Gambler 500 Oregon OG Edition

MJ
MJ
Jul 20, 2017 · 3 min read

The 2017 OG Gambler 500 “navigational challenge” (not a race) is in some regards a story about the power of social media. A rally that went from 30 cars one year to 800 the next because of a 1 minute video on Youtube.

When I first learned about the event I knew I had to do it so I set about selecting a $500 rig to run it with my 5 friends. After months of exchanging Craigslists ads and even looking at a few cars time was short so we decided to run it in my trusty Volvo C303.

I’d describe the event as a MadMax + Smokey and the Bandit. Starting in Portland you follow a route of lat/longs across the Cascade range, through the desert to a remote party. Get up in the morning and do it all over again in reverse.

Hands-down my favorite part was the mechanical engineering and creativity exhibited by the participants.

Check out some photos of the rigs below and I hope to see you out gambling next year!

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MJ

Written by

MJ

Backcountry and off-road Adventures in the Pacific Northwest. #searchandrecreation

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