Texas Rockcrawling Lives!
Last year south central rockcrawling enthusiasts were blown away by the news that Katemcy Rocks Off Road Park was closing at the end of the season. For nearly a decade, the Kruse family and Shain Chapman had hosted some of the finest crawling in the country. When word came down from the landowner that the party was over, rockcrawlers from all over poured into Katemcy Texas to enjoy one last ride on the unique pink granite trails. Behind the scenes, Randy Kruse and Shain Chapman hit the ground running to find another place to open a park.
The new site, dubbed K2, is about 18 miles southwest of the Katemcy Rocks. It has nearly the same acreage, but more of the property is usable for wheeling. K2 has a series of sharp ridges with rough points throughout the east side of the property. On the west side, pasture land blends with rocks for nice places to explore without too much risk of body damage.
Since taking possession of the property, the gang has installed a well-packed, RV-accessible road, an office, a pavilion, guest cabins, and a concessions building. Go to www.katemcyrocks.com to find out how you can experience the new K2.
-The Rock Midget
No Diesel for New Grand
Don't look for a diesel engine option in the upcoming '11 Grand Cherokee, according to Automotive News. Jeep officials doubt there's a business case for the engine, since the urea-based emissions system required to meet emissions regulations could add thousands of dollars to the vehicle's cost. Plus, with diesel fuel prices equal to or higher than gasoline, there may not be much demand for a diesel-powered Grand. One Jeep exec said diesel demand in the '09 Grand Cherokee, the last time a diesel was offered in the model, peaked at about 8 percent of units sold.
Jeep's Rocks & Road Tour Winds Down
You can still take part in Jeep's Rocks & Road Tour, which brings off-road driving demonstrations to air and auto shows, fairs, and other events around the country. The demo's obstacle courses are open to the public, and current Jeep owners can drive their own vehicles on a Jeep Owner's Playground. The entire Jeep lineup, including the all-new '11 Grand Cherokee, will be available to testdrive. The program is free, and you can find the remaining Tour dates at www.jeep.com/rocksandroadtour. Be sure to preregister while you're on the site, as attendance has been "enthusiastic," says Jeep.
New Land Rover
It's called the Evoque, and it delivers on a Land Rover mandate "to give luxury SUV customers another choice to enjoy Range Rover style, luxury, and all-terrain traction, but with a more compact, fuel efficient footprint," says Chris Marchand, executive vice president of Land Rover North America. The "desirable, premium, and compact car-like SUV" will debut at the Paris Motor Show and go on sale in America in the fall of 2011.
Holy Cross Trail is "outstanding"
The Holy Cross Trail, located in the high peaks of central Colorado, was added to the list of Outstanding Trails recognized by BFGoodrich, Tread Lightly! and the United Four Wheel Drive Associations. At a weekend ceremony, BFG presented a $4,000 grant to the president of the Big Horn Jeep club to be used to preserve the trail.
"Holy Cross is a scenic and challenging high mountain trail and offers beautiful views that are second to none," said Joe Mazur, light truck brand category manager for BFGoodrich. "We're honored to join with the Big Horn Jeep club to help in the conservation efforts for this amazing off-road park, and are extremely proud of the work that this club does year-round to keep this trail open for use."
Since its inception five years ago, the Outstanding Trails program has recognized 19 off-road trails and awarded more than $70,000 in grants to aid in the preservation of those areas.