Story & Photos by Jim Edson



Land Rover Bluff City, Memphis, TN, will be hosting a guided trail ride for all Land Rover owners. Whether you’ve never been off-road, or you are an experienced rock crawler, this is your chance to experience what your Land Rover is truly capable of – we have a trail for you. If you don’t want to take your Rover “off-road,” come ride with one of the trained staff from Bluff City, we will have room for you along in one of our vehicles.


I had not been off-roading since SCARR last April (South Central Area Rover Rally in Texas –ed). So, right away I gave up my spot at the annual Texas Rovers trip to the Texas State Fair scheduled the same October weekend. With my ’04 Discovery II G4 running well, new tires on the Casita camper and my new camera I felt ready for this adventure. I had not been to the Superlift Off-Road Vehicle Park in Hot Springs, AR, in several years; all I could remember were some very rocky, long steep hills.


With great anticipation I got the camper out of storage, and two days later, my wife Vangie and I headed out on our 300 mile trip. We stopped in Texarkana, TX, to meet up with John Monaghan and his wife, Lisa. After a repair to John’s trailer lights, we ate real country food – chicken fried steak and meat loaf – at Texarkana’s famous Dixie Diner. Bellies full, two Land Rovers and two Casitas in tow, we arrived at the Arkansas park just before the sundown. We took the last two campsites and stuffed four campers in space that normally accommodated two, and settled in for the night.


Some of us got up early Saturday to the smell of hot coffee brewing; others were slower to hit the ground. John M. was still in bed, and it was getting close to meeting time at the main pavilion. I made up two plates of eggs, sausage, and fried potatoes and beat on John and Lisa’s door. When John answered I just handed him the two plates of breakfast, and walked off.


We all headed to the pavilion to meet the 75 people and stare at the 45 Land Rovers attending the event. After introductions and a safety briefing, we headed out behind trail leader J.T. Stephens on intermediate trails. The trails consisted mostly of loose rocks and ruts, with some hill climbs, too. As long as you followed the correct line, the Land Rovers handled them easily. I had some problems on a long uphill rock section, slick steps covered with water. After some wheel spinning and tire smokingI ended up being winched up the wettest section. We then wandered through the woods and down a five-diamond hill of loose rocks and soil, with more slithering on the descent that I liked. As always off-roading, I learned more about my own capabilities and those of my Land Rover.

We had a terrific time at the event, met a bunch of great folks and we ate like kings. Many thanks to everyone at Bluff City Land Rover for making this event happen.



Land Rover Bluff City
Don Mader, the Service Director at the Memphis Land Rover dealership, helped organize this event, held about 230 miles west of Memphis. He got out of his Range Rover Sport long enough to talk with Rovers North:

“I really believe in Wheels [dealersponsored off-road events]. The purpose of them is to give customers the knowledge of, and confidence in, their vehicles. Our customers love the events
and we’re always trying to get more of them involved. Some still don’t realize just what their Rovers will do off-road. We’ve done these eight times and they just keep getting better.”

Bluff City Land Rovers uses the facilities at Superlift Park in Hot Springs, AR. Their 1,250 acres of trails, rated 1-5 in difficulty, range from novice to “have lockers, a winch and a
change of underwear.” The private off-road vehicle park maintains the trails and provides skilled trail guides for events.

Don has been in the automotive business for 32 years, but has only been around Land Rovers for three. “A Wheels event in Hot Springs at the Superlift Park was my first time off-roading. My wife and I were in an LR3 when we came to the bottom of a steep hill. I said, ‘There’s no way we’re ever getting up that hill.’ We came over the hill with our jaws dropped. I tell customers going off-road for the first time that I lived this testimony! We get every new model of Land Rover attending, from LR3’s, Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports.”

“I really love the LR3. One former tech, who now lives in Colorado, flew back for this year’s event. He has a kitted-out Discovery II and we gave him an LR3 to use this year. He said he
didn’t like it because, ‘It does every bit of the work off road for you!’”

“One customer and his wife arrived late, after the group had set out already. So I reviewed their LR3’s controls with them, and then led them as we tried to catch up with the trails convoy. When
they successfully went up the same hill that once scared us, I could literally hear them scream with delight. Talking with them later, they told me of a recent trip in the Smokey Mountains, during
which they had to go off-road around an accident scene. ‘We had to get off the pavement and we were scared to death! Now I’m embarrassed to admit this.’” “We also get tremendous support from the dealer’s president, Farrar Schaeffer. She’s been enthusiastic about these events, even when they’re expensive!”

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