Tag Archives: off-road land rover
2016 SPONSORS
2014 SPONSORS
JUMP IN!
British Carburetors LLC – OFFICIAL SPONSOR
EVENT SCHEDULE
Thursday, July 26
Event Registration and Campsite Setup
10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Registration opens at 11:00 a.m. for all guests. Campsite setup and meet and greet. Campsite registration closes at 7:00 p.m. You must be onsite by 7:00 p.m.
The Low Range Games – Bridge To Nowhere / Rat Cage
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Enjoy a challenge? Join us for two great events. The Rat Cage event will test your ability to handle your Land Rover and problem solve in tight confines. Service Bay – build a simulated log bridge and navigate your vehicle over the abyss. Minimum of three teammates required for this event.
Fly-Casting and Private Tour at the Orvis Flagship Store
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Want to try your hand a fly fishing? Join the Orvis Adventures staff at the Orvis casting pond at the Orvis flagship store in downtown Manchester. The Orvis flagship store will open for a special private tour and sale – only for Muddy Chef attendees.
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Vendor Village Opens – Vendor Presentations
13th Street Cocktails
8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Join Aaron and 13th Street Cocktails for an evening of legendary refreshments.
Quiet Hours
11:00 p.m.
Friday, July 27
Late Event Registration and Campsite Setup
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
NEW! HOT COFFEE AND BREAKFAST SANDWICHES AT THE RILEY RINK! 7:00 A.M – 11.:00 a.m
SHOWERS AT THE RILEY RINK 7:00 AM – 11:00 a.m
Beginner Off-Road Training
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Basic off-road skills and tactics. Dorset Quarry tour after training.
Guided Off-Road Tour
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Join Logan/Gene/Peter for a guided off-road adventure. You will be divided into three groups. Make sure to speak with each group leader about your preference of off-road difficulty. Please have your vehicle ready for an afternoon of off-road adventure. Please make sure to have your vehicle fully fueled and ready to go. Vehicles will assemble into groups and depart promptly at 10:00 a.m.
Un-guided Off-Road (Maps will be provided in the field guide)
10:00 a.m.
Assorted Events (Falconry, Fly Fishing, Sporting Clay, etc.)
10:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Training – Using a spotter for challenging terrain. (new)
New for 2018. Join Eric Yohe for a quick lesson in effective spotting. Learn appropriate hand signals and how to use nonverbal communication to guide a vehicle through difficult terrain – without damage.
12:00 p.m. – Lunch on your own
RETURN TO CAMPSITE / PREP FOR CHOPPED / FANCY DRESS PARTY PREP
4:00 p.m.
Chopped at The Muddy Chef Challenge (BOORN BROOK FARM, 527 Benson Road, Manchester Center, VT)
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
New location for 2018. Boorn Brook Farm and the Green Mountain Falconry School. Join the staff of the Boorn Brook Farm for a tour of this amazing estate, a chance to see an African Eagle and an assortment of birds of prey and cheer your favorite Chopped team!
What is Chopped at the Muddy Chef Challenge? It’s just like the Food Network TV show – without the kitchen! Contestants must bring everything they need to prepare, cook, and serve a gourmet meal – all from a mystery box of ingredients. Please note – there is an additional cost to register for this event. CLICK HERE to register. All Chopped contestants receive custom gifts available only to Chopped competitors. If you like a challenge this is the event for you!
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Vendor Presentations
13th Street Cocktails
8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Join Aaron and 13th Street Cocktails for an evening of legendary refreshments.
Quiet Hours
11:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 28
NEW! HOT COFFEE AND BREAKFAST SANDWICHES AT THE RILEY RINK! 7:00 A.M – 11.:00 a.m.
SHOWERS AT THE RILEY RINK 7:00 AM – 11:00 a.m
Late Arrival Event Registration and Campsite Setup
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Final event registration and campsite set up. After 10:00 a.m. registration is closed unless you have spoken to the organizer and made prior arrangements. Have an emergency? Send an e-mail to info@muddychef.com
Beginner Off-Road Training
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Basic off-road skills and tactics. Anyone who took part in the Friday training will be qualified for an advanced trail run on Saturday.
Guided Off-Road Tour
9:00 p.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Join Logan/Gene/Peter for a guided off-road adventure. You need to have your vehicle ready for an afternoon of off-road adventure. Please make sure to have your vehicle fully fueled and ready to go. Vehicles will assemble into groups and depart promptly at 10:00 a.m.
Un-guided Off-Road (Maps will be provided in the field guide)
10:00 a.m.
Assorted Events (Falconry, Fly Fishing, Sporting Clay, etc.)
10:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m. – Lunch on your own
4:00 p.m. Announcements ahead of the Muddy Chef Challenge
The Muddy Chef Challenge
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The MAIN EVENT! Your team will create amazing dishes for our judges. You need to prepare an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert. Extra points are awarded for use of locally sourced ingredients. Click here for a complete list of rules.
13th Street Cocktails
9:00 p.m. – whenever!
Join Aaron and 13th Street Cocktails for an evening of legendary refreshments.
Sunday, July 29
Awards Ceremony
10:00 a.m.
Awards and goodbyes.
SPONSOR PROFILE / Rodney Brooks of Performance Unlimited and D.A.P. Enterprises
Four questions for Rodney Brooks of D.A.P. Enterprises and Performance Unlimited:
If Land Rover made an airplane would you fly in it?
Of Course I would! Seems like that could be a very entertaining adventure!
Tell us a little about yourself, family and background.
I am a native Vermonter. I grew up in Springfield/Wethersfield area. I have been involved with various forms of motorsports since I was a teen. I have worked in professional racing of several types including drag racing, rally racing and road racing sports cars. I’ve been involved with overlanding since the early 90’s. I have worked as project manager and manufacturing manager for several industrial companies. Throughout the years I’ve always been involved in working on others vehicles to help support my hobbies. I am very passionate about all forms of motorsports and love the community. The people involved are the best people in the world.
Can you tell us about Performance Unlimited?
In January of 2009 I started Performance Unlimited as a full time endeavor in a 2 car home garage. By March of 2010 we had expanded enough to move into a 2500 sq./ft. shop in Woodstock. In 2014 we moved to our present 8000 sq./ft. location in Bridgewater Corners, VT. Performance Unlimited is in the business of modifying and renovating vehicles for customer demands. Whether that is for off-road, overlanding, road racing, street performance, or anything else, if it has 5 wheels (4 on the ground and one to hold onto!) we will make your dream come true.
Now that you have acquired the Land Rover specialist firm D.A.P. Enterprises, how to you plan to integrate their business into Performance Unlimited?
DAP Enterprises (Pronounced Dee A Pee, think Darn Awesome People!) was formed in 1976. In February of 2015 I acquired DAP to add to our growing team. DAP performs world class restorations, repairs and renovations and is a Land Rover parts supplier to customers throughout the US and many other countries as well. We have integrated the mechanical work into our Bridgewater facility and are expanding our parts inventory at a rapid rate. Our goal is to supply the Land Rover community with any part that is needed. We are introducing new suppliers and inventory on a daily basis. We have an EBay store up and running with lots of specials, and will have our ecommerce site running in early 2016.
Be sure to stop by the Performance Unlimited/D.A.P booth in the Vendor Village at The Muddy Chef Challenge.
SPONSOR PROFILE / Alex Josefson, President of Spectro Oils
5 Questions for Alex Josefson, President of Spectro Oils
Tell us about yourself, your history with the company and about Spectro.
About me? I’m an outdoorsman, I enjoy cooking (and eating), and I love anything with a motor, I am basically the embodiment of the Muddy Chef! Ha-ha.
My history with Spectro Oils is rather intertwined as it is my family’s business. It was my grandfather, Robert Wehman who started Spectro Oils in 1966 right here in Connecticut, where we have been now for almost 50 years! We have been family owned and operated since day 1, with the goal to make high performance, and quality lubricants.
It’s funny, but I never know how to respond to people who ask me how long I have been working here. I have been a full time employee for around 4 years now, but I have always been with the company in some regard. Even when it was sweeping the floors during the summers in High School to help out. It was amazing how I always got called in when there were weird odd jobs, or long time consuming ones, but it never mattered to me because I have always loved being around, and being a part of this company. My proof in that is whenever we package gear oils, every employee complains due to the smell, the additives in gear oils tend to be rather, shall we say….pungent. But to me it’s a great smell, it brings me back to when I would visit my dad, uncle, grandfather, and grandmother when I was young, to me it’s a nostalgic smell.
Most of the vehicles at The Muddy Chef Challenge use the ancient Buick designed flat-tappet V8. What’s a good Spectro oil and why?
Spectro makes a number of oils that would fit a wide variety of Land Rovers. But the ones that would best fit that Buick motor would have to be our Motor-Guard 20w50. We carry it in two forms, a straight petroleum, as well as a semi-synthetic.
The reason that Spectro’s Motor-Guard line is a great fit for these motors is that they are high in an additive called ZDDP, or if you prefer the long name Zinc DiakylDithioPhosphates. ZDDP is a must have in any race cars, and classic cars/trucks, especially pre-catalytic converter, or that have flat tappet motors. The most important part off ZDDP is the zinc, because it is what we call an anti-wear agent. In short zinc bonds to the metal surfaces inside of your motor, and acts as a sacrificial barrier to prevent engine wear. It helps reduce the internal damage in the motor that can lead to major repairs.
What was your favorite moment from last year’s Muddy Chef Challenge?
Do I have to pick one moment? I honestly enjoyed the MCC from the second I got to the Falls Village Inn for the pre-weekend festivities to the closing awards ceremony. The biggest thing I enjoyed about this event though is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s FUN!!! That’s what the whole adventure is about, and it shows from every aspect. From allowing contestants to bribe judges (Feel free to contact me ahead of time this year for a list of my likes, and dislikes), to the comradery, and the genuine feeling that everyone is there to have a good time, it’s an exceptional event through and through.
But when all is said and done the one thing that impressed me more than anything else at the event was how everyone helped each other out. I saw people helping to fix other Rovers that went down, people sharing spices and other supplies during the cook-off, and some who went out of their way to make sure everyone got a chance to go out on the trails and have an adventure.
I really cannot say enough about the MCC staff, the contestants, and the event itself, it was truly a special event to be a part of.
You had a unique perspective as a judge. What was it like tasting all those courses?
Divine. Filling. Hilarious. Let there be no question I was the least proper judge at the table. Other judges were using words I barely understood to describe the flavors, and textures (I’m fairly certain they made a few of them up just to mess with me). But I started to get the hang of it, and have pretty much had Food Network on every day since then to prepare myself for this year.
Now the problem is going to be stretching out my stomach before the event. I am a larger individual who has been known to eat large quantities in one sitting before, but I have never been as full as I was after the MCC3 judging. I beg all of you that are participating this year, please bring us smaller portion sizes. You put amazing food in front of me last year, and with every bite I got larger and larger. But who am I kidding, I loved every second of it!
What to you plan to display/sell/offer at this year’s event?
I plan on setting up a nice little retail operation at the track this year. I will make sure to have a number of different oils to make sure that I have exactly what you need. I will also have with me a few of our cleaning products so you can make that Rover nice and clean for the next day out on the trail!
I will also have a number of giveaways of hats, stickers, t-shirts, and other things of that nature.
Be prepared for awards for things like;
- Most outlandish campsite
- Biggest Off-road Smile
- Weirdest food Pairing
- Best Location/Use of a Spectro Sticker
-
3rd Best Dressed (Behind MHP and Eric of course)
I would also just like to take a moment to thank everyone involved in the MCC. I have seen only a fraction of what Eric and Kristen do to make sure the event is as fun as possible and even that fraction was immense. Along with them are a number of instructors, photographers, other sponsors, and the Lime Rock Park office, all of whom don’t get enough credit for what they do to make this happen. I am lucky that I am able to do a lot of traveling for my job, and everywhere I went I was telling people about the Muddy Chef. I can honestly say that from Daytona to Milan, from Cologne to Chicago, there are many people out there who are jealous of this event. Please make sure that while we are there to really give credit, and thanks to the people that make the Muddy Chef possible.
Hemmings Motor News covers The Muddy Chef Challenge!
Get Your Vintage Mud On!
Photo courtesy The Muddy Chef Challenge.
Owners of classic cars have more vintage race, rally and touring events to choose from than ever before these days. But what about owners of old-school, 4 x 4 off-road machines?
Fortunately, the crowd that loves to get dirty now has some options of their own.
The Muddy Chef Challenge, first contested at Vermont’s Mount Stowe in 2008, returns to Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut for the second year in a row and its fourth iteration overall from July 30 through August 2.
The organizers of the Copperstate 1000 vintage rally—now in its 25th year—have added an off-road event, the Copperstate Overland, with its inaugural running happening from October 18-21 in Arizona.
The Muddy Chef Challenge, which is open exclusively to Land Rover owners, combines camping, off-road challenges and a cooking challenge along with sporting clays target shooting and even a chance to get dolled up for a white linen cocktail party. The cost of registration is $75, plus $25 per night to camp at Lime Rock. But participants need to bring their own food, cigars and whatever other party supplies they might need for three days of hanging out with like-minded Land Rover enthusiasts.
The Muddy Chef Challenge seems not to take itself too seriously. Making friends, sharing food and playing around getting Land Rovers muddy—the way they should be—seem to be the goals of the organizers and participants alike.
The Copperstate Overland is open to more than just Land Rover owners (though we suspect that plenty of Rover owners will be involved), but anyone wishing to enter will need an off-road vehicle from the 1979 model year or older. At $6,850, the cost of the Copperstate Overland is quite a bit steeper than the Muddy Chef Challenge, but that price includes all meals and double-occupancy lodging for the driver and co-driver/navigator, including a final night’s stay after the rally and awards dinner the final night. A portion of every entry fee goes to benefit the Men’s Art Council of the Phoenix Art Museum.
In addition to not staying in tents for that significant entry fee, the Copperstate Overland will feature a mix of off-road and on-road rallying amid some very beautiful Arizona countryside that is a contrast to the potentially very muddy Lime Rock experience.
Different events for different tastes—and budgets, but both guaranteed to get your car dirty.
Land Rover Series III for sale! / Need a ride for The Muddy Chef Challenge?
REALLY A SERIES III?
A Land Rover Series III for sale? Wow! So you want a classic Series III Land Rover but ain’t a bank president. Or you are a bank president and you want an immaculate Series III Land Rover… The car below could be either. It’s an amazing original Land Rover with a huge amount of extra parts and some extremely rare stuff. Have you ever seen the original tool roll and the protecto-plate ID plate? No? Neither had I.
WHAT’S IT NEED?
Almost certainly a frame. It’s crusty. But, the truck drives and runs fine and has an overdrive. That’s important for going somewhere closer than the local beach or camping trip.
WHAT’S IT COST?
Well, that depends. You can buy it one of two ways. As it is and do the work yourself. Or negotiate a new frame and have an amazing barn find truck to drive anywhere.
I’M INTERESTED!
PM me at info@muddychef.com and I’ll hook you up with the seller. I’ll tell you in advance he ain’t looking for bargain hunters or tire kickers.
WINNING! / CHECK YOUR MAILBOX!
If you have registered for the Land Rover Muddy Chef Challenge be sure to check your mailbox this week for a surprise! What better way to get psyched for the event than with a surprise. We are working on adding additional challenges to the event. These might include equestrian, water, mud (lots and lots of mud) and field engineering.
Hillrock Estate Distillery in Whisky Advocate
Hillrock Estate Distillery: tiny, vertical, and beautiful
July 2nd, 2012
Whisky Advocate’s managing editor and contributor Lew Bryson reports on his visit to Hillrock Estate Distillery.
I recently took a trip up to Hillrock Estate Distillery, near Ancram, New York. The distillery is east of the Hudson River, near the Massachusetts border, in a rolling, wooded valley near the Berkshires, an area that was settled by Dutch grain planters. This is a part of the country I’m well familiar with; my wife grew 
up here, and we were married about fifteen miles away. So I wasn’t surprised to find that the roads to Hillrock were narrow and winding, or that the place itself was beautifully rural.
Hillrock is the baby of Jeffrey Baker, who made his money in banking…but has a farming background. He’s been involved in small-scale farming as a sideline for over 20 years, having started with a dairy farm in 1989, then organic beef, finally moving down from the Vermont border to Ancram, where he became interested in the concept of field-to-glass distilling. He was particularly interested in the idea of tasting a difference from grain grown in one field vs. another, and eventually hooked up with well-known distilling expert Dave Pickerell.
Dave’s spent quite a bit of time here in the past year, and was there when I arrived at Baker’s 1806 farmhouse. They were in a mood to celebrate: they had just that very minute received an approval email from ATTTB for their solera bourbon label. We went out on the porch, looked down on the distillery, sitting in a sunny spot between a barley field and a rye field, and talked.
Hillrock’s all about details. The rye and barley is grown here and on another 100 or so acres in the valley (the corn is grown by local farmers); it’s being grown organically, but they haven’t received their certification yet. They built a malthouse with floor maltings, what 
they believe to be the first such in-house distillery maltings in the country since Repeal. They’re using a variety of smoking techniques for some of the malt (and looking at old maps to find local peat sources). They are distilling on a combi-still (a pot still with a column) with a series of adjustments applicable to the type of spirit produced that Pickerell would take pains to show me (distillation began in October, 2011). They are currently aging spirit in seven different barrel sizes.
It was the seven different barrel sizes that led Pickerell to laugh and admit, “Sometimes I do things that are a pain in the ass.” His day-to-day distiller (and maltster, and warehouse manager, and bottler…), Tim Welly, grinned in tacit agreement.
That in turn led Baker to admit that he went along with all of it, and instigated some of it. That’s why he’s the sole investor. “I’m a detail-oriented guy,” he explained. “If you’re going to do this, something this insane…do you really want an investor looking over your shoulder?”
We did sit down and taste the solera bourbon, which includes aged stock they bought and mingled with small-barrel aged Hillrock distillate. It is a good whiskey, with a cinnamon-spicy, fruit-laced finish. Dave recalled his excitement when that spicy note appeared. “That’s from that field,” he said. It was proof of the terroir concept, when they knew they had something with the estate-grown grain concept.
The solera bourbon will be available in New York around the beginning of October, as will a single malt whisky that is about to begin a wood finishing process. Dave was a bit cagey about that, only saying that he’d done research and found a dynamite wood to season whiskey; further pressure would only get that it was a type of fruit tree. Or maybe a nut tree. And he wouldn’t tell me more.
The tasting room is more like a small vineyard than most small distillery’s, with graceful wood furniture and samples of locally-grown foods. The whole place is simply elegant, and will make a great tour once it’s open.
There’s not going to be a lot of whiskey out of Hillrock, but I suspect we’ll be seeing more of them, and more of this type of high-end distillery; like Distillery No. 209, a high-end gin distillery in San Francisco that I visited last fall. This is going to be part of the future of whiskey distilling, a small and very interesting part.
From: http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2012/07/02/hillrock-estate-distillery-tiny-vertical-and-beautiful/
OutdoorX4 Magazine / MEDIA SPONSOR
The mission of OutdoorX4 is to promote responsible 4×4 adventure travel along with the utility of 4×4 and dual-sport vehicles to enjoy all forms of outdoor recreation. In essence, we want to help create solidarity amongst all communities of adventure enthusiasts because at the end of the day, enjoying the great outdoors should be a right of which we all share rather than a privilege.
The Magazine
So what makes OutdoorX4 different from other publications? Well, for one our content is a hybrid of all areas of outdoor recreation and adventure. Whether you’re an avid 4×4 adventure traveler, mountain bike enthusiast, camp cooking aficionado, world-class fisherman, dual-sport motorcyclist or weekend warrior, OutdoorX4 is focused on providing the most engaging and unique content to appeal to the broadest range of outdoors enthusiast while providing expert advice in the field, suggestions on places to visit along with an expanded perspective on the history of the areas we travel, as well as dynamic photography that inspires the outdoors enthusiast to choose the road less traveled.
Frank Ledwell, Editor-in-Chief
Frank is an avid explorer, adventurer, and advocate of responsible outdoor recreation and off-highway travel. Frank has had the fortune of traveling throughout the world, including destinations throughout North and Central America, as well as across Eastern and Western Europe. When he’s not cycling across Texas on his road bike or climbing in the Swiss Alps, he is touring the backcountry in remote destinations throughout the United States and abroad in his diesel Grand Cherokee.
Frank is the Editor-in-Chief of OutdoorX4. Additionally, he was the Co-Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of JPFreek Adventure Magazine from 2006 through mid-2012 as well as publisher of several industry journals. He is a member of the Texas Auto Writers Association, and his articles on off-highway travel, adventure destinations, and product reviews have been featured in numerous publications. Frank resides in Texas with his family.
John Herrick, Publisher
With a deep and varied background in business and a nose for keeping work fun while doing what he enjoys, John Herrick publishes OutdoorX4. John makes sure the book gets to subscribers and the newsstand while enjoying as many adventures as possible the rest of the time which also includes producing CRAWL Magazine as well as producing special outdoor events.
He’s been published as both a writer and photographer, an avocation he took up in his late teens.
An avid Jeep owner, John also enjoys desert racing, rock crawling, and other motorsports. With an eye towards responsibility, he heads the CRAWL Trail Foundation which promotes grass roots trail preservation.
John lives in Northern Nevada in the shadow of the Eastern Sierra, with his wife Pam of 30 years.
Phil Golden, Director of Technology, Contributing Editor
Phil was born with a determined desire to explore. Whether by Jeep, dual-sport motorcycle, mountain bike, road bike, kayak or on foot, Phil pushes himself to go further and do more. Phil can often be found alone on his adventures as he enjoys the purity of being surrounded by nothing but wilderness. He recently traveled solo on the Continental Divide trail from Mexico to Canada, self-support by Jeep and completely off-highway. Additionally, he has logged over 6,000 miles and numerous legs of the Trans America Trail via dual-sport motorcycle from Tennessee to Oregon, and owns the oldest active geocache in the state of Louisiana.
Phil is an avid endurance cyclist, randonneur, and runner. When Phil is not pushing himself to the limit, he is on a mission to raise awareness for the rare terminal disease his son has called Adrenoleukodystrophy. He has written numerous articles and conducted several interviews regarding his awareness campaign – Expedition Awareness. While his passion runs deep for the great outdoors, it does not compare to that of his family.
Phil resides in Wichita Falls, Texas with his wife and three children.
Jonathan Hanson, Overland Columnist
Jonathan Hanson’s expedition experience encompasses land and sea-scapes from Baja, Mexico to the Beaufort Sea, from the Libyan Desert to the Namib, and modes of transportation from sea kayaks to sailboats to bicycles to Land Cruisers and Land Rovers.
He has traveled among and worked with cultures as diverse as the Seri Indians and the Himba, the Inuit and the Maasai.
Jonathan has taught wildlife tracking, natural history writing, 4WD techniques, and other subjects for many conservation and government organizations. He is an elected fellow of the Explorers Club, and a charter member of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. His writing experience spans a dozen books and two dozen magazines, including Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Nature Conservancy, Sea Kayaker, and Backpacker.
Jonathan and his wife, Roseann, are the creators and owners of the Overland Expo, the largest adventure travel event of its kind in the world.
Kraig Becker, Gear & Adventure Author
Kraig is a freelance writer and world traveler who covers mountaineering expeditions, polar exploration, adventure travel, and other outdoor pursuits.
He has served as the Media Director for the Primal Quest expedition adventure race and is the editor of The Adventure Blog.
He is a regular contributor to travel site Gadling.com and the outdoor blogs for The Clymb and the Wenger brand. He has also published stories with Outer Edge Magazine, National Geographic Adventure amongst others.
Kraig resides in Austin, Texas.
Wes Craiglow, Contributing Author
Wes was bitten by the adventure bug at a young age, spending his boyhood exploring the family farm from sunup to sundown, annual vacations on lonely backroads across the rural South, and dedicating his summers to staff employment at a Boy Scouts camp.
When not on extended paid vacations to Southwest Asia for Uncle Sam, Wes can be found guiding backcountry trips and documenting routes, destinations, and stories in the U.S. and Central America.
Wes is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Central Overland, an online magazine dedicated to vehicle-based adventure travel, and resides in central Arkansas with his wife and two kids.
Mark Stephens, Contributing Author
Mark is an adventurer who was born of, reared by, and educated in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.
He has climbed the walls of Devil’s Canyon, trekked the trails throughout the Rocky Mountains, slept on the ground in most National Parks, rope-swung into a river here and there, driven the back roads of the southwest U.S. and Mexico, enjoyed song and cerveza in the cantinas of the Baja peninsula, and otherwise traveled like a backpacking pilgrim from British Columbia to Peru.
Mark holds a degree in English from Arizona State University; he learned from composition maestros such as Jeanne Dugan, Robert Krut, and G. Lynn Nelson. His work has been published in Overland Journal, Nissan Sport Magazine, Arizona Outdoorsman, and JPFreek Adventure Magazine. Mark and his wife are also the curators of Adventure Parents, a resource focused on the adventures of raising children to enjoy an active, outdoor lifestyle.
Mark resides in Arizona with his wife and two children.
Allan & Jackie Ellis, Contributing Authors
Alan & Jackie are avid off-highway enthusiasts who have immersed themselves into a lengthy list of outdoor activities, be it land, water, or air.
Their primary recreation vehicle is a Jeep Rubicon and it has traveled all over the continental United States on backpacking, mountaineering, rock climbing, sailing, and skydiving adventures.
Additionally, Jackie and Alan are professional skydivers and work as instructors at Skydive Dallas in Texas.
You can follow their adventures on their site at Jackie and Alan’s Outdoor Adventures.
Andrea Ledwell, Contributing Author
Andrea is the better half of our Editor-in-Chief.
Born and raised in Mississippi, Andrea spent her time as a child adventuring while on her bicycle and called the Smoky Mountains her second home.
Andrea is an avid explorer, artist, musician, mother, wife, adventurer, seeker of truth, and on a quest for all things beautiful and good.
YETI Coolers! / Event Supporter/Sponsor
We are pleased to announce Yeti coolers will be providing gifts, stickers and materials for The Muddy Chef Challenge! Yeti and Land Rovers go together! What a great way to support the MCC than via great stuff. Stay tuned for more information about Yeti Coolers!
MCC3 Merchandise – Ball Cap $15.00
The perfect accessory for your Land Rover or your grilling adventures! This washed cotton, chino cap features a cloth strap with antiqued bronze buckle and grommet. Made of 100% washed cotton; it has 6 rows of stitching on the pre-curved visor and a quilted sweatband and contrast accent on bill. The Muddy Chef Logo and Mascot are embroidered on the front. The back of the cap has our motto “I COOK AND LEAK OIL” and the Muddy Chef Website (www.muddychef.com).
With your MCC3 hat firmly in place you tell the world that you are not only rugged and adventurous, but deadly in the kitchen too. Extremely limited stock. Want one? You can buy them at Lime Rock Park starting on Thursday July 31!
Want one but not going to be at the event? e-mail info@muddychef.com and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
Love from Land Rover USA for The Muddy Chef Challenge
Thanks to Robert W for the photo.
New Event / Overland Challenge!
Harpoon Beer Muddy Chef Challenge Event Sponsor!
ABOUT US
Dear Friends of Harpoon,
We started the Harpoon Brewery in 1986 because—like today—we loved beer and wanted more quality choices.
There was only one problem: we were beer lovers, not brewers. We knew what we wanted to drink, but we needed some help actually brewing it. So we enlisted our first brewer, took over some warehouse space on the Boston waterfront, and began introducing fresh, local craft beer to Boston drinkers. We tried to do it in a way that captured the spirit of fun that had brought us to beer in the first place. From that warehouse, surrounded by fish companies on the docks of South Boston (neighboring what is now the Seaport District), we couldn’t imagine that craft brewing would become what it has today.
We still remember our days on the other side of the bar, and have spent as much time spreading the joy of beer drinking as we have focusing on recipes, ingredients, and brewing equipment. Hopefully our sense of gratitude is reflected in both the quality of the beer and the spirit of fun and enjoyment surrounding our beer and breweries. We invite all of you to visit our Boston brewery, where it all began, and our beautiful brewery in Windsor, Vermont.
We look forward to having a beer with you soon!
Orvis Sporting Clays – Shootin stuff at The Muddy Chef Challenge
The fine folks at Orvis Sandanona have offered guests and participants the opportunity to shoot sporting clays and spend time off-roading with an instructor at Sandanona. We have negotiated a $75.00 per person rate. June 6, 2014 – Well, they changed the rate to $100.00 However, the increase includes the gratuity for the coach. As a Ski and Driving Instructor I can appreciate a built in tip. Shooting includes the targets, a Trapper, a fine sporting shotgun and ammunition. That is a serious value! To book your reservation for Friday August 1, 2014 please call Orvis Sandanona at 845-677-9701. Make sure to mention you are a participant in The Muddy Chef Challenge!
Sandanona Shooting Grounds
3047 Sharon Turnpike Road
Millbrook, NY 12545 | 845-677-9701
Email: sandanona@orvis.com
Open 7 Days a week, 9am – 5pm
Take a virtual tour
Muddy Chef Hats, T-Shirts, Stickers and Safari Shirts
MCC LOGO GEAR
We are almost ready to reveal a whole bunch of swag for the Muddy Chef Challenge! Some will be for sale and some will be for prizes! We are creating original design hats, t-shirts, stickers, and maybe the coolest item of all, high-tech fabric Safari style shirts with embroidered logos!
Check the “Merchandise” section of the website shortly for pricing and ordering information!
WANT TO BE A SPONSOR?
Interested in becoming a Sponsor or Vendor at the Muddy Chef Challenge? Be sure to visit our Sponsor section for more information. Alternately just send an e-mail to info@muddychef.com and we will respond to you within 24 hours with a sponsor information package.
Real Merchandise! Muddy Chef 3 Stickers
Ok, enough goofing around with phony $100,000 tables and spork holders! We are finally getting around to the real deal! The first item we have is a high quality sticker for your vehicle. It’s UV coated, guaranteed not to fade and perfect to enhance your off-road street credibility!
One for $3.00
Two for $5.00
The stickers will be available for purchase June 1 at British by the Sea and on this website shortly thereafter.
Stay tuned. We are prepping event T-Shirts, Off-Road Safari Style Shirts, Hats and Water bottles.
Official Site – Lime Rock Park
What’s The Event Like? / The 2013 Muddy Chef Challenge Video
Thanks to: Robert Wollschlager
FOR PROFIT versus NOT FOR PROFIT
Unlike other events, the Muddy Chef Challenge is NOT FOR PROFIT and it NEVER WILL BE. We don’t believe in charging our attendees one cent. Last year we took up a collection for food, drinks, etc. I think everyone who paid felt that they received an excellent value. Everything else was due to the generosity and participation of attendees. This is a grassroots event with a soul. The soul of our participants and our Land Rovers.
I believe in keeping it honest, valid …
Muddy Chef Challenge Posting on Guns and Rovers
Muddy Chef Challenge 3 – August 1,2,3 Mystic/North Stonington CT
Yahoo! We just finalized the dates for the 2014 Land Rover Muddy Chef Challenge. August 1,2,3 2014. We are looking for a place to have the event and your suggestions would be welcome. Last year it was at the Mystic, CT KOA Campground. Which was both good and bad.
On the good side, we had electricity, running water, pool, places for the kids to play, etc. It was close to the trails. On the bad side we had nowhere enough room and it was kind of a pain for our friends to visit, etc. Also, as we booked the event really late last year there were not enough campgrounds and it was a bit crowded.
So, I’m searching for an alternative site but planning to use the KOA as a backup. I’d like to have room to stretch out and build a really big bonfire!
We have a website up www.muddychef.com and I’d invite everyone to visit and be patient as we get things running. There will be a registration page soon and a bunch of other neat stuff.
One of the biggest problems I had last year was getting info on the attendees and their vehicles (my fault), also my awards cameraman was “in his cups” so the awards video (who got what and for what) vanished and I’d have liked to have had that.
As always, this is a firmly grassroots event. We ain’t tryin to make a profit. I’ll keep the costs as close to zero as possible.
For now, can I get either “I will come” or “I want to come” or a “Hell no, I ain’t coming”
Also, your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
We are excited for August!