Close your eyes and imagine a peaceful desert expanse. A hawk glides overhead. A breeze swirls around wild cactus flowers. It’s the picture-perfect setting for any first-time off-roader. Now, open your eyes because this isn’t that.

This is King of the Hammers (KOH), a rough and raucous off-road competition. Held every January, the event draws a crowd of 80,000 strong into California’s Johnson Valley, a desert landscape about two hours northeast of Los Angeles.

What started as a friendly weekend showdown between buddies has turned into a yearly Mecca for off-roading enthusiasts from across the globe. This year, it also drew Ford’s own Jaife Rainelli and Brittany Pauley, members of the Integrated Services team and off-roading newbies.

OnX Empowers New Off-Roaders to Explore

Rainelli and Pauley spend their days strategizing and executing marketing plans with like-minded brands to deliver Ford customers amazing in-vehicle experiences. OnX, a leader in digital outdoor navigation, is one such collaboration. The two companies are teaming up to give eligible Ford owners one year of complimentary access to the onX suite of apps, which can be used seamlessly in-vehicle with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to get outside and explore.¹

Driving at KOH was the perfect opportunity to test the onX capabilities, so Rainelli took the wheel of an F-150 Raptor and Pauley the Bronco Raptor to navigate some of the world’s most difficult terrain.

Both women were rookies in their own right. “I’d been off-roading with my husband, but never in the driver’s seat,” Pauley said. “I’d definitely never driven anything like the Bronco Raptor, and I instantly fell in love.”

Rainelli had attended Ford’s Bronco Off-Roadeo in Austin, Texas, but the desert was a far cry from her coastline upbringing. Being born and raised in Miami, “the desert, driving over rocks, has never been that intriguing to me,” Rainelli admitted. “There was just never any terrain on which to off-road. It wasn’t something my family did.”

From Craggy Canyons to Dusty Dunes

The route they planned via onX took the resolute duo around famous Johnson Valley landmarks, including steep boulders with rocks as large as bank vaults.

Over the course of their day, they navigated soft sand dunes, using the Bronco Goes Over Any Type of Terrain (G.O.A.T.) modes, which adapt steering, handling, and powertrain to various terrain, including sand and rocks.

G. O. A. T. Modes

Switching from Rock Crawl mode to Baja mode, Pauley’s Bronco Raptor could easily transition from scaling rocks to cruising down a stretch of dirt road.

With the Sand mode, they learned to keep momentum to stay atop deceiving terrain. Pauley marveled at how capably the Bronco Raptor scaled rocks in Rock Crawl mode, then switched into Baja mode and cruised down a stretch of dirt road. Even Rainelli’s longer wheel-based F-150 Raptor took every challenge in stride.

‘Like I Had a Trusted Guide’

The off-roading learning curve is almost as steep as the terrain itself. From eye placement to speed modulation to line choice, having the right vehicles and navigation tools helps turn a challenge into an adventure.

The experience gave Rainelli a new appreciation for the onX app. “Even without paved roads, it took us to the right location, and the directions were easily displayed on the in-vehicle screen,” she said.

Because she was able to download maps beforehand, losing cell service never meant losing direction. “It made me feel more confident, like I had a trusted guide, even when I lost the lead car in front of me,” Rainelli said.

Finding Magic in the Dirt

Even after returning home, Pauley and Rainelli admitted that the desert stayed with them.

Pauley, for one, said she wants more of it: “I feel confident and genuinely excited to continue conquering all different terrains. I love how my passion for adventure has integrated into my career here at Ford. It makes it all more meaningful.”

Even though Rainelli grew up by the water, she made a strong connection. “Looking out onto the vast desert was the same feeling I’d have on a boat in the middle of the ocean,” she said. “Now, I totally get why off-roaders love what they do. It’s an inexplicable experience, almost spiritual.”

“I feel confident and genuinely excited to continue conquering all different terrains.”

Brittany Pauley

“To reach the highest peak and find a view most people will never see, that’s magic,” she added. “And I can’t wait to do it with my family.”

And she’s not just saying that: Immediately after her KOH experience, she bought a Bronco Badlands. When the marketing experience works on the folks who put it together, you know you’re doing something right.

To learn more, check out the video below and visit onxmaps.com/ford to start your adventure today.