is different and I will leave it at that. Plenty has been said in other posts.

All of the above was my experience. If you made it this far then you may realize the one thing I left behind but did not forget. The best part of this trip was the people. I could feel the excitement of revealing this diamond to the public by all there I didn’t get all the names, but from top to bottom I would like to thank Anthony, Sarah, Joe, Warren, Alison, Gene, Joe and Ari.

It was great to see Jordan and Matt, the social media experts of BN.

Lastly – Big props to the real deal Bronco Nation studs @Rgwinn @DRWright. We started chatting about this trip a few weeks before and it was a pleasure to ride by, sit down to a meal and see the Bronco in action with these two guys. It was a great group all around. One Bronco “buddy” convert said after this trip he’s going to trade in his Ruby. Two people who were not sure about joining the Bronco Nation were fired up to go home and join and two to three more became re-interested in paying more attention to the BN. If any of you are out there let me know you read this and drop a comment reminding me who you are, and your BN handle.

Tread lightly my friends!

Deepshag

Ahhh so that was you that honked! We were laughing going oh someone slip honked lmao!

@BuzzyBud these are the stickers I went home with, apparently some of us talked more than others.

Thanks @Deepshag for showing me up with your well presented trip report. There is a difference from just doing ad-hoc on the fly stuff vs taking your time to assemble a cohesive message. :sneaky:

BuzzyBud

Excellent summary, you over achiever! Like yourself, I was the first to register for Off-Roadeo New Hampshire. I got a sticker! First Tracks! They said it might become a collector’s item! Ha-ha! The experience is the reward that will last a lifetime.
View attachment 17293

We got one too - first trackers- Lets.see if it's super rare?

And PART 2 of 2!


When I booked the Off-Roadeo I was very concerned about the mid-August Nevada desert temperatures. A week before our trip, it showed Vegas at 97°and then it was “upgraded” to 104° a few days closer. Luckily, the Mt. Potosi site is smartly set in a canyon with surrounding mountains and a consistent breeze with a lower average temp than Sin City. I may be pioneering a new thought process here, but it was a “dry heat”. The old saying about a dry heat is tried and true. At times standing in the direct sun during trainings got a bit warm but I did see structures that looked like future shades over the ORX training course. Short story, don’t let the heat deter you. Amazingly cool, fresh and mineral filled well water is supplied around every corner with Easter egg covered western spigots, and damn it was good. Bring a hat. Wear layers.

Now it’s time – I had an opportunity to be driven by a professional driver (Brad Lovell) in Moab last April. He lit up a Rapid Red FE in the red sands and showed us (5 total grown men packed in a 4 door) the new features etc. I also saw a wild Bronco at my dealership and was able to get in and log some dimensions and look closer at the fit and trim. All fun and good, but driving one is a totally different experience. I pressed the round start button to the lower right of the steering wheel and exhaled.

The driver seat was very comfortable and I did not have any issues with visibility throughout the day.

We caravanned to the first set of obstacles and I was a pleasantly surprised to see how quickly we were submerged into some fairly challenging rock crawling within minutes. The group was made up of some serious Bronco and off-roading enthusiasts. Some had never been off road. Some have been off-roading since Bronco was introduced on the 60’s. All had a passion for the sixth gen. That said, this group was very serious, prepared, attentive and punctual. I made a joke about someone who didn’t show being their “first Vegas casualty”. The strip calls, but don’t be the guy/gal who shows up unstable or hungover. Wait for another time to indulge or rick a sour day or worse.


The always calm and thoughtful Trail Guide Instructors quickly earned the group’s respect by straight talking important encapsulated information relevant to the day’s trail. Their expertise and trust in the trails and rigs was conveyed in their confidence to spot newbies in hairy situations driving a 4X4 they have never driven. It was clearly stated that if you trust your spotter, you will succeed. That was luckily the case for our group that day.

Some things that stood out in no rationale order:

OFF-ROADEO

• Too many positives to list.
• A lot of thought was placed on the signage and building designs. It is so new, yet the humble layout and zero visible construction made it look in place and established. I don’t like it when openings aren’t really complete and you see a lot left being worked on. This place was ship shape.
• The catering was dead nuts on. For lunch we had lighter food with nothing spicey or potentially stomach threatening – Think rice and chicken. Dinner included a steak option and they nailed that. It was tender and grilled to perfection.
• As stated, take this seriously and the reward of accomplishment and knowledge is there for the taking. It is not a simple joy ride.
• My recollection is of about 14mph as a top speed for the day. No G.O.A.T. mode or camera technology was taught. This site was a near pure crawling experience. I believe that will change under the discretion of the “Rock Stars” who know the trails and how best to pack in a full day. Again – going a maximum of 14 mph leaves a lot of the Bronco untold. As a driver, my interest was piqued the entire time, but as a passenger, or a young passenger, this may become redundant.
• The site was amazing, classy, comfortable and well thought out from the buildings to the trails.
• We scratched the surface of 1,100 acres trails – Expect new experiences down the road.

The Bronco

• If you have an itch to drive a Bronco now, do it. If you have an early reservation and this experience will be paid for by Ford, even better. The was a quote in an advertising email that came out Tuesday, August 17 stating:
• “This was the adrenaline shot I needed while I wait for my Bronco to arrive!” – I said and meant that!
• This beast is wild and bad-ass. Loved the look and feel. It’s fairly basic visibly, but what impressed me most was the drivetrain and suspension. Smooth as butter, and the Bronco I received, like the others was brand new from the factory. Untouched and you could smell the newness.
• The horn is touchy as stated elsewhere in the forums. I made a joke to the instructor saying, “You got an on-the-fly sway bar disconnect, why not a horn disconnect?” I honked it twice accidentally.
• Only maximum of 14 mph leaves a lot of the Bronco untold. If they would invite me back, I’d love to explore a different dimension of the truck.
• The tire pressure showed 40-46psi on all tires and had Detroit air in them. No airing down at all and the Broncos rolled boulders like nothing. I had not experienced that in my time crawling.
• The entire day we traveled roughly 6.5 miles. No movement on the full gas gauge but the one I had showed 9mpg. No surprise considering the idling and slow parameters.
• I drive with a “man-spread” and was kneeing the inner door handle which left a striped mark on my leg. No big deal.
• The A/C was no joke. These amps go to 7! A weird number for you anal retentive folks. The air was freezing and we never got hot in the black soft top. Very impressive insulation and air conditioning. Weird note: I have never seen a vent as recessed as the one to the driver’s left. But it works well.
• We almost exclusively used M1 transmission gearing. Started in a 4L and then went manual using the shifter arrows on the side of the automatic transmission handle. When you go to manual there is a “step” that forces you to go from Park through Reverse and Neutral and then release the grip button and then press it again to go into Manual. From there you use the Arrows on the shifter handle to go from M2 to M1. If you turn off or go to park, the transmission resets and you need to go through these steps again. This caused me two situations where while waiting for the rig in front of me to traverse an obstacle and in Park I went to Drive and that is quite a bit faster and less tamed than being in M1. When I went to hit the gas, it jerked quickly compared to being in M1. Lesson learned and passed on to you.
• To get him back to his normal routine, my son needed some “screen time”. He easily hooked up my phone to the Apple Car Play and navigated through a nicely done interface.
• Many people mentioned how nice the White trucks looked with the strong black contrasts.
• We did go into Rock Crawl G.O.A.T. briefly to see the set-up. Sway bar disconnected and rear lockers on. Fairly straight forward.
• The power steering was legit. I could feel the bulk of the vehicle, but not through the steering.
• The light switches are in an awkward position that will just take time to get used to.
• The gauge cluster is different and I will leave it at that. Plenty has been said in other posts.

All of the above was my experience. If you made it this far then you may realize the one thing I left behind but did not forget. The best part of this trip was the people. I could feel the excitement of revealing this diamond to the public by all there I didn’t get all the names, but from top to bottom I would like to thank Anthony, Sarah, Joe, Warren, Alison, Gene, Joe and Ari.

It was great to see Jordan and Matt, the social media experts of BN.

Lastly – Big props to the real deal Bronco Nation studs @Rgwinn @DRWright. We started chatting about this trip a few weeks before and it was a pleasure to ride by, sit down to a meal and see the Bronco in action with these two guys. It was a great group all around. One Bronco “buddy” convert said after this trip he’s going to trade in his Ruby. Two people who were not sure about joining the Bronco Nation were fired up to go home and join and two to three more became re-interested in paying more attention to the BN. If any of you are out there let me know you read this and drop a comment reminding me who you are, and your BN handle.

Tread lightly my friends!

Deepshag

I'll be going to Las Vegas Off Roadeo on Sept 19. Should help to fine tune my order. Sounds like plenty of seat time.

Nice going gents. @Deepshag, thanks for the story and the pics. I almost cant wait till the 18th of next month when we have our registration scheduled.
I say almost because im getting very dissappointed in the whole set up of the Nevada site.
My wife and I rarely get a vacation and this is the first one for us all alone in 26 years. We downsized our RV and planned this off rodeo to be a part of our road trip to yellowstone national park. We have some furry friends we want to bring with us and the nature of our trip really creates issues with motels.
Since getting back to nature is the whole point, were camping our way across the country and back. My Disappointment with the off rodeo is, theres no rv sites closer than 1hour away and they said we could not bring our RV to the event site. Leaving us to leave our animals at a shelter or in the RV alone for the Whole day.
Its making me look at the nature of the event at being more of a theme park than a learning/bonding experience as I felt it was advertised to be. This location is where 4x4 enthusiasts bring toy haulers and enjoy the desert environment. I expected more thought to be put into it in that regard by atleast connecting with a campground or RV facility closer to the location. I may have to cancel my reservation and just wait to drive my own if i dont cancel it as well.

Slownstddy

Nice going gents. @Deepshag, thanks for the story and the pics. I almost cant wait till the 18th of next month when we have our registration scheduled.
I say almost because im getting very dissappointed in the whole set up of the Nevada site.
My wife and I rarely get a vacation and this is the first one for us all alone in 26 years. We downsized our RV and planned this off rodeo to be a part of our road trip to yellowstone national park. We have some furry friends we want to bring with us and the nature of our trip really creates issues with motels.
Since getting back to nature is the whole point, were camping our way across the country and back. My Disappointment with the off rodeo is, theres no rv sites closer than 1hour away and they said we could not bring our RV to the event site. Leaving us to leave our animals at a shelter or in the RV alone for the Whole day.
Its making me look at the nature of the event at being more of a theme park than a learning/bonding experience as I felt it was advertised to be. This location is where 4x4 enthusiasts bring toy haulers and enjoy the desert environment. I expected more thought to be put into it in that regard by atleast connecting with a campground or RV facility closer to the location. I may have to cancel my reservation and just wait to drive my own if i dont cancel it as well.

Just a brief thought.
I have a furry friend as well and understand.
Off-Roadeo New Hampshire has a campground on site which is within walking distance of the Base Camp building. For those who seek a national park visit as part of their Off-Roadeo experience will often visit Acadia in Maine. It also happens to be the most pet friendly national park. Bingo!

Thanks @BuzzyBud. I'll keep that on the list. I do plan on making a trip that way, just not sure how soon id be able to plan it. I hope your visit was everything you expected.

Nice write up @Deepshag

Slownstddy

Nice going gents. @Deepshag, thanks for the story and the pics. I almost cant wait till the 18th of next month when we have our registration scheduled.
I say almost because im getting very dissappointed in the whole set up of the Nevada site.
My wife and I rarely get a vacation and this is the first one for us all alone in 26 years. We downsized our RV and planned this off rodeo to be a part of our road trip to yellowstone national park. We have some furry friends we want to bring with us and the nature of our trip really creates issues with motels.
Since getting back to nature is the whole point, were camping our way across the country and back. My Disappointment with the off rodeo is, theres no rv sites closer than 1hour away and they said we could not bring our RV to the event site. Leaving us to leave our animals at a shelter or in the RV alone for the Whole day.
Its making me look at the nature of the event at being more of a theme park than a learning/bonding experience as I felt it was advertised to be. This location is where 4x4 enthusiasts bring toy haulers and enjoy the desert environment. I expected more thought to be put into it in that regard by atleast connecting with a campground or RV facility closer to the location. I may have to cancel my reservation and just wait to drive my own if i dont cancel it as well.

I'm going the 19th of next month. I have reservations at Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort. Map shows 34 min to the Off Roadeo location. I too was hoping there was a way to drive the RV up there. Oh well, but I won't have to keep the genny on to run the AC.

goatman

I'm going the 19th of next month. I have reservations at Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort. Map shows 34 min to the Off Roadeo location. I too was hoping there was a way to drive the RV up there. Oh well, but I won't have to keep the genny on to run the AC.

Ill look that one up. As long as thiers hookups we should be fine. I'm concerned with leaving the dogs for the full day.

BuzzyBud

So, inquiring minds want to know. Did you receive a site specific Off-Roadeo sticker? I got an OR NH.

View attachment 17294

Interesting...the sticker I got was Nevada