It was like a scene from a Mad Max sequel. Except nobody was mad. And we're pretty sure nobody was named Max.
But for motorists zipping by the SOEC overflow parking lots on Eckhardt Friday afternoon, it was a heck of a sight nevertheless.
A gang of aliens in a beaten down old pickup truck threatening to blast anyone in sight with a ray gun mounted on the bed. A twenty-year-old Kia Sportage somehow coated in Astroturf and sporting a small potted plant on the hood.
There was a 1990 Honda Prelude dressed up to look like a demonic taxi, and a prehistoric Toyota pickup labeled "Sybur Truk."
The leader of this motley crew was, in best Mad Max style, sporting a Mohawk. So we asked him if he was familiar with any of Earth's languages, and he identified himself as Kayle Shaw of Penticton and proceeded to fill us in on what the heck was going on.
"It's the 'Gambler 500,'" he said. "It's an off-road navigational event where we drive through the Forest Service backroads. The objective is to do 500 kilometers with under-$500 piece of crap automobiles. We decorate them however we like.
"The event is tomorrow, but we gather up the day before and cruise out there. This year we're starting just outside of Falkland (30 kilometers west of Armstrong). Up the mountain there. We'll camp out tonight and start in the morning."
But beyond the wild and crazy time, the costumed drivers of the Gambler 500, an event that originated in Oregon in 2014 and has spread to other states and to Canada since then, also perform a service. As they drive, they clear the backroads of garbage. A lot of garbage.
"We normally fill up a C Can (a 20 by 8 by 8 shipping container's) worth of garbage," said Shaw, a dude who'll likely be familiar to local race fans. He's long been a regular driver at hit-to-pass and Figure 8 events and drag races throughout the Okanagan and BC.
"But this is way more fun," he laughed, adding that the first car he ever drove in the Gambler cost him "a hundred bucks and a case of beer."
"We'll start our navigational route, our longitude and latitude points, and off we go. It's not a race. Everyone does their own pace, and when you see garbage, you pull over, you grab the garbage and you throw it in your vehicle until we get to the bin."
Beyond that, proceeds from the sales of broken-down Gambler vehicles and earnings from collected beverage cans are donated to worthy charitable causes.
For Penticton's Keira Shaw, the person responsible for decking out the 2001 Sportage in Astroturf, the Gambler is a family affair that involves her boyfriend, her dad, and her brother (Kayle Shaw, above).
"It's a great organization," she said. "It's free to enter, and everyone's so friendly. The first year we broke down, had no idea what to do, and we had multiple people come up to us and offer to help."
The driver of the Kia, Hailey Prokop of Summerland, said this year's Gambler is a chance to make up for "over-idling issues" from 2020.
"We bought out several dollar stores last year to get this sort of Astroturf square footage, and we glued it down with (landscape block adhesive) PL 600. And this year we've fixed the idling issues. So we're ready to go."
We wish all of them a great ride and happy garbage hunting during today's event. For more information on the BC Gambler 500, hit up their Facebook page here.
