Jill and I went to The Hummer Club, Inc. national event at Windrock. The Coal Creek Off Highway Vehicle Area is a 72,000 acre (yes, 72 thousand acres!) offroad vehicle park in Oliver Springs, TN. With literally hundreds of miles of trails ranging from gravel roads to steep rock climbs, Windrock has something for everyone.

There were quite a few Hummer trucks, split into teams of about eight trucks. By far, most of the trucks were Hummer H1's, with a few Hummer H2's scattered about, and even fewer Hummer H3's. In fact, on Team 4, my Hummer H3 Adventure was the only truck that was not an H1 or H1 Alpha. Needless to say, Jill and I were in for the ride of our lives.

Most of the trails we took were rated from moderate to moderate++. They were definitely pushing the limits of my Hummer H3 Adventure, as well as my ability to drive it. Much of the terrain was very rocky, and could easily damage my truck if I was not careful. In fact, on some of the trails, Jill was more than happy to jump out and take pictures. But, in reality, there was only one place were I raised both back wheels off the ground and almost flipped end-over-end.

Luckily, I had no major damage or injuries; just some scratches on the bottoms of the rocker bars, and a big dent in one of the under body protectors. But, that's what the're there for! The Hummer H1 Alpha in front of me was not so fortunate; he blew his transfer case trying to climb a big rock, and had to be towed out because he lost drive to all wheels. After a few tries on that same rock with my Hummer H3 Adventure, I decided to winch my truck over the rock. On one other occasion, I became high-centered on a rock and had to be pulled backwards a few feet. But, after picking a new line to drive, I was able to navigate the rock that had just high-centered my truck.

I successfully made it through trail 39. That was no easy task for anyone, not even for the H1's. I soon became known as "The H3 that did trail 39!" For that accomplishment, I received my "Trail Endorsement", a Hummer Club certification indicating that I know how to push my vehicle to its limits while safely navigating difficult terrain. I also won the "most embarassing" award: a toilet seat with a Windrock sticker. That award was not for my off-road driving skills, but for my on-road skills. Basically, whenever anyone asked on which trail I busted my tail light and kinked my back bumper, I had to tell them it happened in a McDonald's parking lot.