The Return From UOR Expo 2015 – Part 2

Heat and Humidity. Back in Kentucky, it gets warm…real warm…but not like the Arizona and western states do. At my house we don’t have air conditioning, we have a “swamp” cooler…or evaporative cooler. They only work where the humidity is low…like 10-20%…once the humidity rises they don’t really cool the air so much.

So, that said, I’ve realized that being outside the last two years for the Unlimited Off-road Expo, our bodies turn themselves into evaporative coolers…as long as there’s a breeze. So 85 to 90 degrees with 80-90% humidity turns people into walking swamp coolers. Bring lots of shirts and drink lots of water. Its ok to carry a towel with you, but if you keep drying yourself off you no longer are a walking swamp cooler…your just hot…carrying a sweaty towel. And make sure there is a breeze…always.

Our first stop after the Expo was on the U. S. Army base in Fort Campbell, KY, home to the 101st Airborne Division and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. They also have their own Facebook Page here.

So it was fitting that the name of the offroad shop was actually called Air Assault and was staffed by both retired and active military. With a location inside the base itself, they serve only military personnel which, of course, a number of drive jeeps! Imagine that! They are also a full service shop with a great showroom and awesome staff! We spent some time inside their shop as we waited for some crazy rainstorms to pass through the area…seriously…when it rains back east, they mean it!

The next stop as we worked our way back home was in Memphis, Tennessee…well, very near there in Bartlett. We did not stop at Graceland which I was surprised at how many folks were disappointed that we missed that…maybe on the next trip through we go see if we can find Elvis.

Hypertech, the world leader in high performance engine tuning products, let us hang out in their facility along with the MidSouth Jeep Club for an afternoon of CTI flexing!

If your not familiar with Hypertech, I borrowed some info from their website…and you should really check out their products!:

The Dyno room at Hypertech is AWESOME!

Hypertech is a technology-driven company with a unique status in the aftermarket industry. Unlike other speed equipment manufacturers that produce hard parts like camshafts and cylinder heads, our core product is knowledge; the ability to tune the complex computers that control essential functions in modern automobiles. We have invested in people, not machinery. The knowledge and skill of the Hypertech team are our most valuable assets. Our staff of engineers and technicians has degrees in a variety of disciplines, including electrical engineering, computer science, and mechanical engineering. Hypertech people know computers from the inside out! The Hypertech team is passionate about performance. We have racers, hot rodders, and performance enthusiasts on our staff. You’ll find modified trucks and street machines in our employee parking lot. We build project cars and use our trucks for towing on weekends. We come from different backgrounds, but we have all learned to appreciate the tremendous power of electronic engine controls to improve performance on the street as well as on the race track.

They also have a Facebook Page, here.

Getting closer to home we had one final event lined up in Tulsa, Oklahoma at one of my favorite shops, Sam’s Offroad Equipment.

These guys have a lot of followers and have a really great shop…if you are ever in the area, your missing out if you don’t stop in and say hello.

You can also find them on Facebook at Sam’s Offroad. Rick Franco and his team are a ton of fun and there’s a reason the shop stays busy! Rick also brought out the BBQ and made hotdogs and hamburgers for everyone!

Remember in the beginning when I talked about heat and humidity? Well, it was 102 in Sam’s parking lot where we set up the CTI Trailer…but the humidity was too terrible! They also had the largest turnout of any of the stops we had made this far this year! What a great event…and thanks to Rick and his guys for turning all of the shop swamp coolers to point at us outside as we checked out some suspension flexing!

If you would like to learn more about the CTI Trailer, please check out these links: Introduction to Corner Travel Index (CTI) – YouTube ; http://www.cornertravelindex.com