Off Roading 2013 Range Rovers in AZ/UT- 01.30.13
Wow - what a day it was yesterday. Bounced from LA to Phoenix to Page and across the AZ/UT border to Amangiri to explore the latest 4th gen 2013 Range Rover, and in 12 crazy hours, went through everything from freezing cold to bright sunshine, to fresh snow covered endlessness, to more sun, to hail, to rocky climbs, to red sandiness, a stunning cliff sunset and more. When Land Rover takes you out to show you what their cars can do, they are serious about the “breadth of capability”. The new faster, lighter, smarter Range Rovers hold on to their luxurious, explorer heritage while embracing new technology to ensure their drivers are ready for anything from racing through the city (supercharged will get you 0-60 in 5 seconds!) to climbing through just about any terrain (including wading through nearly 3 ft of water) at the push of a button. And they really brought us out to an incredibly remote spot that left us dancing across the Arizona and Utah border. Take a peek on the next page at some of yesterday’s adventure.
I say “some”, because there is doing and there is shooting - biggest thing i realized going back through these pictures is that some of the best fun i had, i was too busy driving to take pictures! So for this post you’ll get a peek at what it looked like when i was passengering… and perhaps as more photos get shared, i’ll have a few of what it looked like while i was driving to add in! (UPDATE: added more pics of what it was like when i was driving to the end of the post!) And having grown up an SUV driver, i love a car that can handle more than just what you’ll usually throw at it - and the handling on the 2013 Range Rover is fantastic… definitely worth a drive if you have the chance, and try to get it off road if possible too! But first - adventure pics on the next page!
Waking up and wandering to the restaurant for breakfast, the view of the new Range Rover framed amongst the concrete world of Amangiri and the harsh desert backdrop stops you in your tracks.
Peeking out in the driveway - our caravan of Range Rovers await…
After an hour and a bit of road driving - first pit stop is at a gas station for coffee and snacks out of the back of one of the cars… followed by another hour or so till we lunch in Kenab, UT… then back at it!
Heading up, passing 7000 ft in elevation, a heavy coat of fresh snow surrounds us, and it was hard to believe that moments ago it was sunny and bright red/golden sandy desert…
A peek at the new console…
As we veer in past the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and beyond into BLM (Bureau of Land Management) territory for our off road adventure, the snow covered paths alter the route the last few press waves took…
… but it was a fun and amazingly serene snowy/muddy path - filled with so many various animal tracks (though we only really saw wild turkeys and cows)
Next coffee break!
Since the usual off road trails were a bit snowed in, they gave us the opportunity for off roading in the desert closer to the hotel next! This actually gave me a chance to learn to climb and descend crazier terrain - all with the expert guidance of Jonathan, one of the Land Rover Instructors (random fun facts: who happens to also drive for Bones, is the brother in law of david boreanaz, and has basically grown up on Land Rover adventures all over the world since he was a child)…
Stunning to get to not only explore such different terrain - but also experience sunset throughout the drive.
There’s something terribly adorable about a pack of rovers in the distance with glowing headlights climbing down the landscape!
Here’s a peek at how carefully the instructors help spot you to get you down crazy terrain…
Yes - it’s still an incredibly luxurious vehicle, but after this adventure, i’ll feel a little sad for every LA/soccer mom looking Range Rover i run into that may never get to switch into off road mode… or go wading through deep puddles/rivers…
… and home we go! Back through the cattle gate to the main road and off to the hotel!
UPDATE - here are some pics from the Land Rover photographers during the trip - found pictures of myself happily driving!
