Sorry for the late post everyone. You see, I’ve been watching the live feed of the 2022 King of the Hammers (KOH) race on Ultra4racing.com (and it also streams live on their YouTube channel!). For the un-initiated, KOH is a desert off-road race held in Johnson Valley California on an annual basis. The race is composed of different classes for varying vehicle modifications (tire size, suspension, engine, etc.) To say the race is an extreme test of endurance is an understatement. I think of the race as a different variation of a Baja-style race in which desert-running is mixed with rock crawling.
Now that you know what this amazing race is (and have probably left my blog to go watch it), I can try to communicate how cool this type of event is. Everyone is trying to get through the gnarly course as fast as they can- and breakage, roll-overs, and other failures are the norm. On top of that, you have what is referred to as “Hammer Town,” which is the huge neighborhood of tents, semi-trucks, and makeshift garages that form of the base of the course.
I’ve added the KOH to my bucket list of off-road adventures that I will undertake at some point in my life. I don’t know if I would go so far as to field an actual vehicle in the KOH, but I certainly would like to be involved at the vendor and spectator level. Who knows, maybe building some Ultra4 racing rig would be a fun father-son build and project one day…but anyway, I recognized today how special it is to have a hobby that has such amazing events- and I started thinking about what other bucket list items I have.
I would love to go experience and watch a Baja race in Mexico. In fact, I am determined to go on a vehicle-based mission to Baja and explore the trails and beaches. What else is there on my list? Black Bear Pass in the Switzerland of the Americas (I’ve been in the area multiple times, but the weather has managed to flummox all of my attempts to do Black Bear Pass.) Morrison Jeep Trail in Wyoming is on the list, just for it’s iconic history in the Jeeping world. Same thing for the Rubicon Trail and the Dusy Ershim Trail.
My bucket list also includes cool events that I’d like to go to- Easter Jeep Safari (just to see the madhouse), Jeep Jamboree, and Jeep Beach. Hmm, all of those events seem to have a theme- Jeep! I’m not strictly a Jeep guy by any means, but it is one of the only brands I can think of that has such a big following that Jeep-only events are a regular thing. My whole point of this blog is to present how grateful I am that I have this passion that gives me the ability to dream about adventure and experiences.
So, I will be watching the KOH this week watching as these drivers and their navigators attempt to battle some of the terrain at crazy speeds. I will watch their tenacity, their expertise, and their pure courage with an appreciation that they are out there doing IT: living their dream. No matter what the hobby/passion/joy is, it’s important to allow yourself the ability to dream about where you want that entity to take you: other countries, other cultures, or other experiences. Be thankful, and make sure to chase those damn dreams!
Get Out There Colorado 