The following pics are taken from my recent trip to the Seirra Nevadas to one of the most familiar trails in the country..... The Rubicon. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to go out there and work for two weeks with Jeep, Jeep Jamboree U.S.A. and several different media folks such as JP Magazine, Motoring TV, Outdoor Adventures Magazine, N.Y. Times and many, many others. It was for the 2007 New Body 4DR. JK Wrangler, Rubicon, Press Roll Out, there were four separate media events where the various media folks that came to the Rubicon and stayed at Mark A. Smiths property overnight and then they drove the new JK's up Cadillac Hill to Lake Tahoe.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Rubicon or Mark A. Smith I will give you a brief overview. Mark A. Smith is known as the founder of modern four wheeling as well as being the founder of the Jeep Jamborees. Mark and a few others purchased almost 400 acres in the Sierra Nevada's and have a base camp close to the middle of the Rubicon Trail. Heading South you go to Loon Lake and heading North you go to Lake Tahoe, the trail between the base camp and Lake Tahoe is known as Cadillac Hill, many years ago there was a resort at this spot known as "The Rubicon Springs" which burned down some time in the 1950's. Mark A. Smith has led several expeditions around the world and still is actively involved with many aspects of the 4wd industry, even working with the "Special Forces Units" in training for abnormal driving conditions. If it were not for Mark and his efforts it is very likely that there would be many restrictions by the Forrest Service if not complete closure of the trail. There are many other off road clubs that are also actively involved in maintaining the Rubicon trail so that people are able to enjoy the experience of this fantastic place. Those groups include but are not limited to the Pirates Of The Rubicon, The Dirty Dozen, Jeep Jamboree U.S.A. as well as others that I do not have their info. Truly a trail for those who are four wheelers at heart to experience at least once in their lifetime if at all possible. Once you have been there you will be hooked, there are so many things to see and do from hiking to enjoying the wildlife, breathing the clean air and listening to nature when you are not in a vehicle running the trail.

All of Jeeps Rubicon edition Wranglers are trail tested at the Rubicon for obvious reasons, from that they receive the "Trail Tested" badge that you see on them. Part of our task out there was to be flown from the base camp ( by helicopter ) to Squaw Valley Resort or to the neighboring town of Truckee where we were then shuttled over to Squaw Valley Resort to pick up the new JK's and drive them to the base camp where the media folks would come in and drive them out in the following days. There are so many positive things I could say about these new body Rubicons but I will touch on the greatest hits. As standard for the Rubicon models the push button front and rear lockers are an outstanding feature that makes this stock vehicle a true trail ready SUV right off the lot. This new model Jk also comes with an electric sway bar disconnect, yes that's right an electric sway bar disconnect. Now when you hit the trail you don't even have to get out of the vehicle to prepare yourself. These new Jk's have so much extra room and with the extra doors it is that much easier to fit the whole family, the dogs and a picnic basket inside and still have room to pack some gear with you. Weather you are into trail riding or just want an all around capable rig this is definitely one worth checking out.

I hope these pics will encourage those of you who have thought about going to the Rubicon to take the next step and plan your trip. Most of these pics are taken either from the base camp area or on the trail while we were guiding the media folks out through "Cadillac Hill". If you are also looking for other good areas to wheel in your part of the country, should you be too far away to plan a trip to the Rubicon I encourage you to check out the Jeep Jamboree U.S.A. schedule. Also if you want to run the Rubicon but don't want to haul your Jeep across the country to do so every August there is the Mark A. Smith Annual Rubicon Trail Adventure where you get to experience the trail in one of Marks Rubicon TJ's, stay at his camp with meals and tents taken care of. The extras vary from year to year but this year they had a fly fishing expert and an archeologist and other events going on that you could also take part in, again check with the Jeep Jamboree U.S.A. people for a complete detail of upcoming events.

In closing I would like to send out a special thanks to Mark A. Smith who was very accommodating as well as Jill Smith ( Marks daughter, also the president of J.J. U.S.A. ) and Pearse Umlauf ( Jills husband and the V.P. and General Manager of J.J.U.S.A. ), Mel Cain ( our chopper pilot ), James Gingell ( the event coordinator ) as well as many, many others that all worked behind the scenes to make all of this happen. It was an experience that I will treasure for years to come.

I look forward to posting future trips here for people to enjoy. Please, all of us as four wheelers can make the difference ( good or bad ) weather or not we can continue to advance this sport by our actions. As a friendly reminder.....Tread Lightly and Pack Out What You Pack In.