This year for General Tire has been the celebration of our 100th birthday. Our consumers and adventurists are the ones who live our brand to the fullest. During the months of June and July a sweepstakes filled the social media space that would give 4 winners and 4 guests the experience of a lifetime. Kari, a winner from Chippewa Falls, WI entered simply because she was new to Instagram but followed General Tire and loved our brand. The trip was 4 day & 3 night excursion through the Nevada desert. The trip started in Tonopah, NV and ventured through the desert surrounding many destinations including; Area 51, Goldfield, Gold Strike, dry lake beds and abandoned mines. Cole & Greg Heckel, brothers from Virginia, described the trip in one word: exhilarating.
After flying into Las Vegas, the winners and guests traveled north to Tonopah, NV in the Zero1 Odysseys’ van. Once there, greetings of wonderful smelling food and flowing drinks started their first night in this adventure. The horizon of day one brought upon so much glee, nervousness and excitement that many participants could not explain it. Kari summed it up perfectly by stating;
“A camera just does not do the views justice”.
During day two, the winners stopped first on a breathtaking mountain top followed by a dry lake bed. While traveling this day, a wild mustang was spotted and gun shells were found at the fence of Area 51 on the dry lake bed. All day their General Tire Grabbers were pushed to the limit in rock climbing, hill jumps and high speed washout sections. Not once did any of the buggies fall trap to a flat tire or mechanical issue. The Zero One Odysseys’ team knows the exact vehicle set-up and excitement level to make the desert adventure trip – a trip of a lifetime.
While in Tonopah, NV, all winners and guests stayed at the Mizpah Hotel on Main Street. The accommodations were above outstanding. This hotel was stuck in the 1900’s when it was first built. The plumbing and necessities were upgraded to be optimal for the year however; the western-mining-town charm was left to perfection. Many guests claim to see “The Lady in Red” house ghost but sadly, I never did.
Each winner and guest accompanied the team to a fantastic Mexican cuisine the night before the flights back home. As the sun rose on their last day, the winners and guests packed up and headed down the mountain to the “city that never sleeps”, Las Vegas.
Melissa and Frank, winners from Dallastown, PA, claimed their favorite part to be driving across the dry lake bed on Saturday and taking part in a small piece of the Best in the Desert Vegas to Reno course. They described the trip as “amazing” and stated that the General Tire Grabber tires were able to withstand all the pressure they placed on the tread and sidewalls.
“What a thrill!”
For two days straight the limits were tested on these General Tire Grabber tires and within themselves. With the experience of a lifetime under their belt, one has to wonder what General Tire will do next to end the year with a bang.
Day Two started with warming the buggies up and debriefing from Day One’s lessons. The adventure was to start sharply at 9AM!
A view from inside the cockpit as the winners and guests venture through the Nevada Desert with Zero One Odysseys.
While trekking through the desert, you never know what you are going to see! On day two, we found a wild Mustang running through our trail. After stopping and grazing, we all went on our way.
All winners and guests loved the dry lake bed and finding Area 51 bullets and shells. The group shot shows the excitement as we finished up on stop 2 for the day.
Time to grab some air! Frank and Melissa were able to capture a lot of air as they sent their Zero One Odysseys buggy flying over the jump. Of course their General Tire Grabber tires helped them hook to the dirt and keep rolling.
Last night of dinner with the winners and guests. Mexican was one of their favorites in the town of Tonopah, NV. Off to the airport bright and early for these adventurists.
