Jeffrey AronsonDaisson Hickel, the organizer of the Sand Rover Rally, spoke to a crowd of enthusiasts on the first night of the April event. “Land Rovers are interesting vehicles. They have souls and minds of their own. They’re a part of our family, thick or thin. As Land Rover enthusiasts, we’re all the same. We’ve all come to this beautiful location to share our stories.”
No doubt, the 30A area – Santa Rosa Beach in the Florida Panhandle – sets a standard for “beautiful location.” Thanks to an abundance of state parks and preserves along the 30A two-lane road, the region offers natural views and older wooden buildings; 30A seems less built-up than much of the rest of the state. Coming from a Maine “spring day” (NOAA warned of temperatures in the 40s, “crisp, windy and rainy days, snow in the mountains), I felt refreshed just being warm.
The storytelling, formal or informal, tall tale, fib or (gasp) the truth, went on throughout the April weekend. My story began in Birmingham, AL, where I hitched a ride with the team from Adventure Motorcars. Stephen Ogletree, Scott Johnston, Travis Bunton, Nat Gentle and Wood Herren led an impressive convoy of four NAS Defender 90’s on the four-hour drive from Birmingham to Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Wood took the wheel of a NAS Defender with the rare factory fiberglass hardtop, one of four vehicles displayed by Adventure Motor Cars, and together we solved many of the automotive world’s problems during our 4-hour drive. It was a shame that the CEOs of Lexus, BMW, Honda, Mercedes and Jaguar Land Rover could not have listened in on our brilliant discourses.
Thanks to Daisson, I had the delight of driving both “Truman,” 30A’s official Land Rover 90, and one of Daisson’s Defenders. Having access to a vehicle enabled me to find housing at the Topsail State Park, a few miles away from the event’s central site. Topsail had the expected RV and tent camping areas, a fine coffee/snack shop, and the unexpected bonus of several small prefab cabins. Apparently, the park staff feel it necessary to erect signs instructing guests, “For your safety, do not swim with alligators.” Well, there went my story!
At a special presentation, Friday night’s most gripping story came from special guest Alex Bescoby, the author of The Last Overland, Singapore to London. He flew in from London with his partner, Emma Fox, to give his perspectives on the epic drive that recreated the historic 1957 trek created by Tim Slessor and his team [See Holiday 2019 Issue of Rovers Magazine -ed]. Even after thousands of miles in Oxford, the Series I, Alex insisted that “Series Land Rovers should be driven all over every country. They have stories in each one, and I love Land Rovers for that reason.” [See p.48 in this issue -ed.]
The storytelling became more compelling with the arrival of David Short, Sterling, VA. He had arranged for Oxford’s traverse across the USA and drove it – along with Mike McCaig – from the Pacific Northwest to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. David decided to finally meet Alex and hurriedly jumped on a plane and flew south for this event. Their shared experiences, painful and otherwise, must have formed intriguing conversations; you really wished you were a fly on the wall to hear those stories. 30A’s McKenna Mears made certain to capture some of their conversations on video, and WJHG reporter Talor Maree taped an onsite interview for the nightly news.
Charles Bell, Jr., head of the Gulf Coast Land Rover Club, drove over with his family from Mobile, AL. He took the leadership role for the off-roading. In general, Florida has few hills; the state’s highest elevation at 345 ft was nearby. In this popular Panhandle resort region, the state parks offer sandy lanes with a modicum of mud – such as we experienced on the last morning after massive thunderstorms saturated the sandy surface. None of that distressed Charles, who enjoys seeing mud all over “Brutus V,” the family ’14 LR4 Anniversary Edition.
Trail rides made it possible to meet and swap stories with Alejandro Sena, Sarasota, FL, a member of the Florida Land Rover Club. At heart, Alejandro considers himself a long-time Series Land Rover enthusiast, but his kitted-out’94 NAS Defender (plaque #94), minus its canvas top, proved the perfect trail vehicle that afternoon. With friends Matt Yates, Tyler Cox, Benny Suarez and Elliot Roll, they invited me to their rented beach house where more outrageous stories preceded our trail run.
Anthony and Alaina Poole, Pinson, AL, had traveled south in their ’93 Range Rover Classic, convoying with their friend Jesse Jackson in his Discovery II – that is, until his idler pulley failed.
They parked Jesse’s Discovery and made it to the Friday night party at the Grayton Brewery where they had the good fortune to meet up with Jack Nelson. He opened the rear door to his Discovery XD and pulled out a heavy tote of spare parts. Out came a spare Discovery II pulley; Anthony and Jesse had it installed in a jiffy – another Rover Rescue. (They weren’t done with rescuing Discoverys; on Saturday, when Daisson heard of a $500 Discovery II for sale nearby, Anthony, Alaina and Jesse got it running and drove it to the Saturday afternoon display!).
In between outstanding drinks, fine meals and the performance of the gospel/country/rock band, “Drunk Limpet,” Susan G. Peele, Mobile, AL, had a showing of her remarkable Land Rover-themed paintings. An ardent Anglophile, her paintings reflect her admiration for the English countryside, its Land Rovers, and Land Rover’s most cherished driver, Queen Elizabeth II.
David Elder, Athens, GA, has a virtual EU of Land Rovers: a ’91 Land Rover 90 from Spain, a ’92 Defender 90 from Italy, and a ’94 Defender 130 with a 200 Tdi from France and “lots of Discoverys at home in Georgia. He urged enthusiasts, “Don’t let perfection get in the way of enjoyment.” Jeremy Foster, Marietta, GA, brought his ’95 Fire Apparatus that he found in Austria in 2019.
Mike and Susan Hall, Dothan, GA, and Panama City, FL, had bought an ’89 Perentie [an Australian version of the Land Rover 110, built for the Australian Armed Forces -ed.] to keep their ’97 Defender 90 company at home. Chip Goudry, Opolacka, AL, had the good fortune to buy his ’91 Ranger Rover Hunter from Rovers North’s Les Parker. Its green paint had oxidized in the Florida sun, but no one cared as the Hunter edition is so revered by Range Rover enthusiasts. As its name implies, this less-luxurious, simpler model aimed its sights at, well, hunters and equestrians. We’ve not seen a repeat of that model, “because it didn’t sell,” notes Simon Turner of JLR NA. Chip also has an ’83 Series III 109” FFR (Fitted for Radio) in which he travels with his Royal Enfield motorcycle.
Viraj and Loreal Patel, Mobile, AL and their infant Diya, arrived in a ’96 Discovery I unusual in the US – a RHD 300Tdi that Viraj found in London. He overhauled the engine himself, adding some extra torque and horsepower. Viraj, Mike and Susan Hall and Chip Goudry all won Rovers North gift certificates as prizes; given the quality of the vehicles on display Saturday afternoon, we could have awarded dozens more.
Land Rover events can be like potato chips – you can’t do only one. Ben Montgomery and Isabel Espinheira, Fairhope, AL, brought their ’64 Series IIA. Like Bill and Juliet Koch, Richardson, TX, and Charles Bell, Jr, had all been at the SCARR event only 10 days earlier. I also spotted Maine Winter Romp participant Laura Weiss, Portland, ME with her four children. The few days spent at this 9th annual Sand Rover Rally went by too fast and I soon found myself back in the drizzle and chill of New England.
McKenna Mears, 30A’s Marketing Coordinator, said, “It’s crazy that we’re already planning next year’s Rally! It was only my second year with the event, but it was so cool to see some familiar faces returning with such enthusiasm. I’m so in love with the Land Rovers and what they represent in terms of owner’s attitudes. I think it’s far cooler to drive a Land Rover than any supercar. It’s amazing to realize that the Sand Rover Rally brings people from all over the south, from New England, even the UK!”
“Before I worked with Daisson and the Sand Rover Rally group, I would have said that what draws people to this amazing place is food, music and sand. Now I have to say it’s Land Rovers!”
Adventure Motor Cars
Twenty-two years ago, Stephen Ogletree, Birmingham, AL, fulfilled the dream of starting his own Land Rover business, Adventure Motor Cars. When Stephen first heard of the Sand Rover Rally 9 years ago, he offered to become a sponsor and has remained so to this day.
In May 2022, Adventure Motor Cars moved to Homewood, AL, with the purchase of a 30,000 sq ft building. The new home, formerly a Sears, benefitted from substantial renovations to make it an efficient, comfortable place to work. With proper lifts, the addition of a paint booth and plenty of storage space for vehicles and parts, Adventure Motor Cars continues its growth as a refurbishment, restoration and custom modification shop.
While most of the company’s work is with NAS Defenders, upcoming projects include the restoration of a ’96 TReK Discovery XD #7 (of 10 produced) used by the Land Rover Denver East team. Upon completion, it will be for sale.