Off road events had been held throughout the country in the spring, summer and fall, but there were few opportunities to tackle the trails in the winter months.
Bruce Fowler, Unity ME, a serial Series Land Rover owner and driver, owned lots of acreage of fields and streams himself, and had lots of neighbors with their own land. Suddenly enthusiasts had hundreds of acres of logging roads and snowmobiling trails on which to test their skills.
From a handful of Series Land Rovers in the early years to nearly 100 vehicles and hundreds more enthusiasts today, the event has become a winter holiday on the northeastern enthusiast. This year, the Winter Romp runs from February 17 - 20 and promises to be as much fun as ever.
The hardiest enthusiasts will "winter camp" on Bruce's property. Coddled enthusiasts will take rooms at the "official hotel," the regally named Waterville Grand Hotel, in nearby Waterville, ME.
Enthusiasts have driven Land Rover Defenders from Washington, DC and Virginia. One former New Englander boarded a plane in Nashville and hitched a ride to the Romp. There's a Canadian contingent from Ottawa and the Maritimes who attend every year.
My Rover was last tuned up in early December but I'll try and mooch use of the electric company's line crew garage to check out the car. I'd like to tighten up the exhaust header, check out the clutch [not very effective] and the points/timing to get the most torque for off roading.
Carlos Melo, Bronx, NY, watches over me as I dump air from my tires for the off road portion: 12- 15 psi is really an effective range.
There's rumor that Rovers North will attend in the new "company" Range Rover Evoque; it will be interesting the see the enthusiast response to this newest Range Rover.You can read about the Evoque in the upcoming issue of Rovers Magazine.
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