For the first time, we held the Annual Texas Power Wagon Reunion at an off road vehicle park.  Shiloh Ridge Park is located at Alto in eastern Texas, and offers a variety of challenging trails. Some trails were relatively easy going and could be driven in two-wheel-drive.  Some looked very difficult until our Power Wagons eased right through.

We had no trouble driving this section, but doing it on foot was another story. 

On our first easy group ride on Friday, Cecil Cox made it up one hill and ended up towing Mark Francis, Paul Cook, and Pat O’Bryan up the top half of the hill. He had the NATO/LAV 11.00 x 16 tires on his M-37.   The ones he towed had 9.00 x 19 military NDT’s. 

The trails looped past mud pits where the more adventurous drivers powered in and entertained the rest of us.  Larry Cook brought an M-37 based extreme machine he had just finished. He amazed us all with his truck’s amazing performance.

Here's Jeff Barnett’s M-37 in a mud pit.  Check out the clean engine compartment - NOT!

Other trails were moderately challenging with steep grades, tight woods, and mud holes. These gave folks who were new to "four-wheeling" a chance to find out just how great our Power Wagons are. As they moved to more difficult trails, they clearly gained confidence in their trucks and their driving skills. Recent rains left many trails extremely muddy. I have attended six Power Wagon Reunions starting in 1995. I checked with some "old timers" who confirmed my suspicion. More trucks had to be towed this year than in all eight previous Reunions combined.

Lloyd Bluntzer and Jim Bennack both needed some help getting the last few feet through the ultimate pothole in a trail.  Here's Lloyd.

Many were towed and many towed. We took that as a measure of the excellent challenges offered at Shiloh Ridge.   We recommend this park.  www.shilohridge.com 

We had fourteen trucks at the Reunion.  Ten were M-37 series.  Here's the other four which represented the rest of the world's Power Wagons.

Bennie William's '57 W-100 <> Mark Francis' WM-300 <> Jim Bennack's M-880 <> Paul Cook's WC-52

Our fifteenth Power Wagon was overlooked in our photo lineup.   It was Larry Cook's big blue long-bed crew cab.  He used it to tow his mean M-37.  For those of you who think a Power Wagon should go fast, here's one that's good for over a hundred miles per hour - pulling another Power Wagon on a trailer.   Can you say Caterpillar 3208?  ... Allison transmission? ... and some other secret ingredients he did not get from his mother's cookbook.  And, YES, he does take this truck off road.   P.S.  I am not Larry's father!

One quality that makes the Texas Power Wagon Reunions successful is that they are family oriented. Those who came with their families were Aaron Arnold, Lloyd Bluntzer, Larry Cook, Cecil Cox, Dan Brown, Mark Francis, Noel Goin, and Sam Goin. Pat O'Bryan and Wanda Russell, Mike and Elma Moody, and Don and Pattie Sawyer were there. John Colwell brought his daughter Chelsea; and Jeff Barnett brought his brother, Jim. We had three generations represented when Jim Bennack came with with his father and his son. Others who came were Paul Cook, Gary Thomas, and Calvin Bescheinen.

Bill Martinson came the farthest at around 1300 miles but did not bring his Power Wagon. There were some tight sections where the rest of us would have been entertained watching that Crew Cab get through. I’ve been on the trails with Bill at other events, including last year’s Reunion at Port Aransas.  I missed not seeing his truck out there but I was pleased to have Bill and Tammy ride with me for awhile.

The one who drove his Power Wagon the farthest was Cal Bescheinen from Lincoln, NE. He drove his M-43 ambulance around 800 miles, a feat made all the more special when we note that Cal is 75 years young.

Shiloh Ridge Park had a camping area with water and electricity available. Some who stayed in tents had electric fans and other comforts. I don’t know how much they needed the fans. We had straight line winds over 20 mph the whole time.