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California - Ghost Town Jeep Jamboree

This Jeep Jamboree takes place in Bridgeport, California.

User Reviews

California - Ghost Town Jeep Jamboree

Avg. Customer Rating: (7.0 Stars)

Number of Reviews: 1 reviews

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California - Ghost Town Jeep Jamboree - Reviews

	Great 1st Time Trip!
	Date: Jul 22, 2005
	Reviewer: A JeepReviews.com User from (Pleasanton, CA)
	My girlfriend and I completed Ghost Town last weekend as our first Jeep Jamboree. The area is beautiful and offers great scenic views. The trip had about 65 Jeeps and offered two trails, an easier trail and a more difficult trail. JJ split us up into two groups and had us alternate trails the two days. One trail was eliminated and rolled into the other two due to what they consider a small turnout. The trail eliminated was likely a three hour ride down a dirt road to the town of Bodie. The challenging trail probably only saw a trail rating of 4.5 with the most challenging part being a muddy, steep incline. A few sections allowed the suspension to twist a little over the rocks but most was scraping brush. Our second day included a trail ride along a forest service road (basically). This trail was where I let the girlfriend drive and get a feel for driving the Jeep off-road. The trails were not challenging but it was a good safe way to test out the Jeep in a safe environment. There were a few Liberty's and Cherokees with the group and they had no problem making their way through the trails. While you should always travel with some basic supplies, a well maintained Jeep should have no problem making it through the weekend with little more than some scrapes. As our first JJ, we had no idea what to expect and showed up the last few minutes of the Thursday evening registration. This was not a problem as many people showed up in the morning and with only two trail choices, it was simply a matter of being assigned to one group or the other. There were families, couples, and single people in attendance and no one should feel like they shouldn't check it out. The best part of the weekend actually was the people! We met several couples that were great and we are looking forward to seeing them all again either at an upcoming JJ or just for a weekend of four wheeling. I have a few small complaints about the event though. The first day we were assigned to our group and color coded by trail. This was great day one as the orange team drove off one way and the blue team the other. On the second day however, the orange team was supposed to go on the blue trail and vice versa but we all kept our stickers from the previous day. Needless to say, there was some confusion by many participants and it may have been easier if they had arranged it differently. Second, the trails are rated with a range from the easiest that could be expected and toughest that could be expected. This means that in ideal conditions (which we had) the trail ratings will be very low on the scale. The even was expected to be a 2-6 but wound up being about 2-4. Four wheel drive was not needed for 95% of the trip and was really only used to keep the dust down and keep speeds at a slow and safe pace. Poor weather could have easily caused this to be more challenging though. Lastly, after joining one of these events, I believe there should be a per-vehicle price and an additional rider price. As a participant, I don't care if someone wants to put six people into their vehicle but I don't think that each additional person should be charged the same fee with the only variable cost being food. All in all, we are seriously considering completing another event as it was a fun and safe way to see what your Jeep can do and is a great way to meet new people who like the same things you do! I highly recommend having a CB and/or FRS walkie talkie for any JJ as the guides will keep you informed about information on the area, trail, break-downs, etc. I would also recommend a hand throttle as the bumpy terrain makes it difficult to maintain speed slightly above idle. I have a 2001 TJ with a four inch suspension lift and 33x12.5 MTRs.

	This review is the subjective opinion of a JeepReviews user and not of JeepReviews.com.