Every year, the Parker 4 Wheelers sponsor Desert Splash, a mild to wild set of runs near Parker, Arizona. Registration and run departure happens at La Paz Campground along the river. Our group stayed at Havasu Springs RV Park a few miles up the road; we’re basically very lazy and enjoyed the restaurant and especially the Outer Harbor Lounge. Don’t think we cooked this trip…

Friday found us teaming up with some of Nathan’s rock buggy buddies for a non-event run on Snakebite, a trail located across the river on the California side. This trail features ledges, off camber sections, and a good chance to tear sheetmetal for those choosing a poor line. Skip, displaying rock buggy moxy, laid his buggy on it’s side to drive through a particularly narrow, nasty section. He then climbed the opposite wall, flopped it back onto it’s tires, and continued on. Cool move. Snakebite is a short but harrowing trail.

On Saturday, we ran Deliverance, one of the sanctioned trails. We were at the very end of the line, so waiting was the order of the day. Deliverance is a much milder trail, but still featured some steep waterfalls, narrow canyons, and rocks just waiting to bite at your sheetmetal. Vehicles ranged from mild builds to highly modified Jeeps to buggies. With the variety of vehicles, there was always lots to watch.

We finished Deliverance quite near the Desert Bar. A five minute drive put us in touch with live music, hamburgers, and cold beers. This was a nice way to end a day of wheeling and our visit to Desert Splash 2007.