Lake Wylie Wheelers find adventure off road

Romance may seem unlikely with the Mistress and the HomeWrecker involved, but with a catalyst like Lake Wylie Wheelers, it can happen.

Brandon and Brittney Knight of Clover proved it June 5 when they married, two years after Brandon proposed at McDowell Nature Preserve in Steele Creek. He popped the question kneeling beside his Jeep during a Lake Wylie Wheelers off-road club meeting.

Brandon had driven his truck onto a metal ramp by Wheelers to show off their vehicle’s suspensions and flexibility. He called Brittney over and dropped to one knee.

“Then he asked me,” Brittney said. “We had talked about it, even that day driving over, but I had no clue.”

As for the Mistress and the HomeWrecker, they aren’t a threat, assures Wheelers co-founder Paul Beetham. He picked those names for his Jeeps “because I spend a lot of time with them.”

His wife, Elyce, rides along during Wheelers jaunts but doesn’t wrangle the jacked-up trucks herself.

“She doesn’t want to drive, but then, it can get pretty rough” on the trails, Beetham said.

A retired welder, Beetham moved to the Charlotte area in 2007 from Philadelphia.

“I saw all these Jeeps, but I didn’t know anybody,” he said.

Eventually he found co-founders Justin Hegarty and Bruce Maddox in an online forum.

They created a Facebook page, and Lake Wylie Wheelers was born.

The group for off-road aficionados has more than 600 members listed on the page from Lake Wylie, Clover, Rock Hill and Gaffney in South Carolina to Charlotte, Gastonia and Concord in North Carolina. The Wheelers hold off-road excursions at Uwharrie National Forest in Troy, N.C., and schedule meet and greets at McDowell Nature Preserve in Steele Creek and other spots.

One of Beetham’s favorite places to meet is Pelican’s SnoBalls in York.

“Their products are yummy, and the kids like it,” he said. “Our club is very family oriented. People who aren’t very nice won’t feel comfortable with us.”

The group welcomes anyone with an interest in four-wheeling.

“We’ll teach you to drive off-road,” Beetham said. “It takes skill. It’s lots of fun.”

Lake Wylie native Michael Wetherell joined the Wheelers after a meet and greet event.

“It’s a great resource to get to know people and discuss off-roading,” he said. “It’s good to have common interests.”

While Jeeps are popular among members, any vehicle capable of off-roading may be seen. Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota and the occasional rock buggy – “an engine and four wheels” – they’re all represented, club organizers say. Some are tricked out and lifted. Others are more like street rides.

“Not everything will climb a giant boulder,” Beetham said. “Some of us just like to get muddy.”

Long-time member Michael Tsoulos of Steele Creek recently added a four-wheeler ATV to his collection. He likes to take it along on trips.

“It’ll go a lot of places,” he said, adding off-roading requires careful driving. “If you break it, you break it.”

And it’s not just for the guys. Tyler Randall drives a ’96 Jeep with a “Country Girl Fresh” decal on the window. She likes taking the jeep out with her boyfriend, Matthew, his three daughters and her son.

“There’s not many girls who do it,” she said, “but we enjoy getting out.”

Club members also help with trail maintenance and will blaze new trails with private property owners. They stress a “tread lightly” philosophy.

“Don’t harm the environment,” Beetham said. “Clean up, even if you didn’t make the mess. Be safe.”

Sometimes farmers or other property owners flood an area for messy but fun mud bogging events.

The Wheelers help each other with “wrench fests,” working on each other’s vehicles. And they are looking into assisting with Adopt A Highway and Adopt A Trail programs.

“We’re always looking for ways to help the community,” Beetham said.

Another way Wheelers help is by lending a a hand to motorists stuck by snow or ice.

“I love rescuing Jeeps,” said Toyota pickup driver Kyle Gray of Rock Hill.

This story was originally published July 24, 2015 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Lake Wylie Wheelers find adventure off road."