Page 42 - Panama City Living Magazine

ADRENALINE
For Caroline and other weekend warriors who own rock crawlers and king-size jeeps, The Swamp, a 100-acre off- road paradise located 30 miles north of Panama City becomes “adrenaline central” for two Saturdays every month when skills and equipment are put to the test. Just about anything built to tackle hills, sand, mud, and water on four wheels will show up to prevail over the mud-holes, mountains of dirt, rocks, and heaps of old tires.
Caroline is one of the regulars at The Swamp, making her way around the 100 acres in a custom-built rock crawler she calls “Spicey” that stands out with its atomic orange color. For her, the rush is the reward. “You look at an obstacle and you just keep trying and trying,” she says. “And then you just feel the tires grab and you know this is it, this is it!”
One of the few women you will see driving the big rock crawlers at The Swamp, Caroline has a reputation for not backing down and not giving up. “She’s really just one of the boys,” says co-owner of The Sawamp, Charles Bode. He says a lot of male drivers underestimate her driving ability. “She’s hurt a lot of feelings when she out-drives the guys,” he says with a laugh.
Caroline Keown started off-roading by borrowing her brother Evan’s Jeep. Now she tackles obstacles at The Swamp in a custom- built rock crawler she named Spicey.
Four wheelers make tracks in the mud and sand in the arena area.
42 • March—April 2020 • www.PanamaCityLiving.com