WE JOINED! Tread Lightly!

The Muddy Chef Challenge is for Land Rover owners.  Land Rovers work best where they were intended – in the wild!  We give owners the opportunity to drive vintage and modern Rovers in challenging real-world settings.  As such, we take off-road trail use seriously.  Our events do not destroy ancient town roads.  We don’t pull down trees, or drive off predetermined trail routes.  At every opportunity we collect trash and litter.

As a Tread Lightly! member we strive to promote responsible off-road trail usage.  We hope everyone who joins our events will consider becoming a Tread Trainer to help spread the word!  For more information about becoming a Trainer, click HERE. 

 

Tread Lightly!: What We Do Infographic

SPONSOR PROFILE / Kevin Duffy, CideRoad Organic Switchel

 Tell us about yourself, where you grew up, your background, education, and family.

I grew up in New Vernon NJ. Went to The Canterbury School In New Milford, CT then Hartwick College majoring in consumption and Economics! My wife’s name is Hilary LaForge and we have two Kids: Patrick (12) and Charlotte (10) plus an English Golden Retriever named Burleigh. We live in Mendham NJ.

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What the heck is Switchel and where did you come up with the idea for CideRoad?

We discovered Switchel while cruising down a side road in New England, hence our name, CideRoad. An unforgettable inaugural swig led us to create our own versions including our Original, a spicy Cherry, and a snappy Blueberry. Turns out it’s a historical drink that dates back to the 1600’s.

They had a bowl of switchel to hydrate our forefathers while they crafted the constitution during the unbearable Philadelphia summer heat of 1787. Apparently Mr. Madison and Mr. Hamilton would spike the switchel with Jamaican rum on days when they needed a little help persuading the rest of the guys to follow their lead!

Its core ingredients: Vermont maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and ginger provide a perfect balance of tart and sweet flavors — creating a unique taste that leaves you wanting more.

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What’s it like to quit your job and follow your dream?

At first it’s like whoop whoop! Then its scary as hell! Especially when you see how little you are paying yourself. It’s a lot more work but hopefully worth it in the end. I will say that I have never worked harder and every day is a new learning experience and a new problem to fix. It’s probably akin to trying to maintain a Range Rover P38 as a daily driver 🙂

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We know the CideRoad logo includes a cartoon Land Rover.  Can you tell us about it?

We wanted our logo to resonate a certain lifestyle. It’s about being adventurous, being outdoors, being active and glogoetting lost in exploration once in a while. The inspiration for our logo was an old Land Rover because there’s something truly unique and authentic about old Rovers. It hints at a certain lifestyle and ties in the whole cide-roading theme.


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How many Land Rovers have you owned? What’s the best and worst thing about owning them?

I have owned four Land Rovers so far.. My first encounter with Land Rovers was when my Dad bought a 1968 Series 2A, Model 88 for his Rhode Island summer house. It was sort of a beater, or so I thought but I was simply too young to understand the concept of patina at the time.

I can, however, testify that that truck dominated the Weekapaug sand trail like no other! I bought my first Land Rover, a Disco 2 in 2002. It was used (lightly) and was Adriatic Blue with a light tan interior. I promptly had proper, orange pin stripes painted down the sides and loved that car for many years.

A few years back I bought a 1995 Range Rover Classic, County LWB. It was in pretty good shape and so much fun to drive. I remember driving it to VT with the family and my two little kids were in the back. They had so much leg room that they were scared of all the space! I did some nice work on that truck while I owned it, including rebuilding the cracked center console with real burlwood.


In 2012 I found my dream Rover that I had been searching for, a 1961 Poppy Red Series 2A 109. She will be at the Muddy Chef this summer being towed by my next LR purchase – a 2007 Range Rover LM322, again in dark blue and with blue leather interior. I still drive this truck today as my daily driver and it has 110,000 miles on it – love it!

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PROFILE / Bill Lucas

1.      If Land Rover made an aircraft would you fly in it?   Why/Why Not?

Of course. How could shoddy electronics or dissimilar metals corrosion possibly effect the safety and reliability of an aircraft?

2.      Tell us a little about your background, your career and where you live.

I live in West Hartford, CT with my wife Rae. I make my living flying a Dassault Falcon 50 business jet out of the Boston area.

My first off-roading experiences were with the US Army while assigned to an Air Cavalry unit, in many of their slung loaded ¼ ton M151’s. Over the years I’ve owned a Jeep, a Bronco, and a Blazer, spending most of the off road time on the beaches of RI and MA.

In 2009 we bought our ’04 Disco, totally stock. After one trip to the Winter Romp, I was hooked, and slowly started to bolt aftermarket things onto and into it.


3.      How many Land Rovers have you owned and which was your favorite?

Just the Disco as of now, but we are considering obtaining a second one – to keep stock, clean, and running.

My favorite however would be the RHD Defender I was able to wheel at the LR Experience / West Country facility while on a trip over in the UK.

4.      What’s the best thing about owning a Land Rover?

Being able to go anywhere, whenever, in a New England snow storm.

And of course, other LR owners / friends. 

5.      What’s the worst thing about owning a Land Rover?

 Trouble shooting new noises, lights, leaks, and alarms.

6.      Been on an adventure? – tell us about it

November ’11. MA’s Old Florida Road (FYI – We just added this trail to the 2015 Muddy Chef Challenge, you have been warned! LOL), with the Bay State Rover Owners group. 12 hours to finish the four or so mile course, and then the winter drive home without fwd sunroof glass and a very bent track rod.


7.      How do you plan to beat the competition this year at the Muddy Chef Challenge?

I’ve seen firsthand the competition from last year. I do not plan to beat any of them.

8.      If you could ask Land Rover for a particular type of vehicle what would it be?

A Disco or Defender type model that a Chevy small block could easily bolt into. 

9.      What upgrades/modifications does your Land Rover have?

Snorkle, HD suspension, steel bumpers/sliders, winch, aux lights, EasyPass, inline Chevy thermo mod, aft cargo conversion, new ‘old school’ Rover paint, and latest, a rebuilt ’67 Army ¼ trailer for the tent and gear.




10.  If you were on safari what three people (living or dead) would you pick to bring along?

Vladimir Putin, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Bewitched’s Dr. Bombay. Then let the campfire banter begin.

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And Kate Upton, assuming she’s off Keenan’s safari by now.

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Muddy Chef Challenge / Pre-Running the Madava Trail

The Muddy Chef (www.muddychef.com) staff and a select few volunteers recently visited Crown Maple/Madava Estate. We spent the day pre-running the trails and moving a log or two.  Lunch was served in the parking lot and everyone had a great time.  Video provided by Brad Andrews.

 

 

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We get a shout out on Jalopnik

We Adopted A Terrible Toyota Truck To See How Reliable They Really Are

Andrew P Collins

We Adopted A Terrible Toyota Truck To See How Reliable They Really Are1

This is no diamond-in-the-rough. It’s not an “oldie but goodie” like Bowman’s well-storied Ram. This ravaged third-gen 4Runner a mean-muggin’ non-fucking-giving beater, and now we have the arduous task of taking care of it. Or, you know, destroying it.

Last night this lifted, bent, ratty Toyota 4Runner appeared at my doorstep like an abandoned baby in a basket. It smells faintly of Mexican food and everything aft of the front seats seem to have been converted to a sleeping/storage area.

At least somebody did put the wheel back where it’s meant to go, here’s the 4Runner as it sits at Truck Yeah HQ right now:

We Adopted A Terrible Toyota Truck To See How Reliable They Really Are234

The whole thing is this cool militaryish green/grey with a Rhinoliner’d hood (why?). The front grille is definitely not straight and neither is the (aftermarket?) trailer-hitch rig. But really, all it needs is a light bar and maybe some funky Plasti-Dip on those wheels. Next stop Wal-Mart, baby.

Okay the real story is the owner (a former colleague) lit off to San Francisco and didn’t feel like paying for parking, I think, so he bequeathed it to Truck Yeah!/Jalopnik for an undefined period of time “as long as we promised to document its destruction.”

I dunno, the whole arrangement’s pretty vague but I’m basically running a rusty orphanage up here and I just couldn’t turn those sweet three-spoke wheels away.

After a brief assessment and lap around the driveway, I’ve concluded it may be too nice to simply suicide… sounds okay, tires are great, and the 3″(?) lift looks professionally executed.

We Adopted A Terrible Toyota Truck To See How Reliable They Really Are

So what are we going to do with this hog? Chase polar bears up Canada way? Mud racin’? Make it my new guest bedroom? Should be a good rig to teach my fellow NY-based bloggers how to off-road this summer… at the very least.

Your turn: Ideas. Go.


Andrew P. Collins is Jalopnik’s off-road and adventure guy. Shoot him an email atandrew@jalopnik.com or hit him up on Twitter @andr3wcollins to talk trucks.

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You should come to Rovers on the Rocks this year, or Muddy Chef challenge up at Lime Rock if you want something more local to you.

CIDEROAD / OFFICIAL DRINK AND SPONSOR

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What the heck is Switchel?

Switchel is a drink as old as the US of A.  Older even. Rumor has it that switchel was quaffed by statesmen from the original thirteen colonies during the Second Continental Congress.

A sweet-tart-gingery sort of thang, CideRoad Organic Switchel is the perfect refreshment after any activity the day brings you – whether that be working in your flowerbeds, on your backswing, or even working offa mean hangover.

Every swig of CideRoad Organic Switchel contains the taste triumvirate of:

  • Apple Cider Vinegar – Lends a tart tang and is claimed to help lower blood pressure & cholesterol and help balance the body’s alkalinity
  • Maple Syrup – This traditional sweetener has a lower glycemic index than sugar, and also contains antioxidants
  • Ginger – A touch of spice that’s been known to calm a troubled tummy

We top things off with purified H2O and a dash of cane syrup for a proprietary riff on this traditional tonic.

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Under 70 calories a serving!

CideRoad is a refreshing beverage made with certified organic ingredients.

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CIDE ROAD ROVER