Texas-the home of rugged cowboys, beautiful cheerleaders, awesome terrain, and the 2007 Ultimate Adventure. Last month we told you about how we convoyed around this great state and some of the unique places where our group of 18 trail-prepped 4x4s were tested against mud, dirt, and gravity. This month we return with Part 2 of Ultimate Adventure where the terrain got even harder.
But first a refresher. Ultimate Adventure is a weeklong off-road trip, attended by our magazine staff, a handful of advertisers, another handful of selected readers, and a couple returning cronies who we drag along each year for entertainment. This event is staged to showcase our off-road spirit by living out of our 4x4s for one week and using said vehicles to explore a different part of the country each year. We usually visit three or four states and about the same number of trails. This year we only made it to Texas, but while there we covered some 800 miles and visited five wheeling locales. Oh, and by the way, we usually rough it, camping in the dirt most nights, driving our trail rigs (no trailers) and following each trail day with a long or short trip on the tarmac to the next trail day. On this trip your rig has to be street-legal or at least street-capable and have enough room for all your gear, and when the going gets rough, remember rule number one: No whiners.
This year we started at Barnwell Mountain in Gilmer for some dirt climbs and deep V-notches. Then we cruised over to General Sam's Off-Road Wilderness Park outside of Huntsville, where the trails got muddy and our posse got cruddy. Of course if you picked up last month's issue you already know this. If you didn't, go see if the local newsstand still has a copy of our Nov. '07 rag, and then check out www.4wheeloffroad.com.
Day 5 started at the car wash....
Day 5 started at the car wash. Don't get us wrong; we're not trying to be a group of polished show trucks rolling across Texas. Rather, we needed to clean radiators and hose off undercarriages to look for loose, cracked, or broken parts, and if we get the grit off before we hit the road it's less likely to fly off at speed and damage the windshields of those behind us.
Once on the road we usually...
Once on the road we usually stick to the back roads that lead us through small towns. UA is about four-wheeling, but when we travel from point to point we've found that getting off the major highways offers a more memorable trip. We're probably a memorable sight to the locals as we trundle through these quiet townships with our group of giant mud-terrain-equipped rigs.
The mud bogs from the prior...
The mud bogs from the prior day wreaked havoc with electrical and cooling systems in many vehicles, so we had to stop now and then to sort out problems.
This month we'll cover the last three stops of UA '07, each the home of some very cool rockcrawling trails. As many of you know, rockcrawling has been booming across the nation within the off-road industry, but it's certainly not easier on vehicles than any other terrains. We had broken axles, busted suspensions, and rollovers galore, and it definitely wasn't nice and cool when we had to drag out the tools. In fact, most days the temps were broiling and the humidity made you sweat just thinking about it. But you know what they say: The worst day wheeling with broken 4x4s in hot and humid weather with little bugs crawling down your socks is still better than going to the office.
One last thing: If this trip seems like your dream vacation, then find the application at 4wheeloffroad.com and it may be you and your 4x4 coming along for the adventure next summer.
While some folks wrenched,...
While some folks wrenched, others found it a perfect opportunity to pelt them with water balloons from a giant sling shot. It's amazing how delightful a water balloon feels on a really hot and humid day.
Before long we were back on...
Before long we were back on our way. All our vehicles were required to be street-legal, able to run at highway speeds (though we usually cruise at no more than 65), and have a fuel range of at least 150 miles between fill-ups. Also during road days all camping supplies, tools, and spare parts are hauled on the 4x4 so as to be self-contained and self-sufficient.
In case you're wondering what...
In case you're wondering what it's like to run long highway days on big tires, we had the new 42-inch BFGoodrich KM2s on our UAJK and they were great. Though louder than an all-terrain tire, they were not bad compared to many other mud-terrains we have run. We never balanced them, but rather bolted them on after mounting on a set of 20-inch Poison Spyder bead locks and found they ran straight and true with zero issues for the whole trip. We were very impressed. Notice how the tires turned blue due to the heavy metals in the mud from the prior day.
We started the day at Bloody...
We started the day at Bloody Leg, named after the scars left when clearing all the briars and brush from this trail. Luckily Dean Bullock got his flaming Jeep TJ through unscathed. Dean's mad skills as a competition rockcrawler combined with supercharged 4.0L power under the hood made short work of most of the obstacles. He's not a bad spotter either, often talking many of our crew through particularly difficult obstacles.
Tom Boyd has been on every...
Tom Boyd has been on every UA trip, and this year his Bronco was hiding under Jeep CJ skins. Tom's Bronco has seen some of the toughest trails in the nation and his throttle-down driving antics have gotten him over almost every obstacle he points it towards. The Texas rocks of Bloody Leg didn't stand a chance against this 4x4 legend.
A short ways behind Tom was...
A short ways behind Tom was reader Jake Munoz in his '51 Willys flatfender. Jake's Jeep must have some sort of anti-gravity machine on board because he was constantly showing the crowd his underbelly during the trip.