As part of our annual Adropcamp, we went to the Hummercenter in Prague to check out these monsters that are said to start where others end. Sounds rough, but we'll see.
We couldn't wait
It was clear that there was no time to waste, so we set off on our first ride straight away. We all climbed into the back of a nicely camouflaged Humvee and enjoyed the ride. 
Someone more, someone less. Less especially after the instructor told us to put all our stuff away, hide our cameras and gopro or we wouldn't see them again, and wear our helmets. We understood very quickly what we had them for, actually at the first smaller jump, when we were kind of flying on the hull and wondering whether to hold on to a colleague or a pole. But it was a great ride! We went around the whole track and were looking forward to trying to drive a similar car.
Will they let us drive it?!
While waiting for the Hummer to drive there was a slight nervousness in the air, not everyone on the team is confident behind the wheel of a passenger car, let alone such an off-road monster.
But we're not afraid of it, you have to try everything!
So we split into two groups and the first group (girls) got into a Hummer H2 with an instructor. The gentlemen gallantly gave us priority. I guess they wanted to see how it's done :)
So the instructor drove the whole route with us, sat in the passenger seat and it was our turn. Me, that is. It's an automatic, it's a bit stiffer pedals, but you get used to it... Sure, we're good to go.
"And you're not strapped in because you don't need to be?"
"No. That's so I can jump on the wheel if something...."
"Oh" ...
That didn't help me twice, but I was looking forward to it, so I hit the track. You get to grips with the driving really quickly and the instructor gives clear advice on where to boost, where to turn and where to brake, so no stress and I really just enjoyed the terrain. My car is an ATV and we spend quite a bit of time off-road, but this was something else... a whole other level.
This car went up and down some incredible hills, we were going at such a lean that I felt like if it doesn't flip over now, it never will, we were going through some pretty deep water and mud.. well, what can I tell you. It was a blast! And the best was yet to come. Because at the end of the ride, the instructor whispered to me "Don't worry, you'll have a lot more fun on the next one, it's where you can really get going!"
We all took turns in the driver's seat and all of us got out with a big smile on our faces.
Humvee - a whole different level of adrenaline
But then the instructor left and came back up to us with the Humvee. With the doors off. As much as we like the adrenaline behind the wheel, it does make you feel a bit more confident when you have at least something around you. At least a door. Well, we'll see, I guess we'll just have to stick with...
We did one test lap again to see which way and how to do it. Because the route was a little different this time, adding, among other things, a huge pothole that makes you feel like your car must break in half. It didn't. And it was a real hoot.
Then it was ours. The instructions were clear, automatic, watch out for very sensitive braking, and conversely very firm throttle. We get it, we're off!
When I got behind the wheel, I was given one more crucial instruction "You don't have to brake" ... "Like at all?" "No."
This was a challenge that was impossible to resist, so we kind of skipped over the first three hills, which the Hummer handled carefully with his foot on the brake! Wow, this is going to be something! We were going full throttle up hills, down hills, jumping on horizons, throwing it around corners, and there was no braking in the water under the hill either! So I got it going and... sorry, Ada. But the mud washes off quite well, doesn't it?
