There’s a first for everything and a few weeks ago we got a chance to experience our first off roading adventure. Not knowing what to expect, we headed to Hollister bright and early to meet up with the crew at Venture Jeeps.

What exactly is off roading?  Wikipedia says: Off-roading is the activity of driving or riding a vehicle on unsurfaced roads or tracks, made of materials such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain. Traveling on off-road terrains require vehicles capable of accommodating off-road driving such as ATVs. These vehicles accommodate off road conditions with extended ground clearance, off-road tires and drive-train. Some manufacturers offer vehicles specifically meant for off-road use.

We’ve all seen the monster trucks smashing cars on TV, or Jeeps with super huge wheels barreling down the freeway. With both these images in mind, we pulled up to the designated meet up area to meet with Anthony and his wife Linda, the owners of Venture Jeeps. They introduced themselves, gave us some information about the cars, safety tips, we hopped in to the drivers seat and were off!

Anthony spent all day with us at Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area. The Recreation Area is divided into a 4 wheel side and a 2 wheel side (dirt bikes etc.)  They also allow camping and fire pits at night for a minimal price.

We started off at the training obstacle course to get a feel for our car (each car drives a bit differently) and learn the basics of off roading.  Anthony is a great teacher and explained to us the best and easiest way to overcome different types of road conditions.  We all got a chance to drive as well as observe from passenger side or outside of the car to get different perspectives and to see how the whole process works. Often times we couldn’t even see where we were going since the nose of the car was too high in the air!

After a couple practice rounds, we headed to the main area for a more challenging obstacle course. We took a break under trees for some snacks and an early lunch for those who got hungry (all provided and included in the package with Venture Jeeps).

Once refreshed, we tackled the more difficult courses with excitement!

We ended the day with a fun trail drive on one of the park’s many off roading trails. After lots of twists, bumps, and turns, we ended up at the top of the mountain and were rewarded with a great view of the valleys below!

I must say that it is just as fun watching the car axis stretch and crawl it’s way over the rocks as it is to drive it. This makes a great family friendly activity since it is fun and exciting as driver or passenger!  It’s also a unique idea for birthday, bachelor, or bachelorette parties, and company retreats. We had a great time with Anthony and his family and can’t wait to go again soon.

Venture Jeeps has great deals for a full day or overnight trips on both weekdays and weekends.  To learn more be sure to check out their website: http://www.venturejeeps.com/  

You can also get 25% off any package with code “BAYAREABUZZ”.  Have fun out there!