Earlier this year in Moab, we ran across these three nutty guys in Jeeps coming down some rough stairsteps when one of them started to go over. We dropped the camera, ran for the back of the Jeep to help stabilize it, and got an earful from the driver: "No! No! Let me go! Just get the danged shot!"
Who the heck were these guys? Were they from Texas or something? Well, it turns out Shain Chapman, Randy Kruse, and Matt Hodges were from Texas, and like most Texans we've met, they were pretty good guys, and not just a little south of sane. During the short time we got to spend with these three, they told us about their stomping grounds back home in Katemcy where there was (supposedly) 800 acres covered in decomposed granite that gave more traction than the slickrock at Moab. Big claims, we thought. Of course, we couldn't decline this proposal to experience some wicked Texas rockcrawling.
Out we went to go wheelin' for the weekend, a couple hours northwest of San Antonio and about 11 miles outside of Mason, to Katemcy Rocks. On this particular Memorial Day weekend Katemcy Rocks was also home to the WE Rocks Texas Heat Competition presented by West Texas Off Road.
Though it was a workday for those running the competition on Saturday, Sunday was playtime and everyone who still had a functioning rig was ready to go by noon. So we rolled out and headed for some of the trails...and Shain rolled, Randy rolled, everybody rolled. Jeez, didn't these guys care about paint? Rednecks.
Want To Go To Katemcy?We don't blame ya', 'cause we want to go back as soon as we can with our own rigs. Katemcy is located 11 miles north of Mason, Texas, on Ranch Road 1222 off Highway 87. The park is open by appointment only (usually two weekends per month), and there are campgrounds on site. If you like fresh showers after a hard day of wheelin', there is a bed and breakfast connected with the off-road park, as well as a few other accommodations in Mason.
In the summer it can get mighty hot, so be prepared for some humid times, and if you're trying it in the winter, be prepared for big rains that'll sneak up on you in a second, but leave just as fast. Information: 325.347.6333, 325.347.6000, www.katemcyrocks.com