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[Traakon]

...and the Trail Team booth visit was how much?

The booth was open to all. Even the Drag Race Dyno of the Tundra (covered below) required only a valid drivers license.



To say the product vendor turn out is less than spectacular at this (and like) events is generous and kind. The Military and their new recruiting efforts made up possibly 15-20% of the vendor offerings. I love seeing the military making the most of every opportunity to introduce their offerings to the enlistment age attendees. They had a climbing wall and a tricked out Hummer H3 and plenty of military “SWAG”. (Where did this term come from and how do we eradicate it from our vocabulary…I digress) Those actual 4WD/automotive vendors that were in place, 4Wheel Parts, Trail Master, Tire Pro and a couple of stereo shops and custom houses were offering some pretty good event deals. Unfortunately nothing for the FJ and I am too early in to be considering things for the Super Duty. The layout for the vendors was good, well planned to insure that no vendor was left in a “non traffic corner” booth. This also means that to get in or out you have to wind your way back and forth. A “get you in and keep you” design the casinos of Las Vegas have perfected. We were here to extend the “Joy of FJ Ownership” so we pressed past the eye candy to the Trail Teams camp.

At the furthest physical point from where we are parked we find the Trail Teams camp and the Millen FJ and a TRD Tacoma set up on display. Behind the camp they were offering the opportunity to demo one of the two TT editions, white FJ’s as well as a Tacoma and I think they had a Tundra as well but I was not that interested in the trucks. They had the Millen FJ all set up for having your “Official Trail Teams Photo” taken which they link to a ID badge on a special FJ Cruiser lanyard. The “SWAG Whores” were swarming the display table snapping up anything that they believed was free and stuffing it into their JEEPtm “Swagbag”. I was hoping they might have the Millen Race FJ but instead it was a pretty stock black TT with all the Millen sponsor tagging on it. Still an FJ so the fix was getting met. As we milled about, around, under and over the display rig I had the chance to talk with the Trail Teams staff…what a great bunch of guys. It appears, from our discussion about all things FJ, that they had plans of doing a really sweet trail test area as they had/have done at other Trail Teams events but apparently the venue here did not allow them the space required. (Unlike the space JEEPtm set up) I mentioned that JEEPtm had brought in local vehicles with various mods/build ups to add local real world flavor to their displays and a couple local FJ’s could add some spice to their own. They agreed, but again, they were limited on space and were making the best of what they had.

I was happily informed that the guys actually followed the forum some and had spent some time reading the stuff in the “AZFJ non-club club section”. They have apparently met several of the locals on or at trail events and had the most glowing comments on the AZFJ community and this forum community as a whole. “They are really and honestly some of the most friendly and helpful 4 wheelers we encounter” was the quote I am please to pass on to one and all who read this. We talked for about an hour as the crowd continued to sweep through snagging all the free promo gear and taking test rides to get a free hat. They were not all that familiar with the area so we discussed local trails, the Sedona Fest none of us were able to make, and things to see as they headed for the “Thrill on the Hill” event in Alamogordo, N.M. and further north to the “Chili Challenge” event in Angel Fire, N.M. (If you have never been to Angel Fire, its one beautiful place) Honestly, I kept thinking “what a sweet job these guys have. To promote something you are enthusiastic about and share that with others on a regular basis.” even as they lamented the long, hard road hours driving between events as they crisscross the country. After discussing everything from the latest Toyota offerings and what we would like to see in the upcoming FJ’s to conspiracy theories, the “Phoenix Lights” and crop circles, it was time to let them get on with touting the virtues of Toyota to the uncaring “swag whores” that filled the display area. (Yea, we got the obligatory photo next to the Millen FJ before we left and to the Trail Teams staff, thanks for the great FJ fix!)

Crossing behind the staging area of the drag strip and up the rise, Toyota had more of its display wherein they had invited local Toyota dealers to “Customize” a Tundra and send it out as an offering of their own taste and what is possible with a new Tundra truck. There were street trucks and some pretty well done and wild 4x4’s. One was built out as the ultimate tailgating Tundra and was pretty interesting if not worthless for anything BUT tailgating. On a display ahead they had a mega screen over a stage displaying Toyota promo video and a “Tundra vs. Silverado” drag race display that let you actually drag race both trucks as a display of the new Tundra’s power and performance on a stationary dyno. It is likely no surprise that except for the demo drivers that “red lit” the Tundra, the Chevy was beat every run.

Beyond that was the “Show and Shine” display where in again there was everything from a chopped, shaved and lowered Suburban in candy flake orange to an H2 that was lifted at least 12” with the largest “swampers” I have ever see as street legal. About 20 vehicles total but nothing that really stood out as “wow” which is a shame for a show and shine event. From here the sound of nitro motors (and midday sun) drew us to the shaded grandstand that overlooked the Firebird lake where they were holding time trials of the IHBA and qualifying for the ULHRA. Having been to the IHBA events here in the past, it was a fun add to the 4WD event rather than a stand alone event but the wife had never seen boat races of any kind in person so we spent a great deal of the rest of the day watching the boats run. In truth, since my work called with an issue, we spent the rest of the day watching the boats before having to heed the call of duty and act responsible once more.