*Big Blue's Guide to Raptor Runs*

[sonoma]

Nah- Mad's all watery he just likes to think it's sticky :/

 

[Big Blue]

Hay bird could we have a sticky.

Thanks Wilson. Bird made this a sticky a few months back.

 

[Wilson]

I knew that just having some fun.

 

[Stickman89]

Fantastic write up really makes me want to make the South Dakota run. See you at snoball


Molten Orange from NW Indiana

 

[Big Blue]

Updated and on my way to another 5-6 Runs in 2014!

I'll see you there!

 

[Wilson]

This thread is dedicated to my experiences, comments and suggestions with various Raptor Runs offered through FRF:

I consider myself a serious Auto enthusiast. I have had lots of cool rides, as a matter of fact, since it’s only the wife and I, every car/truck I have owned would fall under the category of “Non-Standard”.
Yet, when I got my Raptor, it had a unique effect on me like no other vehicle previously. It allowed me to do things I only thought of before. Example: when I was a kid and watched the Dukes of Hazzard or Smokey and the Bandit, it made me spent the rest of my life wondering what it’s like to get air in a motor vehicle. I could only imagine it to be the best darn roller coaster in the world. Think about it, what percentage of the population will ever get the chance to get airborne (intentionally) and not only walk away, but circle around and do it again…and again!

A few months after I joined this Forum, I knew I would someday have to go on one of these Raptor Excursions. They sounded awesome, but scary at the same time. I mean, these guys are really driving their trucks hardcore off-road and I also use mine as a daily driver/road queen.
I had one of those “life is too short” moments, and decided….I had always done things outside of the box, so it’s time to jump in head first. My 2013 New Year’s resolution was to go on one of the available runs.

Needless to say, I didn't stop after the first and I would never have imagined that I would complete 5 Raptor Runs in 10 months!

Snoball 500:
When I read about this Run, I was intrigued. Every other Run previously offered here had the same characteristics; Dirt or Sand and weather temperatures that would not kill you. So when I read about the offering by Great Lakes Raptor Excursions about a 500 mile off-road run in the middle of January around the Upper Peninsula, I thought only a crazy person would consider this. I registered the next day.

A good handful of local Chicago area people had already gotten together a few times for a lunch meet and I was happy to know several were also going. We set up a convoy, loaded our gear and made it to the U.P. The first major memory for me was looking out from the 5th floor of the Casino/Hotel window to the sight of 55+ Raptors all parked together below in the parking lot.

We were broken up into groups of 15 trucks. Each Group has it's own Group Leader Truck and Group Chase Truck. These guys are dedicated to insure that you stayed as a group, they handled any stuck trucks and they made sure we got to the next destination. It's important to follow the "Domino Rule" with this Run. It simply means that you must always be aware of the truck in front of you and the truck behind you. When you come to a turn or intersection, you never advance until you see the truck behind you, that way nobody gets lost. GPS is really not required on this run as long as you follow the Domino Rule. A Radio on the other hand was a requirement. We were constantly calling out hazards and trail directions to each other. I used a handheld with a magnetic mounted antenna and it worked well.

The off-roading was incredible. Driving though hundreds of miles of snowmobile trails covered in a foot of snow through woods and over mountains was a blast. Seeing the look on the faces of snowmobilers as a train of Raptors blazed past them as they lined the side of the trails was priceless. The Run provided plenty of “butt-pucker” moments and the adrenaline was flowing nicely throughout the trip. Even though this was my first Run, I ran Big Blue hard, and she took care of me all weekend. I started moderately, but after an hour or so, I started to powerslide around the corners and look for opportunities to utilize the real capabilities of the Raptor. I found the combination of no traction control and a heavy throttle just what the doctor ordered for plowing through. I never got stuck and didn’t break anything, so I considered myself to be a success!

This was the first run of the Snoball 500 yet Jason, Mark and Heather put this together like they were pros. Everything was organized and structured perfectly. Another bonus was to finally meet all the people from this forum whose posts I had followed for months. What a great group of people. There was an amazing raffle on the last day and even though I did not win the full Icon front suspension they donated, I really didn’t care, because 1) The proceeds went to the Wounded Warrior Project and 2) I already won by being able to go on this Run. I loved this excursion and will be on the next Snoball!

Aside from surviving the trip and loving every minute, I also opened a can of worms….I was now hooked!

Texas Raptor Run:
I read countless threads about TRR12 and knew this was going to be my next trip. But this presented a new challenge….It was far way. While the Snoball was only a 5 hour drive each way, TRR would be a 20 hour drive each way…I didn’t care and registered the next day.

Unfortunately and unlike the Snoball, I was solo on this trip without any of my buddies from the Chicago crew. I knew that would make it harder regarding the drive since the radio banter during the previous convoy was a riot and helped make the miles pass easier. On top of that, since time was a factor, I also would not be able to have a stopover and would need to drive straight though going and coming home. The idea of being able to spend a weekend on a 42 mile off-road course was amazing. The reality of the impact on a factory truck and then having to drive home 1,000 miles was somewhat scary. But again, Big Blue took care of me.

Certainly one of the cool aspects of TRR is once you get there, you stay there. You can set up and are planted for the whole weekend as everything you need is there. That allows for something that is not practical for moving Runs…Vendors. It was a buyer’s delight. Not only was every major FRF vendor there, but they also provided installation from everything to WSI fire extinguisher mounts to ICON full suspensions. Heck, SDHQ literally had a huge trailer where the entire wall opened and it was a full retail store. They had everything from nuts and bolts to Go-Pros to complete wheel/tire packages. A person could drop some serious coinage at TRR.

A 42 mile Off-Road Track, what else is there to say? Every time I thought about that, I got a silly smile on my face. It was amazing. It was broken into a front section and back section. You could drive the whole track or either section at your choosing. I had this impression that it would simply be a 42 mile “flat” off-road course with a few woops built in, but I was wrong. It offered every element of off-roading that you can think of: Hills, Jumps, Rocks, High Speed sections and plenty of opportunities to do some serious damage. However, Trey and the Ranch staff did an amazing job marking out the course letting you know of turns, normal hazards and serious hazards. Trey made it a point of stating at the drivers meeting that while this is a “track”, this is NOT a race. Passing is allowed but it should be done with respect and safety in mind. You classified yourself into 1 of 3 groups depending on skill/truck level.

Group A; Crazy Driver/Serious Truck (Typically upgraded suspension)
Group B: Semi-Crazy driver/Stock Truck
Group C: While you may have hit the trails before, this is where you probably want to start. Since this is a self-assessment, you can move up if you want to/feel confident. Most folks started in Group C, as did I.

I guess I did OK, since by the time I got to the first check-point, I had already passed 3 trucks and the checkpoint monitor changed my window sticker from Group C to Group Badass. Sweet! The track was awesome and I think I got my first ever air on the last part of the back section. Unfortunately, I did not get it on film so I could not prove to myself I actually did it.

My only damage of the weekend was a bashed in skid plate, but I considered it more of a battle wound than damage and I’m not replacing it for that very reason. The commute to TRR was long, but it was worth it! Aside from the mid-perch adjustment, I have a stock suspension and Big Blue performed flawlessly.

Spring 13:
This was another first offering by Great Lakes Raptor Excursions. This Run would incorporate both ORV off-roading and a trip to Silver Lake Sand Dunes in MI. I had seen a number of videos of trucks getting air there so the combination of the two aspects of the Run was an easy sale. I immediately registered.

Silver Lake was incredible. It’s a 4X4 paradise. When you first get into the park you are faced with the somewhat daunting “Test Hill”. It’s more of a mountain really and to make matters worse, you need to insure you have enough speed to get up it, but not too much power where you lawn dart over it.
Big Blue took one look and gave a smackdown to Test Hill like a champ. As a group, we then proceeded to violate every nook and cranny of the park until we found a perfect section that was secluded and appeared to have excellent jump potential. Boy where we right. Tom (Sitdown) offered his photog skills and picked a spot to take pics of us as we tried to fly by.

One by one, every Raptor nailed the hill and gravity was no longer sufficient to hold our mighty Raptors down. It was just like I dreamed as a kid as I could feel myself getting air and just like an amusement park, I got back in line over and over to enjoy the flight again. However, unlike TRR, I knew it was on film this time! My eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when Tom walked over to me and said…”I think you have a new screen saver man!”

Now for the lessons learned regarding recovery:
On my next run up Test Hill I stopped short of the top and dug in. I was literally 10 feet from the summit and stuck up to my step rails. I should have followed Jason’s radio advice and let someone pull me back down, but I was sooooo close to the top and had an offer from a winched Raptor for a pull up. Mistake #1 and lesson #1…When on a steep hill, going against gravity is not smart! Mistake #2 and lesson #2, Always check the tow points of not only your vehicle, but also the guy who is giving you the recovery. I used a shackle on my truck but did not pay attention to the connection point of the recovery vehicle. He used an open hook which snapped and proceeded to projectile through my grill and into the radiator and oil cooler. Luckily, Big Blue is a tough son of a gun and while it did not look pretty there were no leaks and she still let me drive her hard the rest of the trip and all the way home.

Final damage: Replacement Grill , Replacement Radiator, Replacement Oil Cooler, Replacement Air Conditioner Condenser and a nice war wound dimple in the center of my ADD bumper to remind me in the future to always follow the rules of recovery.

We spent the rest of the day and next morning going through some of the best trails/mud holes I have ever experienced. Again, even though this was the first Raptor venue at this location for Jason, Mark and Heather, every aspect of the trip was perfect. Unlike Snoball or TRR, this was a smaller group of only 15 trucks which was really cool as we all got to interact and really get to know each other at camp. I loved this trip and would go back in a heartbeat.

South Dakota Buffalo Run:
Yukon Joe (Joe), Raptorwifey (Nicole) and Huck (Luke) put together this Trip and man did they put together a memory of a lifetime! I don’t know what was more incredible; the scenery, the national parks/monuments or the off-roading? This was also a small group venue with 15 trucks but again, it lent itself for some great bonding and campfire fun. This was the first Run where I had my wife and there were lots of wives and kids on this trip.

I still can’t believe everything we did and got to see in only a weekend. The scenery was breathtaking. The Badlands are truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life. The diversity of the variations of natural formations is inspirational. Millions of people have driven around the badlands….but very few have actually driven over them. Joe, Nicole and Luke did an amazing job not only organizing the trip but they also managed to pick hundreds of miles of off-roading for us. We hit everything from mud pits to mountain climbs to high speed sections to ORV trail running all while being surrounded by the most beautiful scenery on the planet.

I also had my first Raptor run recovery experience as the recovery vehicle. This time I made sure all recovery lessons were followed and I was able to extract the mud stuck truck without issue.
We spent time at both Mount Rushmore and Crazy horse to add icing to the cake. The combination of these monuments and it being Memorial Day weekend was very special. Both my wife and I had the trip of a lifetime and it will be a shared memory we will always have together.

I highly recommend this trip to everyone and I would love to make this trip again next year.

Havoc in the Hills:

I was really looking forward to this run as Jason provided some insights that this was going to be a real off-road challenge. I figured since I survived TRR, that this would be similar in execution and the experience would be equal.

It wasn't. Havoc in the Hills was easily the most brutal and technical Run I have done to date. I don't want to scare off beginners, but this event will certainly allow you to experience the full capacity of your Raptor and chances are, you're going to bend, break or at the very least, diminish the life of your tires considerably by the end of the weekend.

Like all GLRE Runs, the planning, organization and execution of this Run was spot on! Registration took place at the main hotel and it was a party atmosphere in the parking lot as 70 Raptors from around the country converged into Tremont PA.

First thing in the AM on the first day, we all met at Rausch Creek Park for the days overview. Jason and Mark laid out all of the plans and rules for the track and we started with a "parade" lap, just to get familiar with the course and terrain.

Same plan for the next day too. However, for day 2, GLRE changed the majority of the course so you felt like you were running on an entirely new course.

The "Track" itself.

First off all, no GPS is required for this Run. GLRE did an amazing job of marking the course for direction and laid out banners throughout the course to let you know you were still on the correct trail. The courses themselves were Awesome and Brutal at the same time. Sure, you could run them at Rock Crawler speed, but Big Blue and most of the experienced drivers hit the courses full bore! The track offered everything an off roader in a Raptor could ask for; Boulders, Mud, Dirt, Hills, Boulders, Woods, Trails, high speed sections and....did I say Boulders?? The Day 2 course was ever longer than Day 1, and was equally as challenging.

At the end of day 2, there was also a Night Run on yet another sectioned course. The sight of so many Raptors with what seemed as Millions of Lumens covering the Hills was awesome to see. The next morning there was an extensive trail ride that covered the property including some serious water crossings.

In typical GLRE style, there was a banquet and an incredible Raffle for Breast Cancer Awareness. The grand prize which was a $10k WSI package went to an active service member, which was perfect and the Run raised $15k for the Charity! Awesome!!

Similar to TRR, since we were planted at Rausch Creek for the weekend, it allowed Vendors from around the country to set-up and sell their goods/services. You could purchase just about anything as vendors like Roger and Dawson where both offering their beautiful array of Retrofit Headlights, Jimmy from WSI and Whelen were both offering plenty of lighting, bumper and rack options and Krazy House Customs had a huge offering of everything from suspension parts to jack skids. Food was available both from a Vendor that was on-sight all weekend and Roger who also provided tasty options for the group.

It is also note worthy to express how Awesome our Trucks really are! Rausch Creek had 2 Specialty built Off-road buggies there and were offering rides for a Charity Donation. These rigs were hardcore and built for one thing in mind...Covering the course as fast as possible. Yet, our mighty Raptors definitely surprised the drivers with their capabilities. While these single purpose non-street legal rigs were ripping up the course in around 15 minutes, most of the versed Raptor drivers were covering the same course in about 23-24 minutes. When you consider the huge difference in the vehicles dynamics, only an 8 minute difference in lap times between the two vehicles considering their build differences only proves again how incredible our Trucks really are!!

The social aspect of the run was as great as all the other GLRE trips...Like one big family. Regardless if it was after hours drinking fun or pit help with fellow owners, everyone had a great time.

From a Challenge Factor, this was my favorite Run Yet!!!! I cant wait for next year.


Snoball II:

Just got back from Snoball the other night. Another incredible year in the Snow, and even more than last year!
GLRE made a few changes to this year’s Run. Namely, adding an Extra day and 160 more miles of snowy goodness. I was in Charlie Company again this year, but this time I was the Group Chase truck and my good friend Todd (ShooterAMG here on FRF) was our Lead. We were both excited and nervous at the same time. We were now responsible for the convoy of Trucks and their occupants. It was pretty Awesome, and I think we performed our tasks well. As a group, we were also one hell of a great team.

There were also more Trucks at Snoball this year, which is not a surprise considering registration for the greatest Snow Run on Earth literally sold out in 15 minutes. So we went from 55 Trucks in 2013 to 76 in 2014. There is a huge amount of work when dealing with the Logistics of that many trucks and people, yet everything was organized perfectly. There were more vehicle incidence this year than last year, but the snow was also considerably higher in many areas. Luckily and thank God, everyone made it home safely!

The trails themselves were as great as I remembered from 2013, but I enjoyed this trip more having known so many owners/FRF forum members at this point. It had a family reunion atmosphere at the first night registration and last morning banquet/raffle.

Snoball is a must do Raptor Run without question!! I have been extremely lucky to have done it twice. GLRE kicked ass....Again!



A few Thank You’s:

Thank you FORD for making the most badass truck in the world. It conquered every Run and kept asking for more. It took every challenge Mother Nature could come up with and laughed in return.

Thank you to Jason, Mark, Heather, Trey, Joe, Nicole and Luke for putting these Runs together and giving me something to treasure for the rest of my life.

Thank you to all the Forum Vendors that provided so much support and donated items on every excursion. Your contributions are invaluable to the Raptor community.

Thank you to this Ford Raptor Forum for providing a place for nuts like me to learn all the things that I have over the years and for providing a central place for these excursions to be provided/discussed.

Thank you to all the great friends I have made on these trips, especially the local Chicago crew members that I have been fortunate to enjoy multiple Runs with.

Thank you to my wife Jennifer for supporting my crazy hobbies and being a great co-pilot. I hope you join me on future Runs!

Thank you to BIG BLUE for taking such good care of me (any my co-pilot) on 6 FRF Raptor Runs and over 11,000 miles of Raptor Excursions in 1 year and asking for more! You will never know another owner! I love my Raptor.

I need a spot so I can keep liking this.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Good job Mike. Being a support truck in a run certainly add a new element of excitement to it. I hear Charlie Company put on a good run.

Yukon Joe
www.RUNRAPTORRUN.com

 

[Big Blue]

I am pleased to announce that this thread is to be continued!!!

Unfortunately, I was not proactive when I first started this sticky and never blocked off the first few posts to allow for expansion. Birdman has modified this to allow me to continue reporting on Raptor Runs as I complete them and to provide insights, guidance and suggestions to forum member that can benefit from my experiences.

Therefore, Spring 14 and Time Attack write-ups will be posted shortly. Havoc in The Hills II to follow.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Thank you Andy.

 

[Kanakry]

Nice update!

 

[Wilson]

Another great wright up Mike.