By Jon Maib

Photos by Jon Maib / Revelations Photography


It's been a long time since my tires touched the porous rocks of Disney, Oklahoma. I've looked through old pictures, but haven't been there in over 8 years. My wife and I arrived Thursday evening to the Crawl 4 Christ camp location and were greeted by rows of off-road ready vehicles and sponsor signs. It's like the welcome mat was rolled out for those coming in.

Heading inside, we registered, got our cabin key, put our stuff away and unloaded the Jeep. The first day was simply a meet and greet and cook out. Everyone gathered at the camp's soccer field, parked, and spent time discussing the different rigs. Kids had an opportunity to participate in an obstacle course while everyone waited for hot dogs and hamburgers to be cooked. Pepsi had provided the drinks, but the burgers and hot dogs were pay as you go. To our surprise, as we gathered to pray over the food, it was announced by the camp staff that someone had covered the entire cost of the food, so no one needed to pay for food. It's so amazing to see generosity like that.

After enjoying our meal, several people decided to head over to the rock garden and so we tagged along. The rock garden is a fantastic place for any size vehicle to go and just play around. You can make it as easy or as hard as you choose. There are some loose sections where you can try to be technical about your line, but it changes as the rocks slide out under your tires. It's also a great time to pose for some flex shots. After scraping through a few sections, it began to get dark and since we had a long trip up to Disney, we headed back to camp to get some rest and be fresh for the 1st full day of wheeling.

Friday morning, we awoke to the sounds of big V-8 engines starting up and getting ready for trail runs. After breakfast in the Camp cafeteria, we met for our first driver meeting. The rules were discussed and trail guides designated for easy, moderate and hard core. We prayed for the day and we were off. Lining up with the moderate group we began to make our way down into the lower section of the dam to head for the "Waterfall" and "Little Blue" obstacle. I do have to say, the 1st time I was here, I did not attempt the Waterfall as I didn't think my Jeep could make it. I had decided that I was trying it this time. 3 other Jeeps attempted before me and failed to make it. I was still determined to give it a shot, I lined the Jeep up and attempted the climb. The tires fought to keep their grip with water rushing past them. The Jeep would start climbing and then lose its footing it needed to climb the falls. Finding that right line is what it takes as we back it up a bit, turned for a little different line and started crawling. That's all it took, I felt the tires grip and the Jeep walked right up the water fall. What a great feeling to make it!

Several people from our group decided to go around and just meet up over at "Little Blue". Blue is a V-notched rock section that you have to ride the center, make a slight right and then a hard left up a 4 foot waterfall. It can be pretty technical for some people and their rigs. There is nothing like watching a full sized rig going through Blue; like this built Dodge Durango that made it look pretty easy several times during the Crawl.

After a full day of wheeling, we headed back to camp for dinner and a concert. After dinner and some great music provided by C4x4, everyone headed back out to the top of Little Blue. Everyone was getting set up for the nights Firework display that would be happening on the back side of the dam. It was a great gathering of families and their rigs. As we waited for the fireworks to start, many people brought their own to set off, giving us a pre-show. As darkness fell, the sky lit up with a beautiful display of color while we sat on the cage of our Jeep.

The following morning began much the same, with breakfast then a drivers meeting. It was then off to find some new stuff. There are many trails throughout Disney that if you don't want to just do rocks and dead fish (If you've been to Disney, you'll understand that!) there are plenty of wooded areas that you can find some fun stuff, like the Tank Trap; a washed out ravine that will make your rig flex and think thin as the walls are quite close and tight.

After a full day of wheeling, everyone headed back to the camp for dinner and to get ready for the raffle. The C4x4 raffle was by far the highlight of the event. Everyone gathered in the meeting hall and purchased as many raffle tickets as they could. Over 60 companies had donated products and gift certificates for this year's Crawl 4 Christ. There was even a donation of remote control cars to be raffled off just for the kids. However, no kid went away empty handed, as there was a donation of Hot Wheels as well. Participants waited with anticipation as numbers were called out for the incredible plethora of off-road swag.

This was the 8th year for C4x4.com/Ucora to hold the Crawl 4 Christ. With over 150 rigs and somewhere around 450 participants, it was a huge success. We want to thank ALL of the event sponsors for their kind donations to the raffle. Without such amazing donations, the Crawl 4 Christ would not have been what it was. We would also like to thank our participants that provided so much! After the event, we learned of even more gracious donations. Like the group that was staying in one of the dorms and their AC went out. Instead of complaining to the camp, they took it upon themselves to run into town, buy a replacement and install it at no cost to the camp. And that's just one of the amazing stories. So, thank you all for making this event one of our best yet! See you next year for Crawl 4 Christ 2016!

See more pictures from the Crawl 4 Christ:
Photo Page

For more pics by Revelations Photography, check out their website:
http://revelationsphotography.org/

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