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I was an Off-Road GroupieBy Madelyn Miller, the TravelladySome people love Rock Stars. Others worship gourmet chefs. But recently I discovered a whole new category of Hero Worship. HOW I BECAME AN OFF- ROAD GROUPIE
I was such a virgin at this off-road thing, I did not know there were specially designed courses for this.
In fact, Nissan had just completed an off-road course in a rock quarry that was recently purchased by the town of Bridgeport. The quarry provided an ideal setting for an off-road event.
“It was designed to help journalists discover just how capable Nissan’s trucks really are in a setting they wouldn’t normally take a truck, said Steve Parrett, Nissan Corporate Communications. “It shows we aren’t afraid to push our trucks to the limit.”
WHAT DID I EXPECT?
The track was awesome, according to the experienced drivers. I had nothing to compare it to, but I was thrilled when Steve Parrett said raise your hand if you would like one of the brand instructors to come with you. My hand was first in the air. WHAT WAS THE COURSE REALLY LIKE?Nissan brought the Titan and Frontier pickups and Xterra SUV to the truck capitol of the world (That is what they call my home state of Texas) to put them to the test on a challenging off-road course.
It was the first time each product had been showcased to this extent on an off-road course. The course contained rock climbs, steep descents, water obstacles, a rocky rugged terrain and much more. It is the only one of its kind in North Central Texas.
When I got to the first steep descent, I wanted to close my eyes. (I am a little afraid of heights) But then I remembered—I was driving. As those thoughts flashed through my head, the wise instructor grabbed the wheel and guided us over the obstacles. He was calm and professional throughout. He must be an experienced bungee jumper.
WHAT WAS MY FAVORITE PART OF THE DAY?
It was exciting to watch the Nissan Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR) teams, Chad Hord, Carl Renexeder and Art Schmidt. They drove their Frontier and Titan race trucks on part of the course, demonstrating the high performance characteristics of the off-road vehicles.
As I watched them jump the trucks over barrels and obstacles, I realized I was going to be doing something like that soon. I was awed by their skill and the handling of the trucks. I had my picture taken with these heroes so I could remember one of the scariest days of my whole life.
WILL I GO AGAIN?I have had several once in a lifetime experiences as a travel writer. I did white water rafting down a river near Cairns, Australia. My ex-husband signed up for a 4.5 difficulty out of five, even though the children and I were white water rafting virgins. I also ate a scorpion once, at an organic wine tasting. A few years ago I went to a very expensive fly fishing school. They woke you at 5 am so the planes could leave at 6. Then you were dropped into ice cold Alaskan water, in the name of sport. It would not be legal for them to do this to you in prison, it would be considered torture. WHAT DID I LEARN?The event started with demos by top drivers and explanations by the Model Line Manager. I was intrigued to know that many of the modifications that race drivers make to their trucks are easily available to the public in the after market. One of the modifications that is done for speed, also gives you better gas mileage. Which is more and more important these days. I also learned that in a sturdy truck, you can go down rocky roads and bumpy trails and the stability of the car does not make it seem as rocky as it looks. For more information on Nissan go to www.nissanusa.com IN SUMMARYI am a luxury car girl. But it is thrilling to get my picture taken with the brave men who race trucks. If you notice me smiling in the pictures, it is because I am finally off the off-road track. Madelyn Miller is a writer and web entrepreneur who founded www.carladynews.com to give a woman’s perspective on new cars. She also writes for www.travellady.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com and has many other websites in the works. |
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I was invited by Nissan to drive their trucks in rugged
Texas terrain. At first I wondered why I was chosen for this honor. I mean the
only off-road experiences I had were when I accidentally drove out of my lane
and ended up off the road. How could Nissan have possibly have known that?
I thought we would drive the trucks around in some large
paved area, like a huge parking lot…someplace off-the-road. I had no idea when I
signed up that I was agreeing to do something that was looked scarier than
bungee jumping. (I have never had that thrill in my life)
