T OYO TA T R A I L S Georg Esterer going up—or maybe going down. Photo by Charles Kim raffled off an Ironman refrigerator and all the proceeds were donated. In honor of Mack Jenkins (Stacy Jenkins Roberts’ father), the organization this year was the Mississippi Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Stacy gave a moving dedication to her father that had the crowd simultaneously in awe over her love and in tears with empathy for her and her family’s loss. After a last call for donations, the total climbed from just over $2,000 to well over $5,000. Once again, this outpouring of support shows what a commitment all the people at the event have towards family. And family is really what it’s all about at the Crawl. As I think back to the weekend and the highlights for me, they all revolve around participating in an event with the people I love (yes, love). I honestly believe that I could call on any one of the folks in attendance for help and they would do everything in their power to assist, no matter what. And I think that’s a powerful sense of family for a group that sees each other just a few times a year. the frame of his FJ40. There were also the usual antics by Bill Stayner, who may have reached his personal best with three flops and two rollovers. Ryan Wilson, in his first generation 4Runner, took a terrible tumble, crushing the entire roof and hood of his rig. To his credit, he was back within hours and ready to hit the trail. The newer generation Toyota crowd made a good showing this year as well, with 25 registered FJ Cruiser, late model 4Runner and GX470 drivers. It’s fantastic to see the new generation of wheelers building and wheeling their rigs. They also have some pretty cool toys. The best way to see what gear was out there these days was to visit “FJ Town,” where most of the FJ Cruiser folks camped back in the overflow area. It was truly a home away from home where roof top tents, adventure trailers and OZ Tents abounded! As usual, the food was wonderful and a huge thank you goes out to Louisiana Land Krewesers and Bayou State Land Cruiser Association for their contribution to the event. And the music… ah, the music. If you don’t know by now, Jeff Murrah (or Bodean) is a huge music fan and it’s so important to him to have great acts for us to enjoy. Playing without his band this year was Hot Stell, er, I mean Matt Stell—they said they wanted 48 a woman’s point of view so be careful what you ask for, boys! As always, his set was wonderful. Headlining on Friday night was Southern Brothers From Another Mother. They played a fantastic country set that brought people to the front of the stage to show off their Texas Two Step! The last night was, of course, the raffle. With prizes totaling over $10,000, the raffle did not disappoint. In addition to the regular raffle, CottonLand chose a philanthropic organization to contribute to at the event. The club I heard something while we were at the Crawl and as I thought about it, it really epitomized the feeling of this event for everyone, young and old, male and female. Bill Stayner said, “This was the first ride I’ve ever come to where I didn’t know anyone and it didn’t matter.” And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why the Crawl is the event of the year as far as I am concerned. Stacy Roberts in her FJ40, preparing to confront the big rocks at Superlift. Photo by Rick Carswell