After a 25 year hiatus, Ford has once again started producing the Bronco in 2021. Not only is the new Bronco extremely off-road capable with many awesome features coming standard, but fans of the old models are also happy with the style combination of modern with a retro look. Suffice to say, the anticipation surrounding these new Broncos is high.
But wait! There’s more! Along with a Bronco order, Ford is also offering an experience they are calling the Bronco Off-Roadeo – a two-day adventure designed to show off their new toys. Current and future Bronco owners can learn the basics of off-roading with experts, and learn how to use the amazing off-road features the new Broncos offer. Guests can choose from four different locations to test out loaner Broncos (no, not your own): Austin, Moab, New Hampshire, and Las Vegas.
Josh and I put our order in for a Badlands edition a few months ago (after pre-ordering on the second day they started taking reservations), so we were eligible to attend the Bronco Off-Roadeo. Our recent experience at the site near Austin, Texas was phenomenal. And despite the frustration we’ve had with production delay after delay these last few months, we are eagerly anticipating delivery of our own Bronco now more than ever.
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Our Bronco Off-Roadeo Trip to Austin, Texas
We flew from Indiana to Austin on a Friday evening with a quick layover in Dallas. We grabbed dinner at our hotel, and made plans for our next 24 hours in and around Austin. Read about our experience hiking the Greenbelt, lunch from Franklin BBQ, and visiting Pedernales State Park in our Austin, Texas: Our Fun Whirlwind 1 Day Visit blog.
Arriving at Basecamp
After our whirlwind tour of Austin, we were anxious to get to the main reason we traveled to Texas. On Sunday afternoon we excitedly pulled into Grey Wolf Ranch, 360 acres of privately-owned off-road playground specifically designed by the Bronco Off-Roadeo team.
We entered “basecamp” and checked in for our day and a half experience. We were pleasantly surprised to receive a pair of really nice Bronco-themed Yeti travel thermoses at check-in.
We had a few minutes to spare, so we visited the gift shop area to scope out the Bronco merchandise. We also explored a few minutes outside the basecamp, where they had a lot of different Bronco styles on display outfitted with many of the optional add-ons available.
At 1pm, our adventure started with meeting our instructors and brief introductions from the other two couples in our group. (We were extremely lucky to have a very small group of only 3 families, which gave us more time playing on the trails.)
By the way – these instructors they’ve found have some serious off-roading credentials! They all had Texas off-roading experience from a young age, and one instructor was a retired Marine who had taught off-roading skills in the military. He had also laid out the entire off-roading course on the property. We were in good hands with our teachers, who were so willing to help and added to the excitement of our experience.
Ground School and the ORX Training Course
We first had a few minutes of “ground school” where the instructors taught us the basic concepts of off-roading such as approach, breakover, and departure angles. We also went over some of the features available on the Broncos. This was just a short introductory session, and we quickly moved onto their ORX training course, which was small off-roading stations set up to demonstrate various obstacles on a trail drive.
They taught us basics such as appropriate positioning and mirror angles, and quickly moved into slightly more advanced off-roading lessons for things like forging water, traversing ditches, climbing up and down steep hills, left-foot breaking, crossing boulders, and how to select a route when you come to obstacles. The guests took turns practicing these maneuvers, and they also taught us how to spot other drivers on a trail with hand signals.
The course not only served as training for beginners (like us!), but was also designed to highlight the features of the new Bronco including things like Trail Turn Assist, Trail Control, front/rear lockers, and their G.O.A.T. modes (rock crawling, sand driving, etc.). Many times we would first attempt the station without added features and then a second time with the specific feature we needed employed. It was an amazing showcase of what these Broncos offer and how capable they are.
As we were working through the ORX course on Day 1, a heavy rain pushed us all back inside so we didn’t get to finish the whole training course. After the rain tapered off we were all anxious to get out on the trails and test out the Broncos and some of our newfound knowledge.
Bronco Off-Roadeo Trail Drives
Before we set off on the trails, we got our pick of any of the Broncos parked outside. All were either Badlands or Wild Trak models. Since we had ordered a Badlands, on the first day we chose a manual transmission Badlands.
Side note: There are LOTS of different models, trim levels, and add-on options in the “Bronco Family” depending on what you intend to do with your Bronco. The options and features each model offers is designed around the specific type of adventure it is made for.
We were excited to take the trails, but I had no idea what was ahead of us. I was nervous going into it since I’d never been off-roading, but quickly became even MORE nervous when I realized this was no joke! The trails were legit off-roading, whereas I guess I was expecting something a little milder. It was never really a fear for my safety, but more a fear of tearing something up 😛
There were some pretty serious rock climbs, forging water, and steep rocky hills. There was also very slippery terrain (remember, it had rained HARD just a few minutes before we left). All that, along with imagining myself fumbling around with a stick shift on my first time off-roading in new terrain…no way was I getting in that driver’s seat!
We got off the trails between five and six o’clock and they had a nice dinner waiting for us back at basecamp. We had a great time talking to the instructors and other guests about their lives and previous off-road experience. The instructors told us to be back the next morning around 7AM for more fun.
The next morning we finished up a couple stations on the ORX course we had missed the day before due to the rain. For our second day, we chose an automatic Badlands Sasquatch for the trail drive.
The second day’s trail drive proved even more difficult terrain than the day before. We did a lot of rock crawling that day, and also lots of maneuvering in tight spots on dirt and rock.
Along the trail there was a stop where they went over the basics of recovery so we knew what to do when (not if) we eventually get ourselves into a situation the Bronco can’t get out of on its own.
Unfortunately due to all the rain we were unable to do the speed course, but that did mean we got to spend more time exploring all the trails on the property.
The Last Word About the Ford Bronco Off-Roadeo
We ended our Off-Roadeo with a great lunch with new friends before setting off toward the airport. But before we left, we made sure to exchange phone numbers and emails with the other two couples in our group. We’ve been exchanging photos and videos taken during our day and a half.
And so that’s another great thing about the Bronco Off-Roadeo. They truly try to make it a tight-knit community atmosphere, and heavily stress continuing that as we take delivery of our own Broncos and hit the trails. The instructors shared many stories of times they have helped other off-roaders and when others have helped them (yes, even Jeep owners!). 😛
So we are now looking more forward than ever to get our own Bronco and get on paths less-traveled in our neck of the woods and beyond.
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