Fam ily o w n ed b y en th u siasts sin ce 19 7 9

Of the dozen or so Camels in the US, some are actually in museums, very private
collections or are not suitable for road use. That said, we managed to get 50% the
known herd signed up for Colorado. But owning a Camel isn’t like owning any trail
truck; these are not the vehicles you take out every other weekend or are tempted to
drive when your real car is in the shop. For many owners, keeping the Camel
pristine isn’t just about the money and time they invested in restoring them; they want
to keep these vehicles clean because they consider them irreplaceable, not only to
them personally but the Land Rover community as a whole.
On the way out to Colorado, the 110 owned by Sweeter, which was coming from
Florida, ran into some mechanical difficulties and, sadly, had to scrub the trip.
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Another 110 owner came down with pneumonia and had to cancel, as well.
Meanwhile, while LRL staff were putting the final touches on the Descents trucks at
Land Rover Roaring Fork in Colorado, doom and gloom set in as a few of the
owners couldn’t be reached. Were they, too, having difficulties? Would our event be
a wash?
With a few cuss words thrown in during final fitting of gear, our worries were
put to rest as the distinctly sweet noise of 300tdi could be heard starting, accelerating,
and stopping as it hit each stop sign on its way to the dealer. By the time I rounded
the building, Dave Porter and pal Byron in his ‘96 Kalimantan Camel 110 were
pulling into the parking lot. Camels are big and small at the same time—small in that
they do not rely on huge tires, big in the amount of kit they posses. They are the work
truck of any adventure. Any way you look at it, they command a huge presence in any
company they keep.
Within the next hour or so, Camels rolled in from north, south, east, and west.
In next was Dale Wennagel in his ‘94 Paraguay Discovery with a colorful history; it
was the training car for LRNA during Camel trials for many years. This vehicle,
although mechanically sound, has not had a single dent removed and showcased all
those years of training runs. Just after, “The Doctors” ‘91 Camel Trophy 110 owned
by Steve Mills of British Car Service pulled up, and Steve promptly rewarded himself
with a Boddingtons for having done 1,000 plus miles in it while his pal Mickey Reidy
reveled in stories about their trip.
In last were the Canadians, Cory Paulger and his brother Calvin, in a Disco from
the ‘97 Mongolia trip. These later Camel Trophs had more of an emphasis on sports,
and so the Disco had several pieces of different livery standard. Cory, a tried-and-true
Camel aficionado, has gone about collecting all of “a significant list of items” that go
with the truck. I’ve personally reviewed the list and can assure readers he’s got a