We did our first offroad rally in Canada this past weekend in the mountains of Mission, BC. We hadn’t been offroading since Jamaica, when we did a very fun adventure race/obstacle course earlier this year.
We made a full weekend out of it, driving east to Mission on Saturday. There’s not much to the town, though we enjoyed lunch at Mission Springs Brewing Company, where we had a surprisingly delicious burger layered with lobster mac n cheese and a crispy onion ring. We also filled the growler with one of the house brews to bring back home.
For dinner, we drove out to the historic Dewdney Pub, housed in a former church. The place was packed, and we listened to a three-man band playing classic rock covers. The food was, again, surprisingly good. We ordered perfectly breaded fried zucchini sticks and classic pierogies with bacon and caramelized onion. For bonus entertainment, we watched the town drunk dancing like a wild man in front of us and pretending to surf.
On Sunday, after a filling breakfast sandwich of egg, ham, and cheese in an English muffin, courtesy of the Best Western, we set off to what the 4WD Association of BC called the Kenyon Run, about half an hour drive from downtown Mission. A substantial amount of cars showed up, and we were excited to try offroading again. Being newbies, we asked one of the more experienced members of the club for advice, and he suggested we take our tire pressure down between 15 and 20 to enable better grip. We heeded his advice, and it served us well on the tough spots of the trail.
I must admit I was expecting an easy trail, but the run took us through very rough, steep, and at times dangerous terrain. It reminded me of the treacherous drive through Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, where there are no guardrails and practically nothing between you and a long tumble to the valley below. I was definitely nervous in certain spots when the trail was very narrow and the elevation was high. I had to wipe the sweat off the front handle bar I was gripping. Fortunately, my husband did well at the wheel and pretty much aced it, even when he was uncomfortable. We’re still learning how to use the 4WD on the Jeep, and this was definitely a learning experience. With each challenge notched, we grew more comfortable. The group made stops throughout the rally, and we were able to enjoy the views and chat with club members. Ours was the only stock truck in the bunch, and they were impressed at how the basic Jeep handled the challenging terrain. My husband was able to turn the vehicle around in a tight spot and was able to drive through rocky water without getting stuck. We felt the satisfaction of accomplishment sink in as we drove back home to Vancouver.
ATB 