Texas Overland Expo
In October, the 4th annual Texas Avid Outdoors Expo was held in conjunction with Texas Overland at the privately-owned Oxford Ranch Campground in the Texas Hill Country, just 30 minutes north of the rather famous towns of Luckenbach, TX and Fredericksburg, TX. The surrounding area features a network of dirt roads that are great for exploring. Jump on one of the county roads and you are likely to encounter historic German churches, old homesteads, and multiple shallow water crossings.
When asked about the goal of the Expo, event organizer Chris Devereaux explained that Ížthe purpose of this event every year is to help members and vendors gather in one common place, and in one of the most beautiful parts of Texas. Clinics were offered for HAM radio, first aid, trail repairs and recovery, and tread lightly concepts. A dutch oven cooking contest plus a raffle drawing were evening highlights, and a guided trail run through the Hill Country was offered on Saturday afternoon.
With approximately 500 people in attendance and 22 vendors on site, this resulted in a 60% increase over attendance numbers from the previous year. Together, the increased popularity for exploring in 4×4 rigs and the recognition growth experienced by Texas Overland are the major contributing factors for the major turnout. Vendors ranged from radio control off-road to multiple off-road tent suppliers, off-road trailer suppliers, fabrication, rock climbing, and even coffee beans.
Social media has been instrumental in the exponential growth of the overland industry, as there seems to be a longing for people to meet other like-minded adventurers. The overland community is a tight-knit group, at times only on social media, Chris explains. This event allows you to come into presence with other members and vendors you’ve been chatting with all year long, most likely through a screen.
“Texas Overland is so grateful for the opportunity to work with Frank and the guys at Texas Avid Outdoors, who started this event four years ago, said Chris. We all work well together and are excited to make next year even better. We want to say a huge thank you to all our members that have supported us through the years and helped make this Expo what it is today. We couldn’t do it without you all!”
Want to attend next year? Consider extending your stay and visit the amazing Texas Hill Country towns of Luckenbach, Fredericksburg, Mason, and Llano. Be sure to check out the Alamo Springs Café just south of Fredericksburg. One of the most scenic paved routes in TX is just south of these towns. Head out of Fredericksburg to Kerrville to Center Town, then Elm Pass Rd south, cut over to Medina and go west on 337 to Vanderpool, then north to Lost Staples State Natural Area.
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